Babalola1990: Brother, Ur bbm seems out of work.. It's well already! Just keep calling them like everyday!!!!..

Babalola1990: Seriously?.. I must have missed road then..I got delta for 2882USD yesterday to MINOT .. Freaking costly..

aekmanweb:

i just forwarded d msg once again, check spam folder.

Graviton v.2.0.:

Amefrica: it's about time you went into some Administrative Processing of your own. Pray!! We'll all be praying for you

#TeamNeverGiveUp

unbounded: ALERT!!! LONG POST
Hi nairalanders!! First of, I'd like to thank nairaland and all those who hav mainained its existence, if not wetin i for tok (please pardon d pidgin ). I'd also like, specifically, 2 acknowledge d amazin contributions of this thread. Now, i can go on and thank d numerous gurus in d house but dat would b redundant and i may do grave injustice 2 som whom i might forget. thus, 2 all dose who readthis thread and who contributes to it, i say a heartfelt "thanks". but i most thank all doze wu where active before august last year, fo it is frm dem dat i really gained from. It has been over 5 months nw since a hav read this thread and this is my 1st tym eva of contributing 2 it, so i urge u guys 2 luk leniently upon me if i do transgress any of d traditions dat characterizes this great thread. one custom dat i do rememba, nd one dat i highly respect is that of returning to pay your dues wen u hav finally gotten wot evryone here is either seeking or has gotten.
My case is a little unconventional, or at least at d time wen i avidly followed this thread, i had several red flags. my mum, 2 brothers, 1 aunt, 2 uncles, 2 cousins all reside in the U.S. I was not sponsored by any of my parents but by my aunt who resides in the U.S. On the day of my interview my aunts foreign bank statements hadnt arrived (U.P.S suffa me sha! ), and so i went wit her UBA statement (43million) dat was slightly below dat on my i-20 (45 mills). I had no TOEFL. as u might guage frm all my families abroad, i didnt hav strng ties, heck i had very litl ties(evn my pops is hardly in d country). d day i had the interview was a friday, my i-20 required dat i report 2 my adviser on th following monday(we all knw dat it taks 2 wrking days 2 get ur prodcessd visa). also, i wasnt goig into a STEM program which everybody at d time though was advantageous in getting ur visa(i do nt suggest dat they are wrong, only that it did not do much 2 help confidence at all ) lastly, this was my 4th attempt at a visa (the others had been for visiting visas though). before i narrate my interview, let me briefly share my academic status on that day:
1-20: Rutgers, State University of New Jersey
S.A.T: 1910
High school (grad.2012): B+ avg
WAEC: 2As, 4Bs, 1C
GCE: 5Bs & 2Cs
NECO (honestly, i don forget wetin i get fo dah wan)
was then a 1st year UNIBEN accounting student
On dat beautiful Friday morning (i say beautiful nw, but i'm sure it wasnt all dat beautiful 2 me dat morning! ) I got up at about 4am played cool "Amazing Grace" music nd jst ttried as much as possible 2 cool my ragged nerves. Finally, I thought, all doze tedious months of preparation, of going 2 beg sometimes unsympathetic teachers fo recommendations, of spending whole days in skull waiting fo ever elusive transcripts, of calling UPS incessantly fo package deliveries, of studying for tests, nd of preparing fo interviews. all doze efforts now depended on the event of a few hours, heck, a few minutes. No pressure huh!? soon i was dressed in my tucked in long-sleeves and tie(1st time in my life!).
My uncle dropped me off at about 6.30 (my interview was fo 8am). it was d Abuja embassy. some small boys thought dat i was new 2 d game of visa prep. nd tried 2 confuse me wit passport photos and staplers, nd all doze stuff. dem nr knw d kyn drilling wey i learn frm nairaland! i jst bone dem (pardon d pidgin pls). anyway, a magnificent-looking girl arrived looking all confused and worried. she was for the 7.30 batch and she hadnt evn ordered her docs. didnt evn knw wich was her i-20! (nairaland good sha!) so as a sharp boy, i started forming scholar in visa issues nd "toasting" her simultaneously (i knw, i knw! bad pikin right ?) nyway, they called the 7.30 batch, nd i was a littl vexed dat i hadnt collected her number, but d security guy said 8am pips sud fall in too. so as u may well imagine, i imediately joined my "prize"... uhm, i cant quite remember d whole security stuff, but i'm definite its nothing different frm others' experiences here. fast-forward 2 d interview room.
