Karis: (noun) greek; grace...

I was barely out of teenage hood when I first set foot in England. Despite my family and friends' teary departure at the airport (yes you know yourselves), I was pretty excited. Who wouldn't be, I was embarking on a whole new journey, on a different continent, ready to re invent myself. Of course before we left we were all told a million things about what to expect and all the culture shock we would come across but nothing really prepares you for a brand new place. Right off the bat as I left the airport to catch a train to Leicester I was met by something I had only seen on TV. There was this young couple sitting opposite me just going at it, I am talking heavy kissing and petting here. Obviously right now if I saw something like that I wouldn't even bat an eyelash. But back then I was fresh from home, from a very conservative nation that didn't encourage such public displays of affection. I think it was at that moment that I truly realised that I was no longer at home...

JAMES James wasn't Nora's first boyfriend not by far but she was quite certain he would be her last. Theirs was an interesting story if there ever was one. Like Nora, James was gifted. They had been enrolled in the same schools since they were 12. Academic rivals was the best way to explain their earlier relationship. In fact, when Nora was awarded her college scholarship, James was the only other person in her school who also received it. But they never interacted on a social level. Just a few polite hellos at most had been exchanged between them for 6 whole years. There is no 'Nora and James' without Eddie. When Nora was 19 she started seeing Eddie. Eddie was charming and funny and quite popular among the girls so naturally she was very flattered by the attention. What started out as casual dating blossomed into a full blown relationship in the space of two months. That's when Eddie introduced Nora to his friends. "This is Jess, Brad and I think you know ...

So I wrote this short story that I have finally decided to share with the rest of the world. I will be publishing it in parts and this is the first part: NORA Nora was relatively happy. In fact she had never thought of happiness as a fleeting emotion. Sure sometimes she would get sad or angry, but it was always temporary. Sooner or later she would be happy again, content. It was her state of being. Even as a child she was bubbly. Despite her abusive step father, she somehow found a way to stay grounded. She had this one memory that she held on to. One summer night when she was 12 her mother decided the night sky was too beautiful not to watch. So she took an old rug and set it outside. There was a cold breeze quenching the night of it's humid heat. All her four younger sisters and her mother slept on that old rug that night. Just looking up at the stars making up theories of how they got there. She had never felt so peaceful. That was Nora's happiest moment. Over the years s...

If you have spent more than half your life in some sort of formal education then finally graduating is something you look forward to whole heartedly. Three years of pre school + seven years of primary school + five years of secondary school + two years at University and another three more years at another uni and I finally made it into the coveted cap and gown. Yes, I finally got my degree! It's a beautiful feeling, seeing all your hard work finally pay off, well that is if you got a good degree classification.  But what nobody ever tells you is the kind of pressure that comes with that little piece of paper. All of a sudden your long lost cousins and aunts and uncles start expressing their joy at your success and burden you with their expectations. So not only do I have to meet my immediate family's expectations but my extended family's as well. It's at this point in time when you realise that even though you spent half your life being lectured about the importan...

It's been a whole entire year and some months since I last wrote down my thoughts on here. I could lie and blame my busy life and university for my absence but I wouldn't be doing anyone justice. Truth is I got scared, I got scared of all the things going on around me that writing them down would have forced me to face them. Over the past year I have been through so much, both joy and pain, I have learnt so much, all of which I want to share 😊 Firstly, you never know how strong you are until you have to be. And this applies to everyone, YOU ARE STRONG ! It doesn't matter what you are going through, you will survive it. You just gotta have faith in yourself. Secondly we need to appreciate the people we have in our lives (friends and family). You never know when you are going to need them around you because nothing beats the support system comprised of your loved ones 💞 You know that popular Justin Bieber song, Love Yourself ? I know it has a different message to what ...

For what I am about to share to make sense, I need to give you a bit of background information. I am what my friends call an 'activity slut'. Its kind of a harsh term but completely factual. I am the kind of person who participates in literally everything that I come across, be it charity organisations, school related projects, societies, etc. If I feel like I could contribute something to any project I do it, without any hesitation. I love working with people and trying to make the lives of people around me better and being involved in all these projects gives me the opportunity to do just that. I also do it for selfish reasons, I want to leave a legacy that will live on for decades after I have left this earth. I want to be remembered by each and everyone I come in contact with. What? I am only human! But one thing I never do is get involved in anything where I am uncertain about its success. All my moves are calculated, I only take part in things  I know for sure I will be...

A lot of people who don't celebrate Valentine's Day reason that we should celebrate our loved ones everyday and not just on a particular day. Pardon me but I find this logic flawed. It's like saying Mother's Day shouldn't be celebrated because we ought to honour our mothers every day of the year.  In this day and age where we are too busy to even sit down and have a proper meal it is imperative that we set apart special days to reflect and celebrate our loved ones. Either through Mother's Day, Father's Day or even Valentine's Day. There are so many things going on in each of our lives, be it school, work, businesses, church that sometimes we unintentionally forget to appreciate our loved ones. This is where Valentine's Day comes in, its an opportunity to say , 'Even when I don't show it sometimes, I do appreciate your presence in my life.' Another reason why people may not observe this day is because they are single. In countries like...