launched my legal consulting firm website yesterday. it was fun.

okelegalgroup.com is now live.

I took really nice pictures to launch. See below. 

Excited to serve uber talented migrant communities through this platform. 

Funmi 

I build shit: lessons in dating

 

While on my run today, many thoughts raced (pun intended) through my head including the thought of me building things. 

 

As a child, I got a kick out of solving problems, even if it required spending days working on said problem. From fixing my broken Furby, to that one tricky algebra II problem in high school, I never gave up until I found a solution. 

 

The satisfaction adrenaline rush that comes from solving problems or building something sustainable, gets me every time. I don’t problem-solve on a daily basis as much as I used to, but I do enjoy building systems. Nowadays, either through a regimen or routine or a lifestyle that, when imbibed over time, yields positive results in me achieving my goals. 

 

It is so interesting how this interest flows into my dating preferences. A few girlfriends and I here in Dallas were at brunch the other day discussing the men we are/were into before settling down (for some of us). I was ruling out so many professions of interest (Doctor? No. Lawyer? No. So who do you go for? Tech bros. Engineers. I say authoritatively). If there ever was any consistent pattern to note in my dating history, it would be how I tend to go for men in TEM (not the S, please). I am mostly attracted to (by profession) systematic thinkers, individuals that use thought processes to build systems, write code, engage in systematic spaces and thrive. 

 

Again, this probably stems (pun or no pun?) from my innate desire to build myself. Am I naturally good at building? Not so much (hence the days it took me on my Furby as a kid, and why I don’t do it as much anymore). Am I attracted to those that are? Yes. 

 

opposites do attract, they say. Abstract spacey learned dreamer meets uber structural nerdy tech/engineer/architect dude.

 

What are your dating preferences? What does it say about you? 

Funmi 

Guatemala & how I spent my birthday.

 

I travelled to Guatemala City, Guatemala for my birthday (2/5) this year, and in efforts to make this year's birthday as quiet as possible, I didn't really share much about it, talk less of visibly "marking" the day. By the way, this decision is/was not borne out of any self-depreciating mindset or attitude nor was it a response to anything I was going through at the time; it was rather a strong interest of mine, as selfish as it sounds, to celebrate my birthday only with myself this year. I had also had a mini-celebration with friends in Dallas a week prior, so it was a nice way to mark it with friends based on that interest this year. I reckon that with the hopeful trajectory of my life in the next few years, I would eventually be kind of forced (positively forced, positively forced) to celebrate my birthdays with other warm bodies (speaking specifically about a partner and children), so why not get as many "selfish" birthdays in as possible before then?  Anyway, back to the main point of this post, Guatemala.

Guatemala was a great way to start the new year of my life. I'm not new to solo travel or planning trips in general, so planning the itinerary for this trip was a breeze. I arrived on Sunday evening then went for a run the next morning, the morning of my birthday. 

I then responded to well wishes for most of the morning, journaled, prayed, then did my hair - ello, pixie geng *insert heart eyes*

 After a mini photo shoot (more like took pictures in front of a mirror), I went for my dentist appointment. After my dentist appointment, I came home and got my nails done - the apartment I stayed in luckily had a nail salon in the lobby, a very cute one at that. I then changed, got fresh again (what's a birthday without getting fresh multiple times), then went to an art gallery and the cafe shop next to the gallery for lunch. It was then that I started noticing some cool things about Guatemala City. For starters, getting to different places was quite easy, thanks to Uber. I took note that Guatemala City is a fairly quiet city, with everyone always being inside somewhere - I rarely noticed people just wandering aimlessly about. It was also nice to see a full house at the lunch cafe I went to. Altogether the lunch (or in this case, brunch) was nice, I got the usual - french toast and protein. Guatemala is definitely not a country whereby one can get away with not knowing spanish. I had to turn on my Google Translate a few times, and a few of my service providers had to grab their english speaking colleague. 

After the art gallery and lunch, I walked to a few other neighborhoods - let's call it a "lost in Guatemala" session - over the course of a few hours. I walked to a nice plaza with nice restaurants and then bought a keychain from the nearby Miniso, then went to the outdoor mall near my home. Through exploring these areas, I saw a bit of lagos in guatemala city. There are so many plazas dedicated to food spots, and these are foods from all over the world. Lagos, well the island mainly, is equally a food-oriented city, with new restaurants popping up on a weekly basis. After the wandering and just relaxing at the nearby mall, I headed home to change for my birthday dinner. After the glam and photo session, I headed to my dinner reservation, which was a 13 course dinner (small plates), whereby I got to travel, if you will through Guatemala through the different dishes. My "travel guide" would narrate a bit about the dish before I began eating. The foods were delicious and the fact that I got to learn about Guatemalan and Mayan culture was the icing on the cake, pun intended. After dinner, I responded to a few more messages and turned in for the night. A lovely birthday for a lovely girl, indeed. 

