My two Kobos and Cents

My Two Kobo…

           I live in the US and here, there is an idiomatic expression which is “my 2 cents”. The kobo is the Nigerian currency which, I might say that it is not valuable now and much less valuable than what the 2 cents is worth. To find out more, GOOGLE it.

            I woke up to a missed call from a family member in Nigeria who has not called nor talked to me in months. I panicked as to what is going on at home and so I called back. When I called back, she was like, how are you and your family, are you safe?  She mentioned she had friends who had been calling her about her family in the U.S. as they saw all the riots in the news. She was like are you safe?

I am not going to go into all that we talked about, but it got me thinking happy and sad thoughts. Yes, both mixed emotions. Happy that everyone at home in Nigeria is doing well and that the world is no longer a village because of the internet but sad that it takes a tragedy or bad event to make people call.

I have lived in Nigeria, a country blessed with almost 500 languages if not more, and diverse ethnic groups. Most times, people are minorities in the states they live in and work, and are they treated differently yes!

Everyone in the US/ the world is aware of what has been going on in the news in Minneapolis, Minnesota where George Floyd, an African American was killed by a white police officer and for me which is closer to home, Louisville KY- Breonna Taylor was shot to death in her home by police. If you need specifics, go to Google.

I usually try to avoid talking about politics but this time… I will share my two kobos. I am an African American and being quiet does not mean I condone what is happening around me, and I am not making light of my what my friends, family and colleagues are experiencing. All that happened to these individuals George, Breonna recently, and others could have been me, my brother, my friends, my family. It could be anyone. Yes, something has to be done about it.

 Amos 5:24-   -But let justice roll on like a river,

righteousness like a never-failing stream!

I ask,

Does Rioting get the point across, does looting get the point across?

I have no answers… Ask me and I might have an answer when you do…

  Does racism exist yes it does, and the sad thing is, it is not just in the US- it is everywhere in the world.

What do we do, were can we start?

There are many times I wish my father was alive to ask him what it was like to go to school in the south in the ’70s…what did he do? How did he handle the issues?

 Racism/ discrimination must stop!   

hen my kid was born, I went to get paperwork for my kid and this person implied that it was illegal to get paperwork for a kid that is not mine… My kid is “latte” complexioned because we are a biracial family. I ignored the comment and got the paperwork that I needed and left. I see the looks I get when I walk with my kid because of the color of our skin. And no, I did not marry my husband based on needing to get papers to stay in the US.

I do not want to raise my kid/ kids based on fear because of what people think about me, them, neither do I want to be afraid to be/ live and love wherever I go with my family.

So

I pray. I pray to teach my kids to fear God and love Him deeply and to honor His Word to have empathy, to love- to love our neighbors as ourselves just like the story of the Good Samaritan that Jesus told- not just stand there or walk by injustice or people who need help- see Luke 10

God help us

In Nigeria just recently, a girl was raped, to death in the church when she went to study, A 16-year-old- Tina was shot to death by the police, Jennifer who is 12 was raped by men…

Not too long ago, Africans were being ill-treated in China See Video

I end this here…

Life matters, all lives do.  We are all God’s children, fearfully and wonderfully made -Psalm 139:14 which says: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

            Do not let someone’s bitterness, anger, or fear make you forget that!

And that my dears are my 2 kobo and or cents if you want to call it that!

A Letter to 2020 Graduates

Dear 2020 Graduate

First I want to congratulate you! You did it and you are done.

Most times you would hear, so what next? Where are you going to go and what are you going to do?

If you are graduating from high school, you might be asked if you would be going to college and if you were graduating from college, you might be asked; is it graduate school and or joining the workforce? And if you graduated from graduate school; our Nigerian people will say- Well Done, translated I think as a Good job. And if you were graduating from elementary school to middle school and or to junior high you are not forgotten.

Congratulations everyone! You worked hard and I might add, congratulations to your parents too for encouraging you and helping with homework/ taking you to and from school too.

So what next and or wait! What just happened?

Corona Virus happened!

All those plans you made, now what? Were all those years in vain?

I will say nope! Those years are not in vain and do not think that this little set back in time can keep you or should keep you from going for those dreams you had.

Even if you did not have the chance to wear your cap and gown as you planned; you can still do that! I have seen people on Instagram (check out #2020graduation) to see how many people celebrated graduation. Some people had drive through graduations, some were celebrated by family and friends albeit 6ft apart, and some plan on taking pictures when all this is over.

I will share about someone you already know about- Joseph from the Bible. He had dreams and he encountered obstacles upon obstacles but he trusted God. And in the end, he became the man God wanted him -Joseph- to be. If you want to read the complete story of Joseph in the Bible check out Genesis 37 to 50.

I want to say again, Congratulations, and do not doubt your achievement because of this season- aka Corona Virus. Seasons will pass and so will this one.

If you have questions about going to work right after college; I will love to answer them. Reach out via email theizorapodcast@gmail.com

Congratulations again my friends! And feel free to share how you celebrated/ plan on celebrating with me on Instagram @izorapodcast!

And until the next episode-

God bless,

Ezanya

Going to the Market in Nigeria!

