Igbo Connection.

I just thought to take a quick break from this lovely dissertation writing session I am tired as s*** of this. Shout out to Mista Ologo for the melodic gbedu that is currently tantalising my ears. So I do not do as much of sharing my experiences, especially when it pertains to my experience volunteering with the British Red Cross. So I shall seize the moment to do so! Today was especially tiring for me, as I am nearing the days of my cycle. note to self: more iron,Funmi. I was especially grateful for the phone call that whisked me away from the monotonous yet, needed BRM admin work. I mean compared to previous days, I was actually getting on with it fine, as I felt a burst of empowerment after logging in case notes for the third or fourth file. It definitely helped to have adjusted my work space - who knew the boosting up of a chair made so much of a difference in terms of energy provision that yielded an output of efficiency?! Your environment really plays a role in your success. 

So moving swiftly along as I do not have much time to allocate to this blog, I was more active in the morning when going on my first 'official' British Red Cross field assignment!

 Myself and three of my colleagues went to 'Stone Road' to distribute Primark clothing vouchers to persons with the referral form. A side note about 'Stone Road' - Stone Road Housing is apparently the in-between accommodation for asylum seekers as they await their dispersal to their Section 95 NASS accommodation. The living conditions are quite dire, and they are treated not necessarily like individuals but rather like objects, according to my colleague. I mean from what I experienced, it was not a total half-way house, but then again we were in the main reception, making use of the administrative office of 'Migrant Help' - a migration services charity that is conveniently located within 'Stone Road' (They do not own Stone Road, as it is a place owned by housing services like G4S - I think they do other things too, like security for the mall - I saw their van in town one day, and asked a colleague about it, and she said they have various operations within their company - wow, the side notes. This accommodation was contracted out by the Home Office (equivalent to USA's Department of Homeland Security... just kidding, there is no equivalent in the USA. But Home is Home, no? No.) I attended to a Nigerian today :)

I love Nigerians, and this lady had children. I mean being here, I really tend to tone down my 'oh you're Nigerian, I'm Nigerian too!" propensities because 1) The amount of Nigerians here, for obvious colonial historical reasons, makes it commonplace, sometimes (and in some contexts), tiring to be around Nigerians. Compared to the USA, it is quite hard to not share the same breathing space with a Nigerian in a given day (My roommate was Nigerian!) 2) I want to avoid the line of questioning that ensues after I establish a Nigerian connection in my American accent. It gets tiring having to explain to a bewildered Nigerian(-British) what the he** I'm doing here. so around April/May, I just stopped & now I just soak in my constantly being surrounded by Nigerians with bystanding silent awe (side smirk/pity eyes to the yoruba man on the bus today...it can pain) 3) & when it comes to specific encounters at the BRC, there's something about Nigerians and pride and their presence at BRC clinic is kind of an oppositional force to that image. So for their sake & my sake (I get embarrassed over someone's realised/unrealised embarrassment), I 'bo the asiri'(conceal the secret) sometimes (this 3rd point is my own opinion, it is not necessarily true/only true to a few individuals I've met)

 Today was meant to be as routine as possible, when it came to my "I peep a Nigerian (by the accent of course) , and I am about to assist him/her" tendencies. I could not hold it in, sha. I tried. When it got to the third or fourth form that was meant to be filled in order for the lady to enjoy the rest of her day with her children shopping at Primark, I blurted out in true, word-vomit style, "Where are you from in Nigeria?" "Ibo" "really? I'm Yoruba, my parents are Yoruba" (stumble rumble cos I'm excited tins) *..blah blah cos it's not really necessary can you speak yoruba....blahh blah yes...daadaa..blah blah*  *continue with quotation marks worthy dialogue* "I have a boyfriend, my boyfriend is ibo, he..blahh...Enugu" "Ah Enugu is a lovely place, you can get fruits etc. from there" *Take note of the ibo connection, hence the title. What is more interesting to note is the fact that when I asked her where she was from in Nigeria, she said "Ibo". Brings much questions to the forefront, as it relates to nation-state construction in Africa.

 Ok! Adieu!

 OLU FUNMILAYO.

 You are powerful. Don't ever let anyone or anything reduce you to making the mistake of thinking otherwise.

It's all about....

