Thursday, January 30, 2014

Writer's Workshop - The Best Part of My Day

The best part of my day is.....

6:30am
The boys have gone for the day
The housekeeper isn't in yet.
This is my time.
Me time.
The best part of my day.

My smoothie is ready
The iPad is charged.
Find my spot on the sofa
And get lost in the words.

This is my time.
Me time.
The best part of my day.

I have my headphones on
No One Direction
No Who
It's my music
This is my time.
Me time.
The best part of my day.

No one needs breakfast
Or lunch to be made.
Laundry is on
And no one is home.

This is my time.
Me time.
The best part of my day.

Then it's 8:30
and my day now begins.
Time to hit the gym,
study,
fetch Ethan
and it becomes his time.
Ethan's time.
Ethan's part of my day.



Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Expat Problems

A few years ago,
a mate and I were chatting
about some of the funny things our kids do.
And not just funny kid things,
but funny expat things.
We noticed how there were certain things
others never understood about us
and our lives.
For example,
I buy carrots and my housekeeper will wash and chop them.
Am I spoilt?
Probably.
But I prefer to think of it as 
I'm an expat.

After this conversation,
we chatted how we needed a group.
You know,
a support system.
One of those dark basements
where we share our secrets
and we all understand each other.
I use to joke that we needed an
Expat Anonymous group.

I would often share my 
Expat Anonymous stories.

And then I stopped.

Last week,
I tweeted my pet peeve:
when the gym doesn't have any towels.
It was pointed out to me
that this was a 
#firstworldproblem
And I agreed.

Yesterday I tweeted I had lost my
blue eyeliner
and yes, 
I do realise it's a first world problem as well.

But then I wondered?


If it a first world problem
or an Expat problem?
If I were in Canada and lost my blue eyeliner
I could hit the mall and buy a new one.
But here?
Where on earth will I get another MAC eyeliner from?

Yes my housekeeper washes my veggies.
Yes I have a driver.
Yes I spend my mornings at the gym
and go for lunches with mates.
But I also go hours,
sometimes days with no power.
I have to hit 3 different shops
to get everything I need to make dinner.

So maybe my problems are not
first world problems.
They are Expat Problems.

Because,
ladies and gentlemen,
my name is Tima
and I'm an Expat!


He Treated Her Better Than Anyone




He Treated Her Better Than Anyone

He treated her better than anyone
And she had the marks to prove it.

He treated her better than anyone
Which is why he called her stupid.

He treated her better than anyone
He would remind her with each blow.

He treated her better than anyone
He would yell at her so.

He treated her better than anyone
Her friends all thought she was lucky.

He treated her better than anyone
After all, he did think she was pretty.

Then one day, she grew strong 
She grew bold
She learnt to move on.

She deserved to be treated better than that.

She deserved to feel loved 
To feel safe 
To be hugged.

She deserved to be happy 
To be wanted 
To be classy.

She deserved to be treated better than that.

She learnt she was smart, 
Had a worth, 
Had a heart.

She learnt she deserved to be treated better than that.
It was her brother who 
Helped her see that.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Emma's War - Deborah Scroggins

Back in October,
our IB English teacher
arranged for Emmaunel Jal to visit our school.
He did some workshops with the middle
and secondary students.
Then he held a concert
along with some Zambian artists
and students from the school.

Not knowing a whole lot about him,
I googled him and found the following TedTalk.
I cried.
Even today,
every time I hear the song Emma
I cry.
I wanted to take Ethan to see his concert.
Ethan sat up front with his mates.
He even got on stage and danced with him.

Meanwhile, I sat with my mate,
watched
and cried some more.
It was then she asked me if I had read the book about Emma.
There's a book about Emma?
I need to read this!
The next morning,
before school began,
I bugged her about the book
and quickly purchased it on my Kindle.

This is a book about Emma
and the war in Sudan.
It's a tough read.
It's a long read.
But it's worth reading.







Thursday, January 23, 2014

Writer's Workshop - Punched


Write a post inspired by the word: punched 




Punched

He did not always punch her
At least not with his fists
His words hurt just as bad
The scars still exist.

She began to question herself
Her choices and her worth
He held a lot of power over her
And she could not feel worse.

Soon she found her strength
And she found her voice
No longer would she be made to feel small
And her friends rejoiced.

He did not always punch her
At least not with his fists
His words hurt just as bad
The scars still exist.





Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Comfort Zone

I have never considered myself to be an 
introvert.
I like being surrounded by people.
I love meeting new people.
I love sharing stories.
I like being liked.

Then, about a year ago,
I was told by,
not one,
but two people
that I'm a very loud person.
And the way they said it
wasn't as a compliment.
In fact, 
one day, 
I was quite upset and unusually quiet.
I got told by one of them
how much they appreciated my quietness.
So...
I was being told
I'm not appreciated for who I am.

The other person who made the 
loud comment
made me feel like I was not liked.
That my friends were not really my friends.
That the people I liked and trusted
did not like and trust me.
I never realised the effect that has had
until now.

This weekend,
Ethan was feeling sad.
He commented that some boys at school
were calling him names.
He expressed how he was being made to feel
dumb
stupid
unworthy.

I went to see the school councilor today
and we chatted about how Ethan has adjusted.
Since moving here,
Ethan has had a few playdates.
But none with his own classmates.
And part of that reason,
is I need to make an effort.
I have been thrown out of my comfort zone.
This usually loud and friendly person
is terrified of meeting new people.
And because I'm nervous about leaving
my comfort zone,
Ethan hasn't had any playdates with his classmates.

So...
it is time for Tima to return.
We're in a new city,
a new country.
Tima is loud.
She is friendly.
She drinks coffee
and shares stories.
And she is about to make some calls
and organise some playdates.

Wish me luck!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Writer's Workshop - Lost

Write a post inspired by the word: lost


Lost

He got lost
In her eyes
When he was just six years old.
And it took him 20 years
To find his way back.

Over the years
As their friendship grew,
He would find himself
Lost in her smile.

They would spend hours on the phone
Talking about nothing important.
And he would find himself
Lost in her voice.

But as they grew
Their lives took them on different paths
And now he would find himself
Lost without her.

College, marriage and children
His life went on
But he knew something was missing
He was lost.

Then one day
He found her
And he knew what he had lost.
It was not the minutes, hours
Days, weeks or years
It was his heart and soul.

He was just six years old
When he lost his heart to this little girl
And though he’s found her
His heart still belongs to her.

But at least he’s not lost 
Anymore.




Thursday, January 2, 2014

Writer's Workshop - New Year

How did you bring in the New Year?

Last year we brought in the New Year
in New York.
So how does one top that?
You don't!
You just bring it on!

We spent NYE
back in Dar
unsure what we were going to do. 
That's where great mates come to the rescue.
Friends of ours have 3 kids.
And they weren't keen on doing something
that meant being away from the kids
for the entire evening.
So they decided to have a little get together at their place.
The kids would have a Wii Dance party
and we would relax.

Well, 
apparently the Wii party
was for all ages.


After we were exhausted from dancing,
and sweaty,
the kids watched a movie
and we went to sit on her roof top
enjoying some wine.

Last year,
Ethan fell asleep before midnight.
This year he was up.
But fireworks were banned in Tanzania
so at midnight we streamed the fireworks from
Sydney, Japan and Dubai!

Oh, 
and we had a little sparkle.


And the kids got some 
non-alcoholic bubbly.


And while it was a quieter NYE
it was perfect.
Just perfect.