Thedream1900:


I'm glad people are commenting on the topic. What prompted me to create this topic is that we have thousands of Nigerians on F1 Visa and I always wonder where do most of these students ended up since our student status does not correlate with the pool of candidates seeking work visa such as H1b. We can only conclude that majority always end up using marriage as their last/only option to secure their green card. This type of scenerio reminds me of football in Africa, where we dominate any age based competitions but could not be found anywhere when it comes to competitions that have no age restriction. I can't blame these students because H1b route is fraught with various complexities and uncertainties, plus as humans we often take the easiest route. However, the problem with marriage in most cases is you will be tied down with someone whom you shared nothing in common but have to behave as if everything is okay. Most of these girls (in most cases) or guys (in limited cases) often rip you off of your money, body and time because your stay depends on them.

I could remember when I came in 2013 we had about 10 Nigerians in my school, but only two of us graduated as the remaining opted for marriage. Not because I too didn't want to do the same but because I had my wife back in Nigeria then. Also because I was lucky to secure funding after one year of self sponsorship.

One of the problems for Africans is that there is not much places to turn to for educational funding. Most of these asian students flooding US schools came from humble background like us but because they were able to secure loans in their various countries and have little to worry about paying tuition or daily expenses. Hence, they often graduate in higher rate and pursue their respective dreams compared to students of African descent.

What I have noticed is that once you are tied down with someone to secure your legal stay, then there is higher chance you will be abandoning your dream that brought you here in the first place. But, and I mean this, you have to do what is needed and apply Maslow's hierarchy of need, if every other door has been shut on you. That is, no more funding from home or other place.

I like your line of thoughts..a lot has changed in the US immigration process. In the past F1 was a sure gateway to H1b and to Green Card but now it would take the Grace of God.
The era of Trump govt ushered in overhaul of the exisitng immigration process , although his latest proposal promises to prioritize post graduate students, people doubt if the proposal is going to pass the Democrat controlled lower house.
If you have found an employer willing to take you on, please stay put because most employment now stipulates no Visa sponsorship. The delay did not only affect H1b to Green Card, Infact qualifying Green card to Citizenship processing has gone from the usual 6 months processing time to 1 to 2 years.
Now let me tell you , the marriage route is closing up - especially if it's not genuine. New laws are cropping up everyday to make sure illegal stays cannot survive.
If you have an employer who is ready to issue you H1B please stick with it.

You can buy car from craigslist ...just make sure you have someone on ground to see the car and take hold of it before paying.

warriboy21:
Yesterday being Saturday, I was bored, I planned sitting at home to monitor Naija election online but since it was canceled, I decided to drive down to Chicago for the auto show. saw many cars. and feel like sharing with my nl family.

some of the pictures are not too full and clear because of the crowd surrounding the cars. but I managed to get some sneak peek of them

enjoy



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obgR7J3njnU

So you went too? I went twice for this year's show.....first time ..my car was towed at the Mercy Hospital parking lot ..hehehehehe...paid almost $300 to get it back.

2nd time I went with a friend. Hey ..send me message if you are still I chicago.

Can someone tell the pastor that these stretch Limos were rental cars- they are nightclub on wheels,. Most have been used for sex orgies, heavy drinking and partying.

The stupidity of a leaders is not comparable to the collective stupidity of those that elected him.

- GOldenbOy March 2019.

7Alexandre:


Ok...

Are there any other nice hotels around VI that’re cheaper you can recommend...

Check Expedia ..it gives you an idea. Also read reviews on them. Don't rely on the pictures you see online ..some of those pictures were taken when the hotel was new.
I use the following criteria to pick hotels in Nigeria

1- Uninterrupted power supply
2- Reliable Wifi
3- Security
4- Very clean environment
5- Functional facilities including furniture - I don't do hotels without gym and swimming pool.

7Alexandre:


I heard both Qatar Airways & Emirates Airline offer better inflight Services...

I don’t really know how true though but we’ll see...

Bro ..with all these planes going down recently and my fear of flying let me stick with those ones I am sure of ...its their technology ..they know where they hid all the witches worrying the Aircraft. I heard Emirate is good too.

7Alexandre:


You have money lol...

I can’t really afford New York Prices especially on Weekend around Manhattan...

It’s super Expensive...

I usually stay in New Jersey around Newark & commute into Manhattan using the New Jersey Transit...

