Well, much to my surprise, I found out that one is never too old to get measles! On Thursday, 11 Dec., my friend Kim noticed I had a rash on my neck. Then it moved to my stomach. I hadn't been feeling up to par for a couple of weeks. Cough, sore throat, feverish and tired. Kim swore I had measles and convinced me to go the the clinic. Sure enough, the Doc said I had German measles! Unbelievable. I could have sworn I had measles when I was a kid. So, I called Mom to ask, and she informed me I had the "old fashioned measles", not to be confused with Rubella-German Measles.
Quarantined to my flat for 5 days so as not to contaminate others, I watched the rash move to my arms and legs.....but it is disappearing now! So, I'm free to get out of this flat, and just in time for a Christmas Braai tonight!
You know, I often hear the phrase "You're Never to Old.......", but I would have never thought that I would complete that phrase with "....to get Measles!"
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Shouts of Joy, Tears of Hope
Shouts of Joy, Tears of Hope
By La Shona Donica
6 November 2008
I have never cried over an election. But in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, gathered with people of all color, Americans, South Africans, Jamaicans, French and a host of others, I was overwhelmed with emotion when history was made when the announcement came that Barack Obama would be our 44th president.
It was in that moment that I truly felt the impact of what I had just witnessed. The layer of cold, hard stone that has been a barrier of the recognition that “all people are created equal” received, not just a chiseling of a corner piece, but a true cracking and crumbling of a barrier that time has weathered into a weak, disgraceful piece of masonry that has been way too slowly deteriorating. The voices of the people were like sledgehammers to concrete block, breaking away at the barrier of racism.
Not only did I witness history before my eyes, but I witnessed the profound effect that America has on the world. A sense of hope was felt by everyone. Tears came from the eyes of people who have never, and may never, step foot on our land. But they felt our hope. Our hope is there hope. The American Dream is something that many aspire to experience. Freedom and democracy. Hope and justice. Like me, many have been dismayed and discouraged by the state of our nation in the past eight years. The light of hope was dim.
The people gathered around me felt the hope that this new beginning will bring. Another step closer to moving past the evil powers of racism. A hope that their country will be inspired by the actions of Americans. The realization that, they too, can see better days coming for their homeland. And the idea that dreams can be realized, regardless of race or gender.
The arms of America are far reaching. The hopes of America are embraced by many outside our borders. Goodness, just as hopelessness, can be contagious. But it was goodness and hope that prevailed and filled people to the point of running over. Running over with tears of hope and happiness. For in our actions, the actions of electing our first African-American president, hope was restored to many all over the world.
Let us, as Americans, now do our part to continue this message of goodness, hope and possibility for our future. As seen by the actions of those who made their voices heard, we all have a part to play in making things better. Now is not the time to sit back and wait for change to come. We are a part of that change. We must continue to sling those hammers to break down those barriers until they are only dust on the landscape. Dust and ghosts from our past and not the barriers of our future.
Click on the following link and then picture #2 to see a picture of my friend Ryan and his girlfriend at our Party at Cafe Sofia in Cape Town. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7710168.stm
By La Shona Donica
6 November 2008
I have never cried over an election. But in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, gathered with people of all color, Americans, South Africans, Jamaicans, French and a host of others, I was overwhelmed with emotion when history was made when the announcement came that Barack Obama would be our 44th president.
It was in that moment that I truly felt the impact of what I had just witnessed. The layer of cold, hard stone that has been a barrier of the recognition that “all people are created equal” received, not just a chiseling of a corner piece, but a true cracking and crumbling of a barrier that time has weathered into a weak, disgraceful piece of masonry that has been way too slowly deteriorating. The voices of the people were like sledgehammers to concrete block, breaking away at the barrier of racism.
Not only did I witness history before my eyes, but I witnessed the profound effect that America has on the world. A sense of hope was felt by everyone. Tears came from the eyes of people who have never, and may never, step foot on our land. But they felt our hope. Our hope is there hope. The American Dream is something that many aspire to experience. Freedom and democracy. Hope and justice. Like me, many have been dismayed and discouraged by the state of our nation in the past eight years. The light of hope was dim.
The people gathered around me felt the hope that this new beginning will bring. Another step closer to moving past the evil powers of racism. A hope that their country will be inspired by the actions of Americans. The realization that, they too, can see better days coming for their homeland. And the idea that dreams can be realized, regardless of race or gender.
The arms of America are far reaching. The hopes of America are embraced by many outside our borders. Goodness, just as hopelessness, can be contagious. But it was goodness and hope that prevailed and filled people to the point of running over. Running over with tears of hope and happiness. For in our actions, the actions of electing our first African-American president, hope was restored to many all over the world.
