nilichoandika

Updates on Social Distancing, work, life and everything in between

June 26th, 2020

Friday’s here and I for one would love to sit down by the lake shore and take in the breeze. However that’s not going to happen today, it may tomorrow, but today, I have some work to do and more cups of coffee to consume.

In Kenya, it’s been 100 days plus more since the first COVID-19 case was reported and what’s followed has been the never ending updates from the Ministry of Health that often starts with ‘fellow Kenyans’ and involves the three aspects of their reporting: numbers tested, positive cases, deaths and sometimes…if we are lucky enough we hear the number of those who have recovered.

I resumed my duties at work- and actively started on field duties this first week of June and it’s beautiful to see what’s coming to be. In one of the schools, the foundation of 2 new classrooms has been laid and I cannot wait to see how it’ll turn out in the next month.

On writing: I published Zuri: The Chronicler of Enzi on both Kindle and printed out paperback copies for sale here in Kenya. So far, it’s been a thrill getting feedback on this book.

I am currently working on the next title: In The Quiet and it should be out next month, fingers crossed!

On physical distancing: Let’s say I was the Queen of Space long before Corona took over, and now I enjoy sitting in my house and listening to music- and there’s something beautiful about Deejay Mixes that mean I can listen for hours on end.

Books I am looking forward to reading this weekend and next week:

I am looking forward to the weekend and if there is one thing I have come to learn during this re-evaluation time is that indeed the little things count. Who knew something as simple as washing hands or keeping clean would be one of the measures we’d have to adhere to in order to keep a disease at bay?

Now more than ever, I am also learning to take good care of my mental health because this mind of mine could ideally lead me into some deep trenches that I would barely come out of. When it’s necessary, I spend hours out taking a stroll along the lake or even listening to music and steering clear of social media.

What scares me and also challenges me is the Ministry of Education’s call that when schools resume in September and the recommendation that each class hold 15-20 students- we’ll have another crisis. As it is infrastructure in public schools is lacking- and a class holds up to 75-100 students. Like most Kenyans, I find myself questioning how prepared my government is when it comes to handling a resurgence of this virus when schools resume.

I look forward to reading this weekend and sleeping in- or maybe taking a stroll along the lake later on in the evening.

Stay safe wherever you are and above all…I hope you stay sane.

Have a great weekend.
What if I told you…

June 23rd, 2020

Do you remember the first time we met?

I look at your shoes, new Converse, they’re black, just the way I like them.

You sigh and deposit that cigarette in your mouth.

I look at you and you rise,

‘Sorry, you don’t want to catch Cancer, certainly not by second-hand smoke.’

I look at my fingers. It’s something I find myself doing of late.

I look at them and imagine myself holding a pen, how firm that is.

I imagine myself slowly tearing a chapati, my favorite thing to eat and smile.

Love, I’m talking to you, are you listening?

I nod and you smile, ‘you are thinking, you have traveled to one of your worlds and left me to my cigarette, but that’s alright, now that you’re here I just remembered you asking me what my story was.’

Yes, everyone we meet has a story and I wanted to know your story.

I lied to you.

I know.

Wait, if you know I lied, why didn’t you call me out on it?

I asked you what your story was and you told me what you wished it wasn’t and with time everything you did proved that you were running away from the truth within you- it was and still is your journey to make, and didn’t you lose me along the way too?

Yeah, what if I told you that losing you was the best thing that ever happened to me?

I shrug and attempt a smile,but my tears travel faster than my lips, so they grace my cheeks before my lips show up. How come? I ask.

You take one long drag and put out your cigarette before looking back at me, and in that gentle voice you say, ‘Well, the version of me that wanted you at that time was not worthy of you, he wasn’t even worthy of me, and losing you…Love, losing you hurt like my guys thought I was foolish, they gave me hell, but deep down I was glad you walked away because if you’d have stayed hoping that I was gong to get better, I would have broken you and that would have killed me.’

http://www.pexels.com
Hearsay

June 17th, 2020

Word has it that…

Did you hear what’s been going around?

No, should I?

Well, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but word has it that you…

Would you do me a favor?

Please tell your sources to speak louder, I’m too far gone in my quest for a better life to hear their hushed whispers.

Really? You don’t want to know?

No, if it’s about me and it’s worth knowing, then whoever is talking is doing it all wrong.

Tell them to put me on blast…have I made it into International Broadcasting Media Houses?

No, but…listen, you…

No, you listen…it’s gotta be louder and clearer, said with utmost conviction for it to reach me, okay?

