mary's bday

So I am all grown up and officially a case club member of a winery! I feel so mature, which is more than i can say about my behaviour last night...which we will not discuss... just know that I had cake in my hair at some point...

The gang and I went to celebrate Mary's (100th?-lol) birthday! we went to boordy's (www.boordy.com ) to support Maryland wines by drinking them...:) They had wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres. They had about 20 wines for us to taste...so as u can imagine, i was not driving home! then we went out to Sushi Hana- as is tradition for birthdays in our "circle". We also got to meet Angela's new baby sierra... she's the white dog doing a dookey! Then we went home... though I really wanted to go dancing:(

Today it's off to Michele's baby shower which I forgot coincides with the Darfur rally and starts at the same time boo-hoo!. I actually didn't RSVP for Michele's baby shower because I guess I'm rude... so I hope I don't get kicked out.

immigration joke

this is a joke that was forwarded to me.... I am clueless as to who wrote it, but i found it funny any way... especially since "aliens" in the USA need to learn American history in order to get citizenship... enjoy!

It was the first day of school and a new student named Pedro Martinez,the son of a Mexican restaurateur, entered the fourth grade.The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American history. "Who said 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death?' " She saw a sea of blankfaces, except for Pedro, who had his hand up."Johnny Kennedy, 1920.""Very good!" apprised the teacher. "Now, who said, "Government of thepeople, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth?"Again, no response except from Pedro: "Abraham Lincoln, 1863." The teacher snapped at the class, "Class, you should be ashamed! Pedro,who is new to our country, knows more about its history than you do!" She heard a loud whisper: "Screw the Mexicans!" "Who said that?" shedemanded.Pedro put his hand up. "Jim Bowie, 1836."At that point, a student in the back said, "I'm gonna puke." The teacherglared and asked, "All right! Now, who said that?" Again, Pedro answered, "George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister,1991."Now furious, another student yelled, "Oh yeah? Suck this!"Pedro put his hand up and shouting to the teacher, "Bill Clinton toMonica Lewinsky, 1997!" Now, with almost a mob hysteria, the teacher said, "stupid idiot, sitdown. Pedro frantically yelled at the top of his voice, "Kenneth Kaundato a journalist, 1989. The teacher fainted, and as the class gathered around her on the floor,someone said, "Oh shit, we're in BIG trouble now!"Pedro whispered, "Saddam Hussein, 2003."

death penalty

I had started off in the beginning telling you that I am Catholic and blah, blah blah... well so I guess you know I am not up for the death penalty, but...

Why is it a big deal that the Killer should be killed in a gentle fashion? dying is dying. By being on death row, we know that they didn't kill in a gentle manner... so what the hell? If we care about not hurting them when we kill them, then we shouldn't kill at all.

I know I said I would keep my mouth shut today...but i couldn't resist.

uneventful

well nothing fun happened today and i probably wont write for the next 2 days. The beauty of my job is that I work 3 times a week and sit on my ass four days a week. I have been sitting on my butt since thursday last week!

I watched Dave Chappelle today... he is too hillarious, then i watched some nigerian movies, which are sometimes soooo hard to follow, but I'm addicted anyway, coz some are really stupid. Then i watched something else about penises. Well it's about these 2 guys that can make their penises look like watches, burgers, little birds...etc... it was soooo disgusting, but my eyes were glued to the T.V.

As it turns out according to News week magazine, the Duke boys were shouting racial slurs... so i am on the strippers side... they did it! Damned little rich racist kids!

Weekend...

I spent the weekend in Lancaster Pennsylvania mostly for my friends art exibition... but also for sight seeing.

Friday I got my first Manicure and pedicure combo! all i can say is woah! massage chair and man rubbing and worshipping my feet! what more can i ask for? Got a new outfit...and looked mighty fine if I can say so myself! and that's not exaggerated because several people mentioned the fact that I looked awesome and artsy! in short- I just can't help that I'm hot!

I have new career plans-- ART!! a little palm sized picture of a horse was $770???? WTF??? I have nothing artsy fartsy in me...and can only draw stick people... but with the right advertisement...I could be rich!!!