The next few days were spent working from home, running, and just enjoying my "week as a nomad" life. From what I have experienced in this aspect, it is safe to say Guatemala city is at the top of my list for any possible future remote work. For me, and based on my experience, guatemala city is easily navigable, the city is pretty quiet, and has enough amenities for the average 20-30 something year old. If you are thinking of going on a writing sabbatical or just need a serene space to work, consider guatemala city. The only con is guatemala city is insulated - there are no beaches or waterside. Nevertheless, I think anyone could visit guatemala city and really feel focused to work and or prioritize a few tasks. 

By Thursday, I was on my way to Antigua, Guatemala. With the way people hyped Antigua up (I heard so much about it prior to my visit, from it being so safe to how beautiful it is), I was a bit underwhelmed. As soon as I arrived (Antigua is about an hour away from guatemala city), I went on a walking tour. I was wholly unimpressed, and I think my guide could tell. It is literally 4 blocks with every house having been turned into some kind of business, from a restaurant to an Office Depot (yes, I got the ick as well). As a UNESCO world heritage site, you would think that they would make efforts for capitalism to not be as intrusive, especially in such an interesting way, but alas here we are. All the same, the town is walkable. We went to a ruins museum (the town was once destroyed by a volcano). There are three inactive volcanoes that surround the city of Antigua. My guide also took me to a Jade shop where I could buy Jade and also learn about the history of Jade, as Guatemala is a country rich in Jade as a naturl resource. Lastly, my guide shared a bit about the cultures within Guatemala, namely that Guatemala consists of 3 major ethnicities: Mestizo, Mayan, and Garifuna. My guide was a Mestizo woman, so it was nice to learn about her culture while learning a bit more about Guatemala along the way. 

After the tour, I had an original Guatemalan dish at a local restaurant, recommended by my guide. The meal was great! I thoroughly enjoyed it- a chicken and soup meal, with tortilla on the side. Corn flour tortillas are a staple with every meal here in Guatemala. I would learn that quickly because my morning meal the next day by Lake Atitlan also came with a side of tortilla. The tortillas are so lovely. 

The next morning, I was on my way to Lake Atitlan, via a day tour I booked. The tour consisted of visiting 3 different towns around Lake Atitlan, learning about different aspects unique to Guatemala along the way. We started at Panachajel, had the "with a side of tortilla" breakfast (and fried plantains! yum), then used a speed boat to head over to the first town, San Juan La Laguna. It was quite the colorful city, with a high elevation. As we walked up the main street called "Umbrella Street", it felt like I was going up a hill. We entered a cocoa shop and got to try cocoa rum after mini-cocoa making workshop. Guatemala is also rich in, you guessed it, cocoa. I picked up chocolate and a chocolate turmeric bar soap. We then took photos (a few Guatemalan native secondary school age boys came up to me and asked for a photo), explored a bit more, then headed to our next town, San Pedro La Laguna.  Here, there was a nice view point (and a nice photo taking opportunity) - there was a hand statue and a heart fixture. 2-5 years ago, I would have brought a black flowy dress with me to take potos, but omo, I couldn't be asked at this age. I am quite disillusioned with photo taking as of now (it may change eventually, but I honor how I feel right now), so I took the photos exactly how I was dressed and I was quite pleased. After taking in the views then heading over to our final town, Santiago, we were all quite hungry, so we stopped at a restaurant to eat. We then explored that village, learned a bit more about the active volcanoes surrounding the area along with the Mayan culture (my guide was Mayan), then we were on our way back to Panachajel. It was quite the adventurous day. I went to a nice restaurant for dinner then was on my way home to turn in for the night, as it would be a long day the next day getting back to Guatemala City, and further back home, to Dallas, Texas. 

Overall, Guatemala was a great way to ease into the new year of my life. I love how I spent this trip. It was lovely to have no expectations or anxiety, if you will, surrounding curating the best content or getting that instagram worthy photo while on this trip. As you can see, I took so many photos and just enjoyed that photo taking process without judging its post worthiness. Further, given that only a select few knew of my whereabouts, it further helped that feeling of freedom I was hoping to attain, even if it was just for the week (work notwithstanding). It feels quite nice to have these kinds of trips once in a while, and it was even nicer that Guatemala was a country that ended up being perfect for it. Will I return to Guatemala? Absolutely. 

Till next time, and till my next trip, 

Funmi Oke