Gen Z Guide to FI

I went to Nigeria for my cousin’s wedding. Despite the HEAVY HEAVY family drama, it was a beautiful wedding. In the spirit of gratitude, I wanted to start off with all the positives from my trip. I will have a part 2 with all the negatives.

Things that I love about Nigeria:

1. Things are cheap!! Visiting from the USA, I appreciate how inexpensive things are in Lagos. It’s not cheap for the average Lagosian now though because of high inflation. Back in 2015, $1 was 150 Naira. Now in 2023, $1 is over 800 Naira. And salaries have definitely not increased proportionately. It’s actually a mess. I spent less than $100 total for 10 days in Lagos. I stayed with my parents which was free (unless you add the price I paid mental health wise). They also fed me. But, I went out a handful of times with Ubers and ate outside sometimes.
2. Hairdressers: living in the US has been difficult for me to find quality hairdressers that don’t cost an arm and a leg. I spent $40 for a pedicure and a full head of braids (including the hair extensions & wash). That’s fucking wild to me. And the ladies I went to where the more expensive salon. I can’t find anyone near me that would do my hair for less than $200 (not including the hair).
3. Beauty standards: body hair is a thing here. I never shaved my legs when I lived in Nigeria. It’s perfectly normal for women to have body hair without feeling so self-conscious about it.
4. Hospitality: People are relatively warm. I think it is a good and bad thing. But on the positive side, it is pleasant to have people concerned about whether you eat or sleep. I don’t know. Maybe because I don’t live near family that this feels big to me.

Stay tuned for part 2 which will be all the things that didn’t go right on this trip lol. I would say it was a successful trip financially. Sure, I wasn’t able to hack it but I also didn’t spend much money during the trip. Balance baby!

XOXO Gen Z Fire Baby