Johnny Just Come (JJC)

Preparing to leave Nigeria was not as hectic as it would have been for a first timer but I have two sisters schooling in the US so it was just a repeat of what their list contained plus plenty advice on the erratic weather of the UK
The day before my trip I asked one of my closest friends in a slight panic what I was doing

I had just registered a business development company that promised bountiful results and I am a home buddy
I was leaving family, friends and livelihood for a masters course still alien to most educated populace of my home country
Important question; how was I going to translate this degree into cash?
Only answer; deliberate use of cumbersome words and phrases
I had succeeded in a number of things though;
finding a course that promises to put all my passion into focus
Convincing my parents to pay a few millions for a course only I understood and would be the first to do in my entire village
Securing a visa and a place to stay on my arrival in the UK
And on friday evening I stood at the airport with 4 of my closest friends and my brother and asked again what I was doing
Everyone good naturedly tried to convince me that I was on the right part
They won't lie to me would they? Just wondering
I took off at 9.20pm in the company of a lady I met who had the name of a horror movie I remembered from my childhood
Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean's" and Adele in "21" kept me company all the way from Nigeria to Amsterdam
It was smooth enough
Although I had to endure the imposed company of a man who insists on being familiar even now
Getting off at Birmingham was as uneventful as I had not anticipated and all my FAQ's were useless
However, my recently made friend with the name of a horror movie didnt go through the same simplicity
She was delayed for about an hour (meaning I was delayed as well in waiting for her) and I sat there trying not to stare at the white people
They were everywhere I thought then I remembered, I was the foreign one, yeah me and a few other Nigerians and two Indians
She had nothing to prove she was in Birmingham to school and being a Nigerian attracted the necessary attention
Eventually we were freed
It was time for the train experience
Let me say here that we got in a lift after we were met by a friends friend and got out a few seconds later at the same floor we had just left before we realized we had not pressed a floor to get off from
We eventually located our train amidst the stress of 6 boxes
My friends friend had to stand by the train doors and watch our boxes, I wonder if he anticipated all the stress we can with from Nigeria
Yes yes yes I felt weird and cold and there were these bubbles in my chest, I have to say, Birmingham was not all I imagined but you can't blame me I had fantasized way passed the realistic
I got to this narrow door, passed this narrow corridor, up the narrow staircase and into the big-enough-for-a-student room
I don't have to tell you I woke up every hour that night
It was tiring not getting enough sleep but by morning my eyes were wide open, it was a Sunday so we went to a baptist church by the house and what a solemn assembly. I thought about my Pentecostal Nigerian background and almost laughed out loud during the prayer for the nation and all I could see was the chaotic, loud and persistent repetition of petitions we are proudly known for.
It was a warming rendition of "All for Jesus"
For the length of it I felt right at home.