You know you are growing old when ....

I was invited to be part of a team to facilitate a workshop for adolescent girls. We started off with a tense team of teenagers staring at us like we had two heads. That is when it struck me that I am certainly growing old if I am now the facilitator and not the participant.

When did I stop being an adolescent? I mean there was no warning or anything apart from a few aches and pains here and there. Well, those years are gone. As I looked at their shinning but very timid faces, I knew exactly how they felt. I used to be so timid, a mouse was more outgoing. I hoped that nobody would see me especially the teachers who were likely to pick on me. I got so good, they sometimes forgot I was even then.  But today, I wanted to reassure those young ladies that like me, they would soon outgrow it or be forced to be well spoken.

All the mushy stuff aside, I did not really understand their slang, didn't quite know the celebrities they said they admired, nor did I understand why some of them were dressed like they were older than their age. Goodness me, I am slowly turning into my mother. Yap, old age is definitely setting in.

But standing there and having something to share with them, made me proud that I could now stand up in front of such a judgmental and giggly group and impart "wisdom". Let's hope they picked up something I said as well as what I wanted them to see from our conduct.

I live in an urban area that is actually a rural area

I live a few kilometers from the Capital City. One would expect that I have access to all the comforts living in a city would offer. Well in a country like ours, the comforts include, horrible roads, slums, semi permanent shop structures and leaders who seem to have shady dealings.

Well, on the way to my "by the neighborhood standards" acceptable house, I found that the river was over flowing. I didn't know about it until I got there. Since the rest of the place was dry, I assume the river path must be clogged with rubbish. And who is going to clean it up? We the citizens who throw the rubbish there, are going to wait for our leaders and the Government to come clean up.

And so we have to wade throw contaminated water until the river water reduces. eeewwww. I thought this only happened in places that are far from the Capital and therefore the Government never looks there (I too blame the Government for this hahahaha).

Wait, do I use English (United Kingdom) , English (United States) or my home language?

My country was once a British colony. And so up until Independence in 1962, the language, education system and paperwork all had a leaning towards British systems. Fast forward to the 1980s, HIV and AIDS became a big issue and our biggest funders are from the USA. This now means that our systems and paperwork is going American. This doesn't mean that the British pulled out completely. They too fund some projects here and there and in fact a lot of out historical maps and artifacts are in some Office in the UK.

Now comes my confusion, do I use English (UK) or English (USA)? On the other hand we (like any other former colony) want to promote use of our own language. In other words, in school I had to learn English (UK), at work I have to use a combination of the two because reports are to both UK and USA, while I want to retain my identity as an African and therefore speak at least one or two African Languages. It is quite interesting though that some non-Africans think that Africa has one language. It never ceases to amuse me when I watch a film set in South Africa and the characters are speaking Swahili which is not spoken in South Africa but rather in East Africa.

I read so many Mills and Boon novels written in Britain while growing up. And now watch so many Sitcoms from the USA. But I work in a not for profit organisation whose biggest clientele prefers to speak a local language. So I ask myself, how do I organise myself while reporting or how to I ensure that I am communicating the right thing when my brain is unsure.

I once wrote an article and asked a intern from Canada to help me edit it. He sent it back with several grammatical corrections. I gave the same piece to a friend in Britain and she thought it was near perfect. So, was one being honest and another being polite? Or is my English learning more towards UK than USA?

Phew!!! Just thinking about it makes my brain feel drained.

Christianity at a Party?

You know, if you are at a party where alcohol is on the menu and you want to disband the group of people you are standing with (especially if you just met them), just ask them whether they are Christian. Even the heaviest of them is likely to run for cover. Now I'm not saying Christians don't drink alcohol, nor am I saying that Christianity and parties don't mix. I'm just saying that many times people get uncomfortable when you bring up the topic of religion and they have had more than enough glasses of wine or bottles of beer. I can't help but mention by the way, that I just don't get the drinking beer with a straw thing. What is that?

As a Christian, my opinions are biased towards Christianity so I can't really say much about the other religions. Anyway, I read somewhere that Jesus brought the Church into the world, but we are not to bring the world into the Church. Many times I try to look at situations by comparing them to this saying. For example, Jesus turned water into wine but we are not to drink wine until we are wasted because Jesus okayed wine. However, I don't think that discussing the bible or Christianity during a party is wrong. Although going on and on about it and making a nuisance of yourself would make any topic wrong.

Life in the world has changed so much in that we have a generation of people who think Christianity is for the old and infirm. In other words when you talk about it, you kill the mood of the party. But then again, looking at the other side, some Christians do come off as self righteous and condemning.

As a Christian, a consumer of alcohol, a party goer as well as a firm believer of actions speaking louder than words, I think Christianity is okay at a party. Just keep it free of judgement, keep it interesting, clean and know your audience. Enjoy the party and let everyone else enjoy it too.Bless