20th blog!

It is my 20th blog and I’m so happy I made it through. Though its slightly beyond the 12th December deadline but I’m happy I made it. It’s been a wonderful way to let your mind out on the internet. Though I’m not much of a storyteller but I hope I have been able to secure 100% of the Dr. Frances’ part of the Skills module assessment with my reflective posts including ‘mind wandering’ and ‘Overwhelmed’. I have found a new place to spend my free time online in addition to other social media platforms and hope to use this to pass motivational messages across to people.

Home away from home

Its one of my Christmas days away from home. But I can tell you it was fun because I celebrated it with a new wonderful family of young minds. I showed my kitchen prowess alongside our good kitchen-loving friend turn sister -Kenechukwu Chizobar Umerah (Kaycee).

We had a lot to eat, drink and discuss. I could see the patriotism of some people and their desires to go back home to make Nigeria great while some felt indifferent. We were also able to hear things from our German friend, Ady, about her country, and I hope to visit there and other EU countries probably in the first quarter of 2018 after my MSc programme. I will keep money aside for the trip as it will be a very good way to finally have a breath of fresh air after a rigorous year as a student and I hope to personally host these people someday in Nigeria.

Within a second

 

The trimester and my MSc programme is gradually winding up just like in a twinkle of an eye. A lot has happened and I can call myself a fighter, looking at the challenges that have been conquered. Balancing work and studies as an International Post-graduate student solely sponsoring himself in the United Kingdom is a great fit. In all, I have come to know that when there is a will, there will always be a way.

This has increased my confidence in facing the future fearlessly and hoping to see all my life’s aspirations come through someday. I hope to use my experience to motivate people in achieving their goals.

Fully Settled in

I was greeted by a strange cold breeze of 11 degrees Celsius on my exit from the arrival lounge of Glasgow International airport on 15th January 2017. I was so uncomfortable despite my jumper and denim jacket I wore. In the cold, I managed to push my trolley to the taxi park, it felt like it was an hour journey already. After loading my bag into the taxi, I rushed to the right-hand-side of the front doors thinking I was still in Nigeria where its left-hand drive. I was shivering like a leaf, then I saw the driver at my back coming to mount the steering. Damn, it clicked that I’m in the UK, so I had to turn around to board the taxi because I wanted to see the nighttime beauty of the town from the front seat. My big bag of clothes became almost useless because they are not thick enough to withstand the weather. The moment I got home, thank God for Tesco 24 hour service at Springburn road, my flatmate took me to get a good duvet for myself. It was hell for me then.

Almost eleven months down the line today 13/12/2017, I stepped out of the 23-hour computer lab at about 12:05 AM with a friend who checked the temperature with his mobile phone and found out it was zero degree Celcius. “Not that bad”, that was my comment, considering the lower temperature of -7 we have experienced some days ago. I became very convinced that I have fully settled into Glasgow!

This has taught me that time has a wonderful way of telling us what really matters. I no longer get worried about the temperature of zero degree Celcius but my coursework to hand in and my forthcoming final examinations to prepare for. Just the way my big jackets have taken away my worries about cold, I hope to use several learning tools including YouTube videos to have more understanding on my courses so I can confidently face my examinations just the way I can now walk around at temperature of 0 degree.

When it mattered most!

Rocking my new jacket courtesy Kaycee at BurgerKing courtesy Great

I’ve always known myself to be selfless and its a thing of joy. You can say I’m showing off but I don’t mind because giving is a good attribute I would love everyone to have. The quote of  Francis of Assisi which says “For it is in giving that we receive” has been so practical to me this week.

Today is the second working day of the week, I’ve spent 75percent of the time in the Uni doing one coursework or the other. It is expected that I spend more money since there is no time to go to my kitchen, surprisingly, I have not spent a dime! I mean no money has gone out of me for 2days now. Wait and hear the story…

My schedule has been so tight that the computers on campus are my closest allies now, -talking of computer, I think I need glasses now because my eyes sight is getting affected by the computers. On Monday when I felt like eating, my friend ‘Great’ took me to Chinese buffet where Loaded my takeaway plate to the brim, I guess you know what happened next. I was so full that I started filling sleepy after eating… lol. On Tuesday (today), I wanted to reciprocate the good gesture of yesterday, but he refused and insisted I go with him to burger king instead. Before going to burger king, I got a message from another of my friend Kaycee, telling me to come and check a new jacket she has but seems to be too big for her. On getting there, I found out the jacket was just for me. So I got 2 very important gifts today – a very good jacket with hood for the winter and a nice meal at BurgerKing. I was so convinced that they didn’t see it anything to worry about due to the kind of person I am to everyone around me. This has boosted my morale in being generous and I hope to be a well-known philanthropist who touches the lives of the needy positively someday.

 

 

One Chance!

I used to think when the system around you is working, everyone will see dignity in labour. Unfortunately, I entered ‘one chance’ in the UK – slang in Nigeria meaning duped.

On ‘Black Friday’, I decided to go on Facebook and socialize a wee bit since I was awake and tired of reading. Shortly, I stumbled on an advert showing cameras which caught my fancy, at very affordable rates. Then I remembered camera is one of the electronic devises I’ve never bought, so why not seize the opportunity. Besides, my account balance could take care of it. Not bothered about the absence of paypal icon to make payment, I entered my card details and the payment was immediately acknowledged. Then I reluctantly checked for the actual worth of the camera outside ‘Black Friday’ and boom… I got the shocker of my life! The camera worth more than £1200 and no ‘Black Friday’ offer was as low as £1000, there and then I realized I’ve been duped cuz they made me pay £30 for it.