Lol, you know we Americans plan our vacation spending way before time. I had a sibling coming in from UK for vacation in US and he was at the Holiday Inn in the lower Manhattan - so I didn't have a choice - I planned to drink the garri later..Hahahahaha.

7Alexandre:


I really want to stay around Victoria Island Lagos...

If the Hotels around that area are cost prohibitive then Lekki Phase 1 would be my next choice location...

So far I have narrowed down the Hotels to about five hotels:

(A) Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos

(B) Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos

(C) Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos

(D) Southern Sun Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos

(E) The LilyGate Hotel, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos

Hmmmmm, you sir; have a very fine taste .hehehehehehehe...forget the $2500 budget then..budget between $150 to $200 per night for hotels....and that's clearly $2000 for 10 nights. For flights - I only do the airlines from UK, US and the Dutch airlines , so no idea on Turkish and Emirates.

7Alexandre:


Both The George Hotel & The Wheatbaker Hotel are 5 Star hotels & cost about $300+ a night...

The problem with negotiating while on Ground is what happens if the Hotel is fully booked?

Nigerian Hotels tends to over book especially on weekends & priority is usually given to people who paid in advance that’s my major worry...

Yea ..I had that fear too. However depending on your negotiating skills - even fully booked hotels make allowances. I did that in Courtyard by Marriot in New York Financial District. They always have reserves.

Trust me you have several options in VI, lots to choose from - and when I say hotels, I am referring the good rated hotels. I have seen price go from $190 to $110 when you negotiate on ground.

7Alexandre:


Like how much?

I'm planning a trip for 11 nights in December & will be staying in Victoria Island Lagos.

I have already received a quote from a travel company for about $2,500 which includes my Round Trip Ticket plus Hotel Accommodation

Hotel will be Raddison Blu Anchorage Hotel Victoria Island Lagos & Flight will be either Qatar Airways OR Emirates Airlines.

Is that a Reasonable Quote OR Does the Quote seem very expensive?

Why use a travel agent ? Are you not a Nigerian ? Use Priceline..start monitoring the tickets now ..you can get as low as $750 round trip depending on your location..with a good airline. Check in early and you get a good seat. I should be coming in around that time too and I have started planning my trip.

Then for the hotel..budget $100 a night....Raddison Blu probably more expensive..$183 and that's discount..check Hotel booking websites. I discovered it's always better to negotiate hotels when you are on ground ..they give better deals.

$2500 is about right in the average, again not Anchorage... That's just for hotel and flight o...feeding isn't included. What amazes me is there are hotels in Nigeria that are higher than $300 a Night. ..The George..lol. not presidential suites.

When I was at the Lufthansa boarding gate @ Muritala ..I thought about the craziness I went through within 2 weeks ..and I told myself...ok Nigeria you stressed me out ..so see you in the next 3 years, told myself I am going to Europe in 2019.
I can tell you now I miss Nigeria ..lol. I can't believe it ...I actually miss that 2 weeks of craziness!!! Europe is boring ...I think I am coming back ..but this time around ..no more mainland ..Island straight!!! Mainland traffic is terrible ..so guys where are the fun spots on the island? Let me go to Priceline to check ticket prices..lol. I must acquire my Nigerian immunity again...tired of Flu shots.
Home is where the heart is ...

Mizwisdom:
[b][/b]

Naaaaaah. I can't remember saying America is perfect but my dear if I have to choose....hehehehehehe.

Not all my family members are in Nigeria but those that are there are very comfortable, so it ain't all about comfort Staying in an hotel was just for the convenience of everyone. Even when I went to New York for Vac and I had friends all over , I still stayed in an hotel. I love the freedom and i love my personal space.
Although I cannot risk mosquito bites because I do not have the Nigerian immunity again.
On a final note . you are right ..we are all part of Nigeria's problem.

mycutiepie:
Thanks for sharing your experience GoldenBoy aka Prince of Chi-town. You write so well!

Thank you for the compliment. Sorry my reply is like 2 months late. I love to write but having the time to do it is the problem. It seems you are also at this side of the world ? How is the weather over there ?

Nigeria my experience

I have just finished reading a thread now on Nairaland about what Australians think of Nigerians. I don't want to sound sarcastic but who are Australians? In my own opinion an average American would classify Australia and Africa as same. - Aborigins

Most of our challenges in Nigeria are self inflicted - I read through I was disappointed how people were bashing each other - insulting the country and themselves.

