Decades: Chunks of Time

 I know its been a minute I posted to this blog... make that ten minutes. Several times I have reached for my phone to type my thoughts, but the drive to actually post isn't there. Today that ends. Happy New Year x how many years? 6? 12? 2024 finds me rounding up my master's degree program in Rwanda, and let me tell you, the feeling is way different from when I was in my undergraduate degree program 18 years ago. Wait... if I'd had a kid back then, s/he would be a full-grown adult this year... wooow. I actually don't find the fact that I'm older than most of the lecturers odd - I try not to think about the time lost while getting into and trying to rise above the 'presents' Life gave me since 2009. I focus on learning a lot from my peers and the teachers. I'm trying to soak up as much as I can and to catch up you see. Today I want to share what I learned about Africans, but let me first give you context. Our lecturer had schooled in South Korea, and we a...

One of the results of attending CMS Africa 2016 in Kampala, Uganda , was the creation of an Ironblogger network, IBCOCO . The intent was simple: there is a huge huge benefit from having an online presence, for every business, and blogging frequently is one of the ways to achieve this.

I just got an SMS from Vicky, about Mobile Money provided by MTN. As a typical Nigerian, the first point of call on the mobile money site for me was the Tariffs section. According to the tariff page , to deposit, register, buy airtime, check balance and pay bills is free. To withdraw by an unregistered customer is free as well as the accounts subscription, and SMS traffic generated by transactions. But after that, the charges start piling up: Mini Statement = NGN10. Registered customer's withdrawal of NGN3,000 and less will cost NGN50. Registered customer's withdrawal of between NGN3,001 and NGN6,000 will cost NGN100. Registered customer's withdrawal of between NGN6,001 and NGN9,000 will cost NGN150. Registered customer's withdrawal of above NGN9,000 will cost NGN200. To send to a Registered customer, it will cost you NGN50. To send NGN3,000 or less to an unregistered customer will cost you NGN120. To send between NGN3,001 and NGN6,000 to an unregistered cus...

This is a poem I wrote for a friend that is having issues....she enjoyed it and has permitted me to share to the world as well - someone out there probably needs the upliftment.... Its family thanksgiving day. Everyone is in church, seated with their families, children, grandparents and all. The pastor calls out all the couples that are a year old, and my husband and I file out with the rest. 10 couples in all. And only one couple is without a baby. Us. It felt like the sore thumb, always sticking out. It doesn’t help matters that both my sisters-in-law are among us. I can’t help but feel like everyone is staring at me, wondering why, wondering when. Well, I don't know too! And I don't like it either! I don’t like not knowing when God will finally answer my prayers and give me the twins I want. I don't like not knowing whether I will menstruate or even ovulate each month. I don't like not knowing how my body could fluctuate between weight levels so rapidly and often. I...

Thank God for technology - I was on the phone with someone in another state when the results were announced that Barack Obama had won. I ran to the TV and put it to a local channel that had the foresight to show it live (another thanks to technology in Nigeria). The speech was preceded by prayers and that alone is a sign that Christianity was back in control in that country. I have to confess that I cried throughout his speech. Not just because of his words but the enormity of it all. A Kenyan is the next president-elect of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A BLACK-SKINNED MAN was going to rule the WHITE HOUSE. A Black Family was going to be the First family in the world. I cried and sobbed because his words were what we all wanted to hear, words of hope, words of encouragement, and words of affirmation. YES WE CAN. There is no limit to what we can do. Nothing is impossible [for God]. We are here to help each other. We are here to ensure that progress is made. We are here on earth to make...