Random Thoughts of a Girl in Nairobi

   This meme is a running joke between me and my friends. Or my friends and I. We occasionally post on social media about how we have successfully 'adulted' for the day. ' Adulting ' being the act of successfully doing something grown- up that you've never done before.Keyword being: successfully. And I know that there is a section of baby-boomers that's sick of this millennial habit of constantly documenting our supposed triumphs for the whole world to see, but I'm pretty sure they'd be doing the same thing if they'd this technology at their disposal in their hey-day. Heck! who I am I kidding?! They did do the same thing.. through phone calls, letters and postcards.    But back to the meme. Being an adult is hard work.. the first time around anyway. I had an experience last year when I accompanied 3 teenage girls to the hospital. Reason being we were at camp and I was a counsellor and they had some injuries that needed to be looked at by a docto...

  Human beings are such ridiculously myopic beings. Whenever a public figure makes a mistake, we focus on that one incident and completely forget all the good they had previously done. It’s easier for us to focus on the bad in a situation and forget all the good. Even in our own personal lives. When something bad happens to us, we focus on it, lament about, worry about it, tell the whole world about it and promptly forget about anything else that was positive in our lives. I think the author of this hymn was onto that. Because the lyrics hit so close to home with an accuracy that is timeless.    There is something refreshing about counting one’s blessings. It’s a reminder that whatever situation you are in is really not that bad and that this too shall pass. It gives you the strength to go on. It reminds you that indeed God is still here and He is still good.    So I don’t know about you, but I’ve made a decision to do it more regularly. For myself...

  It’s not you, it’s him. This one is for the girls. All those girls who've been moaning to their friends about how there is a severe lack of datable guys in our generation. All those girls who are considering giving up on their standards so they can settle. All those girls who are feeling daily pressure to date someone, anyone...especially when Monday rolls around and their timelines blow-up with #MCM posts. I want you take a break from your wallowing and Hollywood rom-com binging and think about this for a moment: What if you haven’t met him because he’s not ready for you yet?    I’m a strong proponent of being the one. As in, becoming the kind of person you would want to date. You can read about that in a previous post . I’m also a strong proponent of dating God’s way and that His timing is best. I know we all acknowledge that there are things in our lives we may need to grow out of or sift through because at the back of our minds we know that they’re ...

I have a bad habit of complaining unnecessarily about situations sometimes. And then my Christian senses ( kinda like spidey-senses but with more of a connection to Jesus ) kick-in and I remember that I've been through so much worse. That my petty issues are nothing in comparison to  say death on a cross. Oh,  And also Phillipians 2: 14-16 Do everything without grumbling or arguing,   so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of Godwithout fault in a warped and crooked generation.”Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky So basically I should be different from the world. That's what we were called for.    It's so easy to wallow in thoughts of what you don't have and forget what you do. Which is why I found myself reminding myself to count my blessings. It sounds so cliche but when it comes down to it,  it's a fundamental truth.    Take today for example. We went on a school visit to Tigoni ho...

   Growing-up I watched my parents and their friends buy each other cards for birthdays, Christmas, success and we even got congratulations cards when my brother was born. I managed to fish out the cards that have survived in the house. I bought some of them myself and wrote Merry Christmas in my child-like squiggly hand-writing. So why don’t we do that anymore? Because I know from experience that card-buying is an art. You first look for one that passes on the message you want. Then you separate the gaudy from the tasteful. Finally, you pick the one the person you’re buying for would likely like the most. You see, it’s an art! Even the bank used to send me a card for my Birthday! Birthday cards Success cards...mostly mum's Congratulations cards My favourite: Christmas cards    For all the good that technology has done for us, it’s taken away that authenticity in our declarations of affection. Admit it, every time someone sends you an e-...

I dare you, to do the positivity challenge. At first glance it looks like just some facebook fad that people are suddenly into but theres a sudden beauty in the thinking underliying it. All your life you've heard the phrase count your blessings,but have you ever taken time to actually do it.? I think I experienced what it was like through this challenge. I did day one wondering if I had enough content for day two..but by the time day two finally rolled-around, I was eager! Apparently being thankful and counting your blessings is good for the soul and I found myself with a near constant smile on my face and a spring in my step. So go on, Try it! And even when it's over, keep on thanking God for the little things. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Ciao...

