“I Love How Nigeria Makes Me Feel”: How South Korean Renee Ju Found Home in Nigeria

While many Nigerians dream of “japa” and building a life abroad, South Korean content creator Renee Ju has found herself on the other side of that story — moving to Nigeria for work and eventually making the country her home.

Renee arrived in Lagos in 2021 for a work assignment with Samsung Electronics. What began as a professional relocation has since grown into marriage, motherhood and a deep connection with Nigeria.

Renee Ju’s First Experience of Nigeria

Renee admitted that her first impression of Nigeria was far from easy.

She arrived during the COVID-19 pandemic and spent her first two weeks in hotel quarantine. Coming from South Korea, where she described life as highly structured and governed by many rules, Lagos felt dramatically different.

She even admitted that when she first arrived, she wanted to return home.

But that feeling gradually changed after she began working with Nigerian colleagues.

Their energy, humour, openness and approach to life helped her see Nigeria differently. According to Renee, the people she met played a major role in making the country feel less foreign.

“It Was the People Who Made Nigeria My Home”

For Renee, it was ultimately Nigerians themselves who transformed her experience.

Her former colleagues became friends and, eventually, something closer to family. She described being able to laugh and cry with them and rely on them whenever she needed support.

That sense of community became one of the biggest reasons Nigeria began to feel like home.

“What I love most about Nigeria is the way Nigeria makes me feel.”

Renee explained that life in Nigeria made her emotions feel more direct and unfiltered, encouraging her to experience life more fully.

From Cultural Shock to Falling in Love With Nigerian Life

Nigeria’s social culture was another major adjustment.

Renee said she was surprised by the country’s parties and weddings, noting that Nigerian weddings felt very different from those in South Korea.

She also joked about adjusting to long church services, which she said could last three to five hours.

Rather than pushing her away, however, these differences became part of the experience she eventually embraced.

How Renee Met Her Nigerian Husband

Renee’s Nigerian story also became a love story.

She met Victor Babatunde Yamusa at a beach concert at Landmark in Lagos.

According to Renee, it wasn’t love at first sight for her, although Victor already had feelings for her.

At the time, Renee had resigned from Samsung and was spending more time enjoying Lagos and hanging out with friends. As her friendship with Victor developed, she began discovering his caring side.

That friendship eventually became a relationship and later marriage.

Marriage and Motherhood Changed Everything

Building a family brought another layer to Renee’s Nigerian experience.

She and Victor welcomed their son, Roi Ifeya, and Renee said motherhood changed the way she viewed Nigeria.

Before marriage and children, cultural differences could feel like an interesting part of their relationship. With a child, however, questions around values, identity and parenting became much more significant.

For Renee and Victor, faith became an important anchor as they navigated those differences.

“Nigeria Is Now My Child’s Motherland”

Perhaps the strongest indication of how much Renee’s relationship with Nigeria has changed is the way she now describes the country.

Nigeria is no longer simply the place where she once accepted a work assignment.

It is where she experienced pregnancy, gave birth and built a family.

She described Nigeria as her child’s motherland, saying that whatever Nigerians experience in the country now concerns her too.

For Renee, Nigeria has become a place her family will always return to, regardless of where life eventually takes them.

Nigeria Humbled Her

Looking back at the woman who arrived in Lagos in 2021, Renee believes the experience fundamentally changed her.

She said Nigeria taught her to appreciate the freedom she had to travel and explore the world, while also changing her understanding of purpose.

She now believes there was a reason she came to Nigeria and is excited about what she might contribute to the country in the future.

A Different Kind of Nigerian Dream

Renee Ju’s story offers an interesting contrast to the familiar Nigerian “japa” narrative.

She came from South Korea to Nigeria for work, initially struggled with the cultural differences and even wanted to leave.

But years later, she is married to a Nigerian, raising a child in the country and describing Nigeria as home.

For Renee, the journey from Samsung employee in Lagos to wife, mother and someone who calls Nigeria “my country” has become a story of love, identity and belonging.