lizzet

You're invited somewhere famous for a Sunday morning walk. You had been very active then and had nothing better to do than catch up with friends on long walks in your Motherland where you are now a visitor. Early Sunday morning ! Your Friend's friends arrive and introductions are civil. You note one, no eye contact. You feel her presence. In this glorious walk, admist tall bold trees, you see her, you do not talk, you feel her.  You look at the bright blue skies, you soak in the sun. The sun is literally shining on your face because you can feel her presence, you do not talk to her. You are in awe. You do not talk to her. The walk ends. Catastrophe! You panic silently!. How can this end and you haven't talked to her, what if you never see her again? You see her, but do not talk o her. A smart person proposes Lunch! Thank the universe for smart people. I think of it as a women empowerment lunch because all these women had moved back to Motherland and I wanted to hear their e...

                                    It has been a few shifts since i have taken care of  Covid patient and i feel some kind of hope for now. That  being said, the country opened up and eased quarantine restrictions last week and sadly, there are sh*** a** people living life as if nothing had happened, as if the world just decided to let everyone on leave to enjoy the pleasures of being home!. Keep your distance!. If that’s impossible, wear your dem mask! Its all jolly go round till you end up in a ventilator or more-so 6 feet under! I've been on Annual leave and since I couldn't go anywhere, I spent that time reflecting and digesting what us, critical care workers went through during the Pandemic! I suprised myself at how heavy this all felt and the anxiety it causes to imagine we could do it all over again in the case of a second wave. As m...

I am a nurse in an ICU in London. This is a story of my experiences with patients. I know out there  they are just another statistic but to us, they are patients, dads, mums, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends, Humans..People. People who were just going about their business before they somehow got into contact with someone infected by the virus. People who are now fighting for their lives in hospital. People who know me know that am such a people person, I have such interest in people and because of this i end up feeling such sadness  on terrible stories or being extremely happy on success stories. I am such a reader of autobiographies or books based on real life stories. So are most of the movies I watch. This explains why, I carry this so heavy, why most of my dreams are about my work at this particular pandemic time. My first Covid patient was a lucky man, I just so happened to be at work on my birthday. I was bit annoyed for having t...

Sometime in 2015, I was born, I have no idea of my mum or human mum and dad because somewhere in 2016, the human damped me in the streets of Abu Dhabi. The humans that had fed me later disowned me, but if humans disown other humans, I figure they can be quite cruel to animals too. Shame.... I had never been on the streets before, my life was not for the streets like the ninja cats i found there. I retrieved into my little corner and started withering, dehydrating, malnourishing, I could feel my intestines twisting as my body yearned for food, my beautiful fur fell off and I started dying slowly. I could feel life leaping out of me, gush by gush. My small body was letting go. I thought the deal was sealed and that judgement day was coming...I wondered what I would be judged for, how I will lay my case since I didn't get to build one. Then, as luck would have it, a loving and compassionate human saw me on the streets, she cuddled me, I hesitated, I did not trust the huma...

Knock-knock... who's there? postman... postman who?..... I open the door and the postman is standing there with a parcel, my mind can't recall me ordering anything but maybe I was drunk you know, the things you could do when drunk and feeling rich, but still I had no recollection of such a drunken night so I just weirdly stared at the postman. 'Hey love..could you please sign this for your neighbour, she can pick it up from you,'... Eeem wait, what?, 'sign here'...thanks love.. Things went so fast that last I remember I was at the door with a parcel belonging to a neighbour I haven't met. Guess I have to meet the neighbour after all...Finland, I am now awkward, thanks to you...lol I have been feeling a little home-sick, I miss the sea, I miss running around and having the sea as close. Maybe it's because it's summer and English weather has welcomed us with proper rain, the water shapes in my mind as small ponds, small lakes, ma...

That must have the the hottest summer in a long time, i didn’t follow up with weather news so forgive me for publishing fake news, i hope the Trump wrath will not be fall me! I don’t think so though, cause we haven’t build any walls in Finland! Atleast not yet, and no plans hopefully! The sun shone and warmed the comfort of our skins, sometimes it had that kind of heat that tickles the skin. It gave us tans even when some of us were on 100 spf! There was no way around it! We fought but the sun fought back stronger forcing on its agenda,  got me using terms like Melanin Popping as i hashtagged for the gram!! Oh Yes! I feel so accomplished to have used a hastag this summer! And even more accomplished to have used gram today! These younglings will be the death of us! What is generation hashtag again? Millineals? What a welcome back to the country! Last summer was my 1st summer in Finland after 3 years away and it seems the Middle East weather followed me here! Brought on soaring tem...

