6 Months In & All IS NOT Lost. Hoorah 2013!!

So I should have done this right at the 6 month mark (i.e.) end of June. But all writers are lazy procrastinators no matter what lies we tell you. Besides there were more ground breaking things happening at the time.

You might remember, though I barely remember myself, that I made some "New Year Resolutions" at the start of the year?? Well I'm glad to say that I have kept them...for the most part. This is not to say that I haven't lost my way (many times might I add) but so far so good. So by keeping in the spirit of things I'm renewing my personal vows to myself and carrying on with aforementioned resolutions, God give me grace. I have amazing friends (I don't tell them enough) who keep me grounded and sane when I lose my way. I moan all the time (next year's resolutions-stop moaning and going on tangents in speech and writing), but I have this amazing God and He always gives me a reason to smile and thank him even when my world is seemingly falling apart.

Anyway, through the divine grace of God I'm making even more plans. Some of them might be pipe dreams but I pray at least one of them comes to fruition and brings me joy. I have more outlets to write now (will keep you posted). Overall I am genuinely pleased as to how my year has gone. I happy about the changes I've made and I just have to keep going no matter what. I CAN'T GET DISTRACTED...wish me luck

Note to all confused people (including myself)

• I wrote this while tired
• I have an early start tomorrow
• I am hungry 
• I'm starting my 3rd year soon-can you believe it!
• I am still hungry
• Oh results were kinda average but better than I expected :D
• Did I mention the hunger (already had dinner by the way)
• Oh I cut my hair!! I might indulge you and put pictures up soon...might...

BYE!!!

Self-Taught Woman

This one is going to be long, so get comfortable guys and gals.

I'm not much of a feminist-not in the puritan sense of the word. I often laugh uncontrollably at sexist jokes, dance to sexist music that gives detailed directions on how to further objectify your body (albeit in jest), and use sexist language, all this after years of compulsory and independent study on and around the subjects of gender roles, feminism, post feminism and other forms of prejudice. For those who willingly admit it, I'm the worst kind of woman-A BLACK WOMAN. Not only is my skin against me, my choice of reproductive organs have also joined the coup. Thankfully I couldn't care less. After all I think like a genius, look like a goddess and have the firm handshake of a...of a...man?

I wasn't brought up with a superfluity of men in my life; I was raised by strong women. And although I learnt from their strengths and weaknesses, I was never told what kind of woman to be. All that was self taught over years of watching many such strong women up close and some times from afar. So imagine my surprise and disappointment when I realised how much I had become a product of society. Bye bye girl power. Hello self-doubt.

Over the last few weeks I subconsciously started re-learning what it means to be a strong willed, self-taught woman. It started with God. My Pastor briefly mentioned a plan that would help you read the books of Psalms and Proverbs over the period of a month. As I decided to start the journey, I remember getting excited about Proverbs 31. Now for many Christian women Proverbs 31 is the go-to chapter when in doubt about anything from your role and identity to your faith and independence. Undoubtedly many non-Christians will take this time to remind me of the sexist nature of the Bible. To them I present this:

"She looks at land and buys it, and with money she has earned she plants a vineyard" 

Proverbs 31: 16

"She spins her own thread and weaves her own cloth" 

Proverbs 31: 19

"She makes clothes and belts, and sells them to merchants. She is strong and respected and not afraid of the future. She speaks with a gentle wisdom."

Proverbs 31: 24-26

Of course we could nit pick about a million and one things surrounding this, but this is my little way of showing you that contrary to popular belief the Bible did in fact cater to women, despite the circumstances of the times in which it was writing about, written and published. But I digress...

In anticipation of reading this chapter I was unusually alert about gender equality especially in the Bible and in the Church. So of course my ears stood on end when the subject of the submissive wife was approached. I could hear the many chants of the modern feminist but I chose to keep an open mind. The Pastor's  wife who spoke briefly on her active understanding of the role of a submissive wife, said many things that I took away with me that day. But what stuck the most was the most simple of truths. The meaning of the word "submissive" like many other words in our lexicon today, has shifted drastically. Of course I couldn't verify on the spot, but my mind returned to a musty A-Level's English Language classroom with a man that looked well beyond his years teaching us the many ways in which words lose and gain meaning, both negative and positive, over time. 

