Odiere_desk

Back in the hostel while I was in school, my roommates and I weren’t close in the beginning. Everyone was doing their own thing.  But as the semester was drawing to an end, we started going out together. Eating together. Complaining about lecturers together. Completing each other’s sentences.  And then something surprising happened. Our periods started syncing.  One week, 3 of us were on our period at the same time. Cramps, chocolate cravings, and mood swings in one room. We thought we were cursed. That’s when I started wondering: is this real? Or is my body just playing games with me? Remember health class?  They taught us the basics. Pads vs tampons. Cramps mean "take Panadol." Don’t swim. Don’t drink cold water. Don’t get pregnant.  But nobody told us about the weird stuff. The stuff that makes you stare at your body like, "wait... my body does THAT??" Nobody warned me that my period could feel like a group project with my roommate. Or that I coul...

Disclaimer This article is for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. If you have symptoms or concerns, please speak with a healthcare professional. If you grew up in Nigeria, you’ve probably heard it at least once: "Don’t swallow guava seeds o, it will cause appendicitis."   I believed it too. Every time I ate guava, I’d sit there picking out every tiny seed with my teeth, scared that one missed seed would land me in the hospital. But here’s the question: Is it true? Do guava seeds actually cause appendicitis? Honestly, No Guava seeds do not cause appendicitis.  In this post, we’ll break down where this myth came from, what science actually says, what really causes appendicitis, and how you can keep enjoying guava and other fruits without fear. If you’ve been worried about seeds, corn, or nuts, this is the truth you need to know. 1 . The Guava Seed Myth: Where Did It Come From? Let’s be honest. This myth has been passed down for generations. Our...

My friend studied Fishery in a federal university. 4 years, Project, Defense, Certificate.  5 years later, he still can’t get a job in fishery. No company is hiring. The farms want "experience."  So what did he do? He’s paying even MORE money to go back and do PhD. Why? So he can teach other people Fishery in the same school. In his case, school looks exactly like a pyramid scheme. Pay money → Get degree → Teach others to pay money → And the cycle continues. I’ve heard it 100 times:   "Education is a pyramid scheme. You go to school, spend millions, graduate, and there’s no job." And honestly? I get the frustration.  I have a friend with a First Class in Biochemistry who is currently doing POS business .  I have a cousin who learned video editing from YouTube in 3 months and is now earning more than our lecturer.  I have spent 5 years in uni, collected certificate, and my first "job" was applying for 200 jobs with no reply. So it feels like...

My niece just turned 2 years old and last weekend, my mom was talking about shaving her hair.   The reason? " She has come of age, and her hair is getting harder to comb.” My mom proposed that shaving her hair now would make it grow back thick.   And it made me wonder... how?   What if the hair doesn’t grow thick?   My niece basically has virgin hair right now because we haven’t started using artificial products to soften it. So why rush to shave it? That one conversation sent me down a rabbit hole. Because it wasn’t just about hair. It was about how we learn, what we believe, and who we trust for answers now.   For generations, Nigerian children didn’t learn about life from Google or YouTube. They learned from grandparents under the moonlight, from parents at the dinner table, and from community elders during gatherings.   Stories, warnings, and advice passed down through oral tradition shaped how young people unde...

I learnt this the hard way.  I had a serious bike accident. In those first minutes, I wasn’t thinking about bones or bleeding. I was thinking about one thing: water. I became so thirsty. So desperate. I kept crying and begging for water. I was telling everyone, “I’m fine, I just need water. I’m just badly thirsty.”   The way I begged made the people gathered around feel sorry for me. And as a typical  Nigerian, they would joyfully gather to watch. They brought the water.   Just as I was about to gulp it, hoping it would calm me down, something changed.   A few minutes after taking the water, I started feeling like I was losing air. I couldn’t breathe properly. I had to pause, stop any movement, and just focus on staying conscious.   Na God just save me.   The worst part? The people around didn’t know any better. No one said, “No, don’t give her water yet.” They were just looking at me like television — helpless, co...