1.        I am not a slave to food. 2.        God is good.  Sometimes a prayer is the only thing standing between you and giving in to that food temptation. 3.        How to keep busy.  It’s the only way to avoid having food-daydreams and remembering how long it’s been since you last ate. 4.        I don’t give myself enough credit. Apparently I have more self-control than I originally thought. 5.        My stomach is not a sovereign state. Yes its needs can be ignored and pushed aside from time to time without dire repercussions. 6.        It’s not as hard as people make it look. Maybe that’s why Jesus told the disciples to look presentable. To avoid giving others false perceptions about the whole process. 7.      ...

   I’m going to make a confession. For the past approximately 4 years my hair has entirely been in braids. I’d undo one set of braids and get another re-done literally the next day...for four years! Don’t judge me yet because mine is a story many of you might identify with.     Like most African girls, I was told growing-up that my hair was ‘difficult’ or ‘too much trouble’ and therefore the only way to make it manageable was to relax it. I’ve only relaxed my hair twice in my lifetime and both times it ended with a haircut because the breakage was so bad. The first time was in primary school and the second was in form 2 of high school. You can only imagine how frustrated I was both times. The non-stop braiding regime began after high school. The aim being for me to grow my hair to a certain length then probably relax it ( again ). It’s not that I have anything against short hair; it looks incredible on some people. It’s just that some girls prefer flowers...

This year, I decided that I would give football one last chance. You know? Watch the world-cup matches with a completely open mind and if I didn’t love the game afterwards then there would be no hope. I’ve only followed 3 World cups in my whole life: 1.        France 98 – I was 7 years old and in-love with all things French so I watched it simply because France was hosting. I still remember the theme song ‘Ole ole ole ola’! 2.        South Africa 2010 - Come on, every African with an ounce of pride in their heritage was watching this one! 3.        Brazil 2014.     So 1 hour to the opening ceremony and I hadn’t chosen a team to support. I randomly settled on Spain because they won the previous World cup ( wrong choice ). I also picked all African countries ( Big-ups to Ghana by the way ). I watched the opening match and...It was actually pretty darn interesting! I wa...

I haven't blogged anything about the Westgate attack in the past week. I think I was looking for the right words. How to express my condolences and try to comfort all those who were affected. How to explain the pride I feel when I open my wallet and spot my national ID: the one that says Kenyan. How to tell you that through every day as we were praying I always had faith in God, and I knew that the whole nightmare would end. Yeah, those are a lot of things to try and put into words. But if you're reading this, and you need a little encouragement, I'll leave you with this: Psalm 3:1-8 NKJV Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. 2 Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah 3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. 4 I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hil...

   I don’t pride myself in being a poet, or an expert in the workings of the universe. I don’t think that I have the answers to everything, In fact I’ll admit that there’s a lot of stuff that I really don’t know. A lot of stuff that I’m still trying to figure out in my life. But what I do pride myself in is the fact that I’m here. And sometimes that’s all we need. Someone who’s currently at the exact same place that we are or who has been in the exact same place at one point or another. Someone to hold our hands or pat us on the back and say that ‘’it’s ok’’ or ‘‘I know what that’s like’’ or ‘‘you’ll get through it’’. That way I know that everything that happens in my life might someday be an inspiration to someone or maybe even a lesson. It could be a friend or a sibling or maybe the kids I haven’t had yet.    I mean think about it. There’s this verse in the bible that says nothing new under the sun. Actually it’s:   Ecclesiastes 1:9   What has been...

   A blanket. That’s what I imagine my life to be. Every experience, every person I meet is a single thread. Just a tiny bit of the whole thing. Sure, some people and experiences are so big that they are like the main picture stitched into the blanket, but only some. Unfortunately it’s so easy for me, for all of us to forget this simple fact. We obsess over the tiniest of failures and over people whose actions should probably not bother us at all. We make them the centre-piece of our universe and focus on details so minute that we miss the bigger picture. We are short-sighted and it’s the best example of biased judgement I could ever come up with. And it is for this reason that it so important to sometimes seek somebody else’s opinion. Someone who’s able to stand at a distance and observe the bigger picture without seeing it through rose-coloured glasses. Someone who’d be able to tell the truth without hiding anything just because it would sound better.    ...

