Finally, I am billed to arrive London in a couple of days on KLM via amsterdam. However, I need last minute advice on the things to take in terms of clothing. I've heard that the clothes we buy here dont fit there and all that stuff. I hope 4 jean trousers and t shirts aith a leathe jacket and wool cardigan will do? I dont have money to go about buying stuff in London, at least not immediately.

Any further advice?

@D10
Jeans and T-shirts are common students' clothing here so you should be fine. Ensure you t-shirt are considerably thick for the weather here (even underneath a jacket). Not sure if you're staying in your uni's accomodation and if laundry services are free, if otherwise, i'll suggest you have a good mix of shirts/t-shirts to last about 2/3 weeks before having to go to the laundry (bound to save you some few quid every month). Also you'll sweat less (or not at all) during the coming winter months so you might be able to afford wearing a shirt/t-shirt twice before having to take to the laundry(just my personal opinion and kindly ignore this if you think otherwise).

You heard right. Most clothing you'll buy in Naija would be unsuitable for the winter months here. The cardigan might be helpful when indoors in a heated room but i'll advise you budget anything between 50-100 pounds which would get you the following winter essentials on getting here:

Thermal vests (or underwear) - these are like singlets or tshirts but surprisingly could keep you warmer about 5 times more than your cardigan would do. Averagely costs about 3-7 quid depending on where you shop. Plan to get btw 2 and 5 of this depending on affordability. Also it is much more comfortable to wear 2 of these underneath your regular clothing than wearing 4-5 shirts at once to fight the cold.

Ankle length thermal pants - done in same material as above but you wear this underneath your trousers. You'll be glad you get both of these during those occassionally long freezy wait at the bus stop. Costs about same for above.

Leather or very thick wollen gloves - Costs about 5-10 quid or much more (depending on quality, i presume brand is not the issue here). You might not need this right away, but the weather will be changing in a couple of days and you should plan to get these at least early october.

Thermal socks - Miight not be needed if you shoes with very thick soles (to stop your feet acting as a conduit for cold to your body - believe it or not it could be that bad sometimes in the dead of winter) - Costs about 1-5 quid for a pack of about 2-5 pairs.

Jacket (very thick ones and non-leather) - Your leather jacket (don't know how thick) might be suitable for some occassions depending on the weather, but very thick jackets (with a hood) would be invaluable and these (combined with your thermal vests) might be able to shield from the worst of cold and frost bites. These are relatively cheap and you should be able to get failry good and effective ones for between 10-30 pounds (could be more but i'm presuming brand or label is not an issue here).


Head warmer - Not sure if you can get this in naija (i've seen some guys wearing this in lagos - ). You'll need this (again) to save your ears (especially) from frost bites during those long wait (again) at the bus stops.


Also plan to spend anything between 10-30 quid for a single or double bed duvet. The thickness are usuallly measured in togs. (if i could recall 15 or 20 togs is the max you can get but i might be wrong). You'll definitely need this at bedtime. Hardly would you find accomodation where the heater would be turned on all night long. Even if you're self acccomodating you'll want to save on heating bills at night by using a duvet.

All the above are the essentials must have for the winter months, for the warmer months (from around late may till early September), your regular naija clothes should do just fine.

On a last note, my comments are mostly from personal experience and not necessarily without flaws and might not apply for other individuals. Regards

Please take anti-malaria drugs because you will not get tropicalised drugs like ours. They are allowed by immigration.

- how na & how will he take it there??

@D1O
LOng time, my brother too will join you on the 17th.I will ask him to get in touch with you once he arrives in Oxford.
Cheers
Save journey Bro.

@PARIBUS

i thot you just recently applied and got student visa(i read your thread)

how come you know so much?

salsera:

@PARIBUS

i thot you just recently applied and got student visa(i read your thread)

how come you know so much?

