To get the job, she needs to have her hair relaxed so it looks professional according to American standards however, this burns off some of her scalp hair and makes it look ugly in its natural state. She starts dating Curt, who helps her get a job that will sponsor her green card. The babysitting job offers Ifemelu the chance to focus on school and work toward getting a green card. Ifemelu’s life changes when she meets Ginika, who introduces her to Kimberly. Out of shame and self-loathing, she never tells anyone about what happened except that things between herself and Obinze end up being strained until years later when they reconnect online. After one session, she stops replying to messages from Obinze and does not return his calls. Desperate for money, she agrees to work as a “relaxation assistant” which means allowing Mr Olusola (the tennis coach) touch her sexually after every meeting with him on weekends when he pays more than during their weekday meetings where he still touches her inappropriately even though no one is watching them from afar. Therefore, she applies for jobs using someone else’s social security number but doesn’t get them because they have already been filled by Americans who don’t need visas or are willing to work illegally with forged documents. Ifemelu gets accepted but her visa doesn’t allow her to work there because she can only be a student without any other source of income like stipends or scholarships. However, the university lecturer strikes keep closing down the universities, so Aunty Uju encourages Ifemelu to apply for schools overseas in America. They hit it off and date throughout high school and college. She meets Obinze at a party where he is interested in another girl, Ginika.

The novel flashes back to Ifemelu’s youth.

He received an email from Ifemelu asking him if he remembers their old music and how they used to make love while listening to it. When she thinks of returning to Nigeria, she can’t help but think about Obinze, who lives in Lagos now with his wife and daughter. She has broken up with her boyfriend, closed her blog about race, and moved out of the house she shared with Blaine.

A girl named Ifemelu is preparing to return to Nigeria.

Americana ngozi