I thought I understood Europe.
Then I went to Germany.
The first blow landed before I even boarded the plane.
Despite being a frequent traveller with an impeccable travel history and a thick stack of previous visas, the German Consulate General in Lagos issued me a visa valid for five days.
Five. Not six. Not seven. Not even a single courtesy extra day in case something went wrong.
Just five days — the precise duration of the AI Leaders programme I was attending in Frankfurt alongside other newsroom leaders from across the world.
I stared at the visa sticker in shock and rising anger.
I later shared my feedback with a German official who was equally stunned.
“Is this your first time in the Schengen area?” he asked.
“No,” I replied.
I had received a six-month visa from France the previous year, travelled widely and lived in the United Kingdom
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