Tag Archives: Family

Day 203

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Being in a family is all about compromise – that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 6: 11 PM on day 203 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to go visit my dad’s cousin and dad’s cousin and aunt in Port Edward and come back to Lusikisiki.

After visiting my dad’s cousin and aunt we went to the arcade in the Wild Coast Casino (see pictures below) and although I would rather have shot myself than be there as we went to buy Ice-cream I realized that my wants and needs weren’t the only ones that mattered so I tried my best to enjoy the experience. Are your familial relationships in taters because you are unable to compromise?

My brother - Kevin - playing Deal or No Deal

Me watching my brother play Deal or No Deal

Day 202

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You should do what you know is right regardless of what anybody else says – that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 3: 10 PM on day 202 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself a banana for breakfast, survive a five hour road trip back to my hometown of Lusikisiki (see picture of our journey below) and eat rice and curry for lunch – I let my mother feed me just this once because I didn’t want to make a mess in my aunt’s living room.

Today when I was in the car on our road trip a friend of mine send me a text via my sister’s cell phone and my father overheard me saying to my sister tell her I got the bread and he asked what’s this about bread so I reluctantly told him that my friend and I were approaching bakeries to see if they’d be willing to donate bread to enable me to make more sandwiches for my housekeeper’s community (if you have no idea what I’m talking about refer to ‘Day 184’) and all he could think to say was I will buy the bread otherwise people will think we are eating the donated bread and in that moment I came to a maddening realization that all my father cared about was his reputation. Are you guided by other people’s opinions or your own intuition?

My 16-year old sister - Neethu - and 10-year-old brother - Kevin - in the backseat of our car

The security area of Nelson Mandela's house in Qunu - his hometown

Day 193

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If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants. – Sir. Isaac Newton

It’s 11: 35 PM on day 193 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, cut my birthday cake (see pictures below) and feed it to myself while watching the Cricket World Cup match: South Africa vs. New Zealand–we lost and are out of the world cup and of course it stings a little but in the bigger scheme of things it’s just a game … people are dying in Japan – and tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign for a few hours – someone who prefers to remain anonymous donated $54.92 – both you and I know who you are thank you for your donation 🙂  

Today being my birthday and all I would like to dedicate this post to:

  • My mother who does things for me that nobody else would do

 

  • My father who has taught me everything I need to know about myself to survive in this world

 

  • My siblings who never complain even when my parents give me more attention just because I am on a wheelchair

 

  • My extended family who show me every day that I am not in this alone

 

  • Virginia – our late housekeeper – who has taught me how to love unconditionally

 

  • Gerda – my physiotherapist – who expects me to go out and do great things in spite of my disability

    

  • Nelson Mandela who has taught me courage of conviction

 

  • Oprah who has taught me that you receive more when you give    

 

The cake

The cake out of the box

 

Me cutting the cake (my eyes appear closed because I am looking down at the cake)

Day 187

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People who feel insecure within themselves will try to tear you down – that’s what I learned today 🙁

It’s 10: 58  PM on day 187 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, make sandwiches for the people in our housekeeper’s neighborhood (if you have no idea what I am talking about refer to ‘Day 184’) – it was a relatively drama-free morning with the only snag being that there wasn’t enough foil paper but that too was not a problem without a solution we decided to stack the  sandwiches on top of each other – a HUGE thanks must go to mom who helped me every step of the way – I LOVE you mommy 🙂 – feed myself a bread and jam sandwich for breakfast while watching TV – food tastes better when you eat after you give to other people 🙂 – feed myself rice and curry for lunch  and  tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign only stopping to feed myself Spring rolls for dinner – @sharoneden (Sharon) made a donation of $53.85  – thanks again Sharon 🙂  

Today as I sat at our dining table buttering the bread for the sandwiches my mom and I were making my dad came up behind me and said why don’t you do two  first and in that moment he made me feel so incompetent so I said if you’re not doing anything shut up and although I don’t regret saying it I do regret the way I said it because those words were unbecoming of me. Are your insecurities causing you to be mean?

Day 185

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Life is bigger than the microcosm we choose to live in. We are all connected. Choose empathy over apathy. Choose substance over surface.  – @TheStyleGent

It’s 10: 35  PM on day 185 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself Spring rolls for breakfast,  tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign for a few hours – no luck –  feed myself rice and curry for lunch, tweet about my campaign some more –    two donations were made: the first one was a $1 donation from someone who preferred to remain anonymous and the second one was a $53.85 donation from @Faryna (Stan) –thanks guys your support means a LOT to me 🙂 – and watch TV.

As you may know by now I step back and look at things before I react and today as I watched my sister screaming at my parents over the fact that they left the car door open long enough for someone to steal her cellphone I tried to get her to do the same by saying it’s just a cellphone we’ll buy you a new one there are children dying and she spat with more venom than I thought she was capable of I don’t care after which she threw a pillow at me LOL 🙂 Are you apathetic to the problems of the world because you live in a microcosm?

Day 173

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By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character. –  Grenville Kleiser 

It’s 11: 25 PM on day 173 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself a chili-omelet – or at least what was intended to be an chili-omelet – for breakfast – my brother made it so naturally it didn’t came out exactly right in fact there were even a few shells in it but I ate it with a smile of my face because I truly believe it’s the thought that counts and not the execution 🙂 –       tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign for a few hours – no luck today but someone did promise to make a donation on Monday so I’m happy 🙂 –      feed myself rice and curry for lunch, watch TV and feed myself  butternut and Batura – deep fried bread – separately –  for dinner.

 This morning my aunt and uncle came to visit and the first words out of her mouth when she saw me sitting in front of my laptop were your probably on Facebook, right and I thought to myself with my blood now at boiling point ON FACEBOOK… do you have any idea what I do all day but chose to say yes I am because I had promised myself that I would NEVER EVER use my philanthropic endeavours to look good in the eyes of others and judging by the way I’d behaved this morning I’d say that I’m doing a pretty good job of keeping that promise. Have you found greatness of character within you by practising self-control and discipline? 🙂