Fresh on the block

Remember Osofia in London? This is Safiya’s own version!

Safiya works with an international organisation and has done a fair bit of travelling around the world for business and pleasure. However, you know how the experience of travelling to visit a place and travelling to live in a new place vary completely right?

Safiya had been to many destinations in Europe but had avoided London for the fact that she had heard of her 'fellow country people' being scattered all over the place. “When I am leaving home, I prefer to be on holiday from everything familiar” she would always say so she deliberately shunned the U.K.

Safiya finally decided to choose the United States as her destination for further education. On the day of her interview, she walked in confidently, all her documents were intact. She watched as some were denied visas and others told to pick up their passports a few days later. The annoying part with this particular setting is that the hall is in such a way that all the interview cubicles are all the way to the far end of the hall while the seats for applicants are directly facing the cubicles. Everyone can see and hear everything being said.

Trapped II

If you missed Trapped last week, please read it here.

Bewilderment, shock, betrayal, anger, hate all coursed through Laura. She was unsure of what to do. Her boyfriend still in pain tried hard to get himself off the floor, I had hit him really hard, foot and arm right in his groin and face that a part of him must have thought of getting me back.

Rape? Woody? How? The three words he heard Laura say. He asked himself also when. He came here to meet Laura’s best friend but this crazy person? 

He remembered vaguely how his friends cheered him on, it was his turn to prove himself. The things peer pressure does to people! And it all came back to him.

Trapped

In order for this story not to be too long, I have split it into two parts, the next part will be published in a week :-)

As I walked through the dark alley, those words came right back to me…

Down memory lane, it was twelve years ago that I met Laura. We instantly took to each other, we got along so well like we had been friends for a life time. This was strange and new to me. I had always been the one never to get along with people so it had to be a sign. Whatever sign it was, it just wasn't clear.

It became normal to see each other every other day or else it felt like something was missing. Years passed by and somehow in my head, we were to grow apart but that didn't happen. As often as we saw, we always had so much to talk about, this was too good to be true to me.

How about travelling?!

There is something about traveling I find very appealing: it opens your eyes and mind to see the world and life differently.

I love to travel but sometimes when I do, I've had friends ask what I have traveled for. One time when I traveled and a friend asked where I was and what for, I laid out my itinerary to her and the question that followed was ''just like that?'' and my reply was ''yes, just like that, I am on holiday''.

Well being

The climate in Nigeria seems to have experienced a big shift as it is a lot different from as near as ten years ago. With this difference, one would wonder what outdoor activities can be done to enhance well being. The first thing that comes to mind would be forms of exercise but at the same time there are relaxing and fun activities. The location determines to a large extent what these activities will be. Here are some ideas:

Swimming – We do not experience winter and our temperatures do not even drop as low as 10 degrees (Jos in Plateau State might be an exception to this though). Swimming is an all season booster. It rejuvenates; it refreshes and is a great form of exercise as it works all parts of the body. After a hard day’s job, getting into a pool of water is always a quick way to relax the muscles. If you do not have a phobia for water that is :-)

Choices

Dark moments, thick clouds,
despair, bitterness, hate,
Rage coursing through veins,
Complaints!

A chair rocking back and forth
but leading to nowhere
Then comes the popular question:
"Why are you always so angry?!"

Brightness, clear skies,
Joy, patience, tolerance, love,
Choosing to see the good side in everyone
and the bright side of everything no matter what.

We were made to have an extraordinarily happy life.
Afterall, YOLO
A healthy way to be,
Maybe the best way to avoid worry.

There sure are problems all over the world,
we all have problems from time to time.
However, life is 10% what happens to us
and 90% how we react to these situations.

Choose ye this day on what side you shall be...

NgREN

I wrote this report in 2010 when I still had some of the 'techie'ness (as my colleagues at the time liked to say) left in me.  My report

I may not have followed up completely with the Nigerian Research and Education Network but following up on this report, work is still being done and efforts are being made, more clusters have been formed but how involved is the community in this effort?

Nigeria is a large country with diversity as large and on so many occassions, agreement wanders far off. 
Eko-Konnect, SokREN and OsunREN are the clusters in Nigeria that are currently up and running. The idea behind the clusters is to get the Higher Institutions in different regions to collaborate and at some point, they can all come together to form the National Research and Education Network (REN).

Well, I'll let you read more about this yourself but I have to warn you that it is somewhat 'technical' :-) See these links for yourself please Nigerian Research and Education Network and Ekokonnect (one of the many clusters).

What do you think of the NgREN?