If you've read between the lines in my threads, you might have deduced that i've been visiting the uk before now. From some 5 years back, i've been opportuned to visit the uk every year, this just happens to be my first time as a student if this clarifies anything. Regards

@paribus

didnt deduce that

the details about togs and duvets showed a little bit more than just visits


well as always you are very thorough


back to topic

by now i suppose D10 is packing his bags for his flight
if i recall correctly his flight is for the 15th

Sarcasm and cynicism are not always the best approach. Let's not make the topic about me but the information that have been requested by the poster. With nothing to prove i rest my case on this thread. Regards

Sorry folks. Hope u all are doing great. Schools really tough and barely leaves me enough time for myself, but I always remain grateful to this forum tho, 4 life

delarontus:

Please take anti-malaria drugs because you will not get tropicalised drugs like ours. They are allowed by immigration.

Did he carry some anopheles mosquitoes in his suitcase for crying out loud?   Chai!   Na wah for you oh! You want the poster to use drugs for tropical diseases in a temperate zone? Just kidding with you though.  I understand what you are saying.

Siena:

There's no malaria in the UK!

Please have some pity for your Nigerian brothers and sisters for they know only what they know only in terms of Nigeria!   It just means that some people fall sick when they get to foreign countries since the latency or incubation period is still present. The "bug" is still cooking in the victim.  When the latency period is over and the disease manifests the poster will need some anti malarial drugs or risk being quarantined in London, till he can be appropriately diagnosed and drugs have to be imported to treat him. More hospitalization than necessary.

This happened to my sister when she first settled in the UK. This is because like you rightly stated there is no malaria in the UK.  But immigrants bring it with them without knowing it.  They do not have the drugs to treat malaria in the UK so "delarontus" was right in advising the poster to take some anti-malarials like Phansidar and so on with him for short term/full dose treatment of about 2 weeks!

@Topic
Take some anti Ebola-drugs too!

Siena:

@ delarontus: Mosquitoes do exist in the UK, but they don't carry the malaria virus.

But Nigerian immigrants carry the virus having lived in Nigeria. Some actually get sick from it when they reach the UK.

there is no malaria virus, its a single celled protozoan called Plasmodium Malaria with its various sub-types

there is no need to take malaria drugs out of fear of infection in the uk, unless you've been bitten before you left and haven't actually developed symptoms yet. It will be good to take some prophylactics for a few weeks before departure and carry some doses of anti-malarial just in case you are unknowingly carrying it.

Shortly before I left Nigeria to settle in the UK, I was treated for malaria as I fell ill and tests showed it was malaria. After the treatment, I felt okay, but decided to carry anti-malaria medications with me to the UK. A few weeks after I arrived, I noticed the malaria symptoms again and took the medications I brought along. I got well very soon after and have not been ill since then. So I would advise anyone just coming to live here to carry some anti-malaria along.

debosky:

there is no malaria virus, its a single celled protozoan called Plasmodium Malaria with its various sub-types

there is no need to take malaria drugs out of fear of infection in the uk, unless you've been bitten before you left and haven't actually developed symptoms yet. It will be good to take some prophylactics for a few weeks before departure and carry some doses of anti-malarial just in case you are unknowingly carrying it.

Thanks for the education!

_{Bug na bug!}

don't foget to take a polythene bag full of Ijebu garri and nido.
It may be a while before you figure out where the African stores are.
You need some drinking garri to carry you through when homesick.

You'll thank me later for this advice

@paribus
Thanks so much for your candid advice, my brother finally choose to travel as against working with Access bank. He is due to be in LCA (London college of Accountancy) by Dec. 13th.

Hello my people,
It would appear some of us do not look at the dates of previous postings before making responses. As a result, some responses to this forum talk in present terms in response to events that have been over taken by events.

Well with regards to the anti malarial treatment. That advice was actually given tome long before I left home and thank God that I heeded it. Despite the fact that I trated malaria shortly before leaving home, i felt the symptoms some weeks after arrival and the Plasmotrim and halfan tablets that I arrived with becme very handy and useful. I believe I migth have been bitten by some more mosquitoes on my last night in 9ja, oh sweet 9ja, I'm missing her already.

There may be no Malraial parasites and hence no anti malrial drugs here in London or the United Kingdom in general but considering that the lag phase of the Malarial parasite in the human blood stream is two weeks, then it makes perfect sense that some of us might actually have walked thru Heathrow and gatwick with enough parasites within us to take us down two weeks thence.

