things i'm thankful for

well, its thanksgiving day in the U.S., normally a big family (and football) affair, but this year i'll spend what i believe to be my first thanksgiving away from any kind of immediate family. nevertheless, i'm with them in spirit and i'll be there in a couple weeks anyway, so not feeling too bad about it :P i thought i'd dedicate a post to the things i'm thankful for, in the name of thanksgiving.

anyone who scoured this blog a bit ago would've probably noticed that i tended to complain about a lot of things that didn't go as planned (banking, phone contract, car, electricity, work...). and even in one of my first blogs, i attempted to write about my likes and dislikes so far and, although completely unintended, my dislikes list ended up far greater than my likes (in number tho, not necessarily in magnitude). its now been almost a year since i've been in south africa and i will attempt to do a similar thing as i list what im most thankful for. Now, of course, there are times when i still get frustrated (tho i try not to dwell on those times), but thank god i have people in my life to remind me by asking "does it raise the price of bread in my home?" or tell me "welcome to africa". leave it to my dad the other day to remind me as he very often (and in perfect timing does): "Don't stress yourself with work and never loose your focus". thanks paps. ok, on to my thankful items, in no particular order.

1. The weather, especially the sun. i'll be the first to admit that im not a huge fan of hot hot weather. but the weather here is not intensely hot yet (its getting there i think). for most of the year tho, its been absolutely beautiful weather. sometimes i just sit outside in the cool, breezy evenings and think if i came to south africa for nothing else, this would be it! now, as much as i love the weather and the sun (when its not too hot), i wish someone would do something about the sun rising at 5AM. i tend to wake up with the sun and its no fun having my body force me to wake up at this crazy hour!

2. Melodous (south) african music. i like all sorts of music, but traditional south african music is probably the most beautiful sound you have ever heard. it incorporates all the sorts of tones, languages, pitches, etc etc. and the dancing! one day i will learn proper traditional dancing. its lovely.

3. uncle obama's victory! ok, i couldn't help it; i had to put that one in. after following the rise of this man for 4 years diligently (like every day, 4 times a day...), im glad its over. or at least the campaigning side. and glad it ended up in a resounding victory for obama. and a resounding victory for the civil rights movement. and a resounding victory for good thinking and progressive americans.

4. getting a chance to go to uganda and meet some really awesome people, pray with random people (tho not strangers), and see awesome things and get to milk an awesome cow...

5. back to sa. the scenery. mountains, deserts, game... try to tell me that that's not beautiful!

6. palm trees in cape town.

7. learning words like "yoh" and "sharp" (or "chap") and "china" (no not the country, and pronounced "chauna") and "boet" and "dumeleng" and "eta" and "howzzit" and "just now" and "chap chap" and the list goes on and on.. also realising that say many of them all wrong.

8. guava juice. i used to love these guava fruit as a child and then i think i forgot about it until now. along the same lines is fanta orange (also buy it all the time). yes, fanta is in the states, but oh, my young padawan, its not the same thing.

9. MAngos! ive been in mango withdrawal for a months now bcuz theyve been out of season, but now theyre coming back as its getting warmer. plus i think i might just go back to the scary "adams family" guy to get them. theres just something about that voice and look that says i will devour you limb by limb that u just cant stay away from...

10. mugg and bean muffins. they are close to matching up to starbucks in my book. tho instead of having muffins and coffee from mugg and bean every other day, ive cut it down to every saturday (or at least i try; sometimes i go through withdrawals during the week and i just cant help myself).

11. realising that i live in a country with 11 official languages! a source of frustration at times (much harder to pick anything up than in a monolingual society). but more often a source of amazement and awe.

12. friends. really good friends. some who make me realize that im not such a good friend at times, but thats a good lesson to learn. some who challenge me in words, actions and thoughts. i had little expectations coming here, but ive been pleasantly surprised by the quality of friendships that ive been able to develop. these guys and gals are like family to me here. which brings me to my next point.

13. family. my family in the us never let me forget that theyre still there, even when i go MIA for some time. calls, emails, skypes, etc. my (indirect) family in sa never letting me forget theyre still there, even when i go MIA for some time!

