Let's get to know each other – Ujunwa Ekweogu

My name is Ujunwa Ekweogu, I am from the southeastern state of Nigeria called Imo. In 2020, I made the decision to get a foreign education different from what I am used to in my home country. I started looking for study opportunities in various countries of the world and eventually found myself in Lithuania.

In September 2020, I started my studies at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, with neither experience nor knowledge of public health. I can now be proud of my knowledge, skills, impressions and experience, thanks to my amazing professors who have dedicated their time in educating us through many projects, seminars and research. I am a student ambassador and mentor. These programmes gave me leadership skills and strengthened my confidence in public speaking and prepared me for a further career.

Before coming here, I had conflicting feelings, including adapting to a new lifestyle, as well as a foreign language that will eventually become what I am used to. Those fears and feelings are a thing of the past now because the experience I had so far exceeded my expectations. I fell in love with this little country and its culture suits me perfectly. I’ve always wanted to live in a small town that didn’t have big car congestion and noise. Kaunas made that dream come true and I never regretted coming here. 

The challenges I faced most often have always been related to language. I usually had a hard time expressing myself and having friendly conversations. When I called for a meeting at an organisation, sometimes I wasn’t considered competent in terms of language and it would annoy me for a moment, but I told myself it wasn’t their fault at all. I am a foreigner who has to learn their language. In addition, I also had an interesting experience at a bank where the person serving me did not speak English. Even though that person couldn't communicate with me, they were still very nice and understanding - we used Google translate to handle my business at the bank. 

I enjoyed every moment of visiting here, starting with the level of Lithuanian reception and ending with the beautiful city I call home this year. I make the most of my stay here, interacting with people and building international relationships. Lithuania has given me such an opportunity and I am forever grateful to have experienced this stage of my life in this beautiful country. 

Prepared during the implementation of the project "Let's get to know each other".