Lancaster looks a bit like Baltimore/parts of Washington D.C and boy was it fun to see the Amish with their beards, hats and carts!

Saturday was hillarious! so this group calling themselves N'Bonye African Dancers were set to perform....so there I was rushing to see the performance running in heels that i normally don't wear. I was met by the sound of drums that made me want to gyrate my hips there and then! The drummer had skills! then I walk into the room and the performers are 4 white people in traditional African garb, one black person, and another person of questionable race... now granted I am not a rascist... but that was really ODD! The dancing was a little erratic... but what do I know about Guinean dances? even with my limited experience though, it looked like an immitation of the real thang! for your viewing pleasure visit www.nbonye.com (hey atleast i made u curious to see them, so I'm not that mean innit?)

Sunday wass breakfast with the buddies, shopping, shopping and more shopping for things i probably wont need. Then I was counselling a pregnant friend...big sigh... I am confused by how to help her.

Then i ended the night by enjoying a massage and a nice cold glass of Amarula! ;) I'll have pictures for you when they're ready...

AWESOME!!

stripper/ Duke boys

Dang! I almost forgot to discuss this!

So how does a woman go alone to strip in front of young men with high testoterone levels and cry rape? What was she expecting?

It's different to strip in a bar where there is more safety than in the privacy of some strange home. How did she only pick out the 2 guys? why did she go back to the house?

Those of us that were not there can only stipulate as to what happened... I think they had agreed to have sex... but then they didn't pay her the agreed amount... so she cried rape...

Bottom line is, I guess for a get rich scheme I can always cry rape at a rich kids school!

poverty doesn't equal unhappiness

Walking around Zambia, it never ceases to amaze me at how happy the children are everywhere!
I walked through the shanty compounds and the kids were so full of joy and eager to entain me, though I was a stranger to them! They sang songs and posed for the camera when I took it out, and were generally in good spirits In contrast to their surroundings! Some probaly hadn't seen a meal all day, some probably were orphans with no one to take care of them, some probably had never seen a camera before this day, some probably had never had a picture taken. They made my day with their enthusiasm.

If everyone in the world had half the joy of those kids...the world would be a happy and joyous place...

Darfur

There's a save Darfur rally in Washington D.C on the 30th of April...please be there in support of Sudan...or if you care about genocide.
details: http://savedarfur.org/rally/

I will be discussing Darfur once I figure out what my role is... I am really torn by the issues in Africa, so much that I have no idea where to start in order to help.

Shalom, jah bless...

The big move

being the nomad that I am, i have just moved my blog from one site to this one... so you may notice the conversation doesn't suit the reference.

I kinda like this new place so far, but who know??
Enjoy the read!

U.S Immigration

ok. so the immigrants took to the street to fight heavy punishment on illegal immigrants.

On the one hand, being that I'm foreign and all, I would say say easy on the punishment. I understand the hardhips that come with trying to make a better life for yourself. To be honest really, it's the fault of the United States for implying the country is one full of milk and honey. When the United States is shown on t.v. back at home, most of the shows look like there is absolutely no poverty here...when in fact there is. So juan and leftedi watching t.v in developing nation would assume that in order for their lives to be better, they would need to get to the U.S and live there no matter what! hence...you have people being smuggled in.

Also being an immigrant comes with a bad package as we have seen with the youth in russian and around the developed world who seem to think foreigners are stealing their jobs. That my dear friends is physically impossible. An employer picks the best candidate for the job and the resources available. If he's a cheap ass and prefers to pay minimum wage or under- do you really want to be employed by them???

Then when a foreigner wants to marry a citizen, many people suspect the foreigner of wanting citizenship no matter how genuine the relationship is. I will not lie and say all marriages are valid. There are people who take advantage of others and the system.

On the other hand, I don't see why a person who has had to do things the legal way should be treated the same way as an illegal immigrant as is being suggested. Some people that take the legal route have to wait many years and deal with a lot of bureaucracy before they get citizenship. It's a long rough road for some who try to leagalize their stay in the U.S. and i really don't think its fair for someone who stole their way into the country to receive the same benefits as everyone else.

