Musings of a Global Nomad

Dear ones, It’s Christmas morning, and as I sit here in our garden, under the warm Abuja sun, my thoughts are with all our loved ones far away. And as I think of the year gone by and summon up memories to share, I am smiling because all in all, it has been a good year. The first half of the year was quite eventful and stressful. Gerard was in Nigeria, while we were in Rome. We also had all the trauma that comes with high school finals (we constantly asked ourselves if it was necessary for 17 year olds to have so much stress- was the IB worth it?). Then there was the stress of university applications and interviews and finally the excitement of receiving acceptances. Arhantika got accepted into both her top choices and went with her first choice, University of South Wales in Cardiff to study Photojournalism. The months flew by and before we knew it, it was time to start packing for the move to Abuja. The last few weeks in Rome were fun. We had family and friends visit

My Darling A, It seems unreal. I cannot, I just cannot comprehend that by the time the sun rises tomorrow my baby, my first born, will officially be an adult. As I sit flicking through photos of the years that have flown by, I smile through the tears. Each photograph brings flashbacks, memories that pierce the soul and have me yearning to relive them. The day you were born, the first chuckles, the toddler banter. You were the friendliest and easiest baby ever. And then you grew up; you took on the role of big sister and the years and the experiences began to mold you into someone who was tough, kind and smart. Then the teenage years rolled in and you proved every notion about teenagers right. There were those days that you were moody and insolent, cheeky and daring! But we plodded through, loving you more than ever, trying our best to be ‘parent friends’, forgiving, coaxing, teaching, preaching, shouting, each side, both you and us exercising patience, tolerance and restraint u

Despondent and afraid, she walked along The road they said led to somewhere. Cause the hope that had surged at the start of the path The songs she had hummed when the journey begun Had faded, been muted, by her thoughts on the run. Yet she walked on bravely, shoulders drooping, With the weight of the sorrow in her soul. For every step that was taking her somewhere Was really just taking her Further from home. The loneliness pressed closer, suffocating her senses. And really she just wanted to scream. But her throat was too dry, her soul much too weak. So she walked on quietly, Mumbling a prayer for those left behind. And then in the distance she could finally see The end of her path, a place to be free. As it rose on the horizon, her heart skipped  a beat For she saw the uniforms, the batons and the barbed wire fences Beckoning yet  Menacing... could she dare to fly free. And that song that had sprung from hope, from survival Bubbled again, giving he