surviving a hailstorm 101

It’s 5:56 am and you hear an alert go off. First thought that comes to mind is that it’s an amber alert as metropolitan Texas cities are rife with this. You check and it infact is. Since you’re up anyway you decide to use the bathroom. Once you return to bed you check your phone again and see another alert. This time it is an alert from the National Weather Service regarding severe weather hailstones and more inducing a possible tornado. 

You read the alerts’ advisory instructions and also couple the reading with more online guidance because this is your first whirlwi— err rodeo. Grab your emergency kit and move to the first floor of your house and to the innermost part without windows.

All the tornado drills from Kittredge Elementary, Chamblee Middle, and Chamblee High have prepared you for this very moment. You’ve got this. 

You head to your walk-in closet blanket, pillow, and emergency kit in tow. 

By this time the hail stones are pattering (actually no they are stoning) against your windows as if threatening to crack them at any moment. You’re secured in your closet but there’s still worry in your heart. What to do next? Should you call your dad? Your mum? You opt to send your neighbor a quick text just to feel some sort of relationship security even in an ‘every man for their own bunker’ situation. 

By 7:05 am the power has gone out and you are vehemently regretting having shitty data  because the texts are going green. By 7:10 am the green texts aren’t sending either. Great, no access to internet or persons. You just pin there. Mental note to self that you should look into getting Elon Musks’ Starlink internet.

Thankfully in a few minutes the hail has subsided and youre able to return to your bed to catch more sleep. The power is still out but at least the more major threat has drastically reduced. 

By 9:30 am the power has returned. You’re finally awake and assess the damages: your left fence has tilted into your neighbors’ yard with one piece fully dismantled. 

You have officially survived a hailstorm/tornado (albeit a latent one) + now you want to write a step-by-step guide on how to survive one, as per guru: 

1. Take note of the innermost part of your house on first floor or in basement (if applicable) that you and family intend to take shelter so that you’re ready to take cover if need be.
2. Have an emergency kit that consists of the following: a flashlight, power bank, sos signal, snacks, medicine, first aid supplies, card games, bottled water.
3. Once you’re secured, reach out to a loved one or neighbor (especially if you live alone) to stay/feel connected.
4. Have and make use of non-perishable  food items because you don’t know how long r be without power.
5. Follow the guidance of the National Weather Service as much as the power situation allows.

After the storm 

1. Check for damages- including in less obvious areas such as the roof (if in an apartment confirm that management is doing an assessment and/or submit necessary reports for repairs).
2. Replenish your emergency kit and/or non-perishable food items
3. Reset clocks and other necessary electronic items once power has been restored.
4. Get rest and take care of yourself. 

Funmi

wealth and health

“Your blood pressure is back to normal, great job,” nurse says to me excitedly during my check-up last week as she prepares to give me a fist bump. I am already heaving a sigh of relief, giving her the  biggest girl grin I could muster up, yet knowing those two physical motions do not encapsulate exactly how I feel internally. Jumping around the patient room, screaming from the top of my lungs “hallelujah” in a very ‘it points to the fact that she was raised in a CAC church’ way, or giving her a ‘she never saw it coming’ big hug would have been better options. Alas, there is a time and place for everything, so I settle for the fist bump and realize this is cause for a blog post. So here we are. 

Asides from the “earning my stripes” of bruises here and there during my tomboy phase and the occasional flu-like symptoms from my heavy periods, I have been a relatively healthy babe since childhood (my most crazy health scare had to do with a contact that scratched my eye that year). Well, that is until this year. In January, I felt as if something was wrong - more than the normal weakness from it being that time of the month. I just felt generally unwell. By the second or third week of feeling like this, I knew I needed to move up my yearly checkup that I would normally do around my birthday so as to make sure all is fine sooner than later. Plus, given my already stellar health records, I felt there was nothing to worry about. 

I still remember that gloomy day in January that I went for my appointment before work. At 8:30 am I was called in for my appointment. The nurse checked my vitals as usual, but in quite unusual fashion, she said to me anxiously, “your blood pressure is very high.” She then asked me a few questions about my current stress levels, lifestyle, etc. She sat me down in a lower chair did some of other things and took my blood pressure again. Same high levels. The doctor then came in and asked a few follow up questions then put me on medication asking me to return the following week. I was to monitor my blood pressure all week. It was that high. 

She also explained the implications. To me it was just a reading on an instrument, but in reality it could be the catalyst for other future health complications including kidney failure and hypertension. You didn’t have to tell me twice to start implementing changes. 

After my follow up appointments’ results came back with still high blood pressure levels, I just knew I had to implement more changes which will be discussed shortly. I was also prescribed a higher dosage of the hpb medication. 

That was in February. By May, I am happy and healthier, with lower blood pressure levels to show for it. 

A few changes I implemented (and by no way was it easy, it just had to get done for my health) include:

• I’ll start with the bigger one - I left my big law job and took a different role elsewhere. Stress and big law go hand in hand. I wanted to tough it out for the sake of the perks that came with my role but never at the cost of my health. As long as I am practicing immigration, I am good. 
• I run every morning by 6:00 am, unfailingly. Doesn’t matter where in the world I am, I am running. It helps me not only feel refreshed for the day, but an active lifestyle helps with maintaining normal  blood pressures.
• Medication and supplements: in addition to the blood pressure medication, I also take vitamin and women’s health supplements that help calm my mind and reduce anxiety
• Beets juice: I implemented juicing into my diet and it has helped tremendously with my overall health and wellness
• Time management: I try as much as possible to sleep early and wake early, thereby getting enough hours of sleep. 
• Limiting my time on social media and opting for my hobbies in my downtime. In short I do things to calm me down after a long day. 

I’m grateful to be on the other side of this health journey and for the lifestyle changes gained along the way. Health is wealth, as they say, and long may I continue to be a rich girl. 

Funmi

5 reasons why I like my career

Like is doing alot of heavy lifting here because my ideal job is one that involves not working, but here we are :)

I’m a business immigration attorney/ specialist, aka I facilitate the transfer or movement of skilled professionals from one country to another, with a primary focus on U.S. immigration processes.

Here are 5 reasons why I like what I do: 

1. You can practice from anywhere. While in law school, my mentor in the field shared this as one of the perks she has experienced while practicing. U.S. immigration’s jurisdiction is federal and not limited to a particular state. Many law firms with a business immigration specialty do require their attorneys to be lisenced in the the state the firm is based, but equally as many don’t for the above stated reason. Most specifically, if you go solo, you can practice out of any country you want to as long as you have access to submit filings to USCIS and don’t need to represent persons in court (which biz imm generally doesn’t require). This aspect of business immigration is perfect for my itinerant proclivities. 
2. It’s a niche field but also expansive in ways you can practice. You can work at firms of different sizes, you can go in-house, you can become a global mobility specialist, you can go solo, and so on so forth. Pivoting at any point in your career is quite easy because the base legal foundation is the same - its iteration is whats different depending on the job type.
3. It involves corporate practice (which means the opportunity to make a ton of money) but at the same time your work directly assists people. Win-win in my book.
4. I have a personal affinity towards immigration given my personal background.
5. Administrative law is a field I excelled in while in law school, so needless to say I’m good at navigating through the legal tenets of U.S. administrative agencies related to immigration law such as USCIS, DOL, and CBP. 

Bonus: i studied international affairs in my undergraduate program and also studied global governance in my masters program, so I am utilizing concepts mastered in both programs in my career. 

If anyone is interested in this field of law or know anyone interested in global mobility as a career path in general, please contact me at foke@okelegalgroup.com. I am always happy to provide mentorship/guidance. 

Funmi