Books
ROCK BEHIND THE WATERFALL: An Insider's View of Diplomatic Life
The hard work of ambassadors' spouses that is hidden from the public eye is the stuff as it were, that happens behind the gates of palaces and presidential mansions that we frequented. I learnt and grew in a myriad of ways as an ambassador's wife. I learned the rules of diplomacy that equipped me to function correctly within protocols. I was the employer for the domestic staff. I was the chief event planner and sometimes chairperson at selected gatherings as requested. There were social welfare aspects of the duties of the ambassador's wife. Very often I had to be counselor for a range of people. I was service provider for visitors - dignitaries and general visitors alike - to the country of accreditation. I participated in official engagements with my husband. All of these had to be combined with the duties of a wife and mother. |
TASTE OF THE KOLA NUT
In Sierra Leonean societies the kola nut is regarded as symbolic of life itself, particularly in its ceremonial uses such as during marriage ceremonies. This is because the taste of the kola nut which is initially a little strange and bitter, soon changes into a pleasant taste which further enhances the flavour of anything ingested afterwards.
The Taste of the Kola Nut is therefore a fitting title for a story about the path I traveled with my husband as we started a new stage of our lives as newly-weds, as foreigners living in a new country and a new continent as students and as parents in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The taste of the Kola Nut therefore sums up our journey through life at that time in one small package that metaphorically reflects our personal experience.
In Sierra Leonean societies the kola nut is regarded as symbolic of life itself, particularly in its ceremonial uses such as during marriage ceremonies. This is because the taste of the kola nut which is initially a little strange and bitter, soon changes into a pleasant taste which further enhances the flavour of anything ingested afterwards.
The Taste of the Kola Nut is therefore a fitting title for a story about the path I traveled with my husband as we started a new stage of our lives as newly-weds, as foreigners living in a new country and a new continent as students and as parents in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The taste of the Kola Nut therefore sums up our journey through life at that time in one small package that metaphorically reflects our personal experience.
THROUGH THE CALABASH
For a woman who grew up in an era when girls, especially those of my ethnicity did not go to school, the phrase "it's a man's world" should hold a myriad of meanings and emotions that would not necessarily be positive. Yet my primary response to that phrase is the deep warmth that follows fond memories, because my world was a man's world. Four men in particular, My father and three brothers, created unique circumstances around which I was raised.
In the midst of their careful nurturing, which I did not always appreciate at the time, I was surrounded with love and great care. The result of my upbringing started its manifestation with my travel abroad when my husband and I lived in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, thousands of miles from home. The lessons I learned during those early years became my guide for the rest of my life.
For a woman who grew up in an era when girls, especially those of my ethnicity did not go to school, the phrase "it's a man's world" should hold a myriad of meanings and emotions that would not necessarily be positive. Yet my primary response to that phrase is the deep warmth that follows fond memories, because my world was a man's world. Four men in particular, My father and three brothers, created unique circumstances around which I was raised.
In the midst of their careful nurturing, which I did not always appreciate at the time, I was surrounded with love and great care. The result of my upbringing started its manifestation with my travel abroad when my husband and I lived in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, thousands of miles from home. The lessons I learned during those early years became my guide for the rest of my life.