Fast forward a month, and I'm flicking through my copy of The New English Dictionary published in 1932, when I decided to look up the meaning of submissive. After my initial excitement I compared the meaning to that of the eight edition of the Little Oxford English Dictionary published in 2002. Admittedly 70 years didn't make as much of a difference as I thought it would and a quick Google search showed me that the first acknowledged and complete translation of the Bible into English happened a good 500 years before my 1932 dictionary. Nevertheless my findings excited me. There is more than one definition in both dictionaries but I'll stick to the ones that are of interest to us.

1932

Submit: To yield or surrender oneself; to put forward deferentially; to yield, to surrender, to give in.

Submission: Compliance. Obedience. Resignation. Meekness.

2002

Submit: To give in to the authority, control, or greater strength of someone or something. Subject to a particular process. 

Submissive: Very obedient or passive.

First I think it is worth noting that the language changed enough in those 70 years that submission is only defined in terms of handing in work in the 2002 dictionary. Now to the main gist of it all. Whereas in 1932 submission is seen as a willing act of respect and the choice of humility, it seems that today it is viewed as a passive act of being controlled. The 2002 definition places great focus on strength and weakness while the 1932 definition focuses more on willing meekness. It's no wonder then that the idea of submitting to God (never mind your husband!!) is something that terrifies most of us today. Language teaches us that by submitting we are being forced to put control of our lives in someone else's hands. Ironic really, considering it's an action word...

Now let me go back to why I gathered you all here to waste your time. Like many things that began before our generation was even a concept in the human mind, feminism has lost a lot of meaning. It has also gained a lot of unflattering meaning and many modern feminists think so what?! Let it be unflattering; it's not a pretty little dress and pigtails, it's not meant to be an easy pill to swallow. I suppose in many ways they are right. However, it does have the tendency to go from educational to outrageous all too quickly and so many women find themselves saying out loud, "I am not a feminist". They're claiming not to be something without even being sure what being that thing means!

For me, in the simplest of terms Feminism is Equality. I don't aim to overpower any man or live without men, I don't want to make up for years of their sexism by being sexist myself, I don't want the world to be split jaggedly in half. I want to be treated with respect and equality in all things. I remembered what feminism meant to me after a necessary conversation with a friend from work and it is reiterated every day on my twitter page when I see the handle @EverydaySexism. Honestly following this twitter account will change your life. And if you're curious about how it started?? Here you go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBeNfSoMqjY Don't say I never do anything for you.

Thank you for following me on my little nerdy journey and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed haphazardly putting it together. 

Montage...Reminders of an African Childhood

This is the final piece I wrote for the magazine project. It is basically a short culture piece. A few of us did one. It focuses on an aspect of a culture the writer knows a bit about and you provide some interesting information about said culture to the readers. I really liked this one because I got a bit nostalgic writing it. Oh it also comes with an image because it would make absolutely no sense to most people otherwise. This one was a bit light hearted so enjoy.

Reminders of an African Childhood

My guess is the name varies across all the many tribes in Nigeria but the Yoruba people call it ayo. It’s a game most people learnt to play with their fathers or grandfathers. Me? I learnt by watching other people, siblings, uncles and even my mother. It’s fairly easy to pick up if you watch a couple of rounds. The one we had while I was growing up was larger and it was set on the back of a rather ugly looking eagle carved out of wood. The statue which I now remember as being quite grotesque was actually what attracted me to the game to start with! I spent so much time tracing all the kinks and crevices of the carving with my finger and I remember being quite taken with the beak. This one is relatively smaller and simpler and belongs to my sister. I had all but forgotten about it till I found this at her house over Christmas.

Montage...Making Something Out of Nothing

This one is a bit close to home which is probably why it took me a while to post it up on here. Also the timing might seem a bit off now but the main message is still relevant I think. 