I am watching a movie while writting this, so i am very distracted... u get the picture of what I'm trying to say though right???

Fever!

HE GIVES ME FEVER! (i just had to get it out!)

The livelyhood of my woman kind is greatly at stake in Zambia! It is vastly disturbing that there are sooo many young lady's willing to do anything to get and most importantly to stay married! My one friend is in a marriage with a man who stops her from working because whe has too many admirers he prefares to guard her (please take note he is not employed!). They have 2 children and I have no idea how they make it through the day. She used to be such a resourceful and hard working lady and now she just sits there and stews in the house. She has lost her youthfulness and most of her beauty- for she was a very pretty girl before this union.

friend #2 has a man she has been seeing for 5 years. She has apparently given him a no sex till marriage ultimatum this year... but admitted that he has been cheating on her and she know it, but what choice does she have? and i can understand it. But when she told me how many women she has had to verbally assault to stay away from her man, all I could think of was... God forbid the day i become my mans keeper. There is no way you can control the actions of an adult. If a man wants to cheat, he will. She claimed after he cheated on her on one occassion, she went to a witch doctor and placed juju on him not to leave her and she seems to think it worked.

friend#3 & #4 are getting married to men who they knows can not control their wondering eye. #3 apparently is a different person in his presence just to hold on to the relationship...-God forbid the day I can not fart in front of the man who I love!

I can see that it is very difficult to hold onto a man in Zambia, especially if he has a job and looks good. There are atleast 4 women to each man, and the men know they are a rare commodity. Even useless men are turning women into fools! women have some sort of ESP, we know when a man is cheating, but sometimes we're in denial.

anyway to each his own! no matter how badly behaved men are....I need them because they give me Fever!

Hamba khale

I just got back from a trip to Zambia for my grandmothers funeral last night. There's nothing like an 18 hour plane ride to liven up your mood... I actually almost flirted with this hottie that was seated like a seat away from me...till i found out i was in the wrong seat...:)

The funeral went as well as can be expected, we all had our share of sleeping on the floor in the usuall Zambian fashion. We also got to experience "uku pyanika" which is basically giving the name of the deceased to a family member who has her kind of spirit and will carry live life like she did.

My grandmother had actually been saying bye to the family for atleast a year before her death and i guess we didn't really take her seriously. She got renal failure on the 20th of march and was air lifted to Chililabombwe (which has the only dialysis machine in Zambia!). By then she was comatose and was dead by the 25th... so it was pretty fast and she luckily didn't have to witness the death of any of her children.

Mama had people fly in from China, England, USA, the netherlands, south africa and most of Zambia. For the first time in Many years all 8 of her children finally got together. I saw many people that I haven't seen in like God knows how long...funny how time flies!

Needless to say, i took many pictures...funeral also available on video and DVD...:) It was beautiful send off and if she's looking down on us, i hope she was happy with what she saw.

RIP mama and In memorium Nick Berg

War of the words

Remember when there was a huge debate about Zambia refusing GMO's from the USA? here is some interesting information on that topic:

http://agbioworld.org/pdf/To_Die_or_not_to_Die.pdf

http://www.jctr.org.zm/gmos.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2199189.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2376505.stm

http://www.gmoafrica.org/2006/02/zambia-must-re-think-its-position-on.html

http://www.biotech-info.net/zambian_statement.html

Dang! who shall we believe? If it's important for the citizens of zambia to eat GMO's, why then is the rest of the world trying to move back to organic food???? i remember in one of my classes in high school when we had a lecture on natures "survival of the fitest" there is a natural way for plants and animals to weed out undesirable traits and survive based on the situation using the desirable traits. why not use the fund improvement of agriculture and a better agricultural seeting that can withstand droughts?

You mean the whole of Africa hasn't thought about a better farming system yet? now why does that surprise me concidering Zambia only has one dialysis site in the whole country???? so if health care and agriculture aren't important, what exactly is the Zambian governments priority?

The globe

while I try to figure out the big deal about Milosevic, I would like you to think about our globe.... i.e what happens in Chalabesa, Zambia may affect what happens in Calgary Canada.

