Review of Just Right and When an Oyibo girl refuses to be cheated

I went to Jakande Estate in Isolo to visit a supermarket, Just Right. I was refereed to this place by a teacher in my school after letting him know I was looking for couscous and quinoa. I wanted to substitute couscous and quinoa for white rice and/ or brown rice. I am taking my diabetic diet quite seriously and I want to keep my palette exciting.

So in all, I think Just Right has a whole lot more of provisions, furniture, and electronics in comparison to Shoprite. I was able to find 0% fat yogurt, a vacuum cleaner, wheat meal, assorted shrimp, and Coke zero. However, Shoprite has fresh produce and vegetables so you can literally get all your  grocery shopping down without having to branch anywhere else for the most part.

I purchased nearly #50,000 worth of goods and had one of the security men fetch me a keke maruna driver to drive me home. The driver showed up as I was paying for my goods and saw me counting my money. I guess he thought I was rich and priced me #1500 to be driven to my house. Please keep in mind, that the trip to my street is #100 and an additional fee would of course be added for the convenience of being dropped at my door. However, #1500 was way to much and I didn't find it funny. I then priced the guy #200 and wouldn't budge. Meanwhile ooo, the drivers friend was trying to price with my but he was more of an annoying adovocate then took me right to their weakness. So his friend mentioned that the trip is typically 600 if he was to take other passengers so I should give his friend #800. As this was going on, I asked his friend if he was driving me as well. When he answered "no", I imediately told him that I am pricing with the driver and the driver only.

We all stepped outside the shop and the driver was insisting on #800. I know told him that I wouldn't pay #800 when I know the trip is #600. I budged a bit and told the guy I would pay him #300. When he wouldn't budged I know told  his friend to call me a cab instead. Anyways to make a long story short the keke driver agreed to drop me at my house for #500.

In all honesty, I spoke to my neighbour and she said that most drivers charge #800. However, people in Nigeria tend to capitalize on the fact that you have an accent which in their mind equates to "this oyibo no go sabi price well ooo", "abeg make I chop from this oyibo", or better yet and my ultimate favourite "she be oyibo, she go get money well. I don hammer today oo". If Nigerians were more straightforward from the beginning then there wouldn't be such a fuss when pricing. If the keke maruna man had told me #800, I would have priced him #500 and settled at #650 or #700. But because the guy mentioned one outrageous price that didn't make any sense to me and I felt like he was taking advantage of my situation, I buckled down and stood my ground.

I was lucky that day. It was God's favour watching over the entire situation and ensuring I got my way. I may not be as lucky again but I am never afraid of trying again.

Be blessed,
Irene

The Pre/borderline diabetic Corper with a Big Appeptite

Happy New Year everyone. I am wishing you and your family season's greetings and wishing you a prosperous year. Around last year October, I fell inside a gutter in Lagos and suffered a severe leg infection. I was down for about a month and by the Grace of God, I am healed and well. During the Christmas break I traveled to Canada to spend some time with my family and took some time to seek further medical advice and take additional booster shots.

After seeing my family doctor, I was told that the medical tests I had taken before I left for NYSC showed that I have high glucose levels and I am.............PRE/BORDERLINE DIABETIC. I initially bursted out in tears because I actually thought that I was diabetic but by the time the doctor got me to calm down he explained that being prediabetic is different from having type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The main message he relayed to me is that prediabetes can be cured if I change my diet and my lifestyle. I have to be grateful because I was not suppose to take a glucose test but my family doctor, Dr. Lee, went ahead and took the initiative to run the test. If not for this test, I would have approximately 5 years before having full blown out diabetes.

So I have been pre-diabetic for at least a few months but I am addicted to Fanta. In Nigeria, I drink at least 3-6 bottles everyday which is quite scary for someone that is close to being diabetic. Dr. Lee said that just cutting the Fanta or reducing my intake to at least once a day would make a big impact in my glucose levels. I also have to lose weight despite the fact that I am a very slim figured. In addition, I have to watch the foods I eat, making sure I am taking food that is low on the glycemic index. I must be very careful of carbohydrates because carbohydrates can spike your blood sugar level.