Making Something out of Nothing

As Nigeria embarks on the final leg of what has been an epic AFCON (African Cup of Nations) journey, I can’t help but think of all the bad publicity we have gotten lately. From the menace that is Boko Haram to the timeworn story of corruption, it seems we’ve had more to complain about than to celebrate in the last year. Yet things seem to be looking up for us.

It may come as a shock to the uninformed but Nigeria isn’t actually a poor country. It just has a surprising amount of poor people. Research shows that although it ranks as the 3^rd biggest African economy, Nigeria still falls short as the 160^th of 177 countries in the Human Development Index. In simple terms we are rich on paper but the money never seems to make it to the man on the street. You hear that there is money somewhere, but somehow you never actually see it. Do we blame this on corruption, illiteracy, the government? The average Nigerian will tell you that things only seem to get worse as time goes by, though our president boldly claimed otherwise on an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. 

Despite all the bad news that seems to be surrounding Nigeria at the moment, there is still a measure of positivity in the air. Investing in real estate and construction in Nigeria right now seems to be quite common. All around the capital state of Abuja, there are new constructions taking place on both a private and public level. People are taking advantage of the developments and investing where they can.

That’s great for people who have the money to invest in big, high risk industries such as real estate. But what does all this mean for the average Nigerian? One simple solution is all there is; be your own boss. It’s something Nigerian’s do very well. We start businesses from scratch to feed the family and pay the bills. Now more than ever before it seems the average Nigerian is taking their elementary knowledge of mathematics and their people skills to the streets and making something out of nothing. Recalling my childhood, street hawkers and small shops that sold everything from African print to a good meal were part of the landmark. They seem even more vital now that the country is doing less and less for its people. These jobs may not be the most glamorous in the world but they offer a solution for many people who need the money to feed themselves, pay bills and put themselves or members of their family through school. Some of these people are graduates who have been unable to find an office job and have decided to make something else out of their lives rather than staying jobless. I don’t see them as less privileged but as resourceful. After all, they’re only doing what anyone else would do in their shoes by utilising the talents they have to get the money they need. So their talents aren’t the usual suspects; some sing, some dance, others make gates and weave baskets. Everybody is doing what they can to get where they must. We must realise that although we’ve been blessed with an education abroad that is supposed to give us an advantage over our peers, there are many out there who aren’t as lucky. Would we be quite as creative were the shoe on the other foot?

Montage...Music

So this is something I wrote about music...more or less. I've been told my taste in music often differs to that of the people around me. So someone in my group wrote a similar piece on mainstream music while I countered with the weird and the wonderful in my repertoire. Enjoy!!

PS
The title of each song has been hyperlinked so you can enjoy the music too.

Music: The Weird and the Wonderful
In an attempt to broaden your horizon...

Mick Flannery: Safety Rope.

Have you ever heard of Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan or Mumford & Sons? Well you might want to start with them first. They were the gateway drugs that eased me into the serenity of this particular song and the rest of Mick Flannery’s story. I spent more time listening to this track than any of the others on his White Lies album. Part of the Irish folk music movement that seems to be quietening down now, raw emotion has never danced so well with music. 

Koop: Koop Island Blues.

I didn’t know what Electro Jazz was until I found Koop but boy am I glad I found them! A seamless mix of  Gatsbyesque jazz sounds with a modern electronic twist that’ll transport you to parts of your mind you forgot existed. Innovative and surprisingly fresh, their style brings all the nostalgia and poignancy of the glamorous 1920’s to the dance floor. The European duo featured the charming vocals of Ane Brun on this single, someone else to look out for.

The Like: He’s not a Boy.

If you ever saw the movie The Boat that Rocked and liked it then all girl band The Like will be right up your street. This upbeat number that samples sounds from the late 60’s musical revolution will have you on your feet, mimicking moves that you’re far too young to know. If nothing else it will remind you to live a little because your parents did too!

The Verve: The Drugs Don’t Work.

I’m not ashamed to admit that this song from the English alternative