You would think Milosevic would be straight forward in my head... but I don't get it really...BRB.

Mr Darcy

I was watching Pride and Prejudice for the 100th time... and I swear I can marry Mr Darcy any day!! He is totally hot!!!!

I am having issues with men who don't know what they want, nor do they know how to express themselves. It is annoying to have to start questioning one self as to what men want!

It seems when you get married or start dating that you have to become a mummy too. It seems you have to do some breast-feeding on a regular basis to grown men.

Where are rhe gentlemen, the men who can speak their minds and have no emotional complications regarding relationships? It's like you have to remold yourself to remove all the negative qualities that the ex girlfriend had or to just grin and bare it in order to make things "work"

trully men are from Mars, women are from Venus!

Educating rural Zambia

I was just chatting with one of the Peace Corps volunteers to Zambia who is stationed in Mkushi. This young man has been faced with the complexities of education a-la- Zambian below is an excerpt of the conversation.
He wrote the first part and my response is at the bottom.

Heres a chance for you to actually help me with my work in africa. I have come across a problem, and im not exactly sure how to solve it. Here it is:Im am working with rural community school in central Zambia where the government doesnt have the money to pay the teachers. On of my biggest responsibilities is to mobilize the community to support the teacher monetarily. Heres the problem, in many of these villages, education is not valued. They have the attitudes that, "we are farmers, we dont need to know anything except how to farm." The parents would rather their children stay in the fields working all day than have them at school.I know however, that education is important. Literacy rates and education rates have proved to be some of the most influential factors for raising health and poverty levels. If I present this to the villagers, however, it will mean nothing, i need to put it into tangible, practical terms that they will understand, but I'm having a problem with that.Does anyone have any ideas on how i can get this point across?

The problems you are faced with in Mkushi are complex ones, as are most of the problems in Zambia.Education especially in rural areas is difficult because as you said, their way of life is farming and so the important factor in their community would be to learn how to farm. It is imperative that you understand that it's difficult for people who are from small communities to relate to the larger picture of their relationship with the rest of the world (Which happens in every country). I am originally from Zambia and have some roots in Mkushi. I live in Baltimore, MD and know that there are people here who have never been outside Baltimore and don't see the importance of the "outside world". There's a difference between education the American way and education the mkushi way. I think you need to find out what the mkushi way is, and work with what you have. Take your class room to the community and teach in the farms...put labels on trees, trucks...etc like in the movie the colour purple. Africans in general also like to sing...so you might want to learn how to sing your lessons.Let them understand that even as a farmer, you need to know how to calculate, and to read written material so you can better your skills or your marketing techniques.I can tell you right now that you have a challenge. They understand that post secondary education is limited unless you have money, and that it's rather pointless to send children to school for so long if they have no prospects after that. They would rather teach them a skill/ trade that will help them make money to support the family when they're adults- which makes sense.the teachers there are demoralized because they are underpaid. The government either geniunely doesn't have enough money to pay the teachers enough, or they choose to ignore the problem and use the money unwisely. The government is not allowed to subsidize education or health care because it is mandated by the IMF to help Zambia pay back its debt.hope this helps.... enjoy the mountain air. When you leave atleast you will know you tried your best.

Ports deal

Dear friends,
I am sorry it has taken me a while to write. I apologize, but I have been sooo busy! I will fill you in on my life later. I am back to report on a matter so grave- the Baltimore ports.
I can not believe it was such a big deal! According to the Washington post, “The port, owned by the state of Maryland, has five major terminals that are leased to British, Danish, Japanese and American companies. Britain-based P&O operates the largest of them, the Seagirt Marine Terminal, where most cargo shipped in large containers is handled, along with part of the nearby Dundalk Marine Terminal, which handles mainly cars and construction machinery.” The Washington post then goes on to say that, the cargo that comes in is searched randomly. So who is to say that now with a non-Arabic owner dirty bombs, drugs, terrorist, bird flu…etc wont come in??? Besides, the company wont fire all employees at the port, and almost all the employees at the port are American citizens. DO NOT FORGET THAT EVERONE HAS A PRICE!

