Regular Blogging Resumes. Your Nigerian Cheat Sheet/ Reference page

let the blogging commence! I do read all the comments that are posted (even emails, tweets, and fb), and I've noticed a few people asking about NYSC.  Especially those planning to move to/ back to Nigeria. So I've decided to blog about it since I'm going to be doing it for a year but before i fully start blogging:

This post is kind of like a background, to put everyone on the same page, kinda like a dictionary/ reference, so when I talk about NYSC or currency, or certain things in Nigeria or about myself you won't be too lost, and im kinda tired of converting currencies for each item i talk about, remember before i always had to convert to dollars, well now in my head i use cheats, and you could too.. Perhaps in the future I'll add more slangs, stuff or whatever but for now. It's Currency, NYSC, my timeline (where I grew up, where I've lived etc).

So in the future if there's some word, slang, or whatever you need help with, try googling it, or use urbandictionary.com which I've used in the past for mostly american slang, but it has a lot of stuff from various cultures, and if all that fails lol Ask me! & I'd be happy to reply you, and if it's frequently asked I'll add it here.

CURRENCY:

we use Naira (as to dollars, or pounds) and we use Kobo (as to cents & pennies, however i admit i haven't seen any kobo since i've been back, the lowest note I've seen is like N5 or N10, though you'll end up carrying around N200 or most N1000 notes. yup we have 1000 naira note, not that many places use check/ savings card machines, but Atm's work great 24hrs!)

So when I say N# i mean Naira. (signis actually: ₦; code: NGN, but I'll be using most just N)

TODAY'S RATE: xe.com

• Okay so easy conversion (rough estimate I use in my head)
• $1 =  N160             (always check the daily exchange rate before big transactions )
• $10 = N1600          (to be honest I skip/ forget this one this one)
• $100 = N16,000     (you'll mostly see 15k stuff, just think almost $100 bucks)
• $1000 = N160,000  (N160K, i barely use this)
• 
  
• N100K = $600        (NOW this a staple!! You memorize this!! it makes stuff much easier)
• N1 mil = $6000       (*Sigh* that's okay... I'll aim for you to be a monthly/ weekly staple one day lol)

well almost everything in this country starts at freaking N15k (N for Naira, K for thousand, like saying 1g, or 1k, so 15k, or N15K is 15,000 naira). Like you go to a store you'll be lucky if you see clothes or things that start are 15k (When I do shop in Nigeria I refuse to pay over 15k, psh aint got a job yet "trick," and for a whole year my excuse is "I'm a corper!!!!!" the best nigerian excuse ever, c'mon govt pays us corpers about 20k monthly, and the company can match that/ minimum wage, or pay higher a month). Either ways items here are like double or triple the same item abroad, might just give up 80% of my normal shopping for 2012.

So for example you can buy a N1500 will be phone recharge credit  card (we just say credit), and it might last you an hr or two on the phone, and most fees like at the dentist, or hiring someone to cook for an event, or buying some cool item will prob cost 15k give or take 5k.

Welcome to Nigeria. I'm still bitiching about internet being 15K-35K  a month for limited vs unlimited internet. GEEZ can someone find an internet company thats great and affordable to move to Nigeria, I switch companies every few months (well I use mums or brothers, or dads, but still, it's a mix of cost and speed. and I hate the time constraints of free only from midnight to 5am) and i'm a corper i can't pay for internet!

What's funny is now I've been here 5 months, and I see a price in dollars, when I convert it to naira i say OMGH that's sooooo cheap!!!!! lol. SAD. when I moved back I converted everything to dollars, and went HELL NO thats expensive. Im a confused puppy, give me a few more months and a job lol.

NYSC

NYSC : National Youth Service Corp, is something all Nigerian college graduates have to do for a year before we can legally work in most companies in the country, well except you own it. You can see it as a sort of internship, you get placed in a job for a year, a lot of times within a field you studied or can gain from, you get at least minimum wage, lots of experience, you might get accommodation etc. Basically it's mandatory, and many companies won't hire you unless you've finished this.

My explanation: cool way to get job right out of school, shitty pay, but it's hair money, recharge phone card, and eating out a few times. With a hideous uniform that needs improvement, lots of rules, but it's a great way to get a job and into the corporate world unlike other places where people graduate and can't find jobs, so great experience. This way they know almost everyone is entry level and might have never worked in their lives, and your not discriminated against.

NYSC has several stages, but trust me in your head it's gonna be: Step 1: Sign up, Step 2: Three weeks camp : the worst part people dread (think of it as bootcamp), people have fun stories, some have horror stories: 3: the 1 year job (everyone prays for a good company that will give awesome experience, or will retain them).

Now the crazy part: you can get posted anywhere in the country for your camp or for your 1 year service, previously foreign trained students could pick Abuja or Lagos, but they decided to scratch that. Imagine the horror when I found out.

So we call it Youth Service, and we're called Corpers (stupid nickname everyone will call you Corper Shawn (I don't think it's bad) and you salute, or give them a bad stare, or Otondo (which prob means stupid or idiot, i'm not sure)).

NYSC Official Website check for the yrly facebook page on official site, NYSC Facebook page, NYSC Wikipedia

MY TIME LINE

So i was born in London (let's skip that, doesn't count, basically just a safer hospital, they don't give citizenships like the US)

Lived in Nigeria from 0-16yrs old (Lived in Lagos, 6 years boarding school in a diff state, and i'm originally from Anambra state: I'm Igbo (or some would say "from the East")).

- typical year in boarding school (age 10-16) was mid term breaks in Lagos, life in school, christmas and easters in the village (in Anambra State), and summers abroad.

From 16 - 26: Lived in Georgia (Conyers, Covington, Waleska, and last 5 years Atlanta... most people in GA say Atlanta cause that's the most recognizable city in GA)

- Started my blog 3 yrs ago in 2008, while i lived in Atlanta

June 29th 2011: Moved from Atlanta to Lagos. (Here's Week 1 & Week 2 of being back, you can view my archives on the right)

I'm not on holiday, it's a permanent move as far I can see, but i understand life changes and depending on my job, or future etc etc prince charming, things might change.

THE END

*whew* now that that's done, my regular style of blogging can resume :)  Heaven help all those that read it all, I'm passing out cold water to those that finished the marathon read. *sniff* *sniff* I'm really touched!! *sniff* that you don't read my blog for solely pictures, though even if you did thanks for saying i'm hot (*sigh* that's ok if it's solely for entertainment I do have blonde moments lol).

Some Coming up next posts:

-How Carmen & I got Harassed & PUSHED in Abuja and basically called whores cause of how we dressed

-Day 1 of Camp (might as well call camp a free tanning session)

-1004 View of lagos

-Party at the beach