Bienvenido a Barcelona!!

 

Yaay peeps…My International travel bucket list items are gradually getting ticked off.

 

The good folks at Travelperk usually bring newbies for onboarding at HQ and they sent me an invite to come spend a week in the gorgeous city of Barcelona!!

Boy!! I was so excited.

Of course, Naija tried to catch me, but I dodged. Just some crazy things that being Nigerian and having this green passport does. So let me explain. Those of us who resumed together in January formed this really close-knit group of four and we’ve become really good friends. Ethan is British with Jamaican roots; Zain is British with Pakistani roots and Deb is British. All of them have passports which enable them travel anywhere they wish at a moment’s notice. My green Kpali however, needs to go through other processes in order to get a Schengen visa, so I was unable to follow them for the initial onboarding in February. Sigh. I now had to apply for a Schengen visa which had to entail me travelling to London twice for some biometric capturing, and at the end, I wasn’t even sure they’d grant it, However, the company letter and confirmed travel arrangements weighed heavily and I got a visa to Barcelona!

It was a good trip.

Barcelona is such a beautiful city. Even though I didn’t get to spend as much time touring as I would have wanted (it was a working week), it was just amazing to get away from the Birmingham weather and into some sunshine for a change. The Travelperk HQ was absolutely amazing, and I had an awesome time. The whole building was ours and is a really lovely work environment.

 Even though the onboarding had a whole gang of newbies (seems like they just hired a whole bunch of salespeople) there was a group of us (Jeff, Kim and I) from the UK who bonded quite nicely, and we had great fun after work, roaming the streets, exploring different cuisines on different nights, visiting some tourist spots and drinking on the side streets till late at night. We had company approved expenses, so why not?

I’m not exactly a Barca fan but the highlight of the trip was my visit to watch them play at their stadium against Villareal. Such a great atmosphere. I haven’t been to a stadium in ages, but this was different and special.

Bruh..i really need to start taking more pictures and documenting trips. Anyway, make una manage these ones like that. I will do better next time. 

Birmingham beckoned

 Hi fam,

 

Okay, let me get you all up to speed on some life updates.

It’s been a whirlwind couple of months for us. 2024 has been THAT year for us.

I resumed at my new customer service job with Travelperk and it’s been such a great time. Admittedly. I initially felt like I was overqualified for it because I’ve been in CS all my life however, the truth of it is that this is an entirely new industry (Business travel) and I’m a newbie here. It’s strange to be back in that call center setting, handling calls, emails and chats again…but what can I say? This is an entirely different kettle of fish! In hindsight, I realize that my CS days in Nigeria was a poor shadow of what CS should actually be. There’s so much to learn and the people over here have been absolutely amazing. I’ve been blessed to have a great team with a fantastic manager who makes me want to do and be better. It’s great that CS is one of my strong points so it’s mostly been all about getting updated on the product knowledge part and getting used to working from a different perspective when it comes to working with white people. Trust me, I’ve had to do a quick reset when it comes to work cos these lot ain’t fucking around. Fortunately, I’m a quick study and education and exposure have helped me blend in quite nicely (if I say so myself). Plus, the job is helping me finally contribute much more to our financials, so yes, all in all , quite the blessing.

Birmingham beckoned and we had to answer the call.. We’re now officially Brummies and I can tell you it’s a whole lot different from our darling London. First off, it’s much cheaper than living in London!! (The Government didn’t create a separate living wage for Londoners for nothing yunno..) Bham is a relatively big town on its own though and even though life is a bit less fast-paced, it’s still a “happening” place. The weather however, is just downright awful. This is April yet, we still have to use the heaters and duvets most of the time. Cold rain is always one minute away and the winds here can make it pretty uncomfortable.

We got a two-bed apartment in a lovely part of town called Harborne but maybe because we were in such a hurry to get settled back then in January, we didn’t take the time to really scout through houses. This one has some issues which riles both of us whenever we think of it. For such a lovely part of town, this house just reduces the brownie points. There’s a back yard which is supposed to be like your nice outdoor garden, however, our landlady (irony of ironies, she’s Nigerian) has neglected to take care of it and it’s developed into such a messy area that I’ve been forced to complain several times to her (nothing’s changes at time of press), the house EPC rating makes it quite a hassle to warm up and from the little part of the winter weather we experienced here, it can get pretty cold!. Additionally, the wifi setup of the house was such that the living room has the worst reception, which means Chioma had to work mostly from the bedroom and watching live TV was so frustrating. (I sorted it out later sha,). Long and short of it is that we might be moving to another house before the year is up. Will keep you updated.

