Leave a Post-it note in a secret place. One sentence only. What do you say? How does the placement affect the message?
Day 4 – Nostalgic Adventures
When I was young, my family would visit my maternal grandmother every holiday. My siblings and I would spend one whole week running down luscious green hills, getting thoroughly muddy, and in the evening, grandma would entertain us all. It was a carefree time, we all loved how close we were then. This closeness dissipated with time though: growing up pulled us apart as distances increased. My grandma passed away, and the magic of visiting her highlands seemed to disappear.
My Nephew photo bombed us from the back ^_^
This weekend, we went back there, and it was amazing looking at that place now. The hills are still as beautiful as I remember, flowing straight down to a gorgeous river. I went walking with my nephews and nieces, we had a good time running up and down, enjoying ourselves. Almost like old times. So, my post-it-note: I would leave it in that place. It would read, #NeverForgetOurDaysHere.
Day 4 – This was all fun and games, loved every minute of it.
If I could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be and why?
3 – Featured Bananas
My word would be the phrase, ‘I can’t.’
This phrase is the source of unhappiness, discontent, anger, discouragement, hate, and all negative scenarios that come to mind. When people say ‘I can’t’, they block the way to what can happen. A lot of time is wasted on this phrase, so a future, and a present without the word ‘I can’t’, would lead to wondrous possibilities.
The bananas in the picture are a counter to this phrase and challenge. Since I told someone I can’t feature bananas on a writing blog. Voila! Here is a bunch of bananas hanging on string, and I ate two of them on the way home after taking this picture.
***
My Day 3 is task-oriented, and required an opinion and an action. I enjoyed some bananas thanks to Day 3. May you have a wonderful weekend ahead!
My sister woke me at the crack of dawn today. I don’t do well with mornings without coffee. This determined fire cracker got me out of bed, dressed, and out the door…all these without a cup of coffee. I give her props for the feat. I’m incredibly unsociable without coffee. The world always seems like a serious battle zone, and everyone talking is the enemy racing it at me with battle axes, arrows, swords and machetes. I was a disgruntled zombie. My focus only on what I have to do to get to point B, and anything extra turned into an annoyance.
We were heading to a finance master class my sister runs, the venue today was along Ngong Rd. The matatu driver was plugged to the loudest reggae music I’ve heard yet. The treble in that joint turned into a small torture device. I was a tad disoriented when we arrived at our destination.
Of course, my little task master knows me well. We ended up in the lovely Cakes & Muffins restaurant along Ngong road. Minutes later, I got my hit of house coffee, and the world righted. I’m starting to think coffee can be used as a weapon against me.
The master class started an hour later than we had planned and in the short span of time it ran, the ladies in attendance turned into my inspiration. Women in business inspire me on most days. These ladies were no exception. Starting a small business is often the most difficult task one can take up. The challenges always out weigh the merits, but meeting these group of ladies, the waking up was worth it.
The talk on managing cash flow ensued. You would think the topic would be enough to get them sleeping, but everyone was wide-eyed, and taking notes. Then, the conversation started, and I got a first class seat to women facing real struggles in their businesses. The baking industry has grown in Kenya. Breaking into the industry requires more than bravery. Contenders face stiff competition from fellow bakers, and consumers who are well educated in the type of products they want. Despite the challenges, these ladies are focused, and determined to keep going despite these struggles.
When the class was over, one of the ladies comes up and says, “Thank you, so much. Thank you for doing this, it keeps us going.”
I smiled at my sister, because she’s the determined firecracker who made this day worth it for a half-dozen women, and there is nothing more powerful than that for inspiration.
***
*matatu – public PSV
Day 2, the goal today was to hit 400 words talking about what happened during my day. I had a good time meeting the ladies today at the masterclass, and their stories truly made me smile. Fighting!
A bird whistles in the distance, melodious beauty cuts through the heavy veil of sleep. Senses alert, the freezer in the living room hums to life. A series of mechanical whirls fill the silence of the house. They said the thing would be silent that first day at the showroom. The humming continues, the sound low but hardly silent…score for the sales man. The humming cuts off five minutes later, the silence is surprising…welcome. Once again, the bird living in the tree right outside the house whistles…or was he still whistling?
Sleep beckons, that sweet delicious wave of sleep only found at six in the morning. A glance at the clock—that square-faced, faux-gold piece that is now twenty-five years old, still faithfully counting away the minutes— shows that it’s twenty-five minutes until six-thirty. Eyes close, stubborn will clings to the comfort of warm blankets. Nose buried in the wool-rich blankets, fingers clutching tight to the edges, contentment fills as once again I’m caught in the magical world between awake and dreams.
A heavy weight drops on my legs, and a sigh escapes. Four paws trail a massage up my back, and loud purring fills the quiet. Suki, the cat, is awake…
When the purring doesn’t work, she proceeds to dig her paws into the blankets.
Step, step, dig, dig…Suki’s purring volume increases…wake up, wake up.
Suki steps a rhythm on my back.
I hold the blankets closer. A peek at the clock, and it’s only six fifteen…not time yet. Ignoring Suki’s vicious alarm clock, I close my eyes and desperately cling to that sweet sleep. How was that dream going again…?
