Book Review: So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba

So we are just going to jump right into the good stuff and ignore the little now-you-see-me, now-you-don't situation I have going on in the blogosphere.

First up, let's not get things twisted I have been reading. I'll Give You The Sun was ah-mazing, To All The Boys I've Loved Before was cute and Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey is, well not my usual. Don't fret, one word descriptions of whole books will not be the norm I just happened to outdo myself in the procrastination department. Well, what do you know, the P word just crept in. Basically, the review of the first two books will go up because I can't live with myself if they don't.

Now that I have aired all my dirty laundry in front of you, the real good stuff.

In a effort to redeem myself from this putting the 'pro' in the procrastination phase, I read So Long A Letter by Mariama Ba borrowed from my good friend Lena. She happens to hold this read and author very highly. Obviously, any literary fave of a friend's is a literary fave of mine, okay, maybe not but you get the picture.

There's something about African Writers, maybe it's the way they make you slow down and force you to stop and smell the roses or whatever aroma that takes you to that special place or how their imagery is so rich and the language so distant from my level, at least. Their sentences are short, but tell a whole story and the repetition is everything but tacky. Aren't or aren't I describing the perfect book?

Meet Ramatoulaye recently widowed first wife of Modou. While she is in mourning she writes her best friend who might as well be her sister, Aissatou, a letter that recounts her life just before and after Modou's death, a long, long letter hence the title, I guess.

Ramatoulaye starts from the beginning working her way back to find the way forward. We follow her as she goes through all phases of grief. Going back and forth in between them, surpassing some, dominating in others but healing nonetheless.

While reading it, it was almost as if, I was invading her privacy. Feeling every inch of her pain especially when she thinks less of herself. You are in her anguish, despair and regret. But because you can't change the past you read on just as Aissatou would.

The source of it all Modou. Just when you are about to start baying for his already cold blood she appeases you, telling you of Modou of the yester-years, described as a god of some sort.

Each turn of a page is like pealing of the seal of another secret, and you thought you knew intense.

Even as she is down on her luck the way she portrays  nearly every woman, in this book you just might understand her inferiority complex. A phoenix rising from the ashes was redefined by Aissatou; braver, stronger, tougher than all her problems. She and no chills Daba earn themselves a spot on my literary bad ass babes.

Finding her balance amidst this whirlwind of emotions is no easy task yet she still manages to be critically realistic. Not driven by intuition or emotion she manages to make the right decision. Not always the one you are rooting for but right nonetheless.

This book makes you want to read and re-read some of its texts over and over again. For a better understanding , not really, for a highly deserved appreciation probably. It is for the divorcee, widow, sugar-daddy and his young love interest especially his young love interest, for families left behind, for those who grieve. For the men it's the ultimate anti-douche guide. Hold your horses now, Ramatoulaye doesn't throw around the "men are dogs" mentality, if anything , she throws the most respectable shade ever. For ladies, super therapeutic as a How-to guide if ever your relationship goes down the drain.

Now I am scared. Of happily ever afters, marriage and possibilities but most of all, having daughters. All will be revealed once you read it.

What takes this book up there? Ramatoulaye takes you into each character's mind, exploring their thoughts, picking them because rants simply don't do it anymore. No man or should I say contentious issue is left behind especially when the right button is pushed.

Do your future a favour and pick up this book!

Have a good one!   

Surviving College: Holiday Memories

'Sup guys!

It's only the first week of school and I am just about ready to tap out. Or it's just a severe case of holiday withdrawals. What better way to get over it than looking back on the period that was. These are just a couple of highlights that made it memorable; the good, the bad and the neutral.

Nairobi floods. It seemed like just another rainy evening. Myself indoors nice, warm and toasty. If only everyone else could have sung that same tune. Traffic jams that lasted until four a.m and power outages that lasted even longer. I guess it would be safe to say that since then Nairobi has learnt a valuable lesson on the importance of maintaining the city's drainage system. Well, hopefully. But still, what a way to kick start the holidays, huh?

Driving license. Guess who can now be legally behind the wheel cruising at a few kilometers per hour? This girl! Yes I may be two years too late on this bandwagon but I finally got round to it. I would love to say that my skills give Lewis Hamilton a run for his money but it is what it is. There was also the driving test from hell which I may or may not write about. Probably will. All in all , homie we made it!