Hello Everyone,

And a very Happy New Month to you! If this is your first time listening, I want to welcome you and also say that I am happy you are here.

In my next few blog posts, I will be sharing about my trip to Nigeria.

In the last podcast episode, I had mentioned that my younger brother had passed away and I had gone home to Nigeria to pay my respects and be part of the funeral. In the time I was there, I was in the city Lafia and for some reason, we had little to no electricity.

In the US, people might worry about the lack of electricity being an issue but there, my family members did not seem to be worried about it. They only planned to cook just the amount of food that was needed for the people who were home, and the need to have their phones charged which they would do by turning on the generator.

I, on the other hand, was not loving this. It was HOT and no electricity meant no cold water and or cold anything to drink… Yes, I will say that I have become too accustomed to having cold water from the fridge.

Moving on. ..

To cook, one had to go to the market. Now, going to the market is not like going to Walmart/ Meijer/ Kroger or Publix or any of your neighborhood grocer here in the States. Going to the market was more like going to a farmers market and then some. Most of the fresh produce that was sold was grown by the people selling it or was sold by people who bought from people who grew it. Depending on what you needed to buy, you might need to go to a certain market, at a certain time or day but, for the most part, you would find what you needed.

We arrived at the market and I will tell you it has been a while since I saw that many people in the same spot. It was loud, and a bit chaotic. There were people in stalls, people selling their wares on wheelbarrows, girls/ women selling stuff on metal trays very well balanced on their heads. I had missed this, it was good to see this again.

There is sooooo much fresh foods my dears and the sun shining on these fresh foods I would say made it all the more appealing to me. There were tomatoes, peppers, green vegetables, beef, fish, fruits, sugar cane, and so much more.

A few things to note:

-Should you desire and or decide to travel and visit the markets; you should know that the meats especially beef is not wrapped and or sold from the refrigerator (like in the States) but it is sold right there on top of the table. It is pretty much from the butcher house to the market and when you purchase it, it is from the butcher house to your house. The butcher or meat seller would usually swat of the flies to keep them away but you know those things do not get the message so they come back. I will tell you that when you purchase your meat, wash it at home and cook it thoroughly- there is no such thing as rare or medium-rare cooking here!

-Some of the fruits and vegetables are sold off mats on the floor and or from the wheelbarrow. The one thing I will advise you is that do not let this deter you, buy the quantity you need or want and then wash it when you get home and then enjoy your purchase.

I will give you an example: when we got there, we were offered the African garden egg (in the States I will say it looks like the Thai eggplant) and spicy peanut butter which I ate with relish. I cannot tell you how long it has been since I had this combo but I will say it was delicious. We also found guava in the market and I washed mine with bottled water and ate a little bit of it. The skin was too dense for me, I am used to the guava we have in southern Nigeria where the skin is thin and the middle of the guava is pink- you see in the pic the middle of the guava is not pink.

There was so much food and I WILL add that if I was going to strictly have a mostly vegetarian diet, it would be easy to do it when I am home because the fresh “organic” food is very very cheap. And you can get it every single day- no such thing as seasonal and so on.

One caveat I will add to all this talk of food is that if as an American you mention you are traveling to Nigeria and or other countries you have to see your primary care doc and or visit the international clinic before you travel. You would be told what you can eat and the medication you should have -anti-typhoid, anti-malaria and diarrhea medicine to name a few. Listen to your medical team and do what they tell you.

I washed my fruits with bottled water and drank bottled water and prayed to not be sick and thank God I was not. I had made up my mind that I will not be afraid to eat good food and I tell you, I enjoyed everything I ate.

So if you want to travel, keep these points in mind

• Wash the foods you want to eat that are fresh with bottled water

• Boil all or cook all meats you eat

• Enjoy yourself because I did 😘

So, I will ask you, if fruits and veggies were cheap and available all year round, would you change the way you eat?

Let me know.

Until next time,

God bless you!

Peppers, Onions, tomatoes on a mat

Water Gallons. If you need water at home, you pay for the water and the gallons are filled and the water is delivered to your home

Cocoyams, plantains, vegetables, “agbalumo”, papaya and breadfruit for sale

Rice, garri (in the bags), and seasoning sold in packets

African garden egg and spicy peanut butter sauce (so good)

More pepper, and tomatoes for sale

Happy to be at the market !

Guava

Why We Need to Practice Self-Care

If you are a parent, taking care of yourself is not just locking yourself in the bathroom for a couple of minutes to have time to yourself. If you work, it is not about just “vegging” in front of the TV or your phone to unwind!

Welcome

Let us get social- I am on Instagram, Twitter and my website is theizorapodcast.com. You can also email me at theizorapodcast@gmail.com

What then is taking care of yourself aka “Self Care”?

According to the World Health Organization, “self-care is what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health, to prevent and deal with illness.” This term is super broad, and it covers a lot of things. We know we need to take care of ourselves, but do we take care of ourselves? Do you?

I had mentioned earlier that I would cover this topic and I say that because of something that happened at work. Recently, I went to work and then found out that one of the girls who came in often had quit and was as not working anymore. I do know that she was taking classes and had a young daughter; I was surprised that she had quit!