Let us, as Americans, now do our part to continue this message of goodness, hope and possibility for our future. As seen by the actions of those who made their voices heard, we all have a part to play in making things better. Now is not the time to sit back and wait for change to come. We are a part of that change. We must continue to sling those hammers to break down those barriers until they are only dust on the landscape. Dust and ghosts from our past and not the barriers of our future.
Click on the following link and then picture #2 to see a picture of my friend Ryan and his girlfriend at our Party at Cafe Sofia in Cape Town. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7710168.stm
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Something to Think About....
So after my long evening, day, evening, day....it's all running together. I decided to relax and so I watched a documentary called "God Grew Tired of Us". I would highly recommend that you go rent this, as it is a very moving documentary about the Lost Boys of Sudan--tens of thousands of young boys who fled their country during Civil War to escape being killed. The boys traveled without family, other than each other, for thousands of miles to Ethiopia and then later settling in a refugee camp in Kenya.
Their hope was to soon return to their home, their homeland, but after a decade, they were still could not return.
The documentary follows three young men who were given the opportunity to participate in a program that took them to the US to live, work and study.
Many of us might see this as a "dream come true" opportunity for these young men. But this documentary will open your eyes to what is important to these young men. Culture and family being first and foremost. And what they came to know as family and their culture was what they struggled to hold onto as they were moved across the country to start another chapter in their life. One that would be better--perhaps, in some ways.
This documentary certainly brings to light that there is more in life than material things. And how materialistic, we as Americans can be. And how self-absorbed and unaccepting we can be.
Too harsh? Maybe, maybe not.
I certainly know that not every American is that way, but what is the perception of Americans to people in other parts of the world?
Well, I have heard several times while being here in Cape Town, Americans referred to as "snobby" and not friendly.
A conversation was taking place a table near me on campus the other day, and all I heard was an overwhelming, "tell them to go back to America!"
In an interesting conversation with one of my classmates, who is South African, she told me I was the first American that she had met that had actually been nice to her. And she had been an exchange student studying in the states. I found that to be disturbing and sad.
So, why this impression of Americans? Well, not everyone has this impression, but quite a few do. Some say it's our government, some say it's the war. Some say it's what they see from American television and movies...not a very good representation of America, would you say?
I know on my nightly news we get the "Tinsel Town Report", we were getting regular political updates, but that had died down a bit only to be replaced by the reports of the situation on the polygamists in Texas.
So, if they think that all of America is Hollywood and politics then that could certainly give some explanation. But what about people who have met Americans and feel that we are not nice?
I'm doing my part to share information about where I'm from and what it's like with other people that I meet. And I want to explore more this idea of why we, as Americans, are seen as unfriendly.
But, I ask you to view the documentary, now that I have shared this with you, and pay close attention to what you see and what it is said.
I think we could all be a little nicer--not just to foreigners, but to each other.
Their hope was to soon return to their home, their homeland, but after a decade, they were still could not return.
The documentary follows three young men who were given the opportunity to participate in a program that took them to the US to live, work and study.
Many of us might see this as a "dream come true" opportunity for these young men. But this documentary will open your eyes to what is important to these young men. Culture and family being first and foremost. And what they came to know as family and their culture was what they struggled to hold onto as they were moved across the country to start another chapter in their life. One that would be better--perhaps, in some ways.
This documentary certainly brings to light that there is more in life than material things. And how materialistic, we as Americans can be. And how self-absorbed and unaccepting we can be.
Too harsh? Maybe, maybe not.
I certainly know that not every American is that way, but what is the perception of Americans to people in other parts of the world?
Well, I have heard several times while being here in Cape Town, Americans referred to as "snobby" and not friendly.
A conversation was taking place a table near me on campus the other day, and all I heard was an overwhelming, "tell them to go back to America!"
In an interesting conversation with one of my classmates, who is South African, she told me I was the first American that she had met that had actually been nice to her. And she had been an exchange student studying in the states. I found that to be disturbing and sad.
So, why this impression of Americans? Well, not everyone has this impression, but quite a few do. Some say it's our government, some say it's the war. Some say it's what they see from American television and movies...not a very good representation of America, would you say?
I know on my nightly news we get the "Tinsel Town Report", we were getting regular political updates, but that had died down a bit only to be replaced by the reports of the situation on the polygamists in Texas.
So, if they think that all of America is Hollywood and politics then that could certainly give some explanation. But what about people who have met Americans and feel that we are not nice?
I'm doing my part to share information about where I'm from and what it's like with other people that I meet. And I want to explore more this idea of why we, as Americans, are seen as unfriendly.
But, I ask you to view the documentary, now that I have shared this with you, and pay close attention to what you see and what it is said.
I think we could all be a little nicer--not just to foreigners, but to each other.
Black Consciousness...Self Consciousness
I just pulled an all nighter to complete my first research paper. Handed it in yesterday—and that was a bit of a relief. One down, one to go. I don’t know how it will fare against the rigorous grading system here, but I was satisfied with what I had done.
