A man who was born and raised in Nigeria and then moved to the United States has taken the unusual step of sending his two sons to spend their seventh grade in Nigeria for them to learn the essence of gratitude.
According to a WCPO report, the 14-year-old twins Noble and Evan Nwankwo spent nearly a year at Mea Mater Elizabeth High School in Enugu, starting their day with 5am exercise and prayer.
Used to the comforts of living in a country club with the family, the boys were placed in different conditions, where there was no help from mom on homework or washing clothes.
Noble and Evan Nwankwo
Evans Nwankwo, the father of the twins, explained the reasons behind his decision:
“Adversity is important in somebody’s development in life, as far as I’m concerned, because there comes a time when the storm is going to hit you, and if you never had that to fall back on you’re just going to fall apart. I strongly believe that because it’s been important in my own development.”
He explained how he himself had been in a big family with 13 children. After the Nigerian civil war broke out, his father was killed and once well-off people had to run for safety and scramble for food.
Not only did Evans manage to reach the US, but he also built a successful business there, married and raised wonderful kids.
When the boys were getting ready for their trip to Africa, the continent was ravaged by Ebola and Nigeria’s northeast by Boko Haram attacks on schools.
Noble and Evan Nwankwo spent their 7th grade in Enugu school
This could not but worry the father who admitted that he had “a lot of apprehension, a lot of anxiety”.
At the end of their stay in Nigeria boys disclosed how they felt about their experience.
Noble said: “I hope I’m not as lazy as I am now. It was kind of eye-opening to see how much you actually have to work to get a simple bucket of water, and how you actually have to use your own strength to carry it back and forth And it’s actually pretty tough to hand-wash your clothes with that amount of water. You have to really manage it.”
“You have to be trekking all over the school just to get water to bathe with… Here you can just turn on the tap and there’ll be water flowing like it’s nothing. There, you’ll, be struggling for it. Sometimes we would go without water for a couple days.” he added.
The kids’ dad admitted to having noticed the changes upon their return:
“I feel that the experience is one that will live with them forever, and they will be forever changed – maybe not on the immediate, but long term.”
Evans Nwankwo, the boys’ father
It appears that Evan and Noble have learnt the lesson of appreciation. Speaking gratefully, Noble concludes:
“I appreciate the washing machine. I appreciate the running water. I appreciate the shower, so I don’t have to use a bucket of water in a bowl. I appreciate my electronics. I appreciate my parents a lot more because I realize how much – especially my dad – I really realize how much he had to do to get here.”
Inspired by the outcome of the trip, Evans said he had started saving money for his grandchildren to spend a year in Nigeria. So it might become a good family tradition in the Nwankwo family.
