Ngorongoro.

We left Arusha at around 11am and reached Ngorongoro at 3pm. As we turned for the &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, I didn’t really know what to expect. It was the first time I hadn’t even looked up the place online leaving it all up to As better judgement. As we entered the premises I spotted…

To Arusha and beyond

As our two years in Africa come to end, it was time for the trip that makes Tanzania a magnet for tourists from around the world. We hadn’t been able to make a safari trip so far due to As crazy work schedule. This was our farewell Tanzani trip and we wanted it to be…

Orchard.

The relationship between kids and parents can never be equal. I know that today more than ever because I myself am a parent. I also miss my father more than ever today. I miss his shoulder that I knew I could always lean on. I miss the gait, so full of life, always a spring…

Khawaja.

So I was reading this book, Emma’s War by Deborah Scroggins. It’s about the Sudanese civil war and I came across the Sudanese term for white people-Khawaja. In Singapore and Malaysia, the slang term for white people is Ang Mo (which literally means redhead in Hokkien). In Swahili, they use the term ‘mzungu’ to refer…

Lost in time.

King Julian, the root of all evil, has finally been replaced. Hallelujah. The new kid on the block is Mr Nduger, who, for purposes of simplification, will be referred to as Dougie Howser. Turns out Dougie hates women. He doesn’t like me telling him to do things. Clean the car. Pick up shopping bags. Open…

The city by the river.

The sweet smell of jasmine floating with the evening breeze.  Flocks of birds filling the ombré sky signalling dusk. Oh Lahore. If I have ever loved a city, it’s you. 

Hibiscus.

July 2011. Redang Island, Malaysia. Everything is postcard perfect. The sand is white. The ocean the deepest shade of emerald. Yet, my heart is sad. The salty ocean breeze seems cloggy, almost suffocating. I feel a sense of loss. Something is wrong. I don’t know what it is. Yet. Three days later, I receive a…

Easter weekend.

Spontaneous plans are always the best. This Easter we hadn’t really planned a trip. A wasn’t sure if he’d be working over the break and didn’t want to prebook. Easter isn’t much of a long holiday in Asia but here in Tanzania, we had a four day long break. Baby was also off from school…

Of Mzungus and Airconditioning.

Mzungu is the term for white man, here in Tanzania. Much like Gora Saab in Pakistan and Ang Mo in Singapore. The first time I noticed a correlation between Mzungus and airconditioning was when I went to a souvenir shirt boutique at the posh oyster bay shopping center. I had been in the shop for…

Remembering.

“Remembering bred its own peculiar sorrow. It seemed so unfair: that time should render both sadness and happiness into a source of pain.” Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance.

Ubuntu.

One of the new terms I picked up as I moved to this beautiful new continent was “Ubuntu”. Originating from the Nguni Bantu dialect it roughly translates to ‘human kindness’. However, Ubuntu seems to have a much deeper meaning in Africa than just this literal translation. The Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee defines Ubuntu in…

The Reluctant Repatriate.

A few days ago I read a blog post on the Wall Street Journal titled ‘Repatriation Blues: Expats struggle with the dark side of coming home’ by Debra Bruno. Some of the things Bruno talks about really hit home and thought it would make for a nice discussion on the blog. Lots of resources will…