Side note to thank the Agomos for being such outstanding people. They really helped us settle in and have been such a blessing. God bless you guys.

 

 

 

Blame it on the..

 

Hi guys, I’m just going to try and unlook the fact that I’m just posting something here after months of indecision and procrastination…. I’m gradually coming to the sad conclusion that berating myself, indulging in mental whipping sessions and self-flagellation might not be cutting it anymore, and to be honest, it’s not that deep (Even though the past few months have been chock full of things to update which I shall most certainly try to do ..smh)

HOWEVER, I have decided to put this up as a sort of accountability partner to remind myself of a sad fact which I’m coming to realize about myself. (I’m sure y’all know by now that it’s not always positive)

I make bad financial decisions whenever I’ve had some alcohol in me. Especially, when I’m around family and friends and we’re having a good time.

Mahn, I know it’s a universal thing, of course nobody’s ever woken up the next day after a rave of a night and realize that they’ve bought shares in google or something … but damn, I’ve had some back to back weeks of some financial Ls.

I’m sitting here on a Saturday morning recalling the immortal words of Messrs. Fox and Pain in their seminal collab, “blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol” and feeling a tad annoyed with myself. I acknowledge the fact that It’s not been a bad couple of months for us financially. At least we’ve been blessed to be able to afford the necessaries, and even splurge on other things but I’ve got to try and stop spending money on things which I really don’t have to. Especially when it comes to alcohol and clubbing.

To be fair to myself, I think I’m being a bit harsh because on both occasions which have necessitated this write up, I’ve been in very good company with family and friends and we were really having a good time.

However, this is a memo to self: If you don’t have to…then DON’T!!!

That extra bottle of Hennessy is certainly not necessary and sometimes, if your friends aren’t volunteering to pay for drinks, you don’t have to step up (especially when it’s not all that convenient for you too!!). DO BETTER OKEY!

Anyway, enough of the self lashing…I’m just realizing that this is my first post of 2024!!

Wow! Just WOW (side eyes self).. First post of the year and it’s fuelled by hangover blues, negative bank balance and self-flagellating thoughts…well done Okey.

 

Happy new year to you all

New Years Eve and happy updates.

 Hi

It’s the last day of the year 2023 and what a year it's been.

What can I say…. It's been a mixed bag in terms of positives and negatives, but for us, I definitely count more highs than lows.

Let me start off with a fantastic update to round off a good year.

A couple of weeks ago, the awesome people at Remote where Chioma works confirmed that they would be “sponsoring” her and would issue her a certificate of Sponsorship as a “skilled worker”. Not only did they confirm this, but they also went ahead with a lateral job upgrade to the compliance department from the Customer service role where she used to be.

See ehn… wetin go be your own no go stress you.

Chioma is a blessing. My goodness!! In terms of marriage, I really hit the Mega jackpot lottery here. Aside from all the hard work that she puts in her job, there’s this uncanny blessing that she carries that affects everyone around her… again, Oseburuwa, I thank you for her in my life.

So, instead of going the “graduate” visa route which we would have used after my school year, we applied for the skilled worker/dependant visa route (which is obviously much better) and yesterday, we just got notified of the success of the application and had our visas issued!!!. (Blows trumpet!!)🙌🙌

Yeah.. that IS awesome news….just in case you don’t get the full import, a skilled worker visa is like the holy grail for most immigrants who intend to remain in the UK and people have been known to pay obscene amounts of money illegally to get one. Anyway, we thank God for everything.

Secondly, as a post update to an earlier trip to Birmingham in October which I wrote about here, my job interview at a company (Travelperk, a travel agency) which I applied for, was successful. Again, Chioma’s hand applied here, as I was referred for the job by one of her friends, Sandra (Half of the Agomo family we just visited). The interview process was a breeze (TBH, I’m actually a tad overqualified for the role) and I was asked to resume in November. However, there was a bit of a hitch, as my visa was still the “student” visa which had restrictions on work hours. These great people at Travelperk, realizing that I was too much of a catch to let go, decided to defer my start date till January, so I could sort out the visa issues. Ladies and gentlemen, with the good news about the visa coming through, I’m pretty sure I’ll be resuming with them in January!!! Yaaaay!!

