Happy November Beautiful people x

I hope we’re all good, like really good. I hope November has come with fresh hope and a decision to keep going and keep trying.

I made a post on my Instagram a few days ago and all I said in the caption was “11/12, No pressure guys” and I bring same sentence here too. It is one month left to end the year but there’s no pressure at all. Stay consistent, stay truthful and loyal to process and stay believing. God makes everything beauty-full in His time. I dare you to believe this totally all month!

It is the 200th post of the blog and I was super excited when I saw the notification. God has been so faithful and i’m here to say thank you to all readers of Foch woman, the consistent and the once-in-a-while people too. I don’t take you or your time for granted ¬hugs!.

I announced on all social media platforms that i’ll be doing a Get-to-know-me post for this 200th blog post, so I asked people to send in questions on all they wanted to know. I’ve always dreaded asking people to ask me questions because I imagine being hit with things I’ve never even thought about, and as Job said, “That which I feared the most has come upon me”, the same has happened, but i’m staying true to my word and answering them all.

Because there were some duplicates and replicates, I might answer just once for some questions that I thought were the same thing.

I haven’t done this for any reason other than to connect with more readers on a personal level. I’ve had emails of people even asking if I was man or woman, if I was writing as an individual or as a couple or if I ever intend to reveal myself and I realised also in reflection, that I connected better with brands and people I knew on a personal basis and so if I felt that way, there’s definitely that percentage of people who like to know who they’re reading from and what they are about. So sit back, read and enjoy!…

Full name – Rubie Ngutor Targema-Takema

Birthday – January 8th 1997

Occupation – Student

Position in Family – 3rd of 4 children

Describe yourself in 3 words – Intellectual, Analytic and Happy

How would my friends describe me in 3 words – Motivated, Spiritual, Friendly

Am I Introverted or Extroverted – Most people will say extroverted but I’ll beg to disagree, i’m somewhere in the middle. Largely a home-buddy and I enjoy me-time a lot more than I should

Pet peeves – Profanity, loud chewing and shouting when on the phone

Relationship status – Single / In a relationship / Married

Why Technology, Education and Social justice as a niche – For technology, I started programming very early, I think I was 14, that stuck in my mind and when it was time to choose a career path, I went with what I was familiar with, but to a large extent, I see the hand of God all through as I was to study medicine but God navigated me back to the technology field.

On Education, I’ve always been interested in the acquisition, transfer and understanding of knowledge. whether in an academic or religious setting. This pushed me to explore education, read a lot about it and also do some research in it. It is also part of my PhD topic, which I address further down.

On Social justice, God has given me a deep passion for girls and women of my generation, this has somehow led me into a number of social justice issues including rape, sexual violence, gender inequality, poverty and entrepreneurship.

So these areas became my niche by divine orchestration really.

4 Main qualities I seek out in a partner (the person who asked insisted that one of the points must be a physical trait, so I’ve included that as the last point) – 1) Intellectual – I’m a very intellectual person (sometimes it becomes a weakness even), so I often seek to be around people who stimulate and challenge me intellectually. It helps me think deeper and wider and Rubie loves that.

2) Conservative – I can be private, I have no issues whatsoever with people who share every detail of their lives on social media or with everyone who cares to listen, but I don’t find that very compatible with my person so I like matching energy in this area lol.

3) Discerning and Spiritually sensitive – I can’t say so much on this really, but it is a quality I even look out for in friendships too

4) No pun intended at all to anyone but I’ve never really found myself attracted to fair guys, so I think I’m a dark-skinned girl type of person, but I don’t allow my preferences stand in the way of God’s move, so when I identify my preferences like that, I get my mind conditioned to know that however it pleases God to give me, Imma collect and say a huge thank you!

What’s are total turn off’s for me in guys – I don’t like to call it turn off cause that makes it appear like I dismiss people who I see these traits in and I make a conscious effort not to dismiss people just like that, so I’ll just say things I don’t consider compatible with my person. 1) Insecurity I don’t like it when guys see me as competition, we’re all learning and growing, there’s no enemy in either of us really.

2)Arrogance/pride – I really struggle to be around guys who are arrogant or prideful, so definitely a turn off for me

3)Complacent/lackadaisical – I’m a very on-it person so I struggle with people who are complacent with things, particularly if you’re complacent or lackadaisical with your faith. I carry that one on my head lol.