Dusting your shoulders off, no matter how much dirt, gunk, and unwanted particles called it a temporal home. It's all about forgetting regrets and remembering how much of a star you were and are. Keep your head up darling. Be your own biggest cheerleader. Never give up, because one day you are going to win. -Funmi

B'o Te Dibo, O ti Wole!

for blog post title translation, keep scrolling through - will be the last note of the blog, make sure you read the content of course! #NigeriaDecides as of 9:09pm

After 10 States + FCT GMB 7 GEJ 4 APC - 5,092,965 PDP - 2,681,418 #NigeriaDecides

— Andrew Ekpiwhre (@Drewbaba) March 30, 2015

*Runs through house with imaginary broom chanting "APC-Change!"* *Grab your popcorn, grab your mates. Grab your favourite device and use the outlet of your choice as a supplement* *Finally....oh wait. You need a soundtrack! Looking for some gangster Shi- that will make you feel empowered and perceive the current happenings as some mob stuff - in this case the mob being more or less the people, rather than the incumbent "elite" I HIGHLY suggest All Eyez On Me x Burna Boy x JR x LES. "Niggaz ain't runnin' anymore now, seriously" Say it with all the gusto that you can muster from your chest! This is the life that we live, and if you f- it up, we will take it away from you! Robbery tin's... say Nigerians (including my grandma?)(If you choose to listen to this song, stop at 3:23, then rewind back to the beginning, cos the rap segment thereafter is not as hot, and may cause that 'mood-fitting' nature of the song to become non-existent* Finally...watch history be made. I mean, the current common rhetoric is that of the opposition to be not even as viable of an option, but at this point, ANYONE is better than GEJ - distant bystander comment. Daily posts from the weekend will come soon. In #recoverymode Translation: A common Yoruba phrase chanted to candidates who show a likelihood of winning, and they are literally at the brink securing their victory. Literally translated, it's an exaggerated statement, boasting in the candidates ability to secure their victory: "even if you didn't contest, you've won!" GMB. You've won. I just pray.. . -FB

Pc probs so poem instead today. Enjoy 'my Rib' My Rib- In this case im Adam And hes my eve. My heart he'll wear it on his sleeve. See im not poetic but this time I'll let it flow however wherever No matter the weather Cos i know well be together forever.

I'm not consistent. I hate it.

Lately I've been feeling depressed with a side of low moods. Not too sure what's going on with my system, or maybe nothing is wrong. I am maybe suffering from a lack of my own action and an inability to put myself in agency status.

Well, enough of that, as I do have less  disconcerting content to share with you all.

In 5, 4, 3, 2,1......

There will be a blog post everyday from now on!

Get excited! I hope you all are extremely excited, or as excited as I am.

For the most part, I will aim to mix and/or link social commentary with social science.  As a visual person which informs my inclination towards observing more than participating (get's me in trouble more times than none, to be honest as I sometimes make the mistake of failing to participate in my own life as well...in my defense, I am trying. I am slowly revamping my wardrobe taking cues from the fashionable beyond my expectations of street style here in the UK. I mean what better place to revamp ones wardrobe, than here? While at the same time attempting to find myself. I do sometimes find myself in this chicken/egg status dilemma, along with still not being satisfied with my fashion sense. obviously still have much work ahead of me, but with God on my side...) (that was a long side note, as it were. Thank you, rambling). Some content may simply be analysis of a particular field/ phenomenon/discipline/ or institution in social science. I am definitely looking forward to discussing the post2015 Sustainable Development Goals that will be pertinent to the Agenda of the UN convening in September ( or it might actually be separate from that, we'll see)

I hope to be as consistent as possible, owing no one but myself the privilege of being able to express my thoughts within the parameters of this box. God willing of course (don't want to have too much of a creator mind set).

So that is all that I have to share with you all today, but definitely check out my one words, as it will contain content that hints at the blog posts to come in the future -G.W.- (you may notice a difference in text style for those particular ones...or you may not. imploring an 'observant' PT from you all as well).


Adios.


Distant admirations:
https://soundcloud.com/bonkaz

Bonkas x Alone  x Pretty Brown Eyes

Funmi-ism: Don't worry. Hakuna Matata. live in Schloss Sans soucci. Que sera sera my nigga cos, whatever will be will eventually be.


N.B: not all of my 'funmi-ism's will be in rhyme prose. This is more of an assurance to myself than anything else, as being too contrived/"cheesy" as rhyming tends to implicate, irks me.




One Words: Tanzanaian x Kenyan x | Intersectionalities x The Muslim Panther | UNICEF | Real tears at the internship x Phillipines | North Korea, the rising hegemon in a non-western setting - What is non-western, in this 21st century? | Post to be? Omariondontcomeback - "gotta eat that booty like groceries or like ayamase". | weight goals on flop ( this week) | slight ear pains | SE was lowest yesterday, man. I do realise that I am veering away from the whole premise behind 'one-words', but sha allow it. | Minority discrimination? Ah passt schoen, cos they're the victims | I need a job paroles x confusion x renders me useless | black men love weave more | Newtown 'aint' so new | Tasty Guinness punch that I had to purchase due to having to use the nearest toilet available as a result of my still pending bladder on flop issues. | Sudanese bants at internship. mate. Sudanese come in all colors, except this guy looked Nigerian. weird..but he did speak the language). | Summer Ln. Church of Christ | hair paroles | I did work out last week. YAY me! | Tanzanaian qualms | blind man - pregnant woman x hotel | style puzzle sad | Syrian, Eritrean, Pakistan, Somalian,  Sudanese, Ethiopian, Nigerian, Phillipines, North Korea
| typing skills l'oke 'loke.





definitions:
G.W. - God Willing
P.T - Personality Trait
my nigga - guy *nigerian accent*

Gradual Transformative Change x distant admirations.

