People usually tell me my life is exciting but these last two days steal the cake for this month. Yesterday, 17 November 2010, was Eid ul Adha. One of the times I love most and I love going home, Durban and spending it with the family. This year was no different except that I had all of one day at home to celebrate it. Flew down early in the morning and flew back the next morning. Exciting times!

Eid was a little different this year. Headed out to Inchanga Islamic Centre as usual to cut my Qurbani [sheep] and ended up staying to help my uncle who was short staffed. He runs proceedings at the centre and helps facilitate the entire Qurbani process. Having stayed longer it was interesting to see my cousin who normally would never get involved stay and help as well. She is really a girly girl and even though six months my junior we are like toasted chalk and cheese. So different but so together, if you catch my drift.

Then it was loads of family time and that I love most in the world. I have this motto: “Family First” and so far I’ve always managed to stick with it. So much so that at times I miss out on some pretty exciting opportunities, but family is my life and that’s the way it should be. So happens that my extended family – aunts, uncles, cousins – are so close to me that not spending enough time with them, is sometimes actually bad for me and makes me moody. Go figure!

More excitement arrived today, 18 November 2010. I managed to get pick pocketed at OR Tambo International Airport on returning to miserable, coldish Johannesburg. Sigh. Running around like a frantic chicken with out a head is definitely a sight to see. I’ve been fortunate in the past that this has never happened to me and I am grateful that the incident this morning did not have anything to do with being held up or threatened or confronted in any way. Also I am grateful that the only thing they managed to take was my cellphone and not my wallet also lying in the same bag.

Today is Thankful Thursday and I am thankful, for family, friends and moments that even though bad have a silver lining in them.

My sisters amazing Eclairs - she caters for Durban

So its been a while and the reason I never lived up to my promise of blogging at least once a week, was because for the most part I had no passion in me to blog. The other part I got swamped with work and took on more then I could handle with some freebie work I was doing. Yes say it, I know you thinking it anyway – Douche Bag I am!

So the passion to write is slowly returning and the freebie work that I was doing was actually all about writing. I was writing blog posts and reviews for some sites out there. [No I am not sharing it with you, if you find it you do, if not it doesn’t have anything to do with you.]

I’ve also been jamming up my weekends with the Football mania that is gripping my beautiful country South Africa.

Managed to make it to the opening game of Soccer City, Johannesburg. Thanks to my lovely friend Aasia for organising the tickets and making sure I got there. Was so unreal to hear about 80 000 plus [close on to 95 000 I hear] fans blowing vuvuzelas*, cheering their team and bottom line getting into the spirit of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, though it was a Nedbank Cup final between Wits University and AmaZulus.

Capacity crowds at the opening of Soccer City

Then Sunday was all about chilling but Monday brought on another bought of Football Fever. Headed to Soweto once again to see my country South Africa take on Bulgaria. I felt the stadium tremble under the feet of the supporters, I head shouts and screams and vuvuzelas from people of every colour and race. I felt a country united and I had goosebumps, not from the cold, the entire night.

I also learnt that my country will be behind the player 101% even when we know they could be doing better, much better.

I could criticize the players here but that’s for a different blog and a different audience.

Orlando Stadium, Soweto, behind Bafana Bafana 101%

Another exciting and interesting event in the last four days with regards to football was the Kia Street Soccer experience. I watched Under 13’s play with such skill that would make grown men feel ashamed. I heard the streets of Alexandra township come alive cheering for teams of 6 players which had to have 2 girls in their team play to win a trophy. Also I heard that Kia will be taking all 4000 kids who participated in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban to a 2010 FIFA World Cup game, to be part of it and for these underprivileged kids to be able to say “I was there”.

Makes me realise that this world is such a beautiful place with so many great people who will always try to make a difference in peoples lives no matter what.

Winning team from the Kia Street Soccer - Soweto Young Ones

Thank you to the beautiful people out there with the biggest hearts.

PS: Did I mention I also watched GREASE at the theatro on Tuesday. Was amazing and once again Thank you to Aasia.

*Vuvuzelas: are horns or trumpets that are blown at almost every football game in South Africa. It increases the experience by 10 folds but can leave you hard of hearing or short of breath or even both . More info find it here and for pics you can find here.

Nelson Mandela's walk to freedom - 11 February 1990

On this day 20 years ago one of the greatest men walked out of prison to the welcoming arms of his people.