What am I doing now – I am currently on a short holiday. My PhD journey starts in January and my focus is EduTech which is Educational Technology. In summary, i’m  investigating into the extent and effect of information technologies on learning outcomes in West Africa. I’m also seeking ways of making education better with use of technology. This is a vague summary, i’m happy to tell you more if you leave me an email.

What is the next step to take in executing my dreams –  Waking up tomorrow morning! lol. I could come and type my 3, 5 and 10 years plan for you here but God has taught me the power of moments which I also blogged about and for this phase of my life, God is leading me moment by moment, step by step and one day after the other, so the next step is to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow and execute the part of the dream that needs to be executed tomorrow.

What other areas of development do I look into asides that of the girl child – I’m also very passionate  about nation building and politics and I believe we get to the nations through the individuals, so people development is also a critical part of my calling and passion. Asides writing, I involve myself with a lot of volunteering, research and speaking engagements.

My Role models – I always struggle with this because I see only aspects of their lives they choose to show me so it’s hard to call them role models when I know only a part of them, but If I were to give names, i would say Joyce Meyer in the area of faith, Michelle Obama in the area of career and development, Francine River in the area of writing and My mum in the area of family and raising children.

If I could do anything for the rest of my life and get paid for it what will it be – I will author millions of books, do loads of research on deep life and country issues and speak and educate people at all levels.

Where do I work and what do I do there – I don’t work at the moment, (still a part of the dependent percentage lol), I’m en route to getting a PhD so right now i’m preparing to start an internship while working on projects for Foch woman and TechRubies (Do check both out. On the websites and Instagram).

Is there a particular goal I want to achieve with empowering women – Yes! I want every woman I encounter to know her identity in Christ, realise and eliminate her limitations and commit to living a life of purpose and value.

What/Who inspires me – Honestly, God. That’s my only inspiration in life. I want to keep knowing God till all that He’s placed in me is brought to light and then completely emptied to make the world a better place.

How old was I when I gave my life to Christ – I was 15

How old was I when I learnt to cook – 17/18

Advice to someone trying to grow in God –  Your feelings are the first enemy. Don’t allow it dictate if and when you pray or spend time with God. New levels are unlocked as your knowledge grows so make sure you take bible study serious. No one gets awarded for the closest to God or most knowledgeable, don’t be intimidated or jealous of other people’s walk with God. Be challenged by it, but do not compare it to your own journey. Finally, you cannot do it without a community! Build your godly community and move with them. More powerful together.

What was your childhood like – I had a beautiful childhood, one I could never take for granted, My dad was mostly always away due to work but my mum was so perfect at distracting us from it that we didn’t notice much. God was and is so good to my family so I enjoyed loads of family holidays, get together’s, family reunions and truckload of family dinners (My dad can be s formal, he celebrated everything with a family dinner). I was a happy child really. My parents are largely more international than African as well so they weren’t too strict with us and gave us more freedom than most African parents do. I had my fair share of getting into trouble, getting injured and getting told off but all within reasonable parameters lool. My mum was supposedly the disciplinarian and my dad was the more relaxed one. I grew up with 2 older sisters and a younger brother who now thinks he is older than me lol.

My biggest life tragedy – When my dad suffered a stroke

Best moment in life so far – Hard to pin point. I think I make these best moments every day with my family, friends and the Holy Spirit.

Best food – I’m not really a food fan, I snack more, so meat pie and yogurt

Best colour – Cliche but PINK

Asides writing what do you enjoy doing – I love playing basketball, I really love meditating which informs my me-times, and I love worship atmospheres so I try to create it as often as possible.

When am I getting married – Haha, when God says it is time

How do I stay motivated – I constantly see myself through the eyes of God and this always changes perspectives for me. My motivation comes from my identity in Christ.

What am I currently doing at this moment – Asides blogging, i’m listening to my sister watch YouTube reviews on NYSC which she starts soon (NYSC is a compulsory service in Nigeria to the Nation that every graduate must do. It is quite an experience!)

Phew!

Longest blog post on the blog so far! But totally worth it.

If you made it this far, thank you. I hope this gives you a better idea of who I am, what I do, my mission in life and what empowers and motivates me to do it. I would love to engage people more on a personal level so i’m glad this is out.

Thank you, and please, have a memorable November. No’s L’s, only wins and lessons to learn! God bless you.