I wondered was it because work was stressful or was it a combined with other stuff going on at home? What was it? I do not know since I did not have her phone number to call her. I have been thinking about her quitting since. And I ask, what if it were me? I have been in her shoes!

Why We Need to practice self-care:

I believe the number one reason is to prevent burn out.

I was listening to an episode of  Rachel Hollis’ Rise Podcast (Episode 112) and she defined Burn out as doing something that does not light up your heart anymore. 

This resonated with me- I was tired at home, work, mentally, physically and I had no passion for anything.

Momma’s let us talk- this idea of self-care might be a foreign concept. Our mom’s worked or were busy from sun up till sundown and they are the first to wake up. It does not have to be so. It is so easy to care for others and forget about ourselves. Sometimes we work, and then come home and take care of the home, do school and take our kids to every place. We do not stop and then at the end of the day, we crash and go to sleep and repeat this the next day. It has to stop. It took prayers to God to help me to defeat this cycle!

The next reason is to prevent stress

Stress can affect our minds and our well being and we end up not being able to be fully present in the things we do. Stress can cause us to think irrationally

Finally, to excel in all we do: when we take care of ourselves we are able to care for others, and are able to give 100% to our loved ones, our jobs and all we do!

How to Practice self-care:

1.      When was the last time you went for a physical, do you take multivitamins? It is not just for when you are pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant. And men, it is not just ladies who need multivitamins, talk to your doctor regarding your joints, your prostate health, your heart

2.      Exercise. I need not say much here. Exercise is essential to taking care of yourself. It helps our physical, mental and overall outlook on life. 

3.        Practice self-care at work too. As a Histotechnologist, I wear my gloves, lab coat, goggles and shoes that cover my toes. If pouring fluids, I use a shield to protect my face and or eyes. For other workplaces, we practice good sitting body positions like

• Keeping the joints such as hips, knees, and ankles open slightly (more than 90°).

• Keeping the knee joints at or below the hip joints.

• Keeping ankle joints in front of the knees.

• Keeping a gap the width of three fingers between the back of the knee joint and the front edge of the chair.

• Keep feet flat on the floor or on a footrest.

• For more information check out the OSHA.gov (Occupational Safety and Health Administration website

4.      Get a massage! You do not need to pay spa fees for this, go to the mall, (there is no shame here) and get it done. Some of my work has repetitive motion and I can tell you sometimes, muscles that I did not think I had hurt. Massages go a long way. And get your spouse/significant other to give you a massage.

5.      Take care of your skin. Living in Florida, the beauty of it is that there is lots and lots of sunshine. However, on my visit to the clinic for a work eval, I was asked do you use sunscreen and I was like- ahem no. The doc was like you need it now that you are in FL. To prevent skin cancer, I need to be protected from the sun by using sunscreen

6.        Look good! You do not have to spend lots of money to look good. And do not use the “I am married who cares” excuse. Looking good feels good, it boosts our confidence and so much more. I wear scrubs to work and I love it. They are comfortable and all they hide a multitude of love handles. When I dress up to go out, even my son does a wow! You look, good mommy. Even that little compliment goes a long way.

Regarding looking good & feeling good; I had broken out on my face and I had tried a lot of things to get rid of it. I was listening to  YouTube and had stumbled upon how this YouTuber had started taking care of her skin. She mentioned a 10 step Korean Skin Care routine and how her skin went from blah to amazing. I will share the link  about what the 10 steps entail. I know 10 steps sound like it is a lengthy process but this can be your own spa day at home! You can treat yourself and your spouse and thank me later. Note this website also has a shop- I am not being sponsored. I found the information very helpful.

Did I try the 10 step routine? Yes-on a weekend.

Did it take care of my breakout, yes! If you want to know what exactly I use after reading this 10step routine outline, message me and I would Share it with you.

The final self-care step is to pray for yourself! Proverbs 3:24 says: “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”

 Sometimes, we might lay down and the day’s activities,  what we have to do might keep us awake. Pray for yourself, your family, your mind, relationships and everything that worries you.

 Commit the worries to God (Philippians 4:6); and the Peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus- Philippians 4:7

Self-care did help me get back to feeling myself!

Have a great day.

Ezanya

9/11 We remember & pray

In Psalm 147:3 we read: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

That is what I pray for this country on this day!

On TV we are often asked on this day 9/11; “do you remember where you were?” I cannot say I remember where I was on this day because I was in Nigeria on 9/11/2001 but the whole world felt the impact of this day.

I cannot pretend or imagine what it feels like to have lost a loved one, family, or friend too!

My prayer is for the families and persons affected by the tragedy 18 years ago find peace and healing in a world where the pain is constant!

I want us to remember we are all God’s children and not just humans defined by the color of our skin or the amount of money in our pockets. I am praying that God will bless this country we call home and our children will continue to enjoy the blessings of being in this country.

Do not just remember where you were on this day but pray for this country we call home, pray for the people in leadership who make decisions too.

God bless America, today and always!