I woke up this morning at 10am. Elsa the cat could not take a lady sleeping so long so she hopped on me and walked a few times up and down even bringing her nose to my nose to actually be sure am still breathing. I figured the cat must be hungry and became human enough to go downstairs to feed her and her sister who was lying on the mat with that look, 'can't you see am already dead from hunger,' the queen then got up and rubbed herself to my legs and i smilingly, if thats a word, bent down to rub her and served them breakfast. I went around letting light into our sitting room and kitchen, I paused by the window to wonder if it was snowing or raining. I certainly heard drops of rain on the roof, no wonder I snuggled in so long and cosy. It was comforting to realise the weather can't make up its mind. It would rain water a min followed by snow drops. It disappointed me because I had planned that the only productive thing I would do today was to go jogging. Haha, to me...

I met you just about 5 years ago, i remember that day clearly, a stormy snowy November Evening. We had driven to Perniö through this shit storm. You had waited for a while to meet me, so excited your daughter had found love again. You couldn't wait and had called a few times trying to find out how far we were. I was quite nervous on the other hand, i thought of the petty stupid things, i thought of my colour and my presentation and wondered if you would approve. I was anxious for nothing as you proved to me..silly me.. Then we arrived, butterflies filled my tummy! You were standing by the door before I even got out the car,  and the moment I did, you stretched your arms, hugged and said ' welcome to our home, you have been so awaited,' the butterflies vanished, just like that, because that's the kind of woman you were! Your touch calmed everyone in crisis, your hugs consoled and healed many emotional wounds. I can tell what a great mother, grandmother and great grandmot...

I  am writing this post on flight enroute London-Abudhabi, happily sipping my glass of white(what would wdo without a glass, cheers to the wine makers). I was thinking of sending this photos above the clouds to my nearly 5 year old nephew and 6 month old goddaughter! Just to give these kids some dreams! When I was that age, nobody I knew or was associated with had flown on a plane! The first person close to me to fly was my cousin to the U.K. I will never forget that night, all kids in a pickup to the airport, it might have been embarrassing for my cousin but it surely instilled a lot in us who were being left behind!    The notion that 'it is be possible'. All parents and relatives(since kids in Africa are brought up by the village),insisted it was about education, so I guarded my pen, even through my wild teenage hood. I guarded that pen and paper to see the day! And many more that have followed. So to my young kids, I can't tell you how many flights I have been on c...

2016 is over, just the other i packed up my few belongings, moved from Saudi back to Finland as i awaited my new move to Abu Dhabi, UAE. It feels like yesterday but its been 7 months and the year is gone by the wind. That was faster than i expected, i cannot believe that these are the last moments of 2016, as i sit on our new white sofa, having a beer, from our humble apartment on the 18th floor overlooking Al reem island. The sun is shinning in the MIddle-east as the freeze brings on the snow and the most loved white christmas and new year feel in Europe. This year, we have seen it all. It has been an wonderful and not so wonderful year, lovely and no so lovely, hateful, sad, happy, a rollercoaster by all means. We have watched the war in Syria escalate to the worst, we have watched thousands die, Kids confused with torn clothes full of blood, kids who don't cry anymore.We have watched hate on refugees as they ran from war and trying to seek safer places, we have watched a secti...

It's a really dusty day in Abu Dhabi today, i can even tell imagine the beautiful blue sky cos its all covered by a storm of dust! Its  over 40 degrees and windy! I am glad for wind cos it makes it easier to sit outside in this humid island! I sit in the garden, just outside our block, well shaded from the sun by the tall towers competing to reach the sky!. A small fountain rumbles as the water sprinkles up, down and sideways!  I have been watching the waters and enjoying the peaceful sounds for like 20 minutes. I then suddenly remembered i haven't blogged for a while! That's how you differentiate writers from small time bloggers. Writers dream it, and live it, bloggers suddenly remember they had a blog. The Corniche, Abudhabi  I love the sun, by that, i mean to see it and enjoy it well under the shade. All the light skinned people are lying by the pool 3/4's naked tanning up, while the courageous dark skinned ...

I woke up one morning to go to work after 7 weeks of holiday and was shocked that my jeans wouldn't zip. You see., when you go away from home,then come back and just chill  for 7 weeks, you award yourself, you feel you deserve to eat as much, you bake, have a beer here and there, a glass of wine maybe. Its a treat to self, thats what you convince yourself! I had time and also went to the gym and for long walks but the fact is i was eating way too much than i was burning. Food diary is something I have heard of and judged people who were obsessed with it to being extreme! I still stand by my views on the obsession but after trying one myself, I can completely understand how people get mixed up in the maze. My long life on food diary lasted 4 weeks. I know, you expected 10, sorry.4 Weeks of well calculated calories and 3,5kgs less.No struggle or gym death! Well, to be honest there was a little struggle at the beginning. It was all about the food! The best thing about food diary...

