By ERIN HOPKINS

Staff Writer

Moving can be a nervous experience for anyone, but imagine moving to a different and unfamiliar country.

That was what Gabriel Al-Amintowolawi, a senior mechanical engineering major, did when he came to Tech in the fall quarter of 2002.

Al-Amintowolawi said he liked the idea of moving to the United States.

"I liked it because I always wanted go to college in another country other than mine so that I can get more exposure to people of different cultures, languages and nations," Al-Amintowolawi said.

Al-Amintowolawi said moving to Ruston made him a little sad because he had to leave his family and friends, but as he met new people and adjusted, the feeling went away. He is originally from the Ogun State, located in the southern part of Nigeria, and grew up in the Kaduna State, which is located in the north.

Al-Amintowolawi said the culture is very diverse and has many different ethnic groups. There are over 250 different dialects and each dialect has slightly different cultures.

"The official language is English but the major language spoken is Hausa, Igbo dialect, where I'm from," Al-Amintowolawi said.

Al-Amintowolawi said there is a wide range of foods that are popular in Nigeria.

"It's a variety, but predominately staple foods like the African yam, which is completely different from the sweet potato," Al-Amintowolawi said.

Al-Amintowolawi said the yam can be made into several different dishes.

"For example, we can dry it and grind it into a powder then make mashed potatoes," Al-Amintowolawi said.

Al-Amintowolawi said they also have stews and soups and they are made with foods from region to region and between the dialects.

The ingredients added to the soup are what make the soup different.

"The region where I'm from we have a soup made from a goat's head, called goat's head soup," Al-Amintowolawi said.

"My favorite food is Ikokore, which is made with water yam."

When it comes to clothes, Al-Amintowolawi said it is similar to what is worn here except for a few articles of clothing.

"We wear Caftans, they are a kind of shirt and the length depends on the person," Al-Amintowolawi said. "The shirts are called bubas and the pants are similar to ones here."

Al-Amintowolawi said the schools are set up a little differently than schools in America. Kindergarten is not quite the same as it is here. Primary school is the next level and it is the equivalent to junior high school here.

"For high school, I went to two different high schools," Al-Amintowolawi said. "I spent four years in one school and spent the last two years in another school."

Al-Amintowolawi said he noticed several differences between Nigeria and the United States, but he noticed the weather right away.

"The weather is different," Al-Amintowolawi said.

"We don't have as many seasons as we do here. We have the wet season and a dry season, and it doesn't get as cold there as it does here."

Al-Amintowolawi said being in Ruston has been a positive experience.

"I have met many people from different countries, and many times we only get to share only a small bit of a culture," he said.

"I'm not sure if I will go back to Nigeria when I graduate, but only time will tell with that."