I heard an irrational argument made by someone that 1 in ten UAE citizens hate America, and therefore with so many haters, we should not allow them to run the ports…mmmkaay! If that argument flies in congress, then the argument that white people should not be allowed to manage black people based on their history of slavery/ racism should too. Who is to say that the next white person I meet is not a closet KKK, or a closet skin head, or a Timothy McVeigh? Shouldn’t the government then impose rules based on my irrationality that all white people before leaving the house should be investigated by the FBI and fill out questionnaires regarding their beliefs so all black people can be comfortable to walk the streets and feel “safe” that no whitey is going to get them? What if 1 in 10 white people hate me? How will I know? I don’t have the capacity to bar them from running all the companies I work for and yet, living in a “free nation” shouldn’t my safety also be a priority for the government? Oh wait…what I’m I thinking… I’m black that doesn’t fucking count!!!
As a woman, I wont lie and say I'm pro-islam... but dude, lets be fair!

Senzenina- what have we done?

I just depressed myself with another movie titled ‘in my country’ (http://www.sonyclassics.com/inmycountry/ ). I knew what it was about before I started watching it, but I put it on any way. The movie is about two reporters tracking the stories of families in South Africa during the ‘peace and reconciliation’ hearings. I seriously think had I lived during that era, I would have committed suicide! It really makes me sick to think people believed in torturing others because that was the norm of the day.

For some people it would be difficult to understand the system of “Ubuntu” the African system of forgiveness. It’s based on the theory that if I am hurt by someone, I can sit down and talk with them so they understand how much they hurt me, and they in turn can tell me why they hurt me and ask for my forgiveness in turn. I guess it’s a good system for people that want closure.

Other than the difference in skin color and the time line, there isn’t much difference between this movie and ‘Hotel Rwanda’ (http://www.hotelrwanda.com/intro.html ). Both are packed with unhealthy amounts of human hate based on misunderstandings. For another good movie in the same line you may want to see ‘the power of one’ (http://imdb.com/title/tt0105159/ ). I cried watching all these movies and I’m not usually a crier.

It is really refreshing to see bravery in the face of struggle though, such as that exhibited by the school children in 1970’s South Africa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soweto_riots ). They stood and marched en masse to protest the teaching of Afrikaans in the school and I guess apartheid in general. I doubt the chicken ass students I had in high school…or I for that matter would have risen up and done something so dramatic. I may be a drama queen, but guns aren’t my cup of tea!

Okay I need to go now, and the next topic will be --why come White American women get so much coverage when they goes missing as opposed to black American women? a sista’z gotta axe somebody!—BTW, y’all are gonna get tired of listening to this racist stuff coz I’ll talking about it a lot during the declared ‘black history month’ of February. A whole 27-28 days…gee thanx America!

International Health

So the last few days have been pretty busy. I have been trying to investigate my options at going back to school. I no longer want to stay in the nursing field, but i certainly want to stay on in the health field with relation to international health.

So I have been looking at schools that offer this degree and as it turns out... only very expensive schools offer this major. see http://snhs.georgetown.edu/content.cfm?objectID=1474 or http://www.bu.edu/dbin/sph/departments/international_health/index.php or http://www.jhsph.edu/dept/ih so far it looks like I will have to become a stripper to pay for college.

I am more interested in doing the program at georgetown because it will be the shortest one for me since i have most of the credits required. Also, i would get to go to another ocuntry for my internship and thats the fun part. So any way, that's a lot to think about. If eventually my plan doesn't work, i will go to a public health program that i can afford so that in conjuction with my degree in nursing, I can increase my opportunities.

I may eventaully want to work for an organization like doctors without borders, or peace corps, or the UN or something in those lines. I think it would be fun... then i would be the expert on international health. It doesn't pay as much as nursing, so i may probably pick up a day of nursing here and there incase i fall on hard times:)

Something else happened that was great today, I can't really talk about it now, but hopefully by next week i'll be able to sing to the mountains about it. I don't want to get my hopes up too high. My mummy also called me.

I am a little bummed though coz my friend Jenee is moving from the area... she's only moving to DC, but i still feel sad coz i hate when people move.

