Review: 2017

At the beginning of 2017, I mentioned that I would be doing little to no blogging on certain months because I had a ton of exams to write throughout the year. Sometimes it was frustrating because other aspect of my life suffered – business, relationships and friendships but it was worth it in the end because I passed all my exams and bagged my first license to practice this December. I’ll be sharing the highlights of my months this year and the not-so-good moments too. You can share a bit of yours in the comment section all the way down below, I would love to read.

                           “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”                                                         1 Thessalonians 5:18

January

I wrote my plan for the year and highlighted a few that seemed impossible, I didn’t believe I would accomplish the highlighted few but oh was I in for a surprise. The year started out as usual, January being the longest and most trying month of every year in my life so far. I had to move out of my shared apartment on campus in a hurry because there was an error I didn’t anticipate before we moved in. I ended up staying with friends outside school and had to shuttle between their apartment and classes, Ije and Bukola, I am grateful, thank you again.

February

Participated in the annual Vals Day Project with my friends where we provide basic hygiene and food materials for the underprivileged, this year we partnered with the Nigerian Police Force and covered more ground since our inception. Unfortunately, I lost all my pictures from this day but you can view pictures from 2015 here. Prior to the 14th, I joked about how I’d never  felt extra special on Valentine’s day and my friend, Serah, decided to change that by sending me cupcakes, I felt really special, thank you. We had the first Get Wigged Workshop for the year and it was amazing.

April 

Birthday month. I launched The Nappyhaired Wig Kit in collaboration with The Dorcas Cancer Foundation and 20% of the proceeds went to helping children fighting cancer, you can read all about it here. It was probably the most fulfilling thing I did all year. I got contact lens with my friend, Praise, I’ve never been able to see properly without my glasses and being able to walk on the street that afternoon seeing clearly without  a contraption on my face was truly an experience. I was also a guest speaker at the CAG Mixer and Brunch hosted by the lovely Alice Dako, I formed new friendships there and shared a bit about how to hack this blogging thing, I really should take my own advice.

June

I traveled to Accra, Ghana with Cassie and I wrote all about it here including tips on how to plan your own trip with likely costs. The trip almost did not happen, from cancelling reservations to shifting dates and everything in between, we found a way to still make it and it was one of the best things that happened to me the entire year, never mind that all my gadgets went crazy on me when we got back.

July

This month was tough. I was behind on my project work for school and if there is one thing I absolutely do not like about school work, it has to be research and project. I was able to get help from my friends and present a decent project work, how am I supposed to become a Professor like this? Sigh

August

I tried the Falana-inspired tassel braids that cost me less than 4000 Naira including cost of extensions and paying the stylists, see here. We had the third Get Wigged workshop for the year and the turnout wasn’t as great as the previous workshops.

October

I spent the Independence long weekend in Ekiti State just before my pre-qualification examinations. It was an underwhelming experience for me and just served as a reminder that road trip within Nigeria can be a chore even with meticulous planning. I had to step in for a friend to teach her regular wig making class and it just reminded me how much I enjoy teaching. I posted my first Youtube video but chose not to say anything about it because I felt it wasn’t good enough at the time, it took me a month and the video reaching almost 500 views to get the courage to share. You can click below to watch it.

Road Trip From Lagos, Nigeria to Accra, Ghana

November

I was on the panel for Shea Moisture Nigeria Masterclass and had an experience center where I taught guests how to make Afro Wig Lola, the love and feedback I got in the weeks after this was truly overwhelming. I wrote my professional licensing examinations barely 5 days after the Masterclass. I fell ill on the first day of exams and a voice at the back of my head kept nagging that it was a sure sign I would mess up when the results come in but I ignored it. After my exams, I made time for  lot of fun activities and my favorite was kayaking at Omu Resort, I’ve wanted to do it for the longest time. Hopefully, I get to go back next year, it was fun, truly,

December

I finally got my license to practice and it made all the struggle worth it. The YouTube channel exceeded 1000 views. I planned on making The Christmas Beauty box from last year a yearly thing but life happens and we don’t always get what we want.

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I’ve left out a few experiences here and there that are really personal to me and I would rather just solely hold on to. In general, 2017 was a much better year than I expected it to be. I didn’t take note of all the really amazing things that took place until I decided to write this post. I purchased the Gratitude Journal from Hearts and Frames so I wouldn’t be making that mistake next year.

How was your year? The good, bad and ugly, go off in the comment section, I would love to read all about it.

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