14. god. indescribable. uncontainable. untameable. incomparable. unchangeable. amazing. you see the depths of my heart and u love me the same...ok i stole that from a chris tomlin song, but all the same. amazing.

There's so much more to be thankful for, but i'll stop here. maybe pick up another day. btw, in case anyone is interested, more pics at this site: link.

Happy Turkey Day!

cape town

I just got back from a mini-vacation/ roadtrip to cape town and it was lovely. the driving was a bit hectic, 18hrs to (had to detour), 15hours back, but we made it in one piece, mostly. cape town is an amazingly beautiful city with lots of scenic views and mountains and beaches, etc. i'm in a rush now and don't really have time to write much, but check out the pics from the picasa link below (pics are usually better than my words anyway). enjoy.

link: http://picasaweb.google.com/okunadef/CapeTown#

thoughts on election night/morning

Wow what an awesome ending to an awesome night/morning/campaign! so i watched the election night at this restaurant/bar in jo-burg with anywhere b/w 50-100 people which was really cool. i must admit tho, while watching the results, listening to music, groaning as the dstv(cable) kept shutting off and back on, i grew a bit jealous. cnn kept showing grant park in chicago all night, where barack obama would hold a rally later in the night. they showed a huge stream of people there early, just to get a good view point. but while watching the crowds fill up downtown chicago and then make a mad rush into grant park as they opened the gates, i had my first real moment (i think) where i genuinely missed chicago and wished that i was there. i hope y'all that went took some good pics.

i must say i was completely unprepared for the way i would feel if/when obama actually won. this is probably due to the fact that i never expected him, a black man, to actually get as far as he did. yes, i've admired and followed him since 2004 when he made his speech at the DNC and captured the whole nation with his brilliance, eloquence and idealism. and when he committed to running, i was fully behind him. but still, i couldnt see how a new face on the national scene who hadn't "put in his time" could go on to win the democratic nomination. i liked and respected the clinton, not so much for bill's foreign policies or personal endeavors, as much as for the same qualities that i saw in obama - the ability to motivate, inspire and lead. because of bill, i figured hillary was unstoppable. even after obama won the democratic nomination, i could still see a clear path the defeat, given the republican attack machine or the democrats amazing abilities to screw things up majorly. so all this to say that when john king on cnn could not map out a way for mccain to win, even in the early stages of voting results or when they started passing out the champaign and glasses at the restaurant, i vehemently rejected the notion, claiming it wasn't over till the magic number (electoral votes) said it was over (regardless of what the "magic wall" said).

and when, around 5:30 or 6AM south african time, cnn announced the california had closed their polls and the state (obviously) had been put in the obama column, pushing obama past the magic #, i was simply stunned. i think my first reaction was silence for about 2 seconds. then silence turned into jubilation as the screaming reached fever pitch and people grabbed whatever they could to make some noise and let all the neighbors know that "amerrricans were in da haus", and everyone started hugging each other. then the jubilation, for others, turned into tears of joy, of hope. that's when i decided to leave; i figured i had just enough time, if i left immediately, to make it home and catch obama as he made his acceptance speech. i dont think ive ever made it home from this part of town as fast as i did this morning.

as i drove home, i listened to some radio commentators speak about the election and heard some of mccain's concession speak (and regained respect for the man, after a nasty as hell campaign). but there was still something missing, i had no emotion attachment to it. this was a black man, just elected by white people to lead them in one of the most trying of times. to be the leader of the "free world".

getting home i immediately tuned on to cnn minutes before obama began speaking. i saw a couple cnn commentators, black, recount what this means to them. they of course invoked names such as frederick douglas, rosa parks, martin luther king, and many others that had paved the way for something like this to happen; barack obama's name, regardless of what he does as president, could now be included in that list. i watched as they couldnt finish their sentences and the camera panned away to avert too much embarrassment. then obama began:

