How I feel about self-preservation
Some muesli in low-fat plain yoghurt and coconut sugar later I reflect on how I've been feeling about self-care in the past two weeks.
Context: The past week had about 5 assignments and 2 of them were major assignments. In simple terms, hella hectic. For those of you who can relate to college madness to that level, you understand how stressful weeks like these can be.
A dress and a meal for one
Before you say anything or think anything... I know I am trash! A whole week of silence and I still don't post on time! 😂
Well, I am here now and that is all that matters!
Let me begin by saying, life has and is proving to be more demanding than I anticipated. I've been occupied with so many things yo!
Wrapping my head around privilege
As part of African Leadership Academy's decennial celebrations, I and a couple of other alumni of the academy were asked to share our stories. We used to do this even when I was back at the academy. The process of sharing your entire life's story requires an extreme level of vulnerability and I was never brave enough to be that vulnerable. That was then. This time when I was asked, I wanted to share! The request found me at a place where I was already reflecting on my whole existence. Sharing my story gave me a great space to contextualise that existence and so, I reflected.
There were two things that kept popping up in my brain as I reflected, opportunity and privilege. Hold on to those ideas, I will come back to them.
Hiking Rhodes memorial at dawn
I challenged myself to go on a hike loves. If you know me, you sure as hell know I do not sweat on purpose. Yet here I am, 6 am on a Saturday morning walking up to the Rhodes Memorial at UCT. Even though I voluntarily signed up for this, I cannot help but say how bizarre I find the whole idea of hiking and camping “for fun.” I understand that my opinion is absolutely my own, so take it as just that, my opinion.
Setting yourself up for a successful semester
Those of you who have been in University/College for a while understand how hard it can be to successfully go through a semester without a plan. For those who are just starting out, you need not be making your own mistakes, you can learn from mine and avoid feeling overwhelmed altogether. After a couple of rough beginnings and mid-semester re-strategising, I finally figured the way to plan for a successful semester. This is how I stay up to date with all my deadlines, keep track of my assignments and schedule study sessions around these assignments and deadlines.
Here is my step by step guide:
What does Black Panther have to do with me? I'm Tanzanian!
When I heard that Marvel was creating Black Panther, a movie with an all black (except two) cast and is supposedly set in an African context, I rolled my eyes so much and awaited a horrible Lion King type of madness. Because I am not a movie fanatic, I didn't even bother to go deep into researching what the movie and "Black Panther" is all about anyway. This Friday, my friends insisted I go watch it with them. Since I had heard the movie is a big deal and FOMO is a real thing, I bought a ticket -for D-Box seat even- for the movie. Thank heavens I did!
Crossing the line between content curating and creating
Ever since I started writing blog posts on this website as opposed to my old site, Have Words We'll Travel, I have been border lining content curating; what I have defined as simply piecing together things to make content.
You see, the writing that I do here is a little different (well a lot different actually) from how I used to write. My old site used to be about two things, my creative writing and my photography. Since the blog was about my work, I tried to actively remove myself from it.
Why Not Having a Man Behind Me at a Club Still Triggers My Insecurities
My sister's famous Sweet Bell Pepper Chicken recipe
Sundays at my mother’s house have always been about two things, food, and God and thus ultimately the spiritual experience that is eating. A typical Sunday schedule at home looks something like this: wake up, go to church, go to the food market, make the food, eat, take a nap, eat, sleep. We cook only once on Sundays, and we don’t just make food, we make a food spread…a whole assortment of dishes.
Skincare for those who don’t care
As you might have picked up from the title, I am also one of them people who do not care much for skincare 😂 But, I got mad love for nice smelling stuff so, catch me at The Body Shop sniffing all their stuff.
Home missing
By the time you are reading this, I must be on the plane to Cape Town already. I am moving. Again! I am not complaining... how can I? I chose this. However, that doesn't make it any less painful. Moving is scary and very unsettling, especially when you are moving from places you love. I love home and I love being home. The more I go the more I long to come back. I am telling myself, "it’s gonna be okay Bernie, you have done this before...6 times". Yet, I am here tearing up. I guess you just never get used to leaving.