Now i cant quite remember the VOs or their exact cubicles. there was this really cute girl at the furthest end. o how i prayed 2 b called by her! but wen she start ehn! Gott im himmell! i was glad God didnt answer dat my prayer. She asked u like a thousand questions and always came d now inevitable denial. i heard 1 man behind me whisper 2 anoder, "who b dis winch!?" there was also anodaer lady VO wich very likely was a Nigerian she wasnt too harsh, bt she wasnt liberal either. after she'd denied like 5 folks a boy went 2 her cubicle. i overheard he was going 2 Stanford. Needless 2 say, he did get d visa. then she went on a denying spree! ten there was this cool guy VO. wot i can say about him wwas he was fair, he didnt seem to hav com wit any premeditated desire 2 sabotage as much dreams as he could (i knw somtimes it seems like dat ) anyway, it was him i prayed to Oluwa for. by nw i was d second person afta anoda F-1 visa dude. i need not mention dat i had totally forgotten about d pretty girl besides me! suddenly, the guy VO granted a family visa and called the F-1 fella, and i felt horrible, my chances, i thought were crushed, bcus i felt there was no way he could finish before d other two lady VOs who now seemed positively evil 2 me. while d cute lady VO was busy drillingg 1 man goin fo a conference, d Nigerian looking VO was conducting her longest interview since she came. any moment frm nw, she'll deny dis man, and well, buy buy dreams! bt her interview seemed 2 drag on and on, i began 2 think mayb God put hand fo dis matter! (apologies). then i heard d guy VO ask d boy "what state is you school located in?" for my mind i was like, mptcheww, dis boy don flex na! (apologies again), surprisingly the boy answered "United States"! i was like, WTH! i luked around and it seemed i was d only realizing dis boy's blunder. d VO asked him 2x more, nd he sadly replied with the same. i could see the sadness on the VO's face as he asked the boy for his statements. i knew dat he wasnt givin any visa 2 d boy. afta denying him, i quickly ran 2 d guy VOs window, even if d boy was still packing his docs and trying a pea his case. the cute VO was already calling "next applicant" and i was like "na u sabi, i don get VO". anyway:
VO: morning dude, pass ur docs pls (dis pained me, i really wanted 2 greet 1st)
Me: (passin d usual docs) morning sir, hws ur mornning?
VO: (d guy just bone me o!...after som seconds) what u gonna do in d U.S?
Me: (stammering slightly)i am going 2 d U.S to study as a student and earn a bachelor's deg...
Vo: (laughing) O.k o.k! tak it easy, and ps dont recite ur answers 2 me, right? (i nod and smile), what school do u plan to study at?
Me: Rutgers University.
VO: (raises his eyes a little and starts searching fo my i-20)..O! i see... Rutgers huh? (smiles)tell me sometin Rutgers is specially known for.
Me: it is the most diverse university in U.S (at least dats wot the admission brochure and US news review says)
VO: (frowning) no no, they'r not. tell me something they are well known for
Me: (wetin dy worry dis man naa!?) sir, i am quite certain they are d most diverse University in d U.S
VO: they are not! (i was trying to protest) *sigh* never mind, never mind... what state is...
Me: (interrupting) sir are u referring to d fact dat they played d first college football wit Princeton way back?
VO: (looking upwards) Finally! (smiling) what else cud i hav meant (me smiling back, hw i go knw wetin u mean)... anyway, what state is ur skul located?
Me: New Jersey
VO: (rapid typing) where is it located on the map?
Me: North-east of the map of U.S
VO: (looking up) thank u for that, you'r the first 2 hav answered dat accurately since yesterday (i must say dat i learnt of dis question here in nairaland)... Your aunt in the U.S. (Ghen ghen!), where does she stay?
Me: she stays in New jersey sir.
VO: (nods) same state of ur skul (i nod and smile nervously)*continues rapid typing*
ME: (heart running marathon! at least now d stammering had gone)
VO: (still typing) how many skuls did u apply in? and i mean skuls u ACTUALLY APPLIED 2 nd not jst d once u checked out, and please list them.
ME: (nodding)I applied to 5 skuls: New York Uni, Rutgers Uni, Princeton Uni, Montclaire Uni, and University of Benin
VO: (staring me in the eyes like sey we dy quarrel!) hw many did u get into?
Me: 3 of them. Rutgers, Montclaire nd Uniben.
VO: wot about d others?
ME: well i was put on a waitlist in NYU and Princeton denied me (he smiles at this. God punish am !)
VO: (picking up my tests) u did well on ur SATs, tell me, wot was d hardest qstion?
ME: (slight stammering com wan stat again!) i feel it was d essay prompt., wich had 2 do wit the potential for science and technological growth. i am very good at writing essays but this was a littl difficult 2 me probable bcus it is closely related 2 science, while i'm into the business world and am more inclined 2 d social sciences
VO: (nods all tru) i see, this is your high skul testimonials? (points at them and i nod). good (suddenly frowns, shouts) why does it say u got an F in Technical Drawing while in ur waes certificate there isnt any T.D!?
ME: (taken aback, stamerring) i..i..t.theres a a mistake ssir!
VO: (still shouting) wot do u mean! wot do u mean! its right here!
