Whoosh!
Let’s jump into Part 2 of my 10 Quick Updates from this wild, beautiful #JourneyToPhD.
But first, a little gist.
Last weekend, one of my lecturers got married. Word on the street? Plentyyyyy gist, but you didn’t come here for that haha. What you do need to know is that my classmates turned up and showed out, and the bants about the food? Ehn! Too funny.
We even contributed some money and gave him a ‘nice envelope’, all thanks to Christy, who is basically the Mummy of the class. Every class has one of those sweet people.
As for me? Nope, I didn’t attend. Between schoolwork, domestic and wifey duties, my day job, and living a JOYFULLY PRODUCTIVE life (one of my life mantras), my plate is full, and I mean nicely full.
These days, NO is my default. Then from that NO, I may find the rare YES.
Still, I enjoyed the wedding from the group chat updates and pictures. And honestly? I really enjoy being in school again. I’m soaking it all up and milking the experience!
Speaking of school,
I was in WCF (Winners Campus Fellowship) during my undergrad days, and we had a mini Lagos reunion recently as we prepare for a global one in July/August.
Seeing some people I last saw on campus? Absolutely beautiful!
I had even forgotten so many details from back then, including the fact that I was Editor-in-Chief at some point. No be today I start to dey write, haha.
But the one post I can never forget was ALO, that is Alumni Liaison Officer. I was the one harassing alumni for donations, and thanks to all that fundraising, we had the BEST dinner ever one year!
That year happened to be my final one at WCF too. The then-president and I didn’t exactly agree on a few things (he didn’t like my insistence on tickets for the dinner, among other things), and honestly, he was too insecure for me to keep dealing, so I left.
It also coincided with when my husband graduated, so it felt like the right time to move on. Plus, I had already built strong alumni connections from my ALO role, so there was really no need to stay.
OK, enough of the throwback stories. Let’s fast-forward to now. Here’s the rest of my #PhDJourney updates:
5. The Alani Saga
Whew! I had a bad falling-out with a colleague, Alani. It was messy, but private. We were a group of three, and I joined the project last. As you already know, I have my standards, and things just weren’t standarding! He asked the class rep to remove me from the group, and I was like, absolutely not!
Eventually, the CR stepped in and handled it maturely. I apologized for my part (there was an earlier misstep on my side), and to my utter surprise, Alani apologized too. Like, actually apologized. I was shocked. I expected a grunt at best haha.
In the end? We did the project my way, the presentation was beautiful, and we got praised by the lecturer and classmates. Today, Alani and I are actually really cool.
6. Our Postgrad Seminars Are ELITE
One of the first seminars I attended was on using AI responsibly as a research assistant. I loved it! Not all my lecturers are fans of AI, but I appreciate that it’s part of the conversation.
We also get to watch doctoral students present their post-field work, scoping reviews, or proposals and let me tell you, the feedback can be brutal! Like… brutally honest! But it’s so inspiring too.
7. My Best Timetable Ever
This semester, I have lectures only on Tuesdays. From 9 AM till almost 7 PM.
Won’t lie, I helped engineer that a little, but the stars also aligned.
That said, I’m still in school almost daily because of my research work. Sometimes, lecturers sneak in extra classes, but it’s rare.
8. My Research Topic (Drumroll Please…)
This topic is dear to my heart. Like, I light up every time I think about it:
Understanding Parental Practices and Experiences in the Reduction of Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) for School-Aged Children in Ikoyi and Victoria Island.
I’ll break it down more in a future post, but like you know this is something I feel deeply called to.
9. Sometimes I Drive. Sometimes I Don’t.
Depending on the day, I either drive to school or go with my driver.
It may look bougie, but hey, I’m 38, with a full life behind me and a lot ahead. I choose convenience when I need to.
10. First Semester Results? Still Waiting…
Yep. We haven’t seen our results yet. Fingers crossed. Honestly, I don’t even know what to expect, but JESUS IS LORD haha. (Check my first MEMOIR post to understand that)
Whew!
That’s it for now, fam.
Thanks for being part of this ride.
Drop a comment so I know you stopped by, and stay tuned for the next post!
Love,
Eziaha