Photo courtesy of Wherbson Rodrigues: http://www.pexels.com
I was Ghosted so I found myself reading Sorry I Missed You by Suzy Krause

June 13th, 2020

Have you ever been ghosted?

You meet someone and it’s all good, the phone calls, texts and meetings and then out of the blue the trail grows cold. A friend calls it “Kujitoa kwa mix,” and don’t get me started on those blue ticks on whatsapp and how after a while you call and they don’t answer then it hits you that they left you long before they stopped communicating with you.

So, I’ve been ghosted and I have ghosted people as well- and even gone ahead and ignored the various strangers who send you messages on Facebook Messenger with ‘hi’ or ‘hey’ or ‘hi babe.’ It hurts even more that now you cannot delete your messenger account/ if you uninstall the app- someone can still send you a message and wait for years before you respond! So, when I saw this book on Netgalley- I had to read it, for there is nothing as awesome as bonding over shared experiences!

About the book:

When Mackenzie, Sunna, and Maude move into a converted rental house, they are strangers with only one thing in common—important people in their lives have “ghosted” them. Mackenzie’s sister, Sunna’s best friend, and Maude’s fiancé—all gone with no explanation.

So when a mangled, near-indecipherable letter arrives in their shared mailbox—hinting at long-awaited answers—each tenant assumes it’s for her. The mismatched trio decides to stake out the coffee shop named in the letter—the only clue they have—and in the process, a bizarre kinship forms. But the more they learn about each other, the more questions (and suspicions) they begin to have. All the while, creepy sounds and strange happenings around the property suggest that the ghosts from their pasts might not be all that’s haunting them…Will any of the housemates find the closure they are looking for? Or are some doors meant to remain closed?

My take: This book is funny, quirky, nostalgic and oh so true because if you’ve ever been ghosted/ had someone grow cold and distance without warning- then you would probably enjoy this read.

Maude brings to life the feeling of being ghosted most when she feels:

She knew she wasn’t the first person to be left like that; leaving was what people did best and most often. But the abruptness of this leaving, the unexplained nature of it, was torture and it came as close to killing her as anything ever had.

The personality of these three women clash; Maude doesn’t want to be disturbed and she is lonely, bitter, brash and pushes boundaries. Sunna has mastered the art of not caring, though she is brilliant, witty and upfront- she also is insecure- needing friends but not necessarily working towards making them. Mackenzie is as cute as a button- cares about how other people feel, and is a closed shell.

When Maude sets up a meeting with Richard to get closure and invites the girls to sit in the conversation, Sunna sets the record straight and I loved what she said so much that I noted it in my journal:

That is how explanations work. They explain. They do not assuage your guilty conscience.

I nearly jumped into the book and hugged her. I laughed at their meetings at the PaperCup cafe. It made my Friday evening.

You can get a copy on Amazon: Kindle $4.99 / Paperback $10.99

This definitely gets 4 stars:

About the author:

Suzy Krause is the author of Valencia and Valentine. She spends her days with her kids and writes when they sleep. She still occasionally finds time to blog just for fun at http://www.suzykrause.com. She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Reading The Top 10 Reasons the Rich Go Broke by John MacGregor

June 10th, 2020

Hello wet, cold, chilly and muddy Wednesday! I should probably get out of bed and pour myself another cup of coffee, but having made three trips to the bathroom in one hour, let’s put the coffee on hold until I’ve finished writing this.

How are you?

How are you really holding on wherever you are?

I traveled back to Mbita- a 3 hour drive away from Kisumu, to see to the implementation of the projects we had initiated before the Corona shutdown, and now that I am back, I can’t say I’ve been out and about- because there are still measures in place- the physical distancing, wearing of masks, washing of hands and simply making sure there is little physical contact and it’s hard especially with communities in the rural areas where I work. They saw me and wanted to hug me, greet me and some were inviting me to their homes for meal-and I truly missed such connections. It was even harder reminding them that there was still the need no physical contact to help curb Corona.

So, I settled down from Monday and started reading The Top 10 Reasons why the Rich Go Broke. I truly need to manage my finances and from March, the stringent measures taken worldwide to deal with Corona showed me that one; I had no emergency funds, surviving from paycheck to paycheck is like walking on broken glass, and I definitely have to develop and invest in new modes of income.

Respect what you do, earn enough to be careful where to put it.

The author talks an crippling internal weakness we all share which he defines as the B.E.A.R Trap: Beliefs, Excuses, Actions and Results

He asked a simple question that’s got me thinking about our education system and it’s given me ideas to explore and actualize. This question was “why do we have so much trouble understanding money?”