"sometimes, I fail to show my appreciation / Thank you Lord."

Just a few minutes ago, I visited the Google webpage, and as is the norm, today's Google Doodle was just lovely. I admired it of course - yet, I noticed an aspect of my reaction that differed greatly from my reaction to previous Google Doodles: this time around, I distantly admired the Google Doodle.

Distantly admire: to take an object for what it is, without any impulse to emulate it or attempt to recreate it. Your reaction to that object thus shifts from aspiring participatory or creator status, to that of simply appreciating its existence. It's not every day that one should aspire to be a part of something or some project; sometimes just appreciate.

This is one of the first times that this has ever been the term to describe my reaction, and for this I am grateful.

This reaction is much needed, as I am slowly by His grace getting to that point where I have to start deciding to which activity/engagement is best for me to exert my energies into. a raison d'etre, as it were.

A true typology, speaking on behalf of the as we speak change that is slowly becoming visually apparent ( me blogging about this change is my attempt at non-aggrandizement of this change that I speak of).

Also, Dad came through my city this past week, and it was a wonderful experience, being able to hang out with him in this more mature and more positive state. He also affirmed me in the "work that God has started" (please disconnect this last phrase from any past clichéd statement that you've heard in the past that includes this. Please. And if you cannot, my sincerest apologies). We  discussed a few pressing current issues, such as Africa's gradual dilapidation due to it's ever-growing stark Dependencia. He does not have any more hope for the continent, and to be sincere, I think my hat is slowly coming off as well, with that of 'stability' to take its place (for a whole host of reasons mate, including the historical, cultural, and social characteristics of many countries within that continent that cause to ship to sink even before it sails, and also because of the external influences that require policy changes from the countries and institutions that have relations with the continent... alright obviously this explanation is looking as if it could stand strong as its own blog post, so I'll move on, with intention of creating one concerning this in the near future.

So moving on,

Actually that is it.



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Other distant admirations:
- mirrorme.me
- Don Jazzy's verse in "Gift" (Iyanya x Don Jazzy)
- BattaBox
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Things to work on this week:
-Consistently writing
-Absolve myself from  profligate spending x going to shops.
-Being on task.
-Knowing what I want.
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Funmiism -There are different lanes on the highway for a reason ( well, some highways); Winter  never interferes with Summer's season.


one words: semi awkward, not comfy after church meet me's  | The tablets are working? | German quiz night for the win x awon latecomers | silifa | late night cook paroles | Red cross x dad |

Have a wonderful week everyone and make it blessed, babe (Brum accent).

FGM

"Federal Government of Maiduguri"

or 

[Female Genital Mutilation]

The quote text is the full-length version that was running through my head when the caseworker first mentioned it in her dialogue. My goodness, I blame it on my recent incessant obsession with Nigerian quasi-domestic affairs (quasi because of its borderline "international affairs" characteristics, as is the case with most developing countries. That meaning does not even make any sense, as local government is the apt. I mean, of course being that I actually knew what FGM was, I quickly caught myself or my thoughts. I quickly caught myself in mid thought and corrected myself accordingly. Yet, of course me being me ( and there is absolutely nothing wrong with being me, and this phrase is by no means meant to be a pejoratively derisive, so no please don't be quick to wave the 'LSE' flag in my face, cos I will tear that shit to pieces) I let it slip in the conversation when the volunteer caseworker wanted to confirm that I knew what she was talking about ( & bless me, I did). But of course, there's redemption, one that is reminding of the special grace and favor of the most high (caps to the first letters, natuerlich). Redemption came through my comfort in the conversation, and my grasping of the concept of human beings being susceptible to making mistakes. See, the sooner one is able to grasp such, it's easier ( at least it is for me), to correct oneself even before the full mistake itself happens. The same goes for my propensity towards breaking things. It's as if I have a seemingly innate character of carelessness. But alas, another 'lightbulb'. It is learned. and can be unlearned. It's all about how one perceives the issue. If you hold the issue on a pedestal, unintentionally goes without saying open parentheses before unintentionally close parentheses after saying then the situation/issue will seem as if it can't be overcome, causing you to take it personal to the point of hurting your self-esteem for no reason. It's as if we marry our self-esteem with almost everything that we do, when in fact its value (hopefully it is high...if not, amend as needed) should not be determined by anything that we do or do not do.



Funmi