Cjfrankie on Zcash: A Personal Crypto Chronicle

INTRODUCTION

Hey there, I’m Cjfrankie—and this is my story! If you’re coming across this article for the first time or it’s your first time hearing about Zcash, either way, I hope my story inspires you to explore Zcash.

It all started in 2021 after my project defense in the 200-level. It was that time of the year when I had to go for my internship. Forgive me if I skipped the banter. I reside in Abeokuta, Nigeria, and I am studying at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic. My interests range from crypto to Web3, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, and traveling.

How did I first hear about Zcash?

Way back as far as 2021, after my 200-level, I was actively searching for Web3 gigs, especially writing articles/threads, video editing, and graphic design bounties on Dework. While surfing through Dework (a project management platform built for DAOs and decentralized work), it’s a platform for finding and managing bounties and rewarding contributors. I came across ZecHub’s profile, and I decided to check if there were some open bounties for savage hunters like me, but unfortunately, there were none. It was then that I DM’ed Squirrel, telling him what I could offer as an aspiring contributor.

First Impressions

One thing that made Zcash stand out from other coins is that its community is one of the most supportive communities I’ve ever seen in the space. From interesting Discord interactions to weekly bounties—I felt like, men, this is where I’m meant to be. I applied for my first weekly task, and I got assigned. I wrote an article on “Secure Messengers,” an article exploring how messengers like Bison Relay, Session, or Signal keep users’ messages confidential like a letter inside a magical box that only you and your friend have a private key for. Not even the mailman can have a peek at what the letter reads.

You can read about “**Secure Messengers**” here.”

Learning Curve

After my successful submission, payment was disbursed, but my $ZEC didn’t reflect in my wallet—lol 😂. Way back, I had no idea what block time and wallet syncing were. Honestly speaking, it was so frustrating to the point that I almost gave up. I scanned my Zingo wallet for almost 3 days (I had a really small phone then, and the network was shitty); this just made things worse.

During this period, Squirrel was always active in the community; he assisted me and gave me some awesome tips—he’s a hero!!! Ever since, I’ve learned to always keep my wallet up to date and do it every week.

“Recently, I’ve had issues trading ZEC and moving my ZEC from one pool to another, all thanks to the ZecHub Discord channel and community members for their swift responses and technical support.”

First Real Action

My biggest moment was when **I hosted a Zcash event on my school campus**, where I introduced Zcash to over 200 students. This proposal was funded by ZecHub DAO, and it will forever leave a lasting impact on my heart!! But the journey didn’t end there. After the successful event at MAPOLY, the Zcash Nigeria lead, Chidi Olisa, proposed that I launch a ZClub at my school as a step toward financial inclusion. See the details here on how the whole process played out!

I’m still very much active in the community; I have written over 10 wikis, and counting. Cjfrankie is also part of the Zcash Nigeria team, spreading awareness across Nigeria.

Things I have done with Zcash

The Bible, one of the most famous books of all time, quotes in James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” I’m not just a Zcash holder but an active user. This paragraph talks about my personal Zcash use cases—here we go:

• I have used Zcash to purchase a brand-new phone from a vendor in Lagos, Nigeria. I went to a location to shoot, and boom, my phone went blank. I dashed to Lagos the following day to get a new one. Paying with Zcash came to mind because I was out of physical cash, and thankfully, my vendor is a crypto native. Can your vendor ever?
• I have bought an airtime/recharge card with Zcash. You can do more with Zcash—like pay electricity bills, cable subscriptions, shop on Jumia, and pay with Zcash.
• I also own a parfait brand, and I’m accepting Zcash as a means of payment! You should, too.

Zcash in My Community

I’m thrilled to be a part of the Zcash community; over the past couple of years, I have done some adventurous things to make this project a household name. We have climbed rocks and taken photos on the streets of Abeokuta. We are pioneers of privacy protection.

What’s next for Cjfrankie?

I’ll never change what I do! There’s more to be done, and we can only achieve this through community support; I want to sincerely appreciate everyone for funding and supporting Zcash Nigeria. I’m honored.