Stay Local or Explore?

Fun fact about my life, I'm an aspiring lawyer. I'm specifically aiming to work in health law, maybe something dealing with health care policies or medical malpractice. I did get something out of my B.A. in Public Health Studies - mad props to my parents for helping me pay for that, the opposite of mad props to the student loans that I have to pay. I won't be in law school for a little bit (I'll be applying this fall), so in the interim, for my sanity, progress, and stability - mental and financial - I am in search of a job.

My search has focused mainly on my hometown because this is where I have happily accepted the free food and shelter my parents have so graciously offered me. My initial plan after college was to do AmeriCorps for a year and come home for the summer, and head to law school the following fall. But AmeriCorps did not go the way it was supposed to go (huge understatement). So here I am typing up this blog, with my dad snoring in the next room.

I am slowly realizing that it may not be wise to limit my scope to one city. For all I know, there's a job in Philly with my name on it, or maybe Boston. I have been telling myself that I've been looking at local positions for financial reasons. If I get a job in my current city, I can live at home for a little while longer and save money, but then again that's only when I get a job.

BUT, let's say I do get a job in another city. In this economic environment is it worth it to spend my paychecks from my first real salary on things like rent and groceries?

These are tough decisions, man.

I also have to wrestle with the fact that I went to undergraduate school in my hometown, and the I attended 1st - 12 grade was literally 9 minutes down the road. Yes, I just google mapped it to make sure I gave the accurate time. So part of me really needs to know what it's like to live truly on my own, without the security blanket of my family, and friends I've known since I was 6.

Sorry there's no cute picture to go along with this post. It would probably just be a picture of me face-palming, so I think it's better this way.

Bachelor of Beer Pong

Maneuvering the college party after graduation is an interesting task. When you're 8 months out like me, sometimes you forget that you shouldn't wear your nice suede boots to a party where people throw ping pong balls into red cups. There will be splashes, but you can't complain, because let's be real, you knew better.

Now when I say college party, I am referring to parties thrown in a home. A home that is preferably not a fraternity house. I think it goes without saying that you're most likely friends with whomever is hosting the event, because at this point in your unbelievably mature adult life (mostly sarcasm there), if you show up randomly at a college house party, you were invited. So technically it's not random, someone wants you there. You should therefore be comfortable and happy with the fact that you're there.

My motto is: if you are pleasant, the party will be pleasant to you. There is no need to pretend like you don't know how college parties work. Drink your drink, play a game or two, reminisce about freshman year. Don't bring up academia, no one cares about that. Just kidding, if you went to a college like mine, there is a 72% chance that a question about your academic and/or professional goals will come up right after that last swig of tequila, so whatever, just go with the flow.

The aim is to have fun and revel in the ruckus that is your very recent past. Bask in the fact that you can get a free drink, but know that the beer will be cheap and the jungle juice will be questionable. But it's free! That being said, if you know your body can no longer handle these economical alcoholic delights, do not forget the art of the pre-game and by all means, BYOB. 

So if you're in your college town, feel free to enjoy these parties while you still can, because in a couple of years, it will actually be weird. More on that when I get there.

Me and some friends (2 of us already graduated) at a college party. Get at us.

Ekaette vs. Kae

Names are an essential part of an identity. The sound of one's own name has the strongest auditory stimuli. Your name is also what you use when making a name for yourself (the redundancy there was pretty unavoidable.) My full first name is Ekaette, it's Nigerian. Pronounced the American way, that I guess my mom and I developed, it is "Uh-kai-yuh-tay", emphasis on the "kai." In all honesty it's truly not that hard to pronounce, but there are two things that I've noticed when I tell people my first name: they ask me to pronounce it again for clarification or they just smile and nod politely with a look in their eyes that says "why did just girl just speak gibberish at me?"

I don't have an accent, and I guess I don't look anything but Black American (to the untrained eye - other Nigerians can spot me from a mile away), so when I spew something non-American when telling people my name, I guess it throws them for a loop. When I meet people for the first time I do a quick evaluation of them to see whether or not it's worth it to teach them how to pronounce my name. If the person is a friend of a friend of a friend that I'm making small talk with they just get Kae, there's not point in investing effort - is that harsh? But let's say I'm meeting a good friend's sister for the first time. That person is a keeper, she gets the whole name.

It's a whole different ball game as I've been trying to figure out which name I should be using professionally. In college I was definitely Ekaette in classes with 20 or less students, and Kae with bigger classes. I always wrote Ekaette on papers and exams and Ekaette is in my email signature. I did, however, let some bosses call me Kae because sometimes you can just tell when people aren't even going to try. Sometimes people are too old, sometimes just too American if you know what I mean. But now I'm on the road to make a name for myself as a professional adult. My full name in a professional setting could have its limitations. Unless you are Nigerian or familiar with the culture, there's most likely no chance of you simply reading my name and pronouncing it correctly. The typical American comes up with "E-Kate" or "Eh-Ket" and calls it a day. And since I would be starting at the bottom of the totem pole as a 22 year old fresh on the work scene with a Bachelor's, bosses may simply not care if they get my name right, or not care for me correcting them. Ekaette does have its benefits though. It's unique and once you learn how to pronounce it, you don't forget it. So really, my name could help me make a name for myself in a way that other more common names simply cannot.

So when they ask me, "Do you have a nick name?" with a little bit of laughter because obviously with a name so foreign and hard to pronounce, I must have a nick name - what will I say?

What's up, world?

So this is my first post. It might not be wise to write this at 1:35 am, but I'm doing it anyway. As I'm beginning to write this, I hear my the voices of my extremely paranoid parents in my head. Since they both work in law enforcement they are endlessly weary of social media and sharing personal information on the internet. But I'm a Millenial, and proud of it. Social media is how we communicate. I'm writing this blog to explore different topics that affect my peers and are pertinent to me - a 22 year old, recent graduate, looking for a job in America.

My age and my education level are just two of my descriptors. I'm also half Black, half Nigerian (yes I make that distinction, I'll post about that in more detail at another time) and a woman. After college I spent 4 months in AmeriCorps (fill you in on that nightmare later) and now I'm back at home. With my parents. It has been... interesting. 

Unfortunately it's too late (or too early in the morning, however you choose to look at it) for me to come up with a decent ending to this post. So, I'm just going to stop typing for now.

Here's a quaint picture of me and the besties (can I still say besties as a 22 year old?... whatever, I'm doing it) at college graduation. We rep JHU '11, '13, and '14. It's cute.