My major challenge has been that a typical Nigerian diet is rich in carboyhydrates and this can be deadly for my condition. How do I still enjoy my staple products but still be healthy. I have been struggling with this problem and corper allowance is too small to support such a drastic change. I want to use this platform to help people facing a similar situation. I noticed that many Nigerians will not come out and say that this is there illness. There is a sense of shame and stigma attached to such an illness. I am pretty scared because I'm not married and I do not want this to be held against me by any potential suitors. Hence I have been "codingly" doing my research, reaching out to doctors and food bloggers.

I have not had much luck and people keep referring me to a dietitian but I can't afford one at the moment.What I have been able to find out is listed below:

1. Ofada rice is a a much better option that white rice. 
2. Agege bread and white bread is a bigger "no"(try not to  eat them). 
3. Wheat or whole bread is a better alternative but I have yet to come across whole grain bread in Nigeria.
4. Drink real fruit juice from the actually fruit and not store bought juice. 
5. Pineapple, mango, and watermelon is a "no". 
6. Apples, oranges, berries, and pears are "yeses".
7. Semo, pounded yam, amala, or yam all have high glycemic number and it's better to avoid or take these items in small portions.
8. I am using  oatmeal as my form of swallow. 
9. Unripe plantain is apparently great for diabetics so I will  be attempting to using plantain to make swallow.
10. Try to eat fish whenever possible
11. Use sweeteners and liquid sweeteners
12. Make sure your meals are 2/3 vegetables
13. I'm supposed to be eating low fat yogurt and milk but all the yogurts I have come across are highly sugarish.

It's all about portion control and eating frequently throughout the day instead of having big meals. Also, you should not skip meals. This is all I have and can remember for now.  I hope to share my findings with you and I encourage you to share your own as well.

Review: Ordering from Aliexpress and shipping to Nigeria

I'm rounding up my fifth month in Nigeria and I left some grooming things in my family house back in Canada . One of them being,  my precious epilatorr.  Body waxing hasn't really taken off in Nigeria and such services are available on Lagos island,  Ikoyi, and Ikeja.  All of which are quite far from my residence in Isolo,  Lagos. I'm not a fan of shaving because it darkens my armpits and self waxing is a pain especially when light isn't consistent.  My next alternative was a hair epilator.

An epilator is an electrical device used to remove hair by mechanically grasping multiple hairs simultaneously and pulling them out. In a similar manner in which hair is removed from waxing,  epilator remove hair but with little or no alteration to the skin epidermis.  Actually, epilators were my favourite when I was in school.  They are fast and effective and you get good results without the hassle of waxing.  But finding an epilator has been another problem in Nigeria. Most people I asked had no idea what I was talking about and even after describing the device,  hey would maintain an expression of confusion. I was able to find an epilator in Surulere,  Lagos but the asking and final peice was around 20, 000 naira. That's the downside to being in Nigeria.Things that would be cheap or affordable in the West become extremely expensive or unaffordable to citizens in Nigeria. I've been told the discrepancies in price is as a result of customs and importation fees. But I don't buy that excuse. Many items shipped to Canada are subjected to duties and taxes which the seller pays. When that item is sold to the public, it is subjected to federal and provincial taxes which is charged to the individual buyer.  So why is it then,  that these same products cost exponentially more in Nigeria (with less fees and regulations) than the West? With that said,  my corper allowance could not afford it and my epilator in Canada didn't even cost up to 10, 000 naira. It didn't make any sense buying such a thing. I decided to order one online and looked into Amazon.com. Must vendors on Amazon did not ship to Nigeria, and the one's that did, their epilator and shipping  cost were to high.

That's when I looked into Aliexpress. I've bought mainly hair wefts from Aliexpress and I was not sure about their reliabiltiy to Nigeria.  After coming across a comment from a buyer who resided in Nigeria, I decided to give it a try. I ordered an,  Rechargeable Electric Hair Removal Female Epilator Electric Shaver Tweezers for For Armpit Bikini Personal Care Smooth Legs -P62. I choose this epilator because it also came with a detachable shaver head,  it was on sale,  and other buyers wrote great reviews about the product. This bad boy was about $21.18 Canadian dollars and about 3200 naira. I paid on August 27, 2015 and my package was ready for pickup in my local post office by September 16,  2015. In other words, I received my package in less than 3 weeks. I was pretty impressed with delivery time because it has been my fastest shipped item to date.

