Japa (verb | Nigerian slang)
/jah-kpah/
The act of leaving one’s home country in search of new opportunities, better living conditions, or a different life abroad.
I watched a video yesterday on Cruise…..if you’ve been following my blog from before it became ‘The Japa Journal’ then you already know I’m a Cruiser. I watch their videos a lot, and more often than not, I find myself taking something meaningful away from most of their videos.
Now, yesterday’s episode featured seven people living with dwarfism. They were brought together to answer questions and share their experiences.
I’m not going to lie, before I started watching, I had an assumption, I expected that most of their responses would be similar. Not out of judgment, but I just felt like they all shared a major similarity so I thought their experiences would naturally align in many ways.
But a few minutes into the video, I started to notice their answers differed, and by the time I finished watching, it really hit me…..
Even though they shared a common identity, their lived realities were different.
And that got me thinking about immigrants.
A lot of times, when you first arrive in a new country, there’s this unspoken expectation that other immigrants will automatically understand you.
You feel like you need to find your fellow immigrants, because surely, they must get it. You assume the connection will be easy.
After all, you all left home.
You all started again.
You all “japa’d.”
So it should be natural… right?
But I’ve come to realize that it’s not always like that.
Yes, we all share the label “immigrant.”
But beyond that, our realities are wildly different.
Some people came as students.
Some came for work.
Some came for love.
Some came out of necessity.
And what I’ve realized more is that even the route you take into a country can shape your entire experience.
Beyond that though, people arrive with different goals, different expectations, and completely different ways of integrating into their new environment. Some arrive alone, some with family, some already have a community before they land…..and some, like me have to build one from scratch.
Now, one of the biggest things I struggled with when I relocated to Canada was building a community and I think a huge part of that struggle came from this expectation that:
“If you’re an immigrant like me, then you would definitely understand me.”
So yeah I assumed connections would be automatic.
But after a few disappointments…and let’s be honest, a few friendship breakups, I started to realize that it doesn’t work that way…..haha!
Building relationships as an immigrant cannot be based solely on shared origin or shared experience.
It has to go deeper than that.
Because what truly sustains relationships is not just where you’re from…
It’s how you see the world.
It’s your values.
It’s your mindset.
It’s your reality.
When you connect with people whose realities align with yours, it becomes easier to build something genuine and lasting.
But when those realities are completely different, even if you’re both “immigrants,” the connection can feel strained.
And I think this is where a lot of the assumptions come from.
You hear things like:
“Immigrants are proud.”
“Immigrants don’t help each other.”
“Immigrants are this… immigrants are that…”
But the truth is, we’re not one thing.
We’re many things.
Anyway, while I was thinking about all of this, I started to notice patterns.
Different personalities.
Different attitudes.
Different ways people navigate life abroad.
And for fun, I decided to group them into categories/types of immigrants I’ve personally encountered so far.
There’s the one I like to call the “Alumni Immigrant” or better still the “I Was Here Before Japa Was Trending” immigrant”.
These ones relocated before it became a wave, so now everything you’re experiencing is “old news” to them.
You’re talking about your struggles or experiences and they’re like:
“Ah ah… we’ve known this since 1953 now.”
Lowkey I think they are gatekeepers of struggle 😭
Then there’s the “Convert Everything to Naira” newcomer.
You’ll always know them.
Because every single thing must be converted.
You’re in a grocery store trying to buy something simple and they’re like:
“$10?? That’s almost 15,000 naira!”
At that stage, even buying water feels like a financial decision, like bro can you just buy buy the gaddam water or???
Next is the “New Identity, Who Dis?” immigrant.
They relocate and suddenly…
They no have or want any connection to home.
No accent.
No community.
You’ll think they were born and raised there.
Awon “I’m in a new dispensation gang”……
Then we have the “Soft Landing Angel.”
These ones… God bless them.
They might have been here for years or just a few months, but they’re still kind, welcoming, and always willing to help.
They share information.
They guide you.
They make the journey feel less lonely.
Honestly, every newcomer needs at least one of them in their life.
Then there’s the “Where Is My Millionaire Status?” immigrant.
They just arrived and they are already confused.
Because in their head, abroad = money.
So now they’re wondering:
“Wait… why am I not rich yet?”
Reality hits them very fast 😭
And then, my personal favorites 😭
The “This Abroad Life Is Not For Me” returnees.
They arrive, see the bills, the taxes, the stress…
And suddenly, home starts to look very attractive again.
“What do you mean I have to pay rent monthly and pay tax on everything???”
Before you blink… they’ve most likely packed their bags and gone back.
And finally, the “I Regret Nothing… But Also Everything” immigrant.
They won’t go back.
But they will complain and compare…..
Every single day 😭
Man can you just pick a struggle please??
If we’re being real, most of us have been more than one of these at different points in our journey.
Because immigration is not static.
It changes you.
You evolve.
You adapt.
You grow.
Anyway, these were just my thoughts today, and I felt like sharing them here in The Japa Journal.
If you’re an immigrant, I’d love to know:
Which category do you fall into?
Which one have you encountered the most?
Or better still…
Which type do you think is missing?
Let me know in the comments……
With love,
Beks 💜
The Japa Journal 
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