If you are new in the UK, you are welcome to your new life here and we wish you the best… whether in school or at work. Settling in involves getting accommodation, bank accounts and focusing on what brought you here. Sometimes, it’s easy and sometimes it’s not but be patient with yourself, everything will fall into place eventually.

Here are some things that might help you and you might experience in the next couple of months.

• Clock will change

Clock will go back (an hour) 1 hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October, (October 29th precisely). We will be one hour behind Nigerian time for this season until March 31st 2024. So you will have an extra hour on that day – October 29th. This is to add more day light time to your days (day time saving) so confirm your times with the news on TV, radio etc. so you are not late for work or lectures etc.  

• Halloween 

We don’t really celebrate Halloween in Nigeria but it’s a big deal. It is the night of 31st October and is also the eve of the day western Christians celebrate the Feast of All Saints. According to Wikipedia, it started as a day in the liturgical calendar when saints and martyrs are remembered and celebrated. Now it’s also about parties, treats and costumes (mostly scary costumes). If you want to join in then you may want to get some sweets and chocolates ready for the children when they knock on your door asking for trick or treats. If you are outside that night try to stay away from trouble.

• Bon Fire Night

Bon Fire night is celebrated on the November 5th in the UK. It is a night of lots of fireworks celebrating the failure of Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder plot of 1605 to blow up the Houses of Parliament in order to kill the King and his government. You will hear and see a lot of fireworks, check with your council to confirm the times and what is allowed, if you want to join in.

• Preparing for the cold .

We are in autumn till 22nd of December 2023 when winter starts according to Met Office. So if you are feeling cold already, sorry but it will only get colder. The temperature will keep dropping, it’s not as cold as Alaska or some parts of Canada but it’s not warm like Nigeria. It gets quite cold and can be very unpredictable.

You need to keep warm and plan your outings because if you don’t and you are not properly dressed for the temperature, you will be asking yourself ‘why you relocated sef’. So get thermals (it keeps you warm without you wearing many layers of clothing, buy jackets with fleece, buy thicker duvet inserts like (13.5tog or so), if you are using central heating, get portable heaters so you do not need to heat the up your whole house, this way you keep your bills down. Drinking hot tea helps a lot in keeping us warm, some people boil water and put in a flask like we used to do at home in Nigeria so they don’t don’t keep turning on the kettle and they reduce electricity bills. A hot water bottle helps to keep us warm as well, keep it under your duvet at night when you are ready to sleep. Wear fleece clothes at home to keep you warm.

• Prepare for Christmas 

What’s Christmas like here? The activities leading up to Christmas are unending. There is excitement everywhere. Christmas lighting ceremonies, Christmas Markets and a lot of attractive things ‘calling your name’ especially if you have children. Enjoy the season but have a plan for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

In Nigeria, Christmas and Boxing days still have public transportation and lots of places still open but it’s different here. The whole country shuts down, venues are closed, most shops are closed, no public transportation – no trains and no buses. Taxis could be highly priced at some locations. Of course, if you have a car, you can go visiting but most people stay at home with family and friends, have dinner and wear their Christmas pyjamas the whole day, after opening presents, obviously and a message from His Majesty The King. Not all churches open, some choose to have their Christmas service on Christmas Eve but it’s best to have all relevant information so you can plan.

Try to avoid trips that don’t get you to your destination before midnight on Christmas Eve, that is, if you are relying on public transport. Confirm opening times of venues before leaving your house. If you live alone, make an effort to spend time with someone or people that day or you might end up feeling miserable and really missing home.

Once again, whatever brought you here, study or work, we wish you all the best.