Note: To my knowledge, there are no South Africans in the MOM Squad. For those SA readers who specifically drop by the blog and leave me nasty Twitter messages or comments that I never approve, I know that South Africa is not one big township. The following post is merely a summary of part of […]
Rambro When Jamie Foxx was doing the media rounds and promotions for Django Unchained a few months ago, Bill O’Reilly – whom I am a huge fan of – went absolutely berserk when Foxx explained the plot of film. “But don’t worry,” Foxx said in conclusion. “I get my revenge and kill all the White […]
The elderly… what a manipulative, cunning bunch. Just wait! Give me a second to explain. This weekend I went with Aya to a senior assisted living home in Buckhead. She and the members of her Daisy troop went to the home to make Valentine’s Day cards with the residents so that they could earn their […]
There’s nothing like the thought of losing your life to get you back on track, is there? Last week I found myself in agonizing pain. I had tremors in the night and frequently broke out into sweats. My throat was dry. My entire body was wracked with pain. And I had the sniffles. I instantly […]
The Obolobo Show: A (fictional) reality show focused on women of a certain size who have to navigate life in Ghana while simultaneously being called all manner of pejoratives and being offered useless advice, remedies and commentary on their ‘obolonity’. I have found myself as unwilling cast member of this show. I was feeling really […]
My BFFFL, Nana Darkoa has asked me to participate in The Next Big Thing. As for this woman di333, she likes these things too much. The exercise has all the qualities of an online version of pilolo (in my humble opinion), but it’s really an opportunity for writers in the blogsphere to tell readers what […]
As I said before, I have made the conscious decision to only see the good side of Ghana, as much as I can. I suddenly have the urge to take a break from detailing the beach chronicles to express a range of emotions that have gripped my belly this morning, chief of those being one: […]
Folly. What kind of foolish name is that to give your resort? Msteeewwww… Our time at Axim Beach Hotel (ABH) soon came to an end. Three nights had passed before we knew it. We had an amazing sendoff the night before. Nana’s birthday was a blast. I did some fire bending by the bonfire and […]
I have a problem with the way some of our municipalities are named in Ghana. They are a constant reminder of the oppressive colonial regime that Ghana found itself under for centuries, and in some sadistic way still takes pride in. The most offensive of these is McCarthy Hill, which is a west of the […]
After we left Fort St Anthony, we asked around town for directions to Nzulezo and Prince’s Town. It turns out they were in opposite directions. The care taker of the Fort suggested we go to Nzulezo instead. It would be much closer, he said. Mariel decided that he was wrong. The guide book AND the […]
Our first night at dinner was decidedly delectable. Nana had arranged for all our meals to be a buffet with items of our choosing. I can’t remember what I ate, but it was good. Nana casually mentioned that Jonas had left careful instructions with the staff about our meals and our care, after she had […]
The signs for Axim Beach Hotel pointed us in the direction of a bumpy dirt road which Nana navigated with skill. Out of nowhere, a pair of columns fashioned in the architectural style peculiar to the North greeted us. I was impressed, but Nana was disappointed in the new structure, which was in the process […]
I suppose I should start from the beginning of the trip so that you don’t get the impression that Ghana is all dead bodies in the road and deceit at the airport. I’m in the country to celebrate my BFFFL’s birthday. We both turn 35 this year. She has organized a lovely 3 day weekend […]
I woke up early on Friday morning before the sun came up. It was January 4th. My husband was still fast asleep when I finally slung my handbag over my shoulder. “When will you come back?” he asked groggily. “Maybe around four o’clock on Saturday evening,” I replied. “Certainly before dinner, so that I can […]
I know this may come as a shock, but traveling without my children has been rather enjoyable. Shocking, I know. There were three legs to my journey to Ghana. I left Atlanta for Chicago at o’dark thirty in the morning on the first and met up with Pastor Kiki for breakfast and a short tour […]
Imagine you have a cotton ball in your hand. Now take the cotton ball and divide it into 8 equal parts. Do you have an image in your mind? Good. Keep it. We’re going to revisit it later. Before we deplaned, the angry male flight attendant sprayed the hull with insecticide per WHO regulations. It […]
I bade farewell to 2012 without giving much thought to what had transpired over the previous year. For the first time in recent memory, my thoughts were overwhelmingly focused on the future. 2012 was a year of high expectations – mainly of high expectations that I had set for myself. I expected to lose 80 […]
For years, whenever my husband and our family went on a trip, I sat obediently in the passenger’s seat and did my best to keep him company by chattering on about this and that or whatever came to mind. His brow was always in a perpetual furrow as he took the wheel, and I assumed […]
What do Rhianna and my daughter have in common? Nothing at the moment, but if the retarded manner in which we raise and socialize girls to respect and preserve patriarchy at all costs doesn’t change, then I fear they will one day have very much in common indeed. I wish I could find a way […]
My Aunt Jane– and God bless her sixty-something year old soul – gives the worst Christmas gifts. It’s remarkable that she has been able to keep up this feat for over a decade. I have never had the heart to tell her that the majority of her carefully (or perhaps not so much so) selected […]
I was originally going to title this “Perpetuating the Myth of the Tooth Fairy”, but the verb in that sentence seemed so harsh and unworthy of such a beloved being. The Tooth Fairy was my most favorite mythological creature as a child. She still is. My parents had me utterly convinced of her existence. Never […]