ME: (naim i vex!) pls let me xplain (he nods) i decided not 2 register fo d T.D xam bcus i felt dat it wasnt goin 2 b relevant in d businss world wich i am interested in( but dat na lie sha, i b dy fail d tin fo SSS.3, d tin tire me sotay i drop am unofficially!). hwever, bcus i was stil a registered student of T.D in my skul, they incorrectly assumed that i took the exam and wen d lady dat prepared my testimonial did not see any T.d scores, she put an F there (this is all true though). u can call my skull principal if u so desire sir, i hav number right here (searching my wallet, i come prepared sha!)
VO: (looking skeptical) hold on a minute, u are saying...
ME: (interrupting.by this time i don tire fo d whole tin!) yes sir. its a school mistake on d testimonial, my waec result is completely original and reflects d tru result.
VO: one minute pls (gets up and goes to call d Nigerian-looking VO and dy discuss fo bout a minute)...(i heard her say,"yes dats perfectly possible, happens a lot arnd here. bt u'v verified d waec right?" and he replied' "yeah don dat, i was quite puzzled as to y som1 wit very good grades in all dis tests sud get that F anyway. tanks"...(sits) so, do u plan on returning 2 Nigeria?
ME: of course sir, when...
VO: (interrupts) pls press ur index finger on the blah blah blah right there
ME: (did this, and trying to respond to d previous question) when...
VO: (interrupts again) can u do dat again, and try placing it in d middle as exact as u can (stats typing like say tomorrow nr dy!)
ME: sure... i was saying that after i...
VO: (interrupts, e b lyk say d guy b nr jst wan hear me at all!) take these (stats shoving all my docs through the window)
ME: (quite shocked but still talking) O!.. when i finish my...
VO: (smiling) ur visa has jst been approved take.... (i nr hear wetin d guy tok again!)
ME (realizing dat my passport wasnt amongst d docs he passed back, i was completely taken aback, stammering) ttt-ttank you sir, GGGod bless you...(my words faded out as i staggered wit my unpacked docs all over my hands. i think he said somthing like "work hard" but i was too ununderstanding to evn acknowledge dat i heard him.)
as i staggered away from d room, i caught a glimpse at d pretty girl wit the Nigerian lady. didnt kw d outcom though.on a normal day i wud hav surely waited behind to finish what i started , but then i was not seeing, i was not hearing, i eas not thinking, nr understanding anyting. wan foolish taxi man b wan spoil my day. e say 1000 naira fo drop. I tell am say e nr get sense! lol! d guy was shouting dat bcus i didnt get visa i want to insult him, "small boy like u!" i rememba him saying. i nr jst get e tym, nor did i even undertand what was happenning. i just dy stagger dy go like say i wan trek go haus! i finally did see a taxi drop for 350. me nd the taxi driver just dy laff! e dy tok about e wife, me i jst dy laff fo anoda tin. i didnt even know what on earth he was saying about his wife, we jst dy laff lyk maniacs dy go! in d end i gave him 400 and staggered indoors to stare uncomprehending at the walls for an hour.
notice dat i was not asked fo my bank statements. the interview, hwever long it seems here, was about 5 mins. in this pursuit of visa, one should always acknowledge that hwever wealthy, or powerful or intelligent you or ur parents or guardians are, there is always an added necessity of God. this is my personal view, and i am sure that many here would concur. I hav a close friend, we graduated the same high school, and both got into UNIBEN, and we all played football at his house. His father is amazingly rich, and before i had opportunity 2 get an interview, his father had already gotten him interview appointments 2wice in a week, nd 1nce d week after. he was denied all three times. while i stared night and day at the scree waiting fo a spot to open up fo an interview (admittedly, it was my mom's friend who knws hw 2 get these spots that finally got 1 fo me). it was on d single time that i finally got a date, d weekend after wich i was 2 report 2 skul, dat i was granted. so any time, any day, i wud stress dat, it was not all my doing, but that God was involved. I am nt saying dat my friend is nonreligious(he is a good Christian as far as i can tell), i am just speaking fo myself. mind u, i am not even as "holy" as some peopl i knw, but i knw God's hand when i see it, and i hope that he wud get the opportunity to fulfill his dreams too. I also pray, that all you here, and indeed all, who hav a genuine desire 2 fulfill their legitimate dreams be granted the opportunity to do so. Amen
I wud hav loved 2 tell of the funny tale of my whole journey 2 the U.S, especially at the airport, but that wud not only b too lengthy (more than this!) but also irrelevant 2 dis thread. Suffice it to say, that on this very cold day(-15 degree.F), i am waiting to resume my second semester in a couple of weeks after a successful(thank God) first semester.
P.S. i am sorry fo the numerous typos in this. I also apologize fo utilizing pidgin english at times if it is inappropriate. and i apologize in advance fo any digression from the tradition of this thread. God bless.