Two weeks later, I realized my account balance has gone below what it ought to, so I called my bank for an explanation on what happened. They told me I made payment to a retail company, surprisingly, different from the supposed ‘camera sellers’. Damn… my account has been hacked! The good thing was that, the second withdrawal has been retrieved, ‘retailers’ have been blocked from further assess to my account and the bank has promised to render possible assistance if my camera is not delivered in 15days from the transaction date. So fingers crossed!

I’ll be more careful with online purchases and will keep sharing my experience with people around so they can learn from it.

PDP 2

 

It was another interesting moment with a new group of persons (though familiar) aside Sue and Zina from PDP 1 group. This time I realized things are getting better and the pressure is getting reduced as the week goes by. Its almost the end of the trimester and we were able to evaluate not just the common good attributes we’ve been able to acquire and develop but also how to make effective use of them to achieve our individual goals after Uni.

I was able to evaluate the academic transferable skills I have acquired and realized that there is room for improvement. So I have decided to be on the lookout for academic conferences in other to upgrade my scientific skills and partners for international research collaborations.

OVERWHELMED

Recently a friend of mine told me about her role as a new project coordinator in a large retail office. She’s constantly asked to take on the projects of her senior colleagues and was living in fear that saying “no” would harm her position. As a result, she was overwhelmed and wasn’t sure she could keep up the pace. I don’t feel any better than her at the moment because at the moment, I am feeling as if I don’t do my best work and worry about making mistakes when performing under a deadline. I hate to be rushed and in a hurry.

Uni work has already gotten to a milestone. This is the week to sit down, have a think and reflect on the progress of the modules and how the semester has gone so far. Before the semester started, I created strategies for my studies and made particular note of certain weeks I expected overwhelming pressure. The pressure is more than I anticipated!  The study materials have piled up, And the assignments and deadlines are fast approaching. My most challenging aspect is the Skills 2 Statistics module. I feel the module is a very interesting one but there is so much to do in very little time and this gets me angry?? Or rather very disappointed.

I have devised a priority scheme to approach this week. I will use the help of the revision materials I got from the previous students to create study materials. I do hope to overcome the academic pressure this week.

MIND WANDERING

 

Sometimes my thoughts completely drift away from everything happening around me. Sometimes it takes me far away to someplace totally different from what I was doing or someplace within. But in all, I long for the calmness and peace of mind. This semester has really been a very busy one and I don’t really know how I have been able to handle the whole pressure without going crazy. When my thoughts drift away, I find solace in my thoughts and I try to feel more at home with myself.

Being able to observe my thoughts came with practice, while I was following the skills 2 course modules. While I developed some kind of inner peace, I seemed to develop an observer self that was able to watch thoughts and feelings as they arose. Today while I was listening to a playlist of thoughts of peace, love and smile by Mother Teresa, my mind wandered into some thoughts of untiring and selfless life of service.

I asked myself if I have a forgiving spirit and my answer is yes. I have been put in several situations where my loyalty was tested and I have been able to let go and forgive. Peace begins with a smile and I try my best whenever anyone comes to me to leave them better and happier. When working in the care home, I ensure I go about my duties selflessly and untiring… treating them with constant love and kindness without forgetting to handle them in the same way I would handle my parents. I have had so many experiences where I had to show love and smile but in all I try to live life beautifully without letting the challenges of life get in the way. Putting myself in the shoes of others is one of the ways I relieve people’s experiences and feel their emotions. In general, I have learnt to take life gradually and take a huge leap forward when it is necessary for me to.

I am back to the reality of my enormous amount of course work but this few moments of mind wandering have indeed taught me that not all minds that wander is lost!

Skills!

 

In my opinion, the best way to show your knowledge is the skills you have! The fact that you cannot proffer solution to a problem without having the skill on how to go about it makes my point more valid. As a young man growing up, we used to be advised to, as a matter of utmost importance, possess a skill in addition to our various studies; due to the future that is uncertain for the younger generations growing up in the country. The skills being referred to then was handiwork so you can be self-employed while searching for a white collar job after your studies.

On arrival in Glasgow Caledonian University and getting started with my modules which are interesting and well thought, I find the Skills modules the most interesting. It takes you through the basic laboratory practice section where you are thought from scratch on the use of the laboratory equipment and safety procedures, how to work as a team, presentation of seminar, statistics to help in the interpretation of research results and lots more.

One of the classes that will be part of me forever is the one held on 22/11/2017 by Prof Ellen Gibson – to be talked about in detail in a subsequent blog. She talked us through on how to prepare a CV, cover letter, and more on interview. Oh, it was one of my best classes so far! It made me realize that if you are good at what you’ve learnt and what you have done in the past, you will be able to talk to people confidently about it – irrespective of the condition. Now linking it to the knowledge acquired so far and in pursuance of further degrees, the theoretical modules have given me the knowledge of what happens in normal and abnormal situations in tissues, the laboratory courses thought me how the normal and abnormal situations were discovered and how to study them. Skills for Professional Practice for Bioscience has not only thought me how to prove/show my knowledge about my course of study to a group of people through seminar presentation, but also the important points needed to put into consideration when talking to a prospective employer – either a PhD supervisor or in the industry.

This has taught me the real meaning of ‘SKILL’! And I will let the younger generation know they need to learn whatever they are being taught very well so as to be able to know and develop the skills needed to be a professional in their respective field of studies and create jobs.