Now let me give a very basic example - The roads and traffic in Lagos. My experience from traveling on Lagos road was insanity. Several times I asked my Uber driver why he is driving rough - he blamed the other road users. Why are you blaming other road users when you also are a terrible driver. We find faults in others but we never consider what we have also contributed to the problem.

The problem is - YOU ARE ALL DRIVING CRAZY !!! I can never drive in Nigeria. I used to think my brother in UK was forming when he said he cannot drive in Nigeria, until I came back and discovered same thing. I have never seen a country where people drive in between lanes. Those broken lines are meant to separate 2 lanes - you guys drive in the middle. You don't use your pointers , you all don't respect other motorist , you use your bumpers as weapons, commercial or private vehicles no difference. It was like a scene from Mad Max.
We do not see our own faults, we blame everybody else but ourselves. Nigeria is not about the land or geographical area, it is we the people !! So if you say Nigeria is not good - it is you and me !!! We are not good !!!

When I went for my driving test in US , the test instructor asked where I am from when he heard my accent - I said Nigeria !! He screamed !!! Nigerians are terrible drivers - na there fear catch me whether I go pass this test. Alas I passed because I read all road codes.

The funny thing I saw in Nigeria were the STOP signs - for all we care in Nigeria those signs were invisible - people just drive pass it. What of traffic light ? The average Uber breeze through red light like demons on a mission - I was always screaming - extremely dangerous to do that !!!

I cant lie to you all...that was the most stressful vacation I have ever had....when I got back to Chicago , I knelt down and thank God that I survived - glad to be "home" . I got into my car, drove on peace and tranquility - appreciated America more.


Pix - that pix with the Honda Accord is Nigeria ..the rest are US. Can anybody tell me what is wrong with that road sign in the Nigeria pix?

People get mind o.... Nigeria that cannot operate or manage land bound motor vehicles successfully - with all the motor accidents ... You now put yourself in a very complicated device like an Airplanes God save your soul.

Hey guys sorry I have not been consistent in updating this thread - I have been busy busy busy.

This is one of those days ..I am so tired ..just sitting in the mall in Schaumburg and observing life. This is the one of the downsides .. if I was in Lagos .. I would be taking pepper soup in La Mango in Ikeja GRA. Lol. Time to drive home.

VisiFisiMisi:


To be frank , I finished High school around 2014/2015, I have my WAEC certificate. But haven't gotten into college I think that limited my options.

Like someone said .. there are different avenues for you to get good education in US. There are scholarships programs but first you need to apply to a school , write GRE or GMAT - a very high score in any of these exams gives you a good chance of getting a scholarship.

EMMAACHILE:

Are international students able to get SSN in the USA?

Seems your question has been answered.

jesuisroya:
Hello @LagosIV,
Good day everyone in the group.
I wish you all a happy New Year.
My question is: I wish to travel to the US on holidays wiht my family: my husband and 2 kids.
My husband has about 1Million naira in his account while I have about 3 million.
We both work, though I earn more. i work in a well known establishment while my husband works for a small time business and earns like 100K per month.
Will it be ok for us to start the visa application process?
Thanks for your kind advice.

Hello madam,

Please send this question to the right thread. Can anybody refer her to the right link.

Thanks

It's been a while here. Started this story some while back. The dynamics of immigration process has changed now so some advice here may not be relevant in the light of new information.
Now let me add new information for immigrants - Recently my FICO score hit above the 800 mark - I remember the advice people gave me when I got to the US. They said you cannot get a good credit score if you do not take a car loan or get a big debt. Now from experience I can categorically say that is a big lie !! Most of us may want to go back to school - that in itself is a good enough loan, you can get credit cards from Bank of America or Amazon chase. All I did was make sure I use the card every time and pay off the whole balance before due date. Infact I get a lot of cash back from those cards.

If you want me to talk about building fantastic credit score - I can do that in more details. The last day of 2018 .. time 4.00 am. Central time. I wish you all a prosperous 2019 ahead.

chukxie:
Would we be taken for granted and treated shabbily by foreign airlines who find our route lucrative if we had our own national carrier? Our gov't is to blame.

The irony of this is .. the worst treatment is always from our own people judging from past experience. On my way back to US -at MMIA .. it seems Lufthansa contracted the check-in and boarding process to a Nigerian company .. can you believe these people turned check-in to a lucrative business. The staff kept on bringing people from the back of the long queue to check in after collecting bribe. People won't treat us better than we treat ourselves. I usually never get worried about people jumping queue/line or asking for bribe until I get to the Nigerian shore.
It also goes .. you cannot value others more than you value yourself.