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

The camera panned to the audience. white, black, latino, asian, men, women, children had one thing in common (probly more than one actually): they were mostly crying. then the screen went to the ebenezer church in atlanta. most people crying. then the camera found oprah. she was crying. and finally it rested on the rev jesse jackson. he was weeping. never mind what jesse jackson has become lately, but from the 60s to the early 90s, he was a champion for civil rights within the us as well as outside (as one of the staunchest us critics to the then sa apartheid regime). i am a grown man (well at least sometimes), but i'm not afraid to admit that that frame of jesse jackson did it for me. I could no longer hold back the emotions. i felt tears running down my face. why this emotion? was i witnessing the second coming of jesus or something? absolutely not, i realized at that moment that i wasn't tearing for the man. i doubt many people were. i hadn't adamantly followed his campaign because of him. rather, it was what he stood for and what he meant. in obama, the candidate, you could not only view the prospects of tomorrow, but also the pains of the past. this is why i think jesse jackson was weeping.

i cannot claim to understand what slavery or institutionalised discrimination or separation or apartheid was like. i never went through any of those times. i only know from what i've read and watched and heard people speak about. that 40yrs after mlk was assassinated and segregation was outlawed and only a bit more than 100yrs after slavery was made illegal, a black man could be chosen to lead a white nation - a nation with the most influence on earth - was something i never thought i would see - simply an act of god. i think obama tried to play down the historic aspect of this election, but it was clear without him saying a word. u saw it in the faces of those old enough to remember, those who had never voted because they didnt think it would count, because they believed they would be shut out cuz america doesnt care about the black vote, and those who couldnt look their children in the eye and tell them they could truly be anything they wanted to be, because they didnt think it was true. now they know. the past pains have brought us to this moment, when americans of all races can be confident that with hard work, the sky really is the limit. now, im not so naive to think that this is the end of institutionalised barriers for people of colour, but my goodness, what a giant step in the right direction!

in obama, i saw not the man, but what he stood for: the embodiment of what so many fought for (not to be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character), the promise of the future, the future of children, the future of america (the immediate impact and improvement that this election made on the world stage cannot be under-emphasized), and the hope that though there were still real and difficult challenges to face, americans were (for one night at least) united (at least 52% of them!), inspired, and motivated; ready to be challenged yet again to seek what they can do for their country and not simply what their country can do for them. obama will disappoint. he will fail, at least once. but we should never forget the impact that this election (whether in the symbolic sense or in the practical sense) had on whites, blacks, browns, peaches, beiges, and tons of foreigners.

president barack obama...thats gonna take a while to get used to.

back from haitus

well its been a very long time since i last posted, and unfortunately/fortunately this one will be short and sweet, with hopes of long and sweet posts to follow shortly.

- first, i've come to the realisation that i have been a junkie for US presidential politics for almost 2 years now. i've always been a fan of politics (esp US and 'african'), but this period has been even better/worse (however you look at it). I wonder how much worse it would be were I actually living in the states and inundated with 24-hr polical coverage and robo-calls. hmm, i really wish i was still living in stl right now, actually. there was a nyt op-ed about a week or so ago in which the author lamented the fact that she didnt live in a "toss-up" or "battleground" state, and therefore was not privy to all the robo-calls and visits and negative campaigning and polling calls during dinner, etc. i feel the exact same way. shame. maybe one day. I'm also very proud of ST. LOUIS for showing such a huge sign of support for b-obama, coming out a record (at the time) 100,000+ strong to a rally held in one of the most beautiful spots in the city - the lawn of the Arch.

- second south african politics is no less exciting these days either. since 1994, sa has been effectively a 1-party state, belonging to the African National Congress (ANC). sure, there are other 'opposition' parties, but not nearly strong enough or black enough or 'comrade' enough. but in the last few weeks, scores of people have been resigning from the ANC to potentially form another party soon in time to contest for next years elections. this party will be a bit strange (in my opinion), because essentially they are billing themselves as the 'real' ANC and their name will probably be something like South African National Congress (SANC), and their charter will be very similar to the ANC and their history will be shared with that of the ANC, save the breakaway part. so in essence, they are the tru followers of the freedom charter. lots of educated blacks (and whites) that i've spoken to are actually pretty pumped about this new breakaway party. for the 1st time since '94, it has the potential of giving black who are disappointed with the way the ANC is currently being run and the crazy personalities currently running it are behaving. one of my role models, desmond tutu, has clearly stated that he may not vote for the anc next year. and i cant imagine that former prez mbeki and reigning idol, nelson mandela are too thrilled with the way the party is going. it's unclear that any of these individuals will actually vote for another party, particularly since the party has played such a huge part in their lives and their making; however, it is also clear that they appear to be disgruntled by the current leadership and the direction towards which the party is heading. mbeki himself publicly (in a letter) just disassociated himself with any party politics (esp the ANC) in the near future. i can;t blame any of these guys; its difficult to be proud of a party that has behaved like the ANC has recently with 1) the current pres still trying to settle criminal charges lobbied against him; 2) the sexual assault/rape accusation still lingering over the president's head (even tho that case has been closed); 3) uneducated, thuggish hooligans running the ANC youth league threatening to "kill" for zuma and seemingly attempting to take on a more prominent role in the future of sa politics; and the list goes on... so in a sense, the breakaway party will provide citizens that aren't happy with the current ANC, but are way too afraid and suspicious of any other (read: white) party (a very legitimate concern) an avenue to turn to. stay tuned.