He goes on to share the 10 reasons we give that lead to traps that affect our finances and each chapter is dedicated to exploring these factors. Trap one was my absolute favorite “Stuck on the Outside,” because no matter how hard we try, when I look all around me, it’s the one trap we all fall into. Doing everything for the Gram! Trying to catch up with others- buying stuff we don’t need to please people we don’t know.

This is another gem I got from Netgalley- and now I have 12 more titles in different genres to read and enjoy.

And, I’m big on those phrases that spark something in me, some of the few that got me thinking herein were:

The cost of an item isn’t simply what it’s sold for, but what it costs the owner to own.

True change can occur only when a person is able to acknowledge how their BELIEFS mold their EXCUSES which manipulate their ACTIONS that opens the avenue to a sincere desire to make change for better RESULTS.

So, what’s your story when it comes to money?

My take on this:

I would however advise that no reader should be fooled by the title. This book does not talk about billionaires or mention any of them as case studies, but rather it focuses on you and me- and if you have access to money and you think you are not rich…then that belief right there would make you miss out on some pretty good advice here.

You can get a copy from Amazon: here

About the author:

John has been a leader and innovator in the financial services industry for over 25 years and his true passion is helping people understand how easy it is to live a financially secure life if they have the right mindset and process in place. John is the Founder & Executive Director of ThrivePath – The Revolutionary Process to Financial Freedom and Peace of Mind. He is the author of The Top 10 Reasons the Rich Go Broke: Powerful Stories That Will Transform Your Financial Life… Forever, The Ultimate Guide to Selecting a Financial Advisor, Unlock Your Money Code – Master Your Mind And Live Your Rich Life and The Legacy Book – What To Do Before Your Loved One Passes.

To work with John visit https://www.johnmacgregor.net/
Table for Two

June 7th, 2020

I once heard the moon say that only the sun knew her secrets,

Get your face mask on.

I’ll slip a bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse,

Meet me outside, under the mango tree,

Carry your bluetooth speaker,

Let’s listen to my playlist.

I’ll set a table for two.

Stardust, I’m asking, would you like to have coffee with me?

pexels.com
Hope

June 5th, 2020

Never count sand in the morning,

You’ll never get past the first grain you behold,

And in so doing, the sun will go to sleep and so will the sun within you.

pexels.com

Never count the lashes they give you,

Your scars will always remind you of how many times they broke you.

Never hold onto the bile in your heart,

It may spread into your soul and once that goes dark,

death looms and there is nothing as worse as the death of the soul while the body still lives.

Never let those who choose to see you kneel before them break your spirit,

Rise up even if it’s one toe at time,

Rise up Child,

For your spirit is from those of old, eons of prosperity and pain, and you only heard of what the phoenix could do, but have you ever asked yourself what the Sun’s been doing every day?

You are it, Child, so fight for it, forgive to heal and rebuild, fight…

Hope.
Friendship and Proverbs: Reading When the Apricots Bloom by G.N.Wilkinson

June 1st, 2020

About the book:

Inspired by her own experiences stationed in Baghdad during Saddam Hussein’s rule, former foreign correspondent Gina Wilkinson’s evocative, suspenseful debut is told through the eyes of three very different women in Iraq at the turn of the millennium. A secretary, an artist and a diplomat’s wife, each must confront the complexities of trust, friendship, and motherhood under the rule of a dictator and his ruthless secret police…

In a perfect world, we could wait until the apricots bloom. Alas, the world is not perfect.

Rating:

I saw this book on Netgalley and I had to request the publisher to read it because I was drawn to two things on the blurb: the fact that it’s set in Iraq during Saddam’s reign and the second aspect involved three different women. I asked myself what could a secretary, an artist and a diplomat’s wife have in common?

The story delves into the need for control by Saddam’s government, enforcing rules and corrupt police officers who demand that people do as they ask and if they do not, someone close to them or simply the people themselves disappear. The diplomats are also spied on by the Iraqis and the police visit anytime to glean information from the Iraqi spies- mostly in their homes, reminding them of the hold they have on them.

As the story begins, the author introduces us to both Huda and Rania, as young girls who take a blood oath to always protect each other’s secrets. As the story unravels, Huda comes off as the one who would go to any lengths to protect her family, including blackmailing her former childhood friend, Rania, and it does not help that she is also working for the police as an informant- giving details of Ally’s life.

A secret is like a dove, once it leaves your hand, it flies where it wants.