Amefrica:

What the heck!!

I reserved a ticket yesterday. Emirates>>$1020

Idazbawz: na first-class d guy book ni?

Amefrica:

I wonder oo

Babalola1990: First class keh? At all.. The date of booking and departure were quite close so I couldn't book emirate, also it seems emirate don't route Minot. I was left with only delta and United, A-That-M, both were on the inflated side and the journey can't really be extended further.

Amefrica:

I wonder oo

Lol

Amefrica:

You should av booked Emirates enrouting New York, the connect ur state from there.

I reserved a ticket yesterday for next week thur. for $1020

Babalola1990: Emirate stops @ Minneapolis.. That would be another long journey, and.. E be like say na premium economy.. (I wonda wu send dat my guy)..

Amefrica:

Hehehehehe.. Emirates: Lagos-Dubai-New york(JFK)- then connect ur state from there..

That's the spirit bro! Na wetin sure pass be that..

exceedinggrace: Hi naira landers, God has it done for me, first I give all glory to God almighty and my savoir Jesus Christ who's EXCEEDING GRACE singled my out for favour at the US embassy today at approx. 11:45 am this morning. I want to also hail all the gurus in the house for their enormous contributions and advise. Only God can reward you guys.
I had one of the STRANGEST interview at the Us embassy today. I call it strange because only the unimaginable favour of God could make things happen like this.
I got to the Embassy today some minutes after 6 o'clock, my interview was schedule for 8:30 AM. After the arduous security checks and protocol, I got into the interview hall about some minutes after 10 o'clock, got my token number and waited for my finger prints to be collected.
My finger prints took unnecessary time to be collect, even those I came before had their bio-metrics done sharply. It made me uneasy, I was wondering what is going on.( not knowing that Baba God was working in mysterious ways) While various interviews were conducted simultaneously. I listened and watched carefully, I discovered that the BOLD, CONFIDENT & "SWAGGERLICOUS" were rejected. I didnt know what do because my mind was falling me. I just prayed silently in my mind for Gods grace to intervene for me.
Finally, my number flashed for my bio metrics. fast forward>>
When my numbered flashed for the interview, I carried my self( with my heart almost breaking out of my rib cage because it was pounding so hard that I thought people around could here it). I was interviewed by a fine american lady
This is how my STRANGE interview went.
V.o: Good morning
me : good morning
v.o: why are u going to the US?
me: to study for my masters degree in petroleum geology
me: petroleum geology, thats my specialization( I emphasized)
v.o: ok, how did you choose ur schools?
me: I used google search engine, my gre scores and choose schools within the oil patch region
v.o: who is paying for ur fees?
me: my dad
v.o: what does he do?
me: He is a Technician by profession, he works as a shift supervisor for .....
V.o : ok, come on Tuesday and pick ur visa,( hands me the pick up white paper) u know ur resumption date is near( 13th Jan), ( Interview has ended)
me: (cuts in) I have an letter of extention
v.o : ok, u can try tomorrow, to see if it is ready or monday
me: ok ( but I was not really listening)
my brain was still trying to understand what just happen. The interview took less than 3 mins. I turned around, people were looking at my as if I used one kind of charm, I carried my documents and left
No documents were requested, no gre,toefl or bankstatement
Naira landers am not saying you should not prepare well for your interview, but this is what am saying, please pray for God's exceeding Grace to single u out for unimaginable favour and dont depend on your abilities. Trust God to favour u even when u dont merit it.
It is the God factor that makes destinies great not abilities nor effort.
It is indeed my year of Exceeding grace.... strange works