The Nipost in Isolo,  Lagos called me to inform me that my package is at their offfice.  upon getting there, I had to pay a 500 naira fee for parcel handling (don't understand the charge and kept pressing for the reason for the charge but couldn't get a straight answer) before my package was given to me. This is what it looked like before and after opening it.

I got right to work and tested it on the new armpit hair growth.   Here are some of the  before and after picks.

My skin was red for a few minutes and then it went back to its normal colour. The unit needs to be charged for 8 hours and lasts for about 30-45 minutes. I made sure to charge my unit so that incase I need to use it when there is no light,  I can.  It is advised that you use the epilator after a shower and no shaving cream is needed for the epilator or detachable shaver. To be exact, do not use with a shaving cream.  I wish the company had provided a bag to keep everything together. 

Overall I'm pretty satisfied and I am looking forward to my next Aliexpress purchase,  a styrofoam head. 

Relocating to Nigeria: A quick introduction

I have been gone for a little bit but I am correctly trying to get back on my blogging groove. Right now I have relocated back to Nigeria for my one year youth service corp program. My move has not been smooth at all and I have faced and still continue to face many obstacles. I will be sharing some of my experiences with the hope that it may help someone in return. I think my upcoming posts will touch briefly on my adjusted hair routine and how to shop on a budget in Nigeria.

Cheers from yours truly,
Irene Keli

Emjoi Emagine: The Ultimate Tweezer (1 year Review)

I have been using the Emjoi Emagine and I am quite pleased with the product. It’s a great quick alternative to waxing and shaving. At first, it hurts when your hair is being plucked out but with time the pain becomes bare-able and it doesn't sting as much. The only noticeable downside to using this product is that your hair needs to grow to a certain amount so that the tweezers can grab unto something and pull it out. Other than that I love my Emjoi and wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Healing from Old Wounds and 4ever Letting Go

So it’s over a year since my last post and a lot has happened since then. I’ll do my best to catch you up.

Here’s a recap…. Remember that my ex and I just ended our four year relationship which I was extremely heartbroken.  To add insult to injury, he called me three months after our official breakup to proclaim that “[He] was the best thing that has ever happen to me and I would never find anyone better than him”.

Well, a month after my birthday (May 2013) I found out that shortly after we went our separate ways he started dating another girl. When I mean shortly, I mean 3 weeks later. This new girl is the same girl he cheated with me on and the same girl that went well out of her way to see the demise of our relationship. At the same time, his family tried to mediate our breakup and bring us back together but by then so many lines had been crossed and trust out the door that I couldn't bring myself to re-enter a relationship that caused so much heartbreak.

For a while, I cried at least once every day and lost a major amount of weight. I didn't think myself worthy of anyone and I felt an extreme amount of guilt and shame. I felt guilty because I gave my heart, love, and affection to someone that didn't love me enough to mourn a relationship that meant a whole lot to me. I jeopardized my relationship with family and agreed to participate in things that I was not mentally or emotionally ready for, all in the name of love. I felt ashamed because I revealed way too much about my life to a man that didn't deserve it. In addition, I was hysteric that I suffered countless breakdowns in front of my family, friends, and his friends. So I guess the question on your mind now is how did I recover and what I’m I up too now. Stay tune, there is a part TWO.

Stay Blessed

4ever 

Brokeen Heart Relapse

So the ex called to check up on me. I was thrilled to hear his voice but when he showed a lack of remorse for the events that occurred last year resulting in our breakup, my heart sunk again. I miss him a lot but I'm flabbergasted as to how he never takes responsibility. Ever since I've been a mess. I have no one to really confide in and my mom told me a few days ago that me and this boy cannot be together in this generation. In other words, we can never be together. There seems to be someone else interested in me but my heart is still with this guy. I'm wondering how much longer do I have to endure such pain and when do I finally get to forget and move on? Anyways, I think Toni Braxton described my feelings quite clearly.