Posting  three times a week. The month of May would have had you thinking that blogging was my full time job. Posts three times a week, quality posts, somebody call the fire department because I was on fire; Media Monday, Surviving College, Book Reviews, didn't I spoil y'all or what? Well that fire was put out soon after,  be careful what you wish for.

Internships. I had two in four months, talk about a personal best. Of course there will be more in depth posts but this is what you guys you should know; it was the best of both world with one being the liberal artsy environment  and the other the traditional 'profesh' situation plus I learned a tonne from both. This may be my very definition of productivity.

Interviews. In a span of four months I had two interviews. This little experience here taught me a little something about preparation. No stones were left unturned and I sure wasn't about to disappoint my foyn self. It is at this point that I feel like a post dedicated to acing an interview should be in the works, yup, I'll go ahead and put it on my to-do list. That being besides the point, I aced one of them and tanked in the other...until I got a call back from the one that I was supposedly 'unsuccessful' in. Take that failure! That just goes to show what putting yourself out there gets you.

Goals. Especially for my blog I was aiming for nothing but the stars. 36 books were to be read; let me break it down. Two books read a week, 18 posted while on holiday and the other half scheduled for the last quarter of the year. A couple of sewing, knitting and crafting D-I-Y's, find bae, walk down the aisle, start a family, buy my first home. You follow? Yup nearly none of that happened but it still makes for a good laugh.

Other cool stuff: my sister's graduation. YAAASS! She sure showed college, slight obsessions with summer 2015 music playlists, joining HerCampus. retweets from Marcus Hanley by far #1 cool kid from where I stand, Jay Aysher and MTv Africa Music Award (MAMA) Best Pop and Alternative Act 2015 Jeremy Loops.

Little story for you. I have been continuously convincing myself that I was the first to congratulate Mr. Loops on his MAMA win. Him favouriting my tweet had me on cloud 9. It doesn't end there.Well with Jeremy Loops it does. JSomething from Mi Casa mentioned my little old self  in a comment on Instagram. Might as well kick this degree to the curb and be some type of social media guru!

Not convinced that I'd make one heck of a social media guru? Now y'all know in my head, Jack and Finn Harries are my woes. So when I made it into the What do you believe in? video, I knew they felt the same way. Girl in the white sweater with pandas across it, reppin' the 2-5-4 at 0:42, that's me. My clip is only a second long but I always thought fifteen minutes of fame was a little too long anyway.

Yup, as I suspected a walk down memory lane was the perfect cure to holiday withdrawals.

Have a good one!

Road Trip

I'm alive! I'm alive! If you had a doubt in your mind that I had been wiped off the face of the earth, I am still kicking it!

Besides working like a dog, I popped in and out of the city of Nairobi for a second, literally. Travelled out on Friday and I was back in a heartbeat on Sunday morning. To be precise, 4 a.m. That was my sister's "bright" idea.

Why the impromptu road trip you ask?Well, my Grandma Mildred passed. This past year has been a tough one for my family. Hopefully, if I find the courage, I may do a post dedicated to all the family members who are no longer with us. But, mark my words, this funeral was a celebration of life, which Granny deserved by all means. Whoo! I'm getting a little misty eyed here.

Again, mark my words, in my culture, funerals tend to be the definition of dramatic. Even that may be a bit of an understatement. We go all out; professional mourners, singing, boogying until dawn (the wake) there's some some significance behind it, I forget, church service after church service. Emotion wise we give mood swings a legit run for their money. What can I say it's tradition.

As I said we travelled Friday.Nearly missing our bus by a whisker. A very valuable lesson was learnt, sometimes paying a pretty penny for a cab trumps saving money. Learnt that the hard way. But what momma don't know, momma don't need to know. Except if she reads this post  that entire statement goes up in  flames. It is one thing to roll up fashionably late and it is another to roll up like we did; backpacks that outweighed us, unravelling sleeping bags (mine, figures) and carry-ons packed with your usual road trip tidbits, plus a book...of course. We were a sight for sore eyes nearly every stare asking whether there was some sort of evacuation where we were coming from.

Now the title of this blog post is highly misleading. Honestly it was my version of an apology for my blog hiatus that lasted slightly over a week. If anything it will probably be a visual story. My photography levels were pretty bomb considering I have no legit photography  skills or camera. Imma go ahead and pat myself on the back.

Feast  your eyes on the sites that make up my beautiful country.