Many people in South Africa today are remembering this day, but like many I was one of those too young to realise the meaning of it all. Sure my parents had set me down countless times and told me why this day was important and who Nelson Mandela was, but a six-year old only knows the excitement that surrounds her and not what is happening. I remember running around the room waiting to see the first images of the man everyone kept talking about.

Not only was is a memorable day because of his release to me, but it was also a hot, sunny one in Durban, meaning pool time for sure. Yes, thats how I remember it.

One thing though that everyone today seems to be forgetting is the if it wasn’t for the push and the person FW de Klerk is, we really would not be having much to celebrate. Mandela is a great man especially for calling for peace and holding a country together which threatened to spill the blood of innocent people, but I personally also have to give credit to de Klerk. Yes, he was part of the Apartheid system, yes his morals and ethics need questioning but he did set free the man who brought this nation together.

Thank you to de Klerk and thank you very very much to Tata Madiba, for giving me the opportunity to grow up FREE and to let me finish school, go to campus and be the person I want to be – in – SOUTH AFRICA!!!

***YouTube vid of the events of that day…20 years ago!!!***
BBC News: Nelson Mandela released from prison

Another year in Johannesburg, completion of my second to be exact, but its my third Ramadan here. If people tell me once more that life gets easier remind me to cut them off from my life. Life doesn’t get easier, it gets weirder and at times harder.

Ramadan is one of those difficult times in the year. Times like these you wish you were at home surrounded by family. Mum who somehow even though she is working has food for iftaar ready, and dad who is always there making sure you wake up for sehri.

But truth be told, even though Ramadan is difficult alone, I love the month. It’s a time when I seek myself again. When I try and figure out who I am and where I want to be in the next year.

Ramadan for a person staying away from home always starts at least a few weeks earlier. Especially if they the unmarried ones [yes meaning me].

So what do I mean by weeks earlier. Well the usual preparations may happen at home as per normal, but ours begins with the first phone call from mother dearest. “You want samoosa’s, pies what else must I prepare for you.”

Dearest mum is trying to freezer pack everything she can for me. Which also means that a special trip to Durban would be needed to ensure that I collect everything or hopefully a friend will be able to bring it up.

But I’m the weird kind. I hate putting my mum out of her way so I tell her not to make everything and I will be fine. So I head to Durban over the long weekend for my cousins wedding and sure enough my mum has stuff ready for me. Not as much as the last two Ramadans, but enough that I know for at least 2 weeks I wont need any fries or pies.

Love my mum for doing this but there are also the calls from my aunts and most def my grandmother. Love them all to bits but seriously there is only so much place in my freezer and I share it with 2 other girls.

And the really really bad thing about it is that when I fast and I break fast I need FOOD. Not samoosas and pies but food. Yes I’m that kind of person. I wont need a lot but I will want and need food.

So the long rambling process that I am getting to is that people please check out Ramadan.co.za for full world coverage of this years fast. Get in touch with your spirituality, find some good recipes and live everyone’s experiences and understand the similarities and differences of Muslims from across the world.

Inshallah this year I hope to get a chance to blog from Maputo, Mozambique for the blog. Somehow I always get sent for work around Ramadan. I think it’s a test and I welcome the experience. Last year was Ghana, this year Mozambique…next year who knows.

Remember me in your duas and remember your fellow Muslims across the world.

Ramadan Mubarak!!!

Picture taken on Hajj trip 2005/2006

Darkness

So I decided to finally get into gear and move my blog here.

This is a test post to actually fathom out if I have come to grips on how my new template works. Been having problems with the back end and the scripts I want to use.

Saaleha has been awesome in helping me finally make the transition and Nafisa is the one who found me such a great deal. Now if only I knew how to edit html and css. Also any help with wordpress is most welcomed. Its hard moving to WP after being a Blogger for so long.

Any ideas and suggestions are most welcomed.

Its sad to see the original Insights faid away but change is good and I think that blog will always have a special place in my heart. It was my first original blog while my first blog post though was at 5fm. Sigh who would have thought…

Leave comments as well so I can test the whole theme properly

You can find it all anywhere in Accra

Trying to write this in between the hectic schedule I have at the moment in Ghana.

Ghana is definitely not what I expected at all. Neither is Ramadan for me here. I have been so busy working and meeting people that the fact that I am fasting seems to have passed me by. Except the fact that I really really need some sleep.

Other then that it is an amazing experience.

