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Showing posts from July, 2020

Festivities: Childhood Nostalgia

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           Days before Eid,  we would make our hair, get our clothes and shoes ready, and clean the house. On the eve,  we would spread our clothes neatly on the chair with the new shoes and accessories. Then  First thing in the morning, dressed up in our Sallah clothes usually the native first, we would call the photographer to come and take pictures of us.  After which we would follow my dad to “yidi” praying ground, usually with thousand other followers, my dad would always be in a  hurry so we could meet up with the prayers and get to the praying ground on time.  Then the prayers would be led by the chief Imam who had his own style of reciting, especially the surat’ ul Fatiha, in a song-like tone.  After the prayers, we would then wait behind to wave at the Emir and the governor’s procession with people chanting ‘shehu’ ‘Shehu with their fists thrown up in the air. During the big Eid, we would go to my grandma’s house, where an uncle gives us paper caps with Barka de Sallah print

Book review 1 (An orchestra of minorities)

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It took me so long to finish this book. What kind of book is this? Was what came to mind after I finished reading. Rage, anger, love, hatred, revenge! Why can't we just marry who we want, why should there be buts that keep us from marrying who we love? Nonso was only a naive man who had no exposure and fell in love with the wrong woman. Although she loved him but love is not enough and as is the case with many people, your family has a say in who you marry. In all, anger is a very ruthless emotion that can lead us into making wrong decisions. He loved a woman so much that he made his entirety about her and this was a decision that affected his life badly. I hope he can live with himself when he finds out what he did.

Living in a crowded apartment

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It’s been a while on here, I’ve not written in over a month.  To the main gist, have you ever stayed in a one-room apartment?, the one they refer to as face me I face you? From the noisy neighbor that won’t stop playing very loud music, to the nosy one who has the gist of the whole house and the troublesome ones that run into the toilet or bathroom the moment they see you tying a towel or fetching water to bath or the ones who pour dirty water from upstairs and tell you sorry when the smelly water lands on your head or worse still they run inside to avoid been caught.  The Sunday morning praise jam coming from different quarters, the occupants upstairs spreading cloth outside where water drops directly on your head, and the ones that just refuse to pay electricity bills and will find  a  way to connect to the power supply even if you disconnect it. Careless garbage dumps and eyesore dirty gutter, the one who throws newborn pampers around, those who have converted paint rubbers to pot

Mental Health.

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        According to WHO a young adult is someone between the age of 10 and 24 while the youth is between 15 and 24. An adolescent is an individual, although not yet an adult, they are in the transition phase between childhood and adulthood. Most young people and adults feel sad or low once, in a while, this is understandable because of stressful experiences but when it drags for a long period of time at a stretch it may become an illness "depression".        Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. Depression and suicide is becoming increasingly common among young people.  Change is one of the triggers of depression in youths. We overthink things, from admission to examination to graduation and employment.  Being able to cater to yourself and your loved ones, being accepted, and having a quality relationship.  These factors are sometimes, fueled by social media which is a display of illusion that puts unrealistic pressure on youths.          

Menstruation: a simple story!

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Menstruation is a female biological process that marks an important milestone and is necessary for reproduction (although it differs from person to person). Some have it easier and some pretty much irregular (E ndometriosis and PCOS are associated with pain and menstrual irregularities). Pain on the back and waist, as well as leg cramps are common premenstrual symptoms.  “menstrual cramp” makes you want to stay in bed all day, sometimes you can’t sleep, neither can you sit, all you want to do is make the pain stop. The discomfort and sometimes the mood swings. Menstruation occurs monthly from the onset (menarche) till it finally stops (menopause) with some exceptions like pregnancy and hormonal imbalance. The acne and breakouts can be very frustrating too especially when you are part of the "glowing skin and skin Poppin geng" period pimple is particularly very stubborn. Then there is menstrual diarrhea that is very uncomfortable too.  H ygiene has to be top-notch, whichever

Body Image

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The struggle for a perfect body shape is real, you want that perfect look with no flaws at all.  During the lockdown, a lot of people were worried about not gaining weight and that's fine but sometimes all you need to do is to survive, a lot of people died, that you survived, is good news. 2020 is such a tough year already. I know the struggle is real, with the change in looks, people come with their unsolicited comments and snide remarks, pointing out how you've gained so much weight or how you look fat, some from a place of concern, some in a very condescending manner and some mean absolutely no harm, but it's up to you not to internalize the comments to a place where it affects your mental health. I struggled with all of this and I know what it feels like, but sometimes you just have to love yourself enough to say, I am beautiful regardless.  Sometimes,  people project their insecurities on you and you can't afford to let their opinions control you. This is not to sa

SILENCE

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Silence is golden they say,  You wake up in the morning and pray, You need that quietness to stay, The calmness to create,  From arts to writing, Reading or painting, Sometimes two is a crowd.  The noise could be from flatmates or roommates, You block out the noise with the earpiece,  To be enclosed in your own world of peace You hinge on the rhythm to create, But they can't relate, As an extrovert they say, You are too loud to need space.

WELCOME

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WELCOME TO MY BLOG. writing on the blog, to put out stories that inspire, to share thoughts about different topics, to form ideas and learn. Most importantly, to educate. Would love to share my daily stories with you all, from health hacks to inspiring stories, to myths and facts about child and adolescent health. Bringing interesting book reviews and book recommendations. feel free to share your thoughts. One story at a time, we can make the change we desire and create the kind of world we want to live in!