Bepo recalled the story as an example of culture shock for Nigerian teachers abroad. This can be found on page 13 of the novel where Bepo notes that he recalls reading the story of a Nigerian teacher who got settled the first day he walked into a class in a UK school and one of the students asked: "Are you an idiot?". Bepo, however, believes this is an isolated incident, if at all it is true, and should not deter him from relocating abroad to reunite with his family.