I cut my hair
OMG! I did it! I cut my hair! I have wanted to do this for a while actually but I didn't trust the barber shops oversees so when I came home, I made sure I'd do it before I leave.
Sweet Yellow Corn & Calamari
I made this corn meal with all the leftover ingredients in my pantry. You will come to find that I do this a lot. I just really hate wasting food so every time I can see a meal out of the food in my pantry, I do it! This turned out to be quite a hit with my dad actually. We are constantly looking for rice and corn flower substitutes and this sweet corn that dad had brought was perfect. If you decide to try making this, please make sure you get soft corn and boil it on the cob then take it off the cob using your hands (after it has cooled) or a knife.
Wakati album launch at Goethe Institute
Isack Abeneko, a friend and a very talented young artist from Nafasi Art Space, launched his album titled WAKATI at the Goethe Institute in Dar es Salaam yesterday. If you enjoy live music and were not there last night then sister, girlfriend, you absolutely missed out! Isack is one of the most amazing performers I have ever seen. He is so lively! You can really tell he is passionate about music in the way he performs.
What I wore to the Wakati album launch
Striking a balance between overdressing and underdressing is really hard. The line between the two is so thin. On days like these, I often opt for a white top. White clothes have a way of looking so elegant without looking too formal. Pair that with jeans, and you have officially split your body between the over and under dress zone.
For a home alone work day
When I am home alone I dress up. I know it sounds totally insane, because when you are home alone your lazy bone kicks in (at least mine does) and all you want to do is lay down, watch TV and eat whatever you can pull from the fridge. To counter that urge to be a couch potato, I usually opt for a cold shower as soon as I wake up, some clean clothes that aren't my pyjamas, and a minimal face beat.
My journey to fashion
If you grew up in Tanzania then you understand how important it is to get a new dress for Christmas (if you are Muslim, for Eid).
It's 11:49 pm on the 24th of December, 2002 and I am holding a torch for my mom whose back is bent over a practically ancient singer sewing machine. We are making my Christmas dress. Flower printed chiffon over a pink satin. We are making a high-waisted pouf dress with a huge bow at the back.
On a daladala in Dar es Salaam
“Pee peeep!” The bus honks to the vendors who have placed their magunia with madera and jelojelo products. It finally comes to a stop right in front of me and I hop on before the many people who have been waiting for a bus to town start fighting for a seat. “Ta ta ta!”-the sound of my shoes in motion as my feet meet the rusty iron of the Tegeta-Kkoo bus. I head straight to the empty seat at the back. I slide in as fast as I can because, a second delay and I am one of the people standing back to back from Tegeta to Kariakoo.
Confessions of a bilingual orator
I am what you would call a bilingual orator. A two-language speaker. The two languages I speak find individual chambers in which to stay in my brain without mixing, but the two depend on each other and form one whole language with which I speak, with which I exist.
My spirit, it speaks Swahili. I learned my Catechism in Swahili. I can only communicate with God in this language, because it is the language through which I was introduced to Him. Do not ask me to pray in English. I can try, but chances are I will fail miserably. I simply do not know how to. I have heard what other people say when they say prayers in English, and they are no different from my Swahili prayers. But I, I can never say those words to God in English and mean them the same way as I would in Swahili.
From a good learner to a good student
My experience with missed deadlines and disorganised notes has taught me that being a good learner is not the same as being a good student. It’s New Year’s Eve and I am back home in Dar es Salaam writing a research paper due two weeks ago for a class I took in Paris in the Fall (August - December semester). So, I am clearly lacking on the whole good student thing. I am not proud of this! In my defence, my laptop crashed and all I had written for this class was gone. Yet, this is the reason why being a better student is at the top of my new year resolution list…