₦airaland Forum

I am thinking of doing an MBA within five years. I will be a fresh graduate this summer. I want to gain some work experience before doing the MBA. But i want to take my GMAT about two years from now. Is is possible to take the test on its own without going through the application procees? I am based in the UK but want to do my MBA in the US. Thanks

The results of the GMAT exams are valid for 5 years so you can definitely take the exams a few years before you intend to use it.

So if i read correctly, you did have a C-section right? or no?

No

and just out of curiosity, what causes one to be over due?

Noone knows exactly. It could be genes though, cause my mum was overdue for three of her four kids.

I had to ask though, were there any more name callings at your husband during the"push" stage?

Actually, no. Though i did snap at him on a few occasions. But i'm generally an even-tempered person so it wasn't too bad.

I had read that husbands find their wives less attractive after seeing her give birth

Well, not in my case. On the contrary, my husband was very proud of me.

Yeah, aint nobody as Hot as a pregnant woman because the body chemistry is going all haywire

Actually, it could go either way. Some women are totally turned off when they're pregant but i won't tell you what happened in my case.

Were you "tired" of being pregnant by the time you were past due?

Hi Chinani,

I was definitely tired by the time i had the baby. I had heard that first babies usually came early so i woke up every morning the last three weeks expecting the baby to arrive. Plus everytime i called someone, they thought i was calling to tell them that the baby had arrived. Add to that the strain of carrying the baby, the constant going to the bathroom, swollen feet. Okay, i should stop scaring you. Once it's over, you forget it all, really. Trust me.

What did you say they give you for the pain? An epidural? Or like Tylenol 5 or something? When did you change your mind on the natural birth? I got confused on that part.

I had elected not to have an epidural but definitely wanted painkillers. But i waited for as long as possible to get them. My mum is a midwife and she told me that if i started taking painkillers before i was fully in labor, i would need to keep getting stronger and stronger doses to manage the pain. Unfortunately i don't know what they gave me (It was intravenous) but boy was it good!

I heard on the Discovery Health Channel that when doctors have to induce a birth (for whatever reason) the contractions are more "violent" (I mean that in a polite way).

It's true.

Another thing, did you feel like there was a lack of privacy? I hate the idea of lots of people seeing me naked when I'm too tired, pained and pregnant to do anything about it.

Now that made me laugh! Not only will you be too tired, pained and pregnant to do anything about it, you will be too tired, pained and pregnant to care!

Don't worry, it's not too bad, and like i said before, it is the nature of pain that we forget it, once it's over.

Hmm! Deep questions for a 16 year old. Well, i actually wasn't supposed to feel it but for some reason, the local anesthesia didn't work too well.
There's no need to fear though. It's the nature of pain that we forget it once it's over. It definitely hasn't put me off having more kids.

Hey Rolly, sounds like you're pregnant (though i hear it's rude to ask). From what i've heard about CS, most of the pain occurs AFTER the birth. I have friends who had to have a CS and they had really bad pains in subsequent weeks. Methinks it's something to avoid if you can.

Hi Rolly. I didn't really scream - perharps for lack of energy. It was more like agonized groaning. We did try to film the birth but the nurse who held up my leg stood in front of the video camera (and my husband was too distracted to notice), so all we have is a tape with some ethereal sounds on it!!!!

Elizabeth is now 3 months old and doing great. She was born on the 15th of December last year.

Since i bothered to write down my experience, i thought why not share? I apologize in advance if you find this to be too much information for you.

WARNING!!!THIS THREAD CONTAINS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF LABOR AND CHILDBIRTH, SQUIRMY MEN BE WARNED!

Wednesday, 14th December 2005.

I woke up that morning with a feeling of anticipation. I was already 4 days overdue and had waited anxiously everyday for the last three weeks for my contractions to start ( I had imagined every possible scenario, from going into labor in church during one of my pastor’s rousing sermons, to being alone at home and causing my husband to have an accident rushing home to me). I had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for weeks and was getting really tired of the emotional roller-coaster that I was on. My anxiety was heightened by the fact that my mother had taken to calling me everyday to ask if I was in labor.

That morning, I was on edge because my doctor had decided to induce my labor – I was scheduled to check into the hospital that evening. I spent the whole day puttering around the house, checking and re-checking my bag to make sure I had everything I needed. Finally it was five o’ clock and my husband and I left for the hospital.