P.S. They could have been more breathtaking scenes i.e fir tree forests but I could not whip out my camera fast enough. Yet I still want to be a photojournalist.

 If ever you are in Kenya and are doing the tourist thing, you've gotta stop here (Great Rift Valley Viewpoint) and take it all in. In the distance is Menengai Crater, a mountain (my geography is not what it used to be) and on the floor, further in the distance is a geothermal power plant.

 Lake Nakuru. If I was any better at this photography thing, you may have seen the flamingos.

 'Cause you gotta fill your car boot with groceries.

 

This is the money shot.

 Kenya is among the top 10 tea producing nations in the world. Welcome to the original home of what may be your heaven in a cup, Kericho.

This post would not be complete without letting you know of my sister's "bright" idea. Do not get me wrong, I love this girl but when we were on that night bus, my feelings towards her... we nearly froze to death! Okay, maybe not, but those below zero temperatures hit past the bone to the very core of my being. The whole point was to come see her play which she produced  *three cheers for my sister* but if that was the price we had to pay...it ain't happening ever again.

Oh well, until next time.

Have a good one!

Book Review: Quotes from The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian

As indicated from this post, I was clearly about to re-print the whole book but I want to keep things A plus between myself and Sherman Alexie. Also that post stood a chance of being as long as a thesis at the rate at which I was going. Therefore, here are some of the quotes that I want to remain forever engraved in my memory or in this case, my blog. Plus, you guys simply do not understand how philosophical this book is. I kid you not, this is one is for my lifetime. So, from where I left off;

I used to think the world was broken down by tribes," I said."By black and white. By Indian and white. But I know that isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who are assholes and people who are not.

And I kept trying to find the little pieces of joy in my life. That's the only way I managed to make it through all of that death and change.

Do you understand how amazing it is to hear that from an adult? Do you know how amazing it is to hear that from anybody? It's one of the simplest sentences in the world, just four words, but they're the four hugest words in the world when they're put together.

You can do it.

He may not have loved me perfectly, but he loved me as well as he could.

I mean, you have to love somebody that much to also hate them that much, too.

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

Yeah, I figured any nightmare would be better than my reality.

"I didn't know what to say to her. What do you say to people when they ask you how it feels to lose everything?"

In the middle of a crazy and drunk life, you have to hang on to the good and sober moments tightly.

Branch by branch, Rowdy and I climbed toward the top of the tree, to the bottom of the sky. 

My sister is running away to get lost, but I am running away because I want to find something.

He smiled mysteriously. Adults are so good at smiling mysteriously. Do they go to college for that?

I draw because words are too limited.

Have a good one!

Surviving College: What I Learnt My First Year of College

What it do, good people?

 Back to school is in a few weeks time, so there wouldn't be a dandier time to walk down memory lane other than now. Shall we?


Let me be the first to put it out there that this last school year technically speaking was not my first year of college. I did a diploma which took a year and four months to complete making that my very first year of college. Now, I am on to my degree, having completed my first year, earlier this year. So if you were a year or two behind me in high school and are thinking, "Say what!" now you know. If you weren't, well you also know.

It's no cup of coffee. The making friends, long classes, getting up early for class, cancelled classes. It does get a little overwhelming I'll tell you that much. During my diploma making friends was not so easy. That's what gave me the most anxiety. By the time I started my degree though, I couldn't care less, one of those been there, done that, bought the t-shirt type of situations. I thought about it less and eventually found my social circle.That's another cheeky lesson for you, do not overthink it. Hey maybe it found me. As for the long classes and getting up early, I wish there was an antidote out there because I am still dealing.

It gets easier. You'll probably find your kind soon enough; people you can vent with and share a light moment during that never ending class. They will be your lunch buddies, snack buddies, walk-home buddies, any buddy (get it!). After a while even a cancelled class does not sting as much and long classes will not necessarily be boring, they may be even be highlight of the semester.

Join a club or two to break the monotony. I am just going to go right ahead and say it, Model United Nations which I talked about here and here give you a week off from school. If that is not a good deal, point me in a direction towards one . That should not be a why you join though. You still have your fair share of school work to catch up on thanks to your, "leave of absence", but it is well worth it. Also most clubs give you that hands on experience way ahead of time in your career field, possibly even explore other options inside and out. This year I got the best of both worlds; some much needed leave and some hands on experience. You simply cannot go wrong with that.