   In my opinion, regret has got to be one of the ugliest human feelings ever! It is one of the worst situations possible because it makes you feel helpless. Helpless because whatever your regretting was probably your fault. Helpless because whatever it is that you did probably cannot be undone. Helpless because it haunts you. It gives your guilty conscience free reign over your thoughts and waking moments. In short, it pretty much sucks!    But I think that the same finality that brings about the helplessness also brings about hope. If what’s done is done and it can’t be undone; if you’ve fallen so low that you couldn’t possibly get any lower; then doesn’t that mean that you can only move forward? Because if you’ve really hit rock bottom then logically the only direction left to go is up! The only thing you can do is bounce back.    And no, it won’t be a quick-fix. No, it won’t happen over-night. Yes, you will struggle with it, but you’ll always ha...

   This was the thought running through my head at the start of the year and it’s the same thought in my mind as I sit here with music in my ears waiting for my pizza while writing this. I'm going to be honest and say that 2012 ended in a pretty crappy way for me. Stuff just happened at the end of the year to completely shake up my confidence and sense of reality. But through it all and the incredible things that followed I realized that I was just passing through a crucible and I was meant to come out better at the end of, it all. And I reached a point here I literally sat and told God ‘I don’t know what you’re doing in my life, I’m not even sure that I like it, but I trust you’. I once referred to myself as a serial optimist while chatting with a friend. And I’m not ashamed of it, neither am I afraid of it. How can I when His word tells me stuff like:     I don't believe in coincidence and definitely not, in chance. Because in my few years I have s...

Pitter patter out my window Reminding me of sadness Reminding me of pain Pitter patter out my window Funny how you match my mood Shame it won’t do me much good Pitter patter out my window Tell me raindrop Does it hurt when you finally drop? Pitter patter out my window Steady as a heartbeat Reminding me of music Pitter patter out my window Giving life And making new Pitter patter out my window Washing away the day Cleansing me from my pain Pitter patter out my window Pitter patter out my window . . . . . . ...And a little something I found on you-tube. Took my breath away. Hope it does the same for you too.....

There will come a day when you will pick yourself up dust yourself off and move on There will come a day when you'll wipe your tears away wipe your past away and smile again There will come a day when every sad song won't be your sad song and you won't dwell on everything that was wrong There will come a day when you'll stop pining for one who's not worth a dime let alone your time There will come a day when you'll learn to forgive and be able again to give to those around you There will come a day when you'll hold your head up high past your inadequacies and all your short-comings There will come a day when you will grow up and live up to all you are meant to be But until that day comes You best believe that there will come a day

   Bloggers and writers the world over may have different answers to this question (And I believe that this applies to writers too). But in my opinion it’s ‘Baring your thoughts and opinions to this bevy of people who can either like it or hate it’. And trust me, people can be very critical!! Just look at any random movie review and you’ll see what I mean. For example some of you may have watched ‘The Avengers’ or ‘The Dark knight rises’ and thought that they were the best movies made this year (Yes, I confess that those are my favourite 2012 movies so far.... :-) ) but somewhere..out there..... there’ll be someone who thinks that they are total crap!       Hence the reason why I don’t rely on book, movie or music critics so that I can judge whether something is worth my time/money. I like to form my own opinions because in the 2 decades I’ve spent on this planet I’ve learnt that criticism is simply opinion. And opinion can be heavily biased ...

Life is a journey. If you are a Lord of the rings fan then maybe you can picture yourself as Frodo. So you are on this epic quest to get to the place where you’re supposed to be, fulfill your maximum potential or rather fulfill God’s purpose for your life. But along the way you pass through barren and harsh landscapes and you have to fight scary-looking creatures (In a more realistic sense these would represent the challenges you face). But the particular piece of imagery I’d like to use today is a lake.    So you’re on your journey and you reach a lake you’re meant to cross. The water is dark, the clouds look like their about to unleash a tornado and the shore on the other side looks so far away. So you freak out and in some cases try to avoid crossing it if you can. And even if you do begin to cross, you do so with so much fear and almost always contemplate turning back.    Same thing with life. See at some point there are things we all have to do to ...