Yaaya Reads: Valerie Kerri | The JJC Handbook: Adapting To The UK With Ease

"Feigning a 'britico' accent
will not get you anywhere and will not make you appear more widely traveled
or more 'foreign' "

Valerie Awele Kerri is an entrepreneur, mentor and author of The JJC Handbook - one of the bestselling Nigerian books of 2016. Miss Kerri, a Nigerian, moved to the United Kingdom in her mid-20’s and suffered a ‘culture shock’ which spurred her on to writing a book about how Africans (Nigerians especially) can adapt to the UK with ease.

For all those who may not be aware, J-J-C is a Nigerian slag for ‘Johnny Just Come’ loosely meaning ‘naïve new comers’. This comical but useful guide brings back relatable memories and in her book, Valerie deals with issues such as ‘What to do when you’re confronted by ticket officers on a train and how to succeed academically with immense parental pressure; after all winners ‘don’t have 10 heads’…

The official launch of the book for the first-time author was in August 2016 at the trendy Shoreditch area in London. Amongst others, in attendance were noted poets and artists like Poetolu, Cherrelle Morris and Kenn Obi. When she is not writing, Valerie runs Kerri Consulting a career advice and personal branding consulting service in North West London. She helps new immigrants with adjusting to the new UK environment. In the pipeline for 2017, Valerie plans a tour for her book across the UK universities to promote her book. She is also writing a new book ‘The JJC memoirs’ an autobiography that is an accompaniment to The JJC Handbook.

Valerie is proud of her Nigerian heritage and has been on the board of directors for the Igbo Culture and support network UK (ICSN UK), for many years. She is an avid traveller and lover of new experiences.

Follow Valerie via her blog, Twitter @valeriekerri, and Instagram @thejjchandbook.

Source | Images courtesy of Linda Ikeji's Blog and Amazon.

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