I  am now back from Saudi and loving it👍🏾. I am even back to work in Finland and how nice and easy it is to work here where all flows as it's supposed to, no hitches, no national prayer times, basically life is flowing forward. Many of my colleagues and friends have been asking how it feels to be back. That's how i came up with a title for this blog! How inspirational is that! Don't worry, am not a writer, I tell tales best face to face. My facial expressions are well talented and the body is trying to join in too. I can only tell the same story enough times so here is the last version in writing. The next person who asks will be answered by my facial expressions and a link to bio command, once i know how to link that on insta. It feels like being free, yea, figure that out. It's not that I was in jail but I have known and confirmed in an year that jail is not behind prison doors and gates! Jail can be right in your home, your job or country. Not being able to be you ...

For once I am trying to nap at the gate while I await my next flight home which leaves in about an hour! How do people snore at airports! I am quite jealous of such people, People who can shut their eyes anywhere and disappear to slumber land! My eyes closed, I hear the sound of high heels, I open one eye as if peeping, and catch a glimpse of a smartly dressed woman, limping forward in a hurry, kangaroo style! Her hand luggage dragging behind, why, oh why would you wear a 13 inch while you know you are gonna be rushing around in airports! It just doesn't make sense to me! Maybe if she was walking at ease, I wouldn't have to think if its sensible! But then again, how is that my problem:-) I close my eye, and start singing myself to sleep! I am the kind of people who  talk themselves to sleep! 'Come on woman, sleeeeep sleeep, you need to sleeeep,' then i hear this mellowed bass announcing on missing passangers and giving them final warning, a Chinese man runs past like sp...

When I left Finland to SaudiArabia an year ago, I wasn't sure what to expect! From the stories in the media, I was somehow afraid or do I say nervous to take this journey. I have to say if I was not from Finland, I wouldn't have done this trip. Born in Kenya, where life circumstances has forced lots of people to come to Saudi for manual labour and domestic jobs, all I knew about Saudi as a young person was mistreatment and death. There were lots of news on tv about sad grief stricken parents begging the government to help them find their children who left for Saudi and never came back. There were young ladies crying and kissing the earth at the airport for getting back and being reunited with their parents. They told the country tales of how their passports had been taken from them and the kind of mistreatment they got from employers that included washing their employers feet. So you can imagine when my Kenyan family heard I had decided to take up a contract in Saudi, they were...

To be clear, women are not allowed to football stadiums in Saudi Arabia, it is considered a man's game (that reminds me of that song by James Brown, it's a mans world), this must be because its a crime for women and men who are not related to interact. It really confuses me, l would imagine it's to avoid those other kind of temptations. Culturally here, intermarrying is quite common, cousins especially, uncles and nieces, I mean temptation is right in the home! A lot of things haven't been logical so I bet this won't be different, between, intermarriage is most especially in rich families, so the wealth can remain in the same family. Yep, dont ask me how i know that! Walls got ears, plus we know genetic disorders are the leading cause for healthcare. They are beginning to get educated on this issue though! But i wonder if education will wipe out these strong believes! Oh yea, football.... Anyhow, sometimes they make exceptions for western women, and only when their ...

 Where were we?.....welcome back ..... 7. Independence What independence? It's extremly hard to be independ, life is more to depending on others, i'm the kind that can sit in the park and read a book, write my blog, so long as theres good weather! The kind that can really enjoy themselves. Own time is available but not enjoyable, you cant just sit alone in the park, its awkward and scary! Just sit there alone all covered! Picture that! you can go to the malls alone but you feel abit strange after 30 minutes, you don't know if you walk into religious police and stuff! Plus you got to take a cab so it's always cheaper to have friends along, just for some sense of security, life's sad when you don't feel fully capable! Not for all but for me and my kind of people. 8. Prayer Time! #sigh# 11am Ring...ring... Salam aleikum... Blablablabla.. For english, press 1, sorry, all our agents are out for prayer, please call again later! When you are in a shop at 330pm trying t...

Wow! It's been 9 months of my 1 year contract in Saudi! I have to say i applaud life for showing me my survival base and how far i can stretch, I did not give up, even though i felt like it so many times.  This journey has changed my view of life! It has given me an opportunity to be thankful and to not just take things for granted! I have seen and learnt that the world is extremely unfair depending on how you view things and where you come from. The things i deem unfair and crazy are someone else's gratitude, having lived here for that time has given me a lesson that i would never get from any other place in the world.So if you ask me if its an ideal place for you, read through and make your decision. These are my personal views, i will try and give it all due fairness... 1. Money/Holidays/Shopping 98% of expats in SaudiArabia are here for the money. For a country so strict and closed, they have to give that extra boost to attract employees. Second, they are too rich to go to ...