Most people are cool once you get to them. First semester I barely talked to the people outside my social circle. But by the second half of the school year there were hugs all around, inside jokes, heart-to-hearts, roasts; bonds of some sort. Turns out we just needed some time to get to read each other, don't we all?

When you are sick rest. Of course don't be the person that goes overboard and misses nearly a whole week in the name of a mild case of the sniffles. In my case, last semester alone I had tonsillitis, sinusitis and some stomach situation which I will spare you the details and me the embarrassment. Fortunately (you have to look for even a little good in the bad) they happened at either, extreme of the school year where classes were not yet in full force or they were just winding up. While I was doing my diploma on the other hand, I twisted my ankle but limped through a couple of my classes since I had tests and what-not. Sometimes you just have to be a trooper.

Money will be tight. You know how Johnny Bravo would open his wallet and a butterfly would come out proclaiming freedom as the only contents of his wallet besides i.d., well I was not too different either. Of course there's no butterfly in my purse, I'm pretty sure that's cruelty to animals, but on the  buckaroos front I pulled through. This serves as testimony.

And finally...


Procrastination is the enemy. Especially when exams swing by. You will probably read that chapter later, huh? Or go to the library tomorrow. Mhmm. Tomorrow is usually the weekend before exams which has you collapsing under the weight of a few unread chapters that eventually morphed into whole books. This, if I follow through will probably counter this tale of horror.

I guess I made it through freshman year. Second year, we might as well get this show on the road.

Have a good one!  

Book Review: The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

This has just been one of those weeks. A new internship, new schedule and time to adapt a new. Inspo has also been on the low, so has time but hopefully I will soon get into the swing of things.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. Isn't this book something? But like most books I end up adoring, I didn't like it at first. For one, I new nearly nothing about it, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The temptation to put this read down was rife . but the guilt would have simply killed me.

It all began with 13 Reasons Why. Sherman Alexie loved it, so did I. If it wasn't for his remark on the cover of 13 Reasons Why, this part-time Indian and I would have never met. I don't know who to thank Jay Asher or Sherman Alexie, either way this was one killer find.

This book starts on a depressing note and the trend shows no sign of disappearing. If anything, the deeper you get into it the more dominant it becomes. Meet Arnold Spirit Jr. never mind that I only figured out his name 48 pages in, one of the most unfortunate souls the planet earth has ever seen. As the title suggests he is of Indian descent living on a reservation with his mom, dad, sister and grandma. His whole life is there and he cannot imagine his life any different. Besides his family, Rowdy his best friend means the world to him, despite the fact that they are polar opposites. There's not much to do or become on the res, thus in a bid not to become another res statistic he chooses life beyond it. Going to the predominantly white high school. Shuttling between these two areas that are worlds apart.

To the good stuff. The elephant in the room or should I say in the book,illustrations in this book are mad good and just add a certain pizzaz maybe even joy to this otherwise ball of depression. Like there's  this one that just cracked me up as he contemplated the answer to "Are you poor?", what about the "How not to act poor". Death by comic strips.

Part-time Indian really gets into it and I have to admit that's what I like about it. Life on a reservation has been painted out to be a dead end. Your future, that of your parents and that of your parents parents are no different. Unfulfilled potential fills the air. So does death, stalled lives after high school also dreams. Junior has this unique ability to see the best in everyone despite what is on the surface, what they could have been other than what they are. Hence the dreams.

Arnold Spirit must be the bravest teen in fictional history. Of course at the rate at which I read, this is subject to change but Arnold despite everything trudges on. His health  is in shambles,  well kind of, but it doesn't stop him from playing varsity basketball in his freshman year of high school. In the looks department, well you can be the judge of that, but from his self description he doesn't have a lot to go on but he dates the finest girl in school.He's the perfect target for bullies but with Jr. here, what you see isn't exactly what you get. The classic underdog tale. Earning himself a spot on my bad-ass list.

Capturing his personality in a few sentences, I refuse to. Ignore the fact that I just tried. You just have to read it to understand Arnold's spirit.

Out of nowhere, the people he holds dearest to his heart begin to die. No it's not an epidemic or an attack, it's just life. He seems like he can handle it but you start seeing his surface giving in. Complete with fault lines escalating to huge gaps. Sherman Alexie shows Arnold at his absolute best and worst.  From when his been beaten to an absolute pulp and his down and out both literally and metaphorically to how he copes with it all the hurt, the laughter, the tears, lists and most of all the support. Closing in the gaps, slowly but surely. Sealing in the fault lines. He really is a trooper with one heck of sense of humor.