How u guys doing? School no dey gree person rest for here and with regards to the poster talking about talking some smoking garri, well I arrived already, actually like one month before you posted that and I really apprecite the fact that you thot of that.

Cheers my people and special regrads to oga paribus for all the clothing advice, I'd never forget that, and it still means a lot to me.

how r u settling in

PG school can be hectic

did ur accomodation plan work out
doing any part - time job?

Dear Salsera,

I think its safe to say I've fully settled in and even tho my family calls me twice daily (good morning and good night), I think that is even beginning to make me miss them more.

I live in uni halls and its really fabulous. I've got flatemates from all over the world. We've all got different rooms tho.

But franky, I begin to see the advantages of paying so much to study here. Things that were only taught as theory courses back home are things I see with my two naked eyes here. I am proudly Nigerian and would never diss my country for anything or any other place in the world. In fact truth be told, I can't wait to get back home after studying here. At least if nothing else, I dont use public transport at home like I do here. But the fact remains that WAY TOO MUCH WATER HAS GONE UNDER THE BRIDGE, and the world has left us behind. Things happen here, they become facts, then we have to memorise them back home in 9ja, but here, u see them happening. It makes me weep sometimes when I am in the lab and the uni undergraduate students are performing PCR's and I'm like wtf. I no sure say my 9ja brethren back home fit use micro pippete sef bc when I wrote WAEC, na those pippetes wey we dey use our mouth suck the reagent from bottles and stuff, really so much to wish for on 9ja's behalf

Yet, east or west, home is the best, and I miss her like soooooooooooooooo badly, and funny enuf, I've just been barely two months here.

@D10: Most Nigerians feel this way when they visit better countries but they end up doing nothing about it either because they do not have the opportunity to do so or they are just selfish.

Please make an impact when you do return.

@D10

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i could not help laughing,
i'm sure you missed okada's (if u even used dem in naija) like mad

There really is no place like home but the world is a village and man must progress
like delarantus said - keep these thots and come back to make a difference

keep posting okay
its good to hear from you

Yeah, no sweat!!

@Salsera
Where u @. What do u do?

@ everyone else
Cheers my people!!! its Guy Fawkes night tonight.

@D10

hey our resident student

anymore more stories to tell us

have you gotten lost yet

whats the temperature like now

where am i?
at work, in nigeria somewhere in the southwest

lol salsera,
I aint lost yet and I'm not planning to be in a very long time,

salsera:


hey our resident student

-that really had me rolling on the floor laffing, I'm not saying that cos pple say that, I really was. that was a good one.

How's work. hope u doing great.

Cheers!!!

@D10
Do you remember me? I 'm also trying to settlle down and men, it's not been really easy. I am in Leicester and the town is really beautiful, the people are also warm and friendly but I miss home like mad. Have you gotten a part-time job yet? The worst part of it is having to trek to almost everywhere in the biting cold. And I hear is going to get worse in a couple of weeks time.

@Nkenwanyi,
Of course I remember u. How could I forget the ppl who kept vigil with me while we had our precious documents with the BHC back in 9ja. If I remember correctly, u submmited on the 10th of July at UKVAC PHC or so innit(like dey say here, lol)

I have a flatmate from Leicester uni and she says it was really nice during her undergrad. No be only u dey trek ohh my sister. I tire 4 d thing sef.

yeah I got a PT job now as a market T.fone Research Interviwer.

U got u r NINO yet?

Talk 2 mi

Cheers!!!!!!!!

Hey!!

we have another

resident student


cold neva start wait till Jan-Feb
You will call the Lords name for hope

@D10
good to know i made u laff

i really hail PG students abroad its tough truly

lets keep this thread alive

cos by the next both of u post it'll be like this


II'mmmmmm doooiiiing okkkkayyyy

;d ;d ;d

@ Salsera
Resident student no.2 can't wait to come home to Nigeria and see the sunshine again. I know no the kind sun wey dey shine here. Sun go dey shine, cold dey mama u on top. Na wah o!

@ D10
I've got the NINO. Send me a message so we can chat.

Hey Nkenwanyi,
How far for Leicester? what u doing for ur christmas break?

@ lanlady salsera,
I dey hail oh