Ok So I got a feedback from Lufthansa

Dear Mr. _________,



Thank you for your online feedback dated December 16, 2018.



Thank you for informing us of your recent unsatisfactory experience with Lufthansa.

We are very sorry that you spent such a long time in the queue at the boarding gate and the process was not as smooth as it should be. In addition, we have forwarded the concern to our local management team in Frankfurt, to prevent similar situations to happen in the future.



Furthermore, our staff should maintain a friendly and helpful attitude toward you at all times. This is a vital element of our corporate philosophy, and the behaviour you describe in no way meets the standards Lufthansa has set for itself. Diplomatic skills are always necessary, in particular when events do not proceed as planned. This is something we emphasise strongly in our staff training programs.



At this point we would like to apologize again for your inconveniences.



Sincerely,



Robert John Lazaro


This is called Corporate responsibility. Yes it may seems like an ordinary apology but its on record that this happened and whenever it happens again we will escalate. This is a culture we should adopt in Nigeria, lets give feed backs, Lets give reviews. Do you know what review does in Amazon? Also Google and Yelp reviews are tools consumers use to determine if they would patronize a business. If Emirates, KLM or BA gets 500 Nigerians complaining of the same thing, trust me somebody would be fired !!!

Mancala:


Thanks for doing this. All of us could benefit from any potential positive change that comes out of it. However, I'm a bit of a skeptic cause I know how these things work, been in the corporate game too long. This is exactly what they want aggrieved customers to do so that they can deal with you one on one in secret and appease you at minimal cost with no real change happening. You know what works .......and what they don't want you to do? Put it out on social media with compelling proof like a video or audio ... I'm beginning to sound like a broken record on this. If you do this, they are not only dealing with you, they are dealing with their entire customer base and must make visible tangible amends in public. Twitter, Facebook, Google and YouTube were disallowed in countries like China because the govt knows these are the modern tools of change. One doesn't need to carry a gun or organize on the streets to hold up a govt or corporate organization anymore. Twitter is just as effective, perhaps even more. I wonder what our orange faced leader has put out on twitter this fine Sunday morning

You are 110% correct and I like your train of thougjt. Only my voice cannot make the change, if we all petition the necessary bodies then a change would come. I am only laying a foundation - we should start a hashtag and videos . Social media is our power. However we should also sound a word of warning .. we Nigerians should respect ourselves too. We cannot be treated better than we treat ourselves.
I have sent to AliBaba's page .. let's hope he treats this as important then it would not be about shutting me up with compensation. The truth is you all gave me the encouragement to complain - so let's continue the campaign against mistreatment .

Generic email from Lufthansa.. but I know they would reach out. The least I would get an apology and hopefully they change some process.

I just wrote to Ali Baba.. let's continue spreading it till someone listens. It cannot continue. We Nigerians endure a lot of BS. We need to start complaining and writing reviews. I will check Lufthansa site and write a review too.

Modified - I just added my review on Lufthansa. I will send similar letters to people that I know are social critics - if nothing is done for now , it would be on record till it happens to someone influencial. I am laying the foundation.

You know what .. change needs to start from somewhere .. who has any idea or link to someone or authority we can complain to? If we all write to BBC or Lufthansa or CNN. When we are many then they would take us serious

One of our problems is we keep quiet a lot, we get used to people not treating us right. I remember my experience with MTN customer service - the lady screamed at me - a customer representative - just because I asked her to clarify my call charges. If you do that in US, you will lose your job. I will just ask for your supervisor.
Custom and immigration at MMIA has been fantastic recently because one actor raised alarm of the mess at the airport. We need to start writing reviews of businesses . When they start losing money they will adjust. If 10 of us who had similar experience write - someone would see it. Rather than fighting ourselves here let's direct our anger to the right source. Nigerians can endure anything, let's set the social media on fire with how we are treated , you would be surprised at how many people would come out with their experience. If I did not put this out here, I would not know people have had same Experience. Reading from all of you has encouraged me to write a review, I am going to follow it up.

Hey guys sheath your swords - you do not need to fight each other. I came to Lagos and y'all look so angry - and this aggression you bring it online. Life is about perspectives - Ugo may be angry about something he experienced , Nigeria can be very frustrating sometimes, however Ugo as they advised - every human deserves a level of diginity - like someone said we all paid the airfare so treat us with respect.