At the hospital, I was quickly checked in and a nurse came in to explain the procedure to me. In lay terms, they were going to insert a string thing into my uterus to soften it overnight and then come in at 7 a.m. the next morning to give me the medicine that would induce my labor in IV form. The nurse also mentioned that on rare occasions, the string thing actually caused labor to start all by itself; it could also cause me to have cramps. A friend had informed me that I would not be allowed to pee for 6 hours after the string thing had been inserted so I had stopped eating and drinking at 12 noon to avoid any additional discomfort. Secretly, having peed every hour for the last four months, I wasn’t sure I could last that long regardless. I was therefore glad to hear, on getting to the hospital, that I only needed to suspend my bodily functions for an hour.

I was put in a room, an IV of antibiotics was started (because I was strep B positive), and I was hooked up to a machine that would track my contractions and my baby’s heartbeat. At about 7 p.m., the string thing was inserted into my uterus. I am now convinced that except for maybe a colonoscopy, there is nothing more uncomfortable than being induced for labor. Picture a whole hand shoved into your “you-know-where” while a big watermelon is in the way and you can imagine my discomfort during the process. At this point, my husband started fidgeting, for reasons beyond my comprehension – considering that I was the one enduring the shove past my watermelon. He asked if it was okay for him to go home and come back in the morning. My mouth said “sure, if you want to”, but my mind said “make one move and you’re dead”. Obviously he heard my mind, because he decided to stay but his nervous pacing made me wish I had sent him home.

About ten minutes after the insertion, I started having cramps. I had elected not to have an epidural, and my husband counseled that I should wait as long as possible to have pain killers, so I decided to bear the pain for a while. After an hour, I was itching to go to the bathroom; at that point another nurse came in and told me that I had been misinformed; I actually had to wait two hours to ease myself.

At 9 p.m. I finally got to go to the bathroom. I was then allowed to eat, which was extremely good news to me at this point because I hadn’t eaten in 9 hours. I eagerly feasted on stewed beans and bread, which we had brought from home (I had been admitted in the same hospital before, and I had tasted the food, hence my preparedness). By 10 p.m., the cramps had become almost unbearable so I asked for pain killers. To my chagrin the nurse asked me to wait for thirty more minutes so that the antibiotics could run its course first. By 10.30, I was groaning in pain. The nurse advised me to go to the bathroom first so that I wouldn’t have to stand up while I was receiving the pain killers. At this point, I made another profound discovery – labor pains get worse when you stand up. It took all my will power to walk to the bathroom and sit on the toilet seat. As I began to do my business, I was overwhelmed by the urge to throw up. Out came the pot of stewed beans I had woofed down earlier. Now, if you’re not from Nigeria, you may not know what stewed beans looks like but I can picture all the Nigerians reading this cringing as they imagine a bathroom floor overflowing with regurgitated beans. It briefly crossed my mind that I should feel remorseful for creating additional work for the hospital staff but by then, I was in too much pain to care.
When I got up from the commode, my husband made me stand over the sink and splash water over my face, one, two, three times. I finally snapped at him to leave me alone because I needed to lie down – the first of many sharp remarks before the night was over.

I finally got the pain-killers and drifted off into oblivion. Actually, scratch that; I drifted off into partial oblivion because ever so often I woke up groaning. My husband, who passed the time playing computer games on a laptop he had brought along, would then interrupt his game to hold my hands for a few minutes and say “breathe babe”. I had refused to attend Lamaze classes. I didn’t think I needed classes to learn how to do something that I’d been doing for twenty eight years of my life. So in response to my husband’s urges I relied on my instincts and just took deep breaths and let the air out slowly. I found that the deep breathing actually helped to minimize the pain.

