I remember spending some days to weeks in the village while growing up. Reflecting back on those days, I enjoy and miss those periods. My mom and dad’s villages are wide apart nonetheless, along a coastal area. The first thing about villages is that many households bring you food and expect you to finish all of them. This happens often because most members of the rural community are interrelated and may have been bound by blood or social ties like marriages. Thus, there is usually much to feast upon.
In addition, I enjoyed joining my cousins to the farm. My first access to a rice farm should be about two decades ago—everywhere was swampy and scary for me, the city boy. Life in the village was pretty simple, as there was hardly room for intimidating lifestyles. I enjoyed visiting the farmlands to harvest corn for roasting.
I remember seeing a shock on my cousin’s face when I told him I could not ride a motorcycle, and in fact, I could not ride a bicycle (as of then). We did not need exotic means of transportation to visit neighboring villages; our legs did the trekking, which was usually fun as we were direction bound and equally engaging in conversations.
I remember going to swim in the river Niger that coursed along my village. There were different sections of the river where some swam, others washed clothes inside, and some came to fetch water. One troubling occasion was seeing feaces float on the water courtesy of a careless villager.
Life in the village can be interesting and refreshing, but there are quite a handful of reasons I would not be comfortable living in the village, at least for now.
POOR INTERNET CONNECTIVITY‘Data is life’ remains a phrase we all have come to agree with. Probably because I have grown accustomed to being connected to the internet, I would feel uncomfortable not having a free flow to internet access. I would love to remain connected to the world through the internet service.
POOR ACCESS TO SOCIAL AMENITIESThe rural areas continuously battle with inadequate or absence of social amenities, which brings a strain to development, health, and even the mental state of the individual. The educational sector is an example where schools in rural areas have mediocre exposure to the true state of learning. Access to quality and safe water remains a challenge in rural areas.
I have worked in a rural community as a medic, and it was traumatizing when expertise or availability of some drugs were limited to the urban cities. A worker in the hospital had to embark on a two-hour journey only to by a parenteral drug that was an emergency. Villages have poor access to quality healthcare and, by extension, may not be able to afford even that which is available. This is where I do not want to imagine me having a snake bite and needing to reach a civilized community before accessing help.
I was born in the city and grew up therein. Fortunately, I grew up to witness development within my immediate community, and I could pride myself as one of the early inhabitants of the area. Over the years, the roads increased, and so did the number of vehicles and, consequently, more accidents. Living in the city has exposed me to several opportunities to learn and unlearn, advance, and even participate in globalization. The beautiful sights and development in the city, internet connectivity, schools, education, and access to healthcare have been heartwarming. Houses in the city are usually more aesthetically appealing.
Unfortunately, with urbanization have come attendant disadvantages such as increased number of emergence of diseases and vices, accidents, competition for limited results, and inflation. The industries have increased and caused more damage to the climate, which has resulted in unfavorable weather conditions. Everybody in the city is in a haste to catch up with life and hence, give little regard for leisure and extracurricular activities.
MY CHOICE WOULD BE TO LIVE IN THE URBAN AREA.The world is moving at a fast pace, and globalization has come with curses and blessings. Science continues to advance the ease of life and living. The city gets to acquire knowledge about their environment and make informed decisions. I believe I would be better living in the city except when I am elderly and may prefer my home as a retirement place.
Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.