Where’s our History?

It has been a long while but then again the whole purpose of this blog was to write about my family book project so there will always be quiet spells. In any case I hope you are all keeping well.

So let’s see. I finally got a book outline done and have been reading everything I can about the migrations of people in Africa. However, therein lies the problem. Perhaps it has to do with where I live but that information is preciously hard to come by. I am therefore open to any suggestions about new reading material in that regard. They say the past is prologue so I figure that’s a good place to start.

I really want to see how far back I can trace my family history and how to place it in the larger context of Ugandan history.

Talking of Ugandan history, I am reminded of a friend’s recent Facebook status that asked “What does it mean to be Ugandan?” I am deeply interested in a satisfactory answer to that question. I have often felt that we do not really have a Ugandan identity. A Ugandan Zeitgeist if you will. We seem to just have ever more pronounced tribal identities.

I look forward to your reading recommendations.

Musings about Life

Life really is a thing of great beauty!

I accidentally came across and read a wonderful tribute to someone (who judging by the tribute) was a incredible individual. The immense joy and intense pain in the tone of the tribute set me in deep thought about life and life’s ways.

I think much of my life I’ve been something of a ‘worrier’ but life teaches you to let go and just live in the moment. I now find joy in really ridiculous things like this young Arabic speaking couple who ride on our public transport and cannot stop touching and stealing kisses very early in the morning. They’re obviously married. The lady is all veiled up which makes it more fun to watch. It gives me joy because it is so contrary to images we see projected of people in Middle East and other Arab & Muslim countries. This just reminds us that we’re all the same. Two young people in love will do the same thing no matter where they are from. 

Yesterday after a little power problem at work I got to leave work early (4pm) and thought I’d use the time productively and get my 7yr old his own camera so he can stay away from mine. Well off I went in the rain to a busy 44th and 5th Best Buy. Right outside the shop was a really long line of people waiting (in many cases soaked) for someone who I can only imagine must have been a high profile celebrity. In the rain! It’s not like there’s a job or money opportunity that came with this sighting. There’s something to be said for growing up in Uganda minus the ‘Stars’. I just don’t do ‘star struck’ at all. I’m inspired by a lot of successful people but never star struck.

I’ve been in NYC two years and I really am just starting to warm to life here. What an incredible place! I don’t mean the grand buildings (I’m yet to do the NYC sight seeing tour buses), crowds (although they have much to do with it) or even the fast pace. It’s the unbelievable range of experiences one can have here. From tasteful stuff like looking at historic and expensive art at the Met, fantastic restaurants (whatever cuisine you fancy) to ridiculously long lines waiting to get into most clubs (I’m way too old to do this), big (I mean humongous) rats in the subway to eating really crappy (and sometimes really great) food at the street corner. Life is never dull here.

So what’s not to like about life? If you’ve still got some breath in you, just look around you and there’s plenty to love about life.

On Writing…..

I haven’t done much writing yet but I have done plenty of reading. I used to be a voracious reader and somewhere along the way other things in life took over but I’ve rediscovered that long lost love for books. I’ve got to plug here some great Authors & books that I accidentally discovered during my current reading spree.  I’ve got to start with my countryman Moses Isegawa and his two amazing books Snakepit & Abyssinia and a Zimbabwean writer Brian Chikwava’s book Harare North. Great stuff!

I’ve also discovered two fantastic blogs (both Kenyan) www.kenyanpundit.com and www.kaasa1.wordpress.com. These are women after my own heart I tell you. But…….where are the Ugandan bloggers?

The greatest writing advice I’ve got so far is that everyday write down something. It doesn’t have to be about the subject of research or even a meaningful story. It can be just a bunch of words, a poem, a few phrases, a journal entry or indeed story. It helps keep writers block away and if you are a newbie like me, it helps you start to enjoy writing.

Talking of writing, I had to write a Haiku for my son’s class last week and his (Japanese) teacher was kind enough to provide the 5-7-5 instructions. I dreaded the thought but it needed to get done. Oh how I enjoyed the experience I now have 7 done. I don’t know if they are any good but I so enjoyed the process.

Speaking of my son (as you can see I’m always in proud mother mode), we (my husband, daughter & I) are active participants in his class tomorrow morning. They do language theater workshops every Friday where the class acts out a story they are reading. It’s gonna be great fun! A nice start to our 3-day weekend.

Have a lovely weekend!

A long exciting journey

This is my first blog ever and I want to use it to think out loud about (and perhaps as a sounding board for) something completely alien to me. However, it occurred to me that perhaps a little housekeeping is in order.

I am not blogging for money or to ‘make policy’. I’m not an activist, intellectual (even though I do on occaision enjoy intellectual discussions) or anything like that. I just want to think out loud. I am mostly going to blog for fun, not to change the world.

If I am so lucky as to get people commenting on my blogs, this is how I’ll handle comments: You have three chances to negatively rag on me before you are toast. 

I thank you for visiting.

I like many people have read President Barack Obama’s books and Dreams from my Father piqued my interest for many reasons not least of which is that fact that I have Kenyan connections and the book is very well written. However, the thing that stays with me is that he managed to document his personal history in a way that only someone from an under-documented society like mine can appreciate. Many of us are losing our history with the loss of fireside folk tales.

I have for many years now toyed with the idea of documenting my family history as a way of giving my children a sense of personal history and belonging. Anyone living away from their own country, culture or in a mixed cultural household knows how important that is. However, there is nothing like badly written material to turn one off a subject for good so I’m hoping to avoid that pitfall. Enter Dreams from my Father. That’s the kind of personal or family history I would like to write for my kids. It has to be a good read while holding true to the story.

My plan here is to research both about the writing process and material, take some writing lessons and blog about that writing journey and since  I have no publishing plans grand or otherwise, I’m hoping any and all ragging on me here will result in a review process and hence a better book.

Here’s to the beginning of what I know will be a long (and possibly emotional) and exciting journey.