I had taken Steve Biko’s articles “We Blacks” and “Black Souls in White Skins?” from his book “I Write What I Like” stating that it could be used as bibliotherapy for survivors of childhood sexual abuse by the identification of the victimization of race to the victimization of gender (childhood sexual abuse).
Regardless of race, when finding the common denominator of victimization, then victim to victim, one would recognize and understand the emotional trauma that results from victimization.
Bibliotherapy is the use of literature in the healing of emotional, psychological, or physical problems.
Steve Biko was an activist against apartheid during the 50’s & 60’s. His idea of Black Consciousness was that the blacks, due to the oppression of white supremacy, had lost their self esteem, their self worth, and their identity, and the Black Consciousness Movement was a call for blacks to reclaim their identity, to rebuild their “selves”, their empty shells, as Biko had described them.
Seeing as whites will never understand what it means to be black, or the racism that the blacks face due to their skin color because they can not “become” black, the emotional trauma that develops can be similar to that of a victim of abuse, regardless of color. Being able to recognize the similarities, and sharing an understanding of victimization may also lead to a cross cultural understanding.
So, that is the premise of the paper. I learned a lot from the research and process. That, regardless of what the appearances of a person, there may be emotional and psychological links that could lead to better understandings of people as a whole, of a culture. Leading us to look past the outer to see how oppression affects an individual and have a better understanding from an emotional and psychological rather than physical point of view.
I had taken Steve Biko’s articles “We Blacks” and “Black Souls in White Skins?” from his book “I Write What I Like” stating that it could be used as bibliotherapy for survivors of childhood sexual abuse by the identification of the victimization of race to the victimization of gender (childhood sexual abuse).
Regardless of race, when finding the common denominator of victimization, then victim to victim, one would recognize and understand the emotional trauma that results from victimization.
Bibliotherapy is the use of literature in the healing of emotional, psychological, or physical problems.
Steve Biko was an activist against apartheid during the 50’s & 60’s. His idea of Black Consciousness was that the blacks, due to the oppression of white supremacy, had lost their self esteem, their self worth, and their identity, and the Black Consciousness Movement was a call for blacks to reclaim their identity, to rebuild their “selves”, their empty shells, as Biko had described them.
Seeing as whites will never understand what it means to be black, or the racism that the blacks face due to their skin color because they can not “become” black, the emotional trauma that develops can be similar to that of a victim of abuse, regardless of color. Being able to recognize the similarities, and sharing an understanding of victimization may also lead to a cross cultural understanding.
So, that is the premise of the paper. I learned a lot from the research and process. That, regardless of what the appearances of a person, there may be emotional and psychological links that could lead to better understandings of people as a whole, of a culture. Leading us to look past the outer to see how oppression affects an individual and have a better understanding from an emotional and psychological rather than physical point of view.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Ode to a Friend.....
On March 17, I received an email from my friend Elias in Nova Scotia that our friend Bernie had passed away on March 15 in Doha, Qatar. The email said he was attending a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the American Embassy and dancing with friends when he collapsed.I read that email over and over as I was in complete shock. I had just received an email from Bernie two Saturdays before with picture of him and his friends enjoying camel rides and the beach and the email said he was having a great time and that he would give me a call soon. I was anxious to hear from him as we had not spoken on the phone since I had left Indiana. But we had been in touch via email.
Bernie and I met during my Rotary Group Study Exchange to Nova Scotia in May 2006. He was a Rotarian who hosted me for a week and we became instant friends and kept in touch through phone calls and email. We became very good friends. Bernie and I had a special connection as we seemed to “understand” each other. We both felt that our paths crossed for a reason.
I believe that Bernie may have just turned fifty in January, if not he was right around that age. Still young, full of life, with wonderful ideas and so much to give others.
I was in complete shock by the news and heartbroken. I still can’t believe that he is gone.
Bernie was working in Doha, Qatar and we had talked about him coming to visit me in South Africa, as he wouldn’t be that far away. I was excited about the possibility of getting to see my good friend again. That won’t be happening now, not ever.
Bernie and I shared a lot for education, and we specifically shared an interest in distance education and had hoped to work on a project together in the future. He was an intelligent man with a big heart and had done much to help others and wanted to continue to do so. He was a CA, charted accountant, but wanted to look at teaching. But, he was a teacher. He taught me so much, and I know he has taught others so much as well, just by his outpouring of love and the guidance that he offered.
Though Bernie was only in my life for a short time, he made a big impact. He will be fondly remembered. And may we all remember to cherish our friendships and relationships daily; as we never know when the people we care about may physically leave us and we are left with memories. Hence the reason why memories become such a cherished, important and sometimes painful, part of our being.
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