Tuesday 10 April 2018






Encyclopedia of Me         A - D
Idea from pamlingelbach –SOL 30th March 2018

From the alphabets I selected the first word that I felt connected to. Those
are the words I used for my Encyclopedia.


Appreciative- Experiences help us appreciate what and who we are or what and who
we have become. I could go on and on. Appreciating what we have, especially when
you have had to toil or sacrifice for what we have, makes me think we have to live a
life of being appreciative. This is the case especially when we have good health, as it
is when we are unwell that we unable achieve.

Balance- Finding time for work, family friends and leisure has to be intentional and well
managed otherwise one of them will take over the other. We need balance in our lives
but as a working parent and wife this is sometimes difficult to manage.

Culture-I believe culture is very important. I like what culture makes you. The sense of
belonging provides some security. The identification part of it, and how culture sometimes
makes you unique because you belong to a particular group.

Dancing- I used to be a great dancer, when my knee was young and fit. I enjoyed dancing
and reminisce about times I used to dance all night long. I miss those times. I have this
confession of how in the past, enjoying dancing so much, I wished parties would go on
forever. I now savor the few opportunities I get to indulge in dance.

My Encyclopedia continues next Tuesday.

Tuesday 3 April 2018

A Distant Role Model



A Distant Role Model

As I was growing up in Ghana, West  Africa in the 1970s, we were bombarded
with the name Nelson Mandela. To us he was a giant, a colossal figure, who was
to redeem his people in South Africa. All we knew was that he was in jail and had
been since the early 1960s. For all of my elementary and high school years
Nelson Mandela had been in jail.

The only way we were connected to him and we felt a need to, was by seeking
information about his beautiful, strong and endearing wife, Winnie Mandela. She
was amazing, confident and a stalwart. Our mothers must definitely have been
influenced by her.

A role model for African women at the time. Showing us that we also could! In
Ghana we have many strong women. One woman we learned about at school is
Yaa Asantewaa an Ashanti Queen mother turned warrior. In 1900 she fought for
the rights of her people. She was a great patriarch and so I believe was
Winnie Madikizela Mandela.