Firstly, we all know that fasting is hard in the first week no matter what we do or say or think. The change in the body obliterates our senses. Hunger pangs, mood swings and the idea that we have to stay at peace with the next person. Sure thing I did not have to fast since I am a traveller, but I chose to and I will live with my decision as being the right choice I made in ages.

Alhamdulillah it has been so far so good and reaching the end of the second day has passed me by. The difficulty though is waking up after only about two to three hours of sleep. Mission is an understatement.

Leaving the airport after two hours waiting for the shuttle to the hotel, I got my first real glimpse of Accra. Accra is what my travelling companion labelled as “typically African”. She insisted that it also had the “African smell which is missing in Cape Town and Johannesburg”. I’m sure she would know more then me as Ghana is only my third African country apart from Madagascar and Egypt (which according to the UN it forms part of the Middle East – if you confused let me know will explain it better).

So Sunday passed by in a whirlwind of work and seeing Accra come to life. And just because its Sunday does not for one minute mean that people are scarce or the roads are quiet. Busy is the way of life here and I love the people. All smiles no matter what. The first thing though that hit me was the poverty. Poverty in the middle of town, outside town just everywhere. Driving into the city we passed areas that would maybe resemble Alexandra township in Johannesburg. (will try and get the pics uploaded soon).

Driving back to the hotel I heard the Azaan. I was a little surprised as it was eminating from the middle of no where – in other words no minarets present for me to identify where the masjid was. This was the call for Esha and the first Taraweeh of the month. I wished right at that moment I could get off the shuttle and hunt the masjid down. But seeing as it was my first night I decided against it.

Instead I got back to the hotel and made sure I ordered food that would be good enough to keep for sehri the next morning. Getting up for sehri is hard in a different country and its harder when you alone with out your room-mates or family but I some how dragged myself out of bed.

Iftar was not that different actually. I sat on the stairs outside the forum hall watched the sunset and waited for my alarm to go off so I knew it was time. Unfortunately where the conference and forums are being held its in central town and no masjid is close by to hear azaan.

So far the days go on…

Will explain more about what I am doing here in the next post hopefully.

Full winded posts soon.

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Trying to write something of substance for my blog is like shooting in the dark — a needle in a haystack but that’s me. I write when and where I want to if I want to. Normally it would never be a problem but these days there is so much that I want to write but I can’t get around to doing so or finding the time to even contemplate doing it.

I thought that I would finally get some me time to fiddle around and expand my horizons since starting my new job, but none of that has been possible. I was first thrown in the deep end to cover the Southern Africa Development Community summit, which included meeting some presidents and writing a story on something I did not know about but I should have, since it affected women in southern Africa. The Gender Protocol was signed that weekend but it was barely mentioned in any of the papers or televised programmes. And meeting new people. Loads of new people and finding out that one of them has ulterior motives to knowing me. Learning to give that person a cold shoulder and learning that I need to invest in a fake wedding ring. Yah all that in four days. Totally interesting if not the most profound experience.

Now I’m being shipped off to Ghana and I can’t wait for the experience, but o boy do I have lots to catch up on. When I was first told that I was going it was to be in the capacity of a spear writer in case it was needed. Now I have started two articles for the forum — it’s the 3^rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness — and I know there should be about three more to write. All this while trying to keep my first week of fast for Ramadhaan is sure going to be interesting in the least.

I love different countries and places and I hope I can fit in some touring. If not I will have to be satisfied with meeting tons of new people as per usual. Makes me wonder what else will get thrown my way when I get back.

I know I have few heady plans in the pipeline after Ramadhaan. Eid is going to be as crazy as ever. Mid-week taking leave and going home is going to be crazy and then coming back and having to work that Friday.

On to something a bit distant and arb. At the SADC summit a fellow journalist and myself were disgusted with the behaviour of a few colleagues’ from Swaziland. As many of you know Swaziland is a country ruled by a monarch. So as journalists you oppose rulers who feel it is their right to control the media and its people, especially one such as the Swazi Monarch. Fine we understand if you work for the media controlled papers, radio station and television studios. We understand you are made to follow rules and regulations. But when you stand and praise your monarch in loud voices instead of doing your job as you should, you earn the disrespect of your fellow journalists.

Asking them why they did that was like insinuating that we knew better. No we don’t. We are also humans and we also make the same faults but what they did was outrageous and unprecedented. I had never before experienced something to that effect and I hope never will I.

I am not saying that what I do is right but to stand and holler while your own camera is rolling footage makes you wonder if not everything is just an act.

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