I must have fallen into a deep sleep though, because suddenly around 1:30 a.m. I felt my husband shaking me and talking to me. Or at least I think he’s talking to me because his mouth is moving but I can’t seem to understand what he’s saying. Six years ago, I was in an accident and had to be operated upon. Three days after the operation, I was still sleeping off the anesthesia – I tend to overreact to any drugs that make me sleep. Anyway, after repeating himself about five times, I finally understood what my husband was saying - “wake up, it’s time to push”. I looked around in a haze and saw my gynecologist and several nurses examining me. The doctor started to talk to me but I could barely make out her words. Two nurses held up my legs and then I heard the words “push at the next contraction.” It turns out pushing a baby out is exactly like going to the toilet – only more intense. Three contractions later, my baby is screaming her lungs out. Ironically, that’s when I started to cry. My insides felt like something massive had just been violently ripped out of me (which it had). I was incredibly fatigued too. My husband held me and comforted me for a few minutes and then went to look at the baby – a girl – who cried for thirty minutes non-stop – a harbinger of things to come.

Finally my baby was put in my arms. I had heard it commonly said that the minute you hold your baby in your arms you forget the pain of labor and an emotional bond is immediately formed. I’m ashamed to say, it didn’t happen that way for me. I was glad to have her, but I had no overwhelming motherly feelings when I held her. That came later, as she and I got closer.

Still in a medicine-induced haze, I vaguely heard the doctor telling me that I had some tears and she would have to stitch me up. She then proceeded to poke me with a needle for another fifteen minutes. At this point I’m ready to sleep off and can barely stand the prodding and poking going on. I was sorely tempted to give my doctor a good kick in the head. Eventually, it was all over and I was wheeled along with my baby to a private room, where I promptly fall asleep and stay that way for about 7 hours. The picture my husband took of me in my sleep told the whole story – my head was rolled back, my mouth wide open, my hands and legs sprawled all over the bed. I had just survived a once (or twice, well maybe thrice) in a lifetime ordeal – a picture is truly worth a thousand words!

The pleasure is all mine.

Toyin,

Go to these links and download the materials there. They are provided for free by ETS.

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.1488512ecfd5b8849a77b13bc3921509/?vgnextoid=ed552d3631df4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=06a7e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD

http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/gre%20practice%20general%20test.pdf

http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/awintro.pdf

There are some school that do not require a TOEFL test for they will have their own placement test. So, check the school if it is really required before paying for the test.

Good advice.

But would the international student really are intitled to some scholarship, For it seems like mostly students that are able to study abroad are only those who can afford, comes from a prominent family, rich, etc. How about those who are poor but are fortunate enough to have someone sponsor them? Do they have a chance at all

I got my MBA from Emory University, Atlanta. My father retired from the civil service in 1991, my mother is a nurse. The MBA cost $45,000. I paid $0 - i got a full tuition scholarship from the school.

And God bless you even more if you are doing this to the goodness of your heart.

I'll say Amen to that, cause i have no hidden agenda.

Only if you're a lawyer. As far as i know, the LLM program is the only one for which schools don't require you to take the GMAT or GRE exams. If a school offers you admission without them, then it's probably a "backyard school" created just to make money and your chances of getting a visa at the Embassy on that admission will be like 1 in a million.

9 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matt 6:19-21

Can N95 million cure you if you have cancer? Can it take away AIDS? Can it give you a peaceful and happy marriage? Or if all your children were on the Chachangi plane that crashed in PH, can N95 million bring them back?

It's just money. It's not worth losing eternity over. Good for him!

DOn't have a personal page either but my pet project is www.usastudyinfo.com for Naija students who want to study in the US.

You can enhance your internet experience by getting an internet accelerator for your dial-up connection. My brother-in-law actually sells it and i think he has free samples on his website http://www.vovall.com.

I served in Warri, Delta State. 6 months into my NYSC, i was hit by a car, broke a leg and had to have an operation. Even though they were supposed to, NYSC didn't pay my hospital bills. After a lot of bureacratic nonsense, they asked me to go to Abuja to make my claim. They didn't even send anyone to the hospital to see me. I was just blessed to have served in a good place; my office paid my bills.

I'm just bumping this up so that more people can see it. I can also help you register for your GMAT, GRE or TOEFL (see details on my website).

the cbn governor,the finance minister,the nafdac woman, and the new generation of poeple are good BUT i think in their own field of work a good engineer doesnt make a good doctor, they went to school for a reason and have enough experience in their field only, i don't think a newbie will make it in nigerian politics,

There is really no school of leadership, so whoever will rule Nigeria has to come from one field or the other - and they have to start from somewhere. Ekiti state governor - Fayose is entirely new to politics, and even though he had some challenges initially (which i would attribute to immaturity), he is still one of the better governors.