So any way with all that said, wish me luck!!!

Expert on Africa

I would like to know how one becomes dubbed the “expert on Africa”. I hear that term thrown around very often and it makes me wonder how they come to that conclusion.

Has someone lived in all the countries of Africa in order to qualify for that title? Do they understand the norms of all the tribes in all the countries? Does being born in Africa automatically make you an expert?

My concern would be that calling someone an expert on “Africa” is using the term too broadly or assuming like G.dabya (a.k.a president Bush) that Africa is a country. Without sounding very Adrian Mole, there IS in fact evidence suggesting Africa is a continent with many countries. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa take note that there are 54 COUNTRIES in the CONTINENT of Africa.

I have had people in Maryland ask me where I’m from and when told I am from Zambia will gladly announce “oh that’s so cool, do you know Babatunde? He’s from Nigeria!” and I’m left wondering what that has to do with me. Do people from France necessarily have to know many people from Romania? Or the best question I have ever heard. “How did you get to Maryland from Zambia?” gee, I didn’t know there are other ways to get here from Zambia other than by plane. So I took a chance and told the person I swam to Florida, then took the grey hound bus to Maryland… and that seemed to satisfy her, and she wasn’t offended at all!
When I reflect on her, I realize the importance of having an “expert on Africa” to help dispel some myths about Africa to those that have an interest in learning. I am constantly amazed by what most Americans don’t know. It saddens me that in a country with soooo many resources and Universities, the greatest thinkers aren’t here

Aluta Continua

Aluta continua is my message for today... i am sooo drained from work I can feel my eyes closing of their own free will. I think half the people on my unit need a new job. If a certain doctor whose name I wont disclose can get off my ass... i will permanently reside in heaven.

I am in need of a bubble-bath and wine therapy.

Shalom.

Tribute

I just got of work because I am a productive member of society and proud of it. It wouldn’t really hurt if I married a rich man though. I would still be productive… but in a different ‘my-shoes-cost-$3000’ type of way J

It’s because of this productivity that I would like to thank my mother and all the women in her family for showing me that women can survive without men despite what society says.

My mother sacrificed for me to attend good schools in Zambia and for me to graduate from college. She made sure when I was younger that I got to visit countries that many people only dream about. She also made sure I visited less fortunate relatives so that if she died and I ended up either with the rich folk or the poor folk, I would know how to act. I believe everything she earns she shares with me, even long after I can fend for myself. I also believe she would die first before allowing anything to happen to me and it’s this knowledge that aides me in getting up on a bad day.

Of course there were periods in my life that I thought my mother was psychotic…and I realize now that I don’t have kids and have no idea what type of mother I will be, and I might turn out to be just as psychotic as she is. No offense to her other kids… but bwouy! Your mamaz crazy!!!

To watch these amazing women in my mother’s family has been inspirational. No matter what the paternal society I grew up in says, I know a woman’s livelihood doesn’t depend on a man. It depends on her spirit and ability to endure hardships without faltering. Even in the light of the shipikisha club theories!

To my mummy I say thank you for molding the bones I use for my spine, thank you for the lenses that you curved for my eyes to see things clearly and for giving me a killer
voice to express myself with (not to you of course J! ). I have also come to terms with the fact you you messed up and didn't give me a little sister, or that you never made me a twin. You are forgiven.

Finally, thank you for the best product you’re ever created- me.

(hey she might send me more money for this!)

Stop Press!!

I had my annual HIV test and I am glad to announce I am syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV free. Nice innit????? Well its never fun to get the test done, but believe me you will be happier once you know your status…. So hurry on and go get tested! I get tested annually because I work in a health care system where you never know who has what. Also, men are never to be trusted!

Any way, back to the topic of today. Roe vs Wade. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade ) One of the biggest cases in America… so big, the decision to elect anyone in big government positions rides on their ideas regarding this case. Now I already mentioned my religion, so we know that I am not for abortion unless the mother’s life is in danger, or if the child’s life is in danger, or if the woman was raped. Other than that, I can’t seem to think of any other reasons that someone would want to kill a child.