In a way this book did it all. It doesn't need a prelude not even a sequel. Any more or any less would simply corrupt it. Honestly, it was enough. This is going to be one of those books that will be my go-to-guides when I'm down in the dumps, after the Bible of course.

I leave you with a couple of though provoking quotes courtesy of this part-time Indian:

"When anybody, no matter how old they are , loses a parent , I think it hurts the same as if you were only five years old...I think all of us are always five years old in the presence and absence of our parents"

"If you care about something enough, its going to make you cry. But you have to use it. Use your tears. Use your pain. Use your fear. Get mad Arnold, Get Mad."

"When it comes to death, we know that laughter  and tears are pretty much the same thing"

Imma have to stop myself guys and do what I do best, divide a lengthy post into two. Next time, expect some Part-Time Indian quotes.

Have a good one!

Surviving College: What to do with your Weekends

This post was meant to go up on Saturday, here comes the but...it was also meant to be scheduled...but my attempt at being organized has failed tremendously. Heck! It is up now and the weekend swings by ever so often.

Weekends are usually a great excuse to sleep in, laze around in your pajamas, chill, maybe hang with friends, stay up late and do your assignment(s) last minute. The problem comes in when all your escapades leave you starting the week even more tired than you finished it. Well it's time to break the cycle.

image from: thejobshop.wordpress.com

Set your alarm. I know, I know, it's the weekend. Here is where we agree to compromise. Set your alarm a few hours later than your usual weekly wake up time, of course at cock's crow is out of the question. The sooner you are up, the earlier you get to start your to-do list and the earlier you get to finish it. See, it's not all bad.

Clean and neaten up. If you are anything like me, early mornings leave your room in utter disarray. Clothes stuffed in the closet, my variation of folding and a spread, lumpy bed. The weekend is my time to right my wrongs. A little closet organisation, actual folding, sweeping, dusting, moping equals a sound mind. It takes between 45 minutes and an hour.

Then I proceed to the next best thing.

Laundry. I dread every minute of laundry but hey, what has to be done, has to be done. Usually I have a couple of things soaking and others sorted while I clean so that it's one of those in-'n'-out jobs. It isn't. Either way, there is no need to have a laundry pile giving Everest a run for its money.

Meal Prep. I live at home so I do not have to this. But  I did see Youtuber Jayla Koriyan do this and I thought, what a way to be organized. If you have no idea what a meal prep is, let me school ya, this is where you pre-cook and pre-package meals for your consumption during the week. Prepare a healthy menu of your choice, cook everything on it on a given day (the weekend), package it in Tupperware, toss it in the fridge and after one long campus day, pop it in the microwave, eat to your fill, then you can hit the books or the sack. It's all up to you. No hustle, no bustle.

Treat yo' self. Give yourself some TLC. From a lady's end, this would be the perfect time to detangle, wash, deep condition and style your hair for the week. A facial mask may also have my name all over it. If you are into mani-pedi's there could not be a more convenient time to do it. Easing into the chill part of the weekend and you don't even know it.

Chill/Hang out. You can either unwind solo with a good read, binge watch a series maybe even watch a movie. Or if you are one social butterfly link up with a homie or two and have a good time at a festival, party or one of those campus soi·rées . Did you have a doubt in your mind that the fun was never going to begin?

Schedule blog posts/videos. If you are a content creator who has to juggle this thing called college you probably want to write or film during the weekend since you are heavily swamped with work the rest of the week. The last thing you want is your viewers/readers thinking you pull a disappearing act every time school is in session.

Church. It is always god to show the Almighty your gratitude for getting you through the week and you just might be fueled with inspiration to tide you through the next week.

Assignments. We are kicking last minute assignments to the curb. Your professor is not about to leave any stones unturned as they test your understanding  of the latest topic of discussion thus the dreaded weekend assignment. Schedule some time to get this done. Reasonably early Sunday morn'/mid-morning is a good bet, leaving you ample time to enjoy a second dose of chill time and have an early, anxiety free night.

Sleep. This is one of those legit ways to re-energize for the week. A siesta on a Sunday afternoon does wonders while turning in early enough has you set and ready to roll come Monday morning.

Put some of these on your weekend to-do lists. You will not regret it.

Have a good one!