3rd. these next 3 points are exciting times for me. on tuesday, im going to an all-night party. woohoo. starting at 10pm and ending 6am wed morning. yes i have work to do on wednesday, but i'll get lots of sleep when i'm dead, right?! plus theres much more important things than sleep. like the celebration or mourning of an obama victory or loss! this party is for "americans in africa for obama"! and is an election night watch. basically cnn and wine/champagne/beer and friends and free gifts and raffle stuff all night long. should be good times and heres to hoping it ends well! an aside, people outside of the US are pretty sure this election is a foregone conclusion. i think thats because outside the US (much more so than within) the media and people have gone ga-gah over obama and thats all u hear. me, i'm not so sure this election is fore-gone anything. i do not underestimate the power of americans to screw things up and make wrong decisions, like they did in 2004. plus there are way too many factors involved, not the least of which being race ("did u hear that b-obama is black?...well, kinda...more importantly, he's not like us...")

4th, in 2 weeks, i'm finally gearing up for my trip to cape town. I've been meaning to go for so long and now am finally making the trip. but this trip is no ordinary trip. its a ROAD TRIP. btw, it takes about 18 hours to get to cape town by car from joburg (2hrs by plane), so we're a bit nuts, but whats a trip without adventure?! plus i'll be accompanied by 3 of the best people in sa! ill share lots of pics when i get back.

5th, i finally bought my ticket for xmas to the states. i'll be there from 16dec to 7jan, so if you're around, hit me up or let me know (cuz i may have a different #, my old phone was victim to pick-pocketing!). so ye, excited about that. i'll be in chi-town and stl for sure, and maybe some other places.

6th, this is a last minute add-on, but i thought this was interesting. i've been meaning to write more about nigerian politics, cuz im kindof a junkie for that too. but a read this article not too long ago that a couple individuals (just normal people) that blog about nigerian politics and all the shit going on in the country that few outside hear about had been detained when they tried to enter the country, for no reason other than the fact that the run anti-nigerian government blogs. thats a bunch of kak in my opinion. but im not at all surprised; a 'civilian' nigerian government finds it hard to shake off the old habits of the 'military' government we've known for so many years. anyway, thats not really a deterrent for me, but i thought it was interesting. to all the nigerian authroites reading this (and im sure they number in the millions!), i don't have anything against nigeria, very few nigerians do. we love this great country more than most people love their countries. we simply long for the day when the rampant corruption is reigned in to an acceptable and workable level (it will never be eradicated, but it can be brought down to a level where ordinary citizens are not deeply and daily affected) and where civil liberties are obeyed and laws lawfully enforced. thats all we ask!

right, so that was longer than the short and sweet promised, but hopefully it was worthy reading. cheers and lekker dag.

edit: i forgot to mention in my earlier post that i moved this weekend. it wasn't a big move (or at least i thought in the beginning), simply moving inside the same complex but different apartment. but like i said the last couple times i moved, i'm never doing that again. it turned out to be pretty hectic. i was supposed to have movers to do most of the work, but then they left before they did a lot of the work. and cuz i relied on the movers, i hadnt told many people that i was moving so had no help. ended up moving most things by myself (and there were a lot of little things, cuz i didnt pack properly, no surprise). luckily towards the end, i was able to get some good friends to help me out and actually help me set up in the new place after i was completely spent. these guys/gals were awesome. i owe you big time! now i'm at a new place which looks a lot like the old place anyway...