Not to be hypocritical or anything, I can’t say what I would have done had I been pregnant at 15 in Zambia. In my mother’s home…. My life would have been as good as over, and I probably would have thought about an abortion. It’s easy for me to say I can never have an abortion now because I know I can take care of a child at this point.

All I’m trying to understand from the Pro-choice people is: if the woman should have the right to decide what happens to her body… meaning aborting when pregnant. Why then does the baby daddy have to pay child support? How is it that the child only becomes human and separate from its mother once it’s outside her body?

Based on pro-choice… can the father, if he’s not ready to have a baby force the woman to have an abortion legally or, shouldn’t he also have rights to decide that he doesn’t want a baby and if the mother keeps it, he wont be responsible? After all it takes a sperm and an ovum to make a baby.

As for pro-life, I think they should make allowances for people who have been impregnated due to rape. I don’t know if I would be able to love a child that I had after a traumatic incident. Also if a mother or baby was in distress during pregnancy, I would want to save one of the 2 lives.

Finally we need to act more responsibly and use some type of protection to prevent pregnancy. I have heard of people having 5 abortions…how ridiculous is that? If people are more responsible, it would prevent this big roe-wade debate.

MLK

MLK, not to be confused with milk! is Martin Luther King day which is celebrated today. Basically its a chance for all races, mostly black and white to discuss the changes in racist attitudes in America.

Only an idiot would think racism is abolished...slave trade may be abolished but the racist mind still forges on undeterred by the laws and the rights of others. I for one have experienced it in many places...sometimes its obvious, and sometimes you have to sit and think about it because some people are good at hiding what the real story is. Its assumed by a lot of people that all racists are white...not true. I have had most of my worst experiences with white people, but I also experienced it from Asians in Africa. My other experience is the segregation whose name I don't know yet.... the kind imposed by black americans on black Africans.

when Asians act in a segregative manner-- i just think their rude.
When white people act in a segregative manner-- i expect to see them at my door with white sheets over their heads and a burning cross. Telling me I'm the daughter of ham!
When balck people act in a segregative manner-- I am disturbed!

The best part is dating someone outside your race.... you would think you were totting a lion into town! First you think it was because you were in a small city, then it happens in big cities...and then you are like are we in 1950 or something? Better still is walking around with a person of another race in Zambia and have people thinking you're turning tricks (slutty!)

Racism to me is somehow like religion too... there are people that fight hand, tooth and nails to preserve their races. To some extent I can understand where some of these thoughts may manifest themselves such as when white supremacists feel like their race is slipping away they would do whatever it takes to produce more white people. Refer to Hitler on this one.

Bottom line is... I am black...my colour doesn't wash off...hate me because I'm beautiful.

well i am not feeling very focused right now... i need to jet and look at myself in the mirror for the 15th time today.

Sundays

you all know I have to discuss religion being that its a sunday and all right?

I didn't go to church by the way... I sat on my badonkadonk and drank tea all day. I also got to watch Enerst Angley...funny stuff! he's a pentacostal minister who just hilariously and "miraculously" heals people on the spot... "who loves you?" he asks, and the congregation responds, "jesus!!!" I especially like when he goes to Zambia and makes these deaf and dumb people hear and speak...and he says to them "say baby" and they repeat after him "baby!" HHHHHAAALLLEEELLLUUIIIAAA!! How the hell did a deaf and dumb Zambian learn how to speak english on the spot and understand what it means to "say baby?" WOW! that's some powerful stuff. I should probably become a minister in Africa. Its a pretty lucrative business. I know people who started off with nothing and are big time ministers making thousands!

I also have problems with people thinking everything "third-world" has to be backward and wrong. In my confirmation into catholisism class, a Monsignor something or another mentioned that it was harder to teach Africans the word of God because "they don't have a developed way of thinking....they believe in animism...and they have a long way to go in order to think in a more advanced manner." Okay so this man is trying to tell me to believe in a God that I have not seen, and in a heaven that i have not seen, and to forget biology-- Virgin Mary gave birth to a son, also pray to angels and saints for intercession. Once i understand this, my way of thinking will be greatly improved. My ways.... those of my people. The belief that God exists in everything, that he provides for communities, and that ancestors can intercede. Apart from missing Jesus in our equation, I think our thoughts and the thoughts of the Chritians are just as irrational/ rational. Why I'm I catholic then you may ask.... because that is where I heard God call my name. Schizophrenia...?

