Last week I lost my uncle (my mother's brother). I was devastated because we were close. I am not always good with keeping in touch with people, so I would often go for long periods without communicating with him but he would always reach out to find out how I was. The last time I talked to him was on the 12th of July. He phoned and was so happy telling me that his grand daughter had just finished her last semester at university and she was going to graduate in September. Little did I know that that was the last time I was speaking to him.
A lot of my childhood memories are filled of going for holidays at his house and spending fun days with his family. One particular holiday I remember him playing a particular song almost everyday and encouraging us to dance. Oh how we would dance. I guess it was his song of the moment. This is the song, it has always and will remain to remind me of him:
I am going to miss you Uncle S. May your soul rest in peace.
So when we heard of his death, my brother and 2 other cousins made immediate plans to travel the
2 560 km (back and forth) journey with a boarder to cross in between, road trip. It was not an easy trip since we encountered some delays along the way. It was worth it though. Here are a few pictures:
Imagine we got a flat Tyre. It just had to happen when it had just gotten dark.
The guys fixing the car.
I got to see my handsome awesome nephew. Love the way he looks right at the camera and smiles.
There he is - learning to drive already?
Random picture on the way.
This is the place where Uncle S was buried.
Poor dog, it was so hot and he couldn't help but sleep.
We left at 02.00 hrs on Tuesday early morning and where back by Thursday 14.00 hrs. This was a marathon journey and we were exhausted. But I am so glad that I was able to be there and bid Uncle S good bye. A summary of who my uncle was: he was a frank person who was not afraid to say what was on his mind. He was that kind of a person with whom you could have an argument with but within a short time he would have moved on, he did not keep grudges. He was a perfectionist and never accepted mediocrity. He loved people and loved God, the many testimonies given were proof of that. He is going to be greatly missed.
It was 2011, together with a couple of friends we decided
to drive over to Watford where the Soul Survivor Festival was happening. The
couple of hours we spent there were amazing and how I wished I had signed up
for the whole conference and not just a day. Just before we left we stopped by
the stalls, we wanted to buy a CD/s to listen to on the way home. There were so
many to choose from and so many names I had never heard, it was hard to made a decision. Then my friend
Cherie grabs this CD with this beautiful woman on the cover, takes a look at the
song list and says, ‘Let’s take this one. I know the Revelation Song so she
must be good.’ So we got the CD and what a good choice it was. We listened to the CD during the 2 hr drive from Watford to
Andover, repeating our favorites several times. I fell in love with songs
like, ‘Healer’, ‘My Beloved’, Sweep Me Away’, ‘No Sweeter Name’, Everyone Needs
a Little’, ‘You are for Me’ – hey wait a minute – am I just about to list every
song from the album? Since then I have been a fan of Kari Jobe and her music. She
has a beautiful voice and sings from the soul. Her music leaves me with no doubt
how much she loves Jesus.
The other day I saw the interview she and husband gave and
one of the stories she told touched me and reminded me about God’s faithfulness
even regarding the seemingly small things. Yes, indeed God is always listening
and even when we have forgotten He doesn’t. So Kari shares the story of green
eyes and how she always said she wanted to marry a man with green eyes.
However, when she first got to know her husband, then just a friend, he had
brown eyes. Let me not spoil the story – so I guess you have to listen and
watch the clip to know what happened. But all I can say is that – her husband
now has green eyes.
Of late I have been watching the re-runs of Family Matters a
classic comedy which used to be a hit back in the day.A scene from one of the episodes touched me.
Family Matters centers around an African American family the Winslows and their
nerdy next door neighbor Steve Urkel who is crazy about the eldest daughter of
the family Laura. Steve is nuts about Laura and will do anything for her. So in
this episode Laura is with one of her friends, the scene is something like
this:
‘Laura can you go to the home coming dance with me’ said
Steve.
‘No, thanks’she responds.
Then Steve starts celebrating and Laura’s friend is confused
and asks Steve why he is so happy when he has just been turned down and he
answers:
‘Yesterday it was drop down nerdy boy and today it was a simple no thanks.That is progress’
Then he goes on to do his weird dance saying to Laura,
'I'm wearing you down babe, I'm wearing you down.
I had an immediate flash back of a similar thing that
happened awhile back to me. When I moved to South Africa for a long time my job
search was very disheartening. I used to apply for loads and loads of jobs but
I would not hear back from anyone– zero, just silence. I keep at it and then I
started to get responses – regrets but I
was so happy to get them because I reasoned that I had made progress because
now there was evidence my applications were being received and at least being
looked at.
Persistence is a requirement for anyone who wants to make it in
life. It is only those who persist who will get to the finish line. I have
found that in the journey of persisting celebrating small victories helps. It
might seem like a small thing but it’s a victory all the same and it’s a step
closer to the final goal. Steve Urkel you rock, thanks for reminding me to
acknowledge and celebrate all victories even the small ones because it means
one step closer to where I want to go.