Also let's promote ourselves online - we are all ambassadors of our countries + if you post nasty stuffs about your country , that's what people would see. We do not need to fight each other - like I said we all see issues from different angle. America has it's own challenges but I have not seen a set of people that love their country like the Americans do. One thing I can tell you , apart from the peculiar challenges in Nigeria , there is no place like home.

Mancala:


Coincidentally, I will be in Chicago next Tuesday on a business trip, but on a tight regimented schedule. Flying into Dupage or Midway for 9am and leaving by 4pm. I always dread Chicago in the winter. Y'all don't do well with snow. Flights are often cancelled and traffic that is hellacious on a normal day becomes actual hell. But Chicago nightlife can sweet die. Lots of stories to tell from my younger days when I used to go to St. Charles and will hangout with my Japanese, South American and European consulting buddies

Yeah you right .. winter ain't great here but we had heavy snow last year so I am hoping this year would be light. Although it's so cold right now. Midway Ah that's far from me .. I live close to O'Hare, Des Plaines to be precise.. Well my invitation. Is still opened. Des Plaines is in North West suburb - I doubt if they have any exciting night life.

lionlee216:


Present sir

Our best restuarant as in African restaurants?

Oh no... Not African restaurant. We cannot have any African restaurant better what you will get in Nigeria. I meant American Restaurant or Mediterranean, or Chinese lol.

Hey let me add ... If you are ever in Chicago . pm me .. free lunch on me in some of our best restaurants.

Mancala:


Why opt for a layover? I almost always fly direct from ATL or JFK on Delta except in the situations when I need to spend a few days at a layover city. I've found Delta flights on the A330 to be halfway decent, nothing spectacular for a 12-13 hour flight, but always works out well. I miss the good old days of UA direct flights from Houston on the 787. Those were pretty good too.

I know I did United once straight to Houston from Nigeria .. but I don't think I can do long hours again, it messes up my body clock system.

The value of our Naira is something to be worried about .. the smallest denomination I had was a N1000. I gave everybody in thoudands, even trips in Uber were multples of N1000. A flipflop in one Japanese store in shoprite was like N1900.. that was new to me. You might say converted to dollars is nothing but are Nigerians earning dollars ?
Another observation is the expensive home grown food stuffs .. is dollar affecting those too? We all just wanna make life difficult for ourselves.

I got an MTN sim, so they gave me this Yafun Yafun plan, bought N5000 talk credit and N2000 Data. I also got the Mifi and the hotel had WiFi too. The MTN credit got used up in days.. heard it was N40 per minute? That's day light robbery .. didnt we start from gsm at N50 min? 17 years later we are back at N40 per minute. I don't know why they can't do unlimited calls like Telcos in other countries. MTN no try at all.
So my Faux leather jacket didn't like Naija weather so it started peeling and my skin reacted to my silicon wrist band ..I have had it for eons in US ,that didn't happen..guess Naija weather is different. I came with my own cereal - Frosted Flakes , coffee creamer , Trail mix and Yoghurt ..that's how I take cereal ..lol. You can condemn me if you like ..I love it.

I bought on Amazon a voltage adapter - for my gadgets and laptop ..they said the chargers are adapted for 220 volts, but I didn't want to risk it. US is 110 Volts. Another reason I stayed in hotel - constant light without generator noise. I wore different gym shoes throughout and my Birkenstock.

Nigeria is fun without the traffic and heat , people are busier - no friends during the week but weekends were great hang out time. La Mango in GRA was ok. N10000 for 3 catfish peppersoup, back in 2013 ..that was someone's monthly salary.lol. Well better than Ocean Basket ..N25000 to feed 3 people, how are the ordinary Nigerians coping ? Like I said ..yes it's cheap in dollars but are Nigerians earning dollars ? God help us.
Fun almost over ..I have now started enjoying Nigeria - got used to the heat , the crowd was amazing , the chaos started to look like fun, went to Spur in Ikeja Mall. These eatries have a semblance of what we have in US but the food are not at per and their services need more work.
At Spur , the waiter left me after giving me a table ..I had to beg them to bring my food - we need to learn customer service.

Holiday is over ..but I would still tell you more about my experience ..Hotel Services ..oh for US citizens you can register for a program called STEP ..it notifies the nearest US embassy that you are in the country - in case a need for evacaution arises. Go to travel.state.gov . You never can say .lol.