That's not to say that I believe in all things catholic. For instance i don't agree with the teaching on birth-control based on yesterday's topic of HIV/AIDS. Many say its the popes fault that a large number of people especially in Africa have contacted HIV because of this teaching. I don't agree with that because if they were diligent enough to follow the teaching, they should have been as religious enough to follow the other teaching which says "no sex before marriage".

All in all, religion in as much is it is binding is also the cause of a lot of destruction and separation. Its best to let people research their own paths and choose their own religion without force or pressure.Who knows where God will call their name? Who knows if the religion they pick is wrong or right? none of us were there at creation. We do not know the answers but can only trust and obey.

Shalom, peace be with you and inshallah, I will impart more knowledge to you tomorrow.

Midlife crisis

So last week I lost my first patient...wwwaaahhhh it was pretty sad actually, but i had to keep a straight face for his family. It amazes me that one can never get used to death. I know a good number of relatives and friends that have died, and each time I am informed of a death it feels like the first time i have lost someone.

Apparently the life expectancy of Zambians is 37( http://hdr.undp.org/statistics/data/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_ZMB.html )... so being that I'm 20 something, I should be experiencing my midlife crisis now since i missed my chance when i was 15. I unfortunately can't afford a ferari, but I am happy to announce that i can still attract younger men. So yeah...I've still got "it" baby!.

With the life expectancy being 37 though that reminds me I'm getting closer to that age...death is upon me...woe is me. I remember one time in Zambia when my friend got obssessed with witch doctors and stuff. She came to my house one day and declared that one of her Ng'anga's had seen me in his calabashes and wanted to meet me personally. I was terrified because these punks were notorious for turning up in someones room at night in the nude! So I quickly went to my local parish and woke father B so he could give me some incense to burn in the house. He asked me if I was afraid of death, and it hit me that being afraid of death was irrational because it was bound to happen someday...i mean we're all born to die. My fear was not of dying but of how I would die. 6 million ways to die choose one!

I guess the news made me a little morose today. Usually the news is B.S., on occasions it makes me laugh and other times it makes me sad.

On a lighter note... its sushi night again today and i am sooooooo excited! I am off to take a nice bubble bath in preparation. Not that I'm preparing to impress anyone because OMG... where have all the men gone?

Finally!

I have finally joined the world of blogging. I guess its time the world got an education from me!.
Well for starters seeing since its my first day and all I wont go into too much detail about my life experiences and all that. But i can certainly tell you I had 2 healthy bowel movements today.

Some guidelines:
1. I will be discussing a lot of issues in the coming days.... and please don't pay attention to my grammer or spelling. English is my forth language and quite frankly I don't care too much for spelling errors... and this is my blog so i can do what i damned well please. I guess that means i can say damn too!
2. I don't claim to be an expert on anything, I am not a lawyer, pope or president. So don't quote me or believe everything i write. I have some strange opinions too.
3. I hate American football...which kinda looks like rugby and has men in tight clothes hitting each other on the ass... now if that's not gay... then..well you know the rest.
4. I have nothing against lesbians... but i have something against gay men... y'all know the male population is smaller than the female population...we're already sharing men as it is.... so why would they be selfish and do each other???? and don't let me get started on undercover brothers....
5. I am Zambian Catholic- if such a thing exist...if not I think it should!
6. I love chocolate
7. I love wine/ champagne- which ever comes first!
8. I love music- any kind
9. i love exotic food... bring on the caterpillars (finkubala)!
10. I love me, I love my mummy, my daddy(MHSRIP), my baby brother, my sister, her baby, the million and one relatives i have(well maybe minus 2), and my friends...and my bossom
so as you can see.... there's a lot to learn from me and I have no issues exposing my ignorance...hey I'm from a third world country what do you expect??? even Socrates had his short comings! well that's it for today fill you in tomorrow...ciao