An Immaculate Prayer

It’s 7:44pm in Lagos, Nigeria. As I was leaving one of my close friends’ place to enter my Bolt, she noticed a full moon. She quickly pointed it out and told me to state my hearts’ desires. This then segued into an intense moment of prayer on both sides, and I felt the presence of God as she interceded on my behalf. Just me and her, with baby in hand, and God in our midst. 

I am grateful for this moment, and to a larger extent, this season. Without sounding trite, I know God aligned these moments perfectly. That in turn speaks to the way in which He is aligning my future. I thus shouldn’t fear, but should rather completely trust Him. Trust His plans for my life and know that He has far greater in store for me than I can imagine. 

It’s now 7:54 pm. As I sit in this standstill traffic on the way to Lekki, I have nothing but gratitude in my heart and hope for the future.

p.s. - Henceforth, I intend to edit all my posts before posting. 

-Funmi Oke 

catch dynamic flights.

 One of the reasons why I enjoy international flights is because of the interesting people I get to meet. It’s almost as if it’s the default now to meet interesting people if you book an international flight (n.B. this has been my experience mostly for travel outside of North America). It is also a lovely precursor to what should be a meeting of interesting people in the destination country.

Here are the people I met on my Egypt Air flight:

An older Nigerian Igbo couple basically didn’t leave my side at the boarding gate when they realized I was Nigerian (how they realized this, I am still not too sure). Once we got to the layover city, they asked if I was going to Abuja. I informed them no that my destination is Nairobi and wished them a safe travel onward.

Myself and a babe from New Dehli, India started getting to talk whilst looking for the immigration counter at the layover city. Apparently she was returning home for good after her inability to find work in her dream career of theater acting. I wanted to give her a hug.

The guy I sat next to on the flight insisted he is from Paris. Upon a few more “where are you really from”s he shared that he is of Mali origin. We spoke about different topics ranging from the pandemic, to body image, to the coup amongst other things.

An elderly man that only spoke only Arabic was meant to return to a specific counter and so another man was using his best English to try to explain this. Soon as someone pointed out he speaks only Arabic, that same man switched to Arabic to explain. The elderly man still didn’t follow the directions.

I enjoyed this aspect of travel and appreciate the interesting people I meet along my way. 

Funmi Oke

Living Single

 

I was reminded of the show Living Single yesterday, one of my favorite shows growing up. Similar to Girlfriends, I am rewatching (currently on episode 6) and wondering how this show kept my attention at such a young age. None of the topics or continuity points for the show were relevant to this 13 year old kid (ok dating, maybe). But to be fair, I started watching Living Single in my mid to late teens.

Watching the show now in my early thirties, I see alot of the things I go through in my day-to-day life mirrored on-screen. Again, the amount of Black sitcoms in the 90’s and early 2000’s  is highly under discussed. I wonder what the push for this was, as there is nearly not as much nowadays (TV/streaming dynamics have largely changed to be fair). Kelsey Grammar is considering a reboot of Girlfriends, as was reported earlier this week. 

Nonetheless, it’s always great to indulge in nostalgic media here and there, and dare I say that sometimes they tend to be better than present day media (tiktok, I am directly talking about you). 

Funmi Oke

Speed Limit 8

I took notice of this sign for the first time as I was driving into the parking garage of my office. I have been driving into this garage for three days a week at least since January. This awareness was a grounding technique.

Grounding Techniques, as described by PyschCentral, are strategies that help connect or “ground” you in the present moment. They’re essentially a form of mindfulness, which has been shown to help many different mental health conditions. They involve intentionally using your five senses to take note of exactly what you're hearing, feeling, seeing, touching, and smelling in that very moment, as a way to bring you 'back to earth' or back to your here and now. 

This was an unintentional grounding, but needed, nonetheless. I am quite prone to staying in my thoughts, but when I got acquainted with this practice, it has been a bit of a help in reducing the anxiety that said thoughts bring about. 

I am currently experiencing anxiety about my upcoming travel plans, the future, and a situation I am trying to bring back under control. Seeing the speed limit 8 this morning reminded me of exactly where I am right now, and such reminder is comforting. 

In balancing my anxiety with joy, I am excited to be away from my normal for a few weeks, the ways in which I plan to conceptualize (and add a digital component to) my travels and seeing my family/friends. 

Funmi Oke 

Overturning The Chevron Doctrine

 The Potential Impact of Overturning Chevron on Immigration Law

As immigration professionals and advocates, we are constantly navigating the complex and ever-evolving landscape of immigration law. One of the critical legal doctrines that has influenced how immigration law is interpreted and applied is the Chevron doctrine. The Supreme Court could be overturning that Doctrine in 2024. What is the potential impact of such a decision on immigration law and what are the the broader implications it could have?

The Chevron doctrine, established by the Supreme Court in Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (1984), provides a framework for how courts should review agency interpretations of statutes. Under Chevron, courts generally defer to an agency's reasonable interpretation of an ambiguous statute when Congress has delegated authority to the agency to make such interpretations.

Chevron has played a significant role in immigration law, particularly in cases involving the interpretation of immigration statutes and regulations. Immigration agencies, such as USCIS, ICE , EOIR, frequently rely on Chevron deference to support their decisions and policies.

If the Supreme Court were to overturn Chevron, it could have several notable effects on immigration law:

1. Reduced Deference to Agencies: Courts may be less inclined to defer to immigration agencies' interpretations of immigration statutes and regulations. This could lead to increased judicial scrutiny and potentially more challenges to agency decisions.
2. Greater Uncertainty: The absence of Chevron could result in more uncertainty in immigration law. Immigration practitioners and their clients may face challenges in predicting how courts will interpret immigration statutes and regulations, leading to legal ambiguity.
3. Impact on Administrative Changes: Chevron deference has historically allowed immigration agencies to implement policy changes more easily. Without Chevron, agencies may find it more challenging to enact certain policy shifts without facing immediate legal challenges.
4. Increased Litigation: The elimination of Chevron could potentially lead to a rise in litigation as parties seek judicial clarification on statutory and regulatory interpretations in immigration cases.
5. Potential for Legislative Action: If Chevron is overturned, it may prompt Congress to consider legislative action to clarify immigration statutes, which could result in amendments or updates to immigration laws.