When I
arrived in Sweden it was towards the end of summer. It was still warm but for some of us who are used to warm weather we couldn't do without at least a cardigan. About 3 weeks in someone arranged for all of us (us being me and my classmates) to go to one of the local Islands for a picnic. I do not remember the name of the Island but I remember we had a wonderful time. It was also my first time going out to sea on a boat - exciting times.
This is the boat that took us to the Island. I was initially nervous but I discovered it was actually fun watching the waves and looking out at the sea.
Come on in - its time to board and start off.
Off and away we go.
The Swedish Flag being blown by the fresh sea air.
Ahoy!Another boat going in the opposite direction.
View from the Boat.
Approaching land. .
I miss Sweden. Pictures like this remind me why I love it so much.
Isn't this a cute house?
Perfect spot for a picnic.
Come on guys let us check out this place.
Finally some food. Look at how everyone is focused. Eating is serious business neh?
Off we go again down memory lane. This is another re-cap from past my travels and activities, this particular one is a continuation of my time in Sweden.
About 3 weeks after my arrival in Goteborg (5-7 September 2007), Sweden I went for a Scout Camping Outing in Boras (a town near Goteborg) as a volunteer. I was eager to be engaged in as many activities as possible so when the opportunity came along I couldn't say no.
The Boras Train Station. Boras is a city wich is just 60 km from Goterborg. We caught a train from Goteborg station and whala we were in Boras were a friend of a friend (name forgotten) was there to pick us up.
Before heading out to the the Camp Site in the nearby forest we hung out at the friend of a friend's house. This was the view from the balcony.
Var Redo (Be Prepared) is the Scouts motto. Here is the moto in swedish.
This guy was our main Photographer. He took awesome pictures. Actually he took most of the pictures in this post.
Getting the kids together in the morning so as to work out the activities for the day.
The Swedish Flag being raised whilst we all looked on.
Some of the campers with their luggage.
One of the children hard at work in one the activities
Lets us build a fire. This is one skill that is essential for any Scout.
How about taking a break? I am exhausted.
Fun putting up a tent
Playing around during one of the breaks.
This bell was rung as a signal for different activities and things.
Beautiful Forest. Tall trees and thick under ground vegetation.
Look at that mushrooms and leaves on the ground.Beautiful!
After a long activity filled day it was time to wind down.
Another Swedish update coming soon. I think I have two more before moving on to the next country.
I
cannot believe that I have done 100 posts. This post is my 100th
post; and my word it took long to get here - 6 years to be exact. I haven’t been a
regular blogger and there was a time when I completely went off the radar. Anyway...
Browsing
through old posts I was so surprised when I discovered that I never shared much
about my travels on this blog. Maybe it is because I started this blog when I
had done most of my travelling but really it is no excuse. For a while now I
have been feeling restless. I miss travelling – the thrill of visiting new places,
meeting new people and all that goes with it. Things have been up and down so
travelling has not been on my list of priorities in a while but I want that to
change. Going through my pictures of the places I have been has been stirring
me up. To keep me motivated and focused I am going to be sharing pictures of
the different places I have been and some of the interesting things I have done
in the past. First up is Sweden.
Sweden
was the 1st European country I ever visited and it was in August 2007. I remember getting off
the plane at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, going through passport control where there was a
very friendly officer and then heading straight to a Bureau de Change to
convert my dollars into Swedish Kronas. Then I made my way to the train station
to get the train to Goteborg my final destination. At the station I met a
Somalian woman who approached me after seeing my confusion. Although she could
only speak Swedish and Somali and very little English we somehow managed to communicate and she
promised to make sure I would get to the place I was going in Goterborg. She
kept her promise. She only left me when the person who was picking me up came
to get me. Sweden will always hold a special place in my heart and I surely
hope to visit again someday.
Goteborg boasts of having the biggest harbor in Scandinavia. Its all ships and water all around the city and that is one of the things I loved about it.
One of the local trams. The transport system is very good. I was impressed.
A Beautiful Swedish Sunset
The Guilty Pleasure
Ooooh how my classmates and I used to eat cinnamon rolls. We used to call them 'evil rolls' because no matter how much we tried to resist we ended up eating them anyway. Gained a couple of kilo along the way. Even today when I eat cinnamon rolls I think of Sweden.
One of the local stadiums captured from one Swedish Colleague's house where we had gone for a party.
My Hood
I walked this road a thousand times because it led to the supermarket (where that sign is). It's where I did most of my shopping.
This is the building where I stayed. Lovely place.
I just love the way the snow is hanging on the trees and is falling in these two pictures (above and below).
Some of the other flats near where I stayed.
The Place to Hangout and do shopping in Goteborg.
Welcome to Nordstan - Goteborg's main shopping mall. There was always something interesting happening and here was one such time.