exceedinggrace: Hi naira landers, God has it done for me, first I give all glory to God almighty and my savoir Jesus Christ who's EXCEEDING GRACE singled my out for favour at the US embassy today at approx. 11:45 am this morning. I want to also hail all the gurus in the house for their enormous contributions and advise. Only God can reward you guys.

I had one of the STRANGEST interview at the Us embassy today. I call it strange because only the unimaginable favour of God could make things happen like this.

I got to the Embassy today some minutes after 6 o'clock, my interview was schedule for 8:30 AM. After the arduous security checks and protocol, I got into the interview hall about some minutes after 10 o'clock, got my token number and waited for my finger prints to be collected.

My finger prints took unnecessary time to be collect, even those I came before had their bio-metrics done sharply. It made me uneasy, I was wondering what is going on.( not knowing that Baba God was working in mysterious ways) While various interviews were conducted simultaneously. I listened and watched carefully, I discovered that the BOLD, CONFIDENT & "SWAGGERLICOUS" were rejected. I didnt know what do because my mind was falling me. I just prayed silently in my mind for Gods grace to intervene for me.

Finally, my number flashed for my bio metrics. fast forward>>

When my numbered flashed for the interview, I carried my self( with my heart almost breaking out of my rib cage because it was pounding so hard that I thought people around could here it). I was interviewed by a fine american lady

This is how my STRANGE interview went.

V.o: Good morning
me : good morning

v.o: why are u going to the US?
me: to study for my masters degree in petroleum geology
me: petroleum geology, thats my specialization( I emphasized)

v.o: ok, how did you choose ur schools?
me: I used google search engine, my gre scores and choose schools within the oil patch region

v.o: who is paying for ur fees?
me: my dad

v.o: what does he do?
me: He is a Technician by profession, he works as a shift supervisor for .....

V.o : ok, come on Tuesday and pick ur visa,( hands me the pick up white paper) u know ur resumption date is near( 13th Jan), ( Interview has ended)
me: (cuts in) I have an letter of extention

v.o : ok, u can try tomorrow, to see if it is ready or monday
me: ok ( but I was not really listening)

my brain was still trying to understand what just happen. The interview took less than 3 mins. I turned around, people were looking at my as if I used one kind of charm, I carried my documents and left

No documents were requested, no gre,toefl or bankstatement

Naira landers am not saying you should not prepare well for your interview, but this is what am saying, please pray for God's exceeding Grace to single u out for unimaginable favour and dont depend on your abilities. Trust God to favour u even when u dont merit it.

It is the God factor that makes destinies great not abilities nor effort.

It is indeed my year of Exceeding grace.... strange works

Babalola1990: Noted in case of next time..only if there willl be a next time though.. LoL..

Amefrica:

What the heck!!

I reserved a ticket yesterday. Emirates>>$1020

diamondsare4eva: Testing to Resume in Nigeria
ETS is resuming GRE® testing in Nigeria at a select number of test centers in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt starting January 26, 2014. Registration for all upcoming GRE test dates will open on Monday, January 13. Individuals interested in registering to take the GRE test should refer to the online registration system for details about test center locations and available test dates.

Amefrica:

Yea! Too crossed..
I was about asking about your whereabt sef. Hope u good?