The potential impact of overturning Chevron on immigration law remains uncertain, so it is essential to stay informed about developments in immigration law, including potential changes in judicial deference to agency interpretations. Immigration practitioners should be prepared to adapt to a shifting legal landscape and continue advocating for their clients' rights and interests in a potentially more challenging legal environment.

Funmi Oke 

"..so it’s farewell winshape *dramatic pause*

...right here is right where I belong"

 In efforts to capture a memory from my late teens to early twenties that I believe has not yet been captured, here's me writing about my experience working at Winshape Camps the summer after my freshman year of college (no photos will follow sha. It's on my Facebook if you have the access and interest).

My job as a camp counselor at WinShape Camps, a Christian camp sponsored (read: created) by the founders of Chick-fil-a was very on brand with my Christian walk at the time I took the position. A couple months prior, I had assumed the role of founding President of the Bethel Campus Fellowship, a role I took so seriously that I stopped going to parties, etc. That's neither here nor there - back to WinShape. Actually, it is in fact both here and there, because to aid in said commitment, I joined another Christian fellowship that some friends in my residence hall were a part of, and without me joining this ministry, I wouldn't have known about WinShape. While the name of that ministry escapes me, I found out about the summer gig through them. I applied, and, as they say, the rest is history (or in this case, the rest is my summer 2011). 

This was my first introduction to having responsibilities. I had to make sure the girls (my campers) were up and ready at a certain time each day. While we had time off, we were mostly on call throughout the summer. This was one of my favorite jobs till date, I can't lie. Not only was I able to tap into my creative side with the activities I put together for the girls, I also leaned into my mothering side, if you will. The girls were middle school age, and that of course comes with all the puberty feels. Given that this summer stint was more than 10 years ago, I only have faint memories from the experience, but I do remember leading some crafts (the cooking craft was my favorite, and I still utilize a green beans recipe from one of the cooking classes that I led). I also remember one of my campers' selflessness in assisting another camper when her food spilled (she literally dove to the ground and picked up all the spilled food. It brought me to tears, and she of course won the spirit award for that session). I remember allison crandall and my fairy camp counselor best friend (I wonder where she is today). I remember getting so dark. I remember the Chick-Fil-a Fridays. And lastly, I remember the chants. 

We had a competition to see which tribe could put on the best end of session musical chant. Ours was to the tune of Tangled's "When Will My Life Begin". While I don't remember the words to ours (we clearly didn't win), the ending to the winning chant is the title of this blog post (clear winner for a reason). 

Another chant that has stuck to me since I learned it from a devotion morning is "I am OK, because Christ rules the day". As elementary as this chant goes, it has given me a sense of calm throughout my adult life so far. It's amazing how the most seemingly inconsequential experiences actually stick to you and (sometimes) help you get through the consequential. 

At the time, I thought I was just there for the money and a good time (I barely took time off so when I returned to UGA in the fall of 2011, I was money bags Funmi, Funmi Fundssss), but who knew I'd gain something that money can't buy? 

Here's to the chants that stick with us and carry us through our days. 

Funmi Oke 

11th Hour Quality

 Today’s post is going to be a word-vomit style entry (as per I have much on my mind), but expect a beautiful photo at the end. 

Quality over Quantity.

This is has to be the phrase that underpinned my 2023. Much of my endeavors this year centered around this, from smallest of things to the biggest. I will proceed to give examples: 

Career: I focused less on numbers, i.e. how many filings I was able to churn out in a given period, and more on providing quality work to the few clients I took on in Q2 + Q3.  

Purchases: I identified items that sparked joy for me + invested in them/waited till a particular period to make the  “big purchase”. In other words, I’m aiming to fill my space and person with meaningful things and not just “things”. Every month this year, I made 3 or fewer purchases (sans essentials and my birthday month).

Relationships: my day-to-day this year was spent cutting out noise + focusing on few. While I am friendly, my personality does not require that I speak to more than one person a day. I have become more comfortable with this, and in as much as that number may or may not increase next year (we shall see about becoming more active on social media), this comfortability will remain a constant. Building quality friendships takes a while and I am willing to wait for/develop the few right friendships than to be a revolving door to many. 

Food: I take strong interest in cooking a variety foods, not just the typical nigerian plate or menu. 

Goals: honed in on two, as described here. 

These are just a few examples of many ways in my life that I prioritized quality over quantity this year.

Reading

I spent alot of time yesterday thinking about how much of my core memories of my childhood was made up of my penchant love for reading. I barely spoke, with core (read: repressed) memories also equally consisting of a strong shyness that at times had people wondering whether I was mute. Yesterday, I just wondered whether both traits lended neatly into one another, or was I just a victim of circumstances? Whatever the case is, I really wish I had someone tell me then that my strengths in reading and writing were equally as great forms of expression/consuming content as was speaking. In a way, I am going back to said lifestyle given that I take count of my words nowadays, but this time I am confident in it. 

Reading Quality

With only a few (read: 5) more weeks left in the year, I want to pull an 11th hour goal of getting through my reading list for the year (mostly from the summer). I really enjoyed reading then, and I want it to be a strong part of my lifestyle now, so why not?

Here’s the picture I promised from the Plaza at Preston Center, Dallas, TX. 

Funmi Oke