In reading this book, Huda was ice cold towards Rania and you could not help but wish that she could take a step back and soften towards her friend. Rania on the other hand is the artist, both wise and calm and she knows when to push and when to refrain. What I found oddly satisfying was that both women had suffered the loss of their loved ones at the turn of Saddam’s reign, yet their approach towards this loss was utterly different. Rania was warm towards people while Huda was aloof. Her words could slice you open.

Ally, the diplomat’s wife, is noted as ‘housewife’ on her Australian passport- but her coming to Baghdad is not just to support her husband, Tom, but it’s to find out about her mother- a child’s last hope of trying to put together the pieces of her mother’s life. She starts asking questions and soon learns that in a dictatorship, your words could make you or kill you, literally.

I love proverbs and sayings and I came across many of them in this book, some that stood out are:

A lie takes only one moment to leave the mouth, but it can linger to the grave.

Sorrow sweeps everything out of your house violently, so that joy has space to enter.

A friend knows better than an enemy how to do you harm.

The story of these three women is both nostalgic as it is heartbreaking and it reminded me of the countless number of lives that are affected in war-torn countries, countries facing civil unrest, and more so dictatorships.

This book is also beautifully written that you cannot help but urge Huda, Rania and Ally on, in their quest and their friendship.

About the author:

I’ve been a nomad from the age of six-months, when my parents packed me and our Siamese cat into an old Renault and set off for a remote gold-mining town in Australia’s Nullarbor desert. Since then I’ve circumnavigated the globe many times. As a foreign correspondent, I reported from some of the globe’s most intriguing and dangerous places for renowned broadcasters such as the BBC, NPR, and the ABC.

Visit her site: https://www.ginawilkinson.net/
Rain

May 31st, 2020

I once heard the moon say,

Every time a soul is wronged, Heaven weeps,

Her words crawled the length of my spine,

I asked, “How can we tell that heaven is weeping?”

The moon smiled at me, and when I looked back at her,

She said, “Look outside Child, don’t you see heaven weeping?”

http://www.pexels.com
Still At Home: Updates on life amidst COVID-19 quarantine measures

May 28th, 2020
It’s a Thursday and no, that right there is more for me than it is for you. I lost track of days and dates towards the end of last month and I’ve struggled to keep abreast of such details because a part of me knows that I’ll be resuming field duty in a week or so.

There’s been a lot that has happened since my previous post on staying at home, and on top of that list is that I stopped working out.

Yes, at some point, I got exhausted by the routine house chores that doing jumping jacks, planking or doing squats never went well with me. I was sore, so I stopped working out, and the result is that I am chubbier than usual and my Mom approves!

So, let’s get into my life’s updates:

On writing: I started working on In The Quiet and I have been closely sharing updates with my Mentor on this novella, hoping to release it in July.

On reading: I should probably stop adding more books on my galley, but it doesn’t help that Netgalley has so many new releases every hour or so- and I cannot resist a book that I am drawn to. I have so many to read by next week:

On special life events: Yesterday was my Mom’s 60th birthday and it was such a joy to see her smile, dance and enjoy such a milestone. I was even more happy that I got to share in her day. My favorite part was getting a slice of the Cake!

On keeping sane: I have been taking naps and a break from writing when I feel like it and my sleep pattern’s altered drastically. I write from 10am to around Midday and prepare lunch for the family. I take my naps sometime between 2pm and 3pm, if not I watch a Nigerian movie because Mom and I can have a laugh at this!

I finally sleep at 2am and the cycle continues. Oh yes, and Kisumu is hot so taking cold showers helps and these have risen to 3 or 4 depending on the work I do in the day!

What I’m looking forward to:
1. Staying healthy- with the World Health Organization saying that we may have to continue living with the Corona Virus, I find myself both fearful and eager to get back to work. My kind of work involves constant communication and touch with communities so I have to take more safety measures to ensure I am of good health to keep working.
2. Writing some more
3. Finally putting the pieces of my 2020 writing goal of joining and participating in a community of writers. I’m already loving the #WritingCommunity on Twitter, and I am looking forward to joining another here in Kenya.
4. Replacing my passport. I would love to travel some more and experience different cultures around the world.
5. Being aware of my access points- I was watching a sermon online and the preacher said something about access points- being more like the weak links where we let anything and everything in and this wounds us and it’s key for us to take charge of what we consume holistically to lead better lives.
6. Working out consistently. I hope I get this done!
Have an awesome week wherever you are and I’m sending you love and positive vibes wherever you are. May you be a light, receive light and give light in all your endeavors.