Give me Dora Akunyili anyday, anytime. She has proven that she can stand up to the criminal elements in Nigeria and not be intimidated. I think she would make an excellent president.

You need to realize that after being married for a while , the grass starts to look greener on the other side. Marriage takes work to keep the flames glowing. Go home to your wife, invest the time you spend with this girl spicing up your relationship with your wife. Make her understand that there are areas of your marriage in which you are unfulfilled. She might not be as adventurous as you sexually, but i'm sure you can reach a compromise that will work for both of you. Please don't cheat on your wife, remember the vows that you made and take them seriously.

A practical solution is to put up a notice board in your room. Pick out one word per day (or per week, whatever time frame works for you), and write it on the board. Everytime you walk by, pause and commit the spelling to memory. If you do one a day, you would have learnt how to spell 365 more words in a year.

Thank you.

It breaks my heart when i see how money easily can divide a family. The bible says that when a man and a woman get married "the two shall become one". In Nigeria, we seem to say, yes Lord, except for money. Even when my husband and I were dating, we both knew how much the other was earning, we made plans for our money together. Once we got married, we opened a joint account. All our income goes into it. Every month, we sit down and do a spreadsheet to budget our spending for the month. Out of our joint income, each of us gets a fixed amount as "pocket money" to spend as we wish. All other spending decisions are made jointly. As far as i am concerened, this is the way marriage should be. This was my goal when i was looking for a man to marry. I would never have married anyone who feels that a part of their lives is a no-go area for their spouse. My husband and I share everything, with God as our head to direct us.

I think men have to realize that it's inexcusable to beat your wife - no matter what she does. There are other ways to resolve conflicts other than resorting to violence. The ability to beat up a woman is not a proof of manhood - it's just barbaric behaviour.

We wouldn't even be having this arguement at all if most people realized that children have more capacity for learning than we credit them for. Speak to them in your native language AS WELL AS in English - heck, tack on another Nigerian language, French and Spanish for good measure. They can learn and be fluent in all of them.

I can speak, read and write Yoruba perfectly well, complete with "ami ohun", I speak to my parents primarly in Yoruba. Conversely my siblings and I primarily speak to each other in English. For my SSCE i took three languages and had A1 in English, A2 in Yoruba and A3 in French - there's no mutual exclusivity here.

My advise is to let your children learn as many languages as possible. This world is fast becoming a global, "boundaryless" world and the more you can interact with people from all over the world, the better for you.

Interestingly my husband and I are in this situation right now. Not because he's lazy but simply because i got to the US first and he does not yet have the authorization to work. While he's struggling to settle down, i am glad to work and provide for the family. Besides, when i was in school, he was the one working and providing for me. We are both christians and strong believers in the maxim that what one person has in marriage equally belongs to the other person as well. Nobody is giving anybody pocket money. Even when we were dating, i knew how much he was earning and he knew how much i was earning, and we planned our expenses together. We have a joint account for all our household expenses and personal accounts for our own little expenses. We make our budegt together and we each get a fixed amount as pocket money for our personal accounts every month. When he starts working, we will still have the same pattern. I know my husband is a different breed from most Nigerian men - he gladly looks after our daughter while i work and he does not take out the frustrations of job hunting on me at all. I think all couples should operate this way when it comes to spending regardless of who s working and who is not.

Deleted

www.usastudyinfo.com has lots of useful information.

FGGC Akure

Oh Feggicola
Our school we all hail thee
For honesty, loyalty and discipline
Our motto here remains that in unity we stand
Feggicola girls arise success success all the way

We pledge to do our best
And raise our banner high
Feggicola girls arise
Success is our aim

Our pledge we must keep
To make our school the best
Oh God help us in all our endeavours
To serve with heart and might and to work with strength unfailed
That we our goal achieve to the glory of our school

We pledge to do our best
And raise our banner high
Feggicola girls arise
Success is our aim

Long live our school.

In a heartbeat!

Went to a boarding school myself. Absolutely loved it!

I was really tripped that Crash won the top prize. If you haven't seen this movie, it's definitely one to see.

Rom 8:35-39
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or unclothedness, or peril, or sword?, But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.