It's not too much of chest thumps and back pats though…the role pays significantly less than what I should be earning, however, it has great career advancement prospects and is right down my career alley in Customer service. Plus, it’s certainly much better than Mama Calabar or all the other popular care jobs which people seem to be convinced are the only jobs for immigrants. Not to dunk on care and support jobs,(seeing the vital role they play) but they’re just not for me. Also, reflecting on the countless rejection emails I've gotten this year alone...biko, I'm all about counting blessings right now.

Consequently, it looks like the good people of Birmingham will have cause to celebrate as they look forward to our relocation over there. It’s going to be a bit stressful logistics-wise, but yeah overall, we’re sure it would be the better decision for us. Watch out for updates.

So 2023 is ending with some good news for us. Again, I’m so grateful for everything so far and in the spirit of positive affirmations, I’m putting it out in the universe that 2024 will be good to us all and declare that we shall all have plenty reasons to give praise to God as we navigate what the future has in store for us.

 

Happy new year and God bless us all.

 

 

 

Christmas Party '23

 Hi everyone,

So, it’s our second Christmas in the UK and in keeping with tradition, aunty Ngozi throws a very elaborate get together for the family members and friends here.

Now now if you know anything about my auntie she's someone who is exceptionally large hearted and spares no expense when it comes to hosting or taking care of visitors. She set up a WhatsApp group for the family and preparations started in earnest. 

We all usually chip in financially to help out but due to some circumstances and their kindness, auntie Ngozi and Uncle Sam decided to take on the financial burden themselves.

Chioma and I had just returned from our Birmingham trip the previous day and went to help set up on Xmas eve. Turns out that some others (Oluchi and Kenny (Oge’s wife)) had been there all day and most of the stuff was already done. Despite her decision to foot the bills, the rest of us had all decided to ignore and go ahead to buy drinks ourselves in order to ensure we at least contributed a bit…so Chioma and I bought a case of red wine for the party.

Oh boy…did it go well or what?

The food was absolutely delicious…the atmosphere was amazing…lots of pictures and videos (trust Aunty Ngo for that)…. Lots to drink and make merry and everyone generally had a fantastic time.

Once more , thank you to the Ebele family and everyone else for their efforts in making sure this period was not so lonely for everyone and may God bless us all.

Buzz off

 Hey guys, I just thought of something, and you know what I most certainly do not miss??

Mosquitoes.

Dear God, thank you everyday for getting those bastards out of my life. Even if its only for the period of time spent outside the tropics, boy, I’m grateful.

I have always hated them… there were times back home when these pests would bother you to death and make the nights a living hell. Mahn, since relocating over here, that horrible aspect of discomfort has been eliminated. Those nasal whines of them flying around, the itchiness of their bites, the phantom itch of real or imagined bites, the anger at killing them and seeing blood splats on your walls, money spent on regular insecticides, the horrible ill health that malaria brings and the mere annoyance of just seeing them in your space at all.

Okay okay..i may be exaggerating it a bit but boy, am I glad that there are no mosquitoes over here.

Holiday trips

 As part of our Christmas plans, Chioma and I decided to take a trip to visit our friends, the Agomos..Chidi Sandra and their lovely son Adim at their place in Birmingham.

This is looking like it has the makings of becoming one of our Christmas traditions…seeing as we embarked on this same trip last year. Another friend, Chinyere was there as well so it promised to be a fun trip. It was also going to be the first time we travelled out of state via train, so checkmark for new experiences.

The journey was great. Got to Euston station and after some enquiry about directions, we found our platform and waited to board…only for me to casually ask a nearby station staff about our online tickets which Chioma booked and he stressed that we had to actually print out physical tickets from the station there…oh boy!! Thankfully our train was just boarding at that point so I quickly went to one of the nearby machines and got our tickets. Good one too cos the ticket inspector actually came to inspect tickets from everyone later on and confirmed that we needed physical tickets for the trip.

Birmingham is a beautiful place and we couldn’t get over how affordable the living costs here as when compared to London. Their house was a two-storey, three-bedroom apartment with spacious rooms, a kitchen, balcony etc and was still about 400 pounds cheaper than what we pay for our one bed apartment in London!!! Hmmmm…

The visit was really enjoyable. Chidi and Sandra are such a lovely couple and their son is just the most precious little guy ever.. Chinyere’s presence always makes things better and overall, we had a really wonderful time.

If things pan out as planned for us in 2024, we are definitely going to be seeing a lot more of them.