Ah yes—
A heavy weight drops on my head, enough to grab me away from sweet bliss. I push the covers away and raise my head slightly. Suki sits on the floor, her dark irises round and large in the morning light. Her gaze is expectant. She thinks she’s won with her hit and run…I smirk.
My head finds the pillow again, this time I turn away from her, and make sure to cover my head well with the blankets. The faithful clock says it is six twenty-five. I’m getting my five minutes in.
My nose is cold. The temperatures are their usual low this early in August. The thought of a shower is not appealing. Closing my eyes, I seek that delicious sleep again…five minutes and then I will wake up.
Two minutes in, the blankets are warm again…the dreams right on the fringe.
Suki jumps on me, again. Her purr is soothing, her weight on my arm friendly. She lulls me further into sleep…and then, she’s pawing at the blankets covering my head. Her claws sink into the heavy blanket and the tips meet skin, I sit up in a hurry and she jumps off fast.
She sits on the floor…smirking at me.
My blankets are thrown aside, the warmth sucked away by the frigid room temperature. There’s no getting that back now. Damn minx has won this round.
I glance at the clock and scowl, Suki won at six twenty-seven. She meows, the sound of it urgent. She’s hungry and wants food, now. I feel robbed of three delicious minutes of sleep. Giving a loud yawn in answer, I get up and chuckle when Suki leads the way to the kitchen.
***
This is Day One of the writing challenge…came up with this in fifteen minutes. I think it went ok. Will see how it goes tomorrow. ^_^
Adventures in Nairobi led me to a wonderful community center in Eastleigh that does pottery to help fund their projects and support the less privileged. The Eastleigh Community Center has a full-fledged Pottery Workshop that produces gorgeous pottery pieces they sell to support the center.
We got the chance to walk through the pottery shop where they sell their finished products. Of course, the motto was walk with care. I kept praying my clumsiness would stay put, the shelves were so gorgeously full of delicate art. The staff was busy packing for an exhibition, so I only got one shot of the packed shelves. I’m told you can visit the Center if you would like to view the pottery before you purchase.
More pottery on shelves…these jugs remind me of the ones I see in old Egyptian paintings, or Greek art. Imagine yourself filling your jug with water, or milk, and placing it on the work table. So beautiful….get one here.
The picture above is a collection of mugs in the process of creation, before they go back in to the kiln for another burn.
This little plant pot absolutely stole my heart. Yes, part of it is the Biscuit written on the side, but it is just so cute, I want one!
Outside the Eastleigh Community Center offices is a line of potted plants that make me want to go back to their shop and purchase a few for our compound.
The Eastleigh Community Center displays their pottery work at different expos around Nairobi. You might run into them at Yaya Center, the Maasai Market, or at the Sarit Center Expos…and many other trade shows.
Gary Stokes is a struggling young American, who then lands a job with a press bureau based in East Africa and an expatriate is born. Gary moves to Kenya, meets a fellow reporter, Guy, who helps him adjust to his new life. Cue in intimidating government officials, unmovable landlords, and incidents unfolding in snooty exclusive membership clubs left behind by settlers—, Gary and Guy become lifelong friends. In this new life, Gary soon discovers that life in East Africa requires an abundance of open-mindedness, patience and caution.
The Virgin Journey is an interesting perspective on life for an expatriate living in East Africa in the eighties. Through Gary, Wampamba takes us through heavy issues present in the eighties and even now, like the first HIV epidemic, unrest in Uganda, bribes in government offices and racism in South Africa. The change of perspective is refreshing, because she manages to make Gary’s immersion into these issues effortless, without seeming contrived, through experiences in Gary’s life.
At the core of Gary’s new life, is love: for his old home, his new home, his old girlfriend, and a new one. The struggle to reconcile all these parts of him is real, and Gary’s character emerges as just a man, doing what he can to earn a living, and find happiness…albeit in the real jungle that is Africa.
What did I love about this book?
The change Gary goes through from the negative mess he starts out as at the beginning. His quite uninformed view on our beloved East Africa made me remember a question I was once asked by an acquaintance…,
‘Do I live next to Lions in Africa? Are they right next door?’ No, they’re not right next door, thank you. They’d have me for dinner otherwise…
Gary’s character had this annoying factor at the beginning for me. However, that changes through the story, as he travels from one city to the next, experiencing the joys and beauties…as well as the bittersweet parts of East Africa, you find yourself sympathizing, rooting for him.
In all, this story is a great start to an unforgettable adventure in East Africa. Two reporters work to tell the East African story, the best they can. Wampamba stays true to the culture while adding her own zest into a growing love between two expatriates and their strong African princesses.
As always, resolutions are flying around me, from friends and family, I sincerely hope they are met. I love a new year. It always feels like a time to leave the old behind and embrace the new. New things, ideas and meet new people. It’s also a time to change the view on old things, old ideas and old relationships.
This writer wishes all her readers the best of the best this year. And, unmovable resolve in getting those resolutions done. Meet new people, create inspiring new ideas, try new things, visit new places…go to old places and see them like new…..Live.
hills are still as beautiful as I remember, flowing straight down to a gorgeous river. I went walking with my nephews and nieces, we had a good time running up and down, enjoying ourselves. Almost like old times. So, my post-it-note: I would leave it in that place. It would read, #NeverForgetOurDaysHere.
Day 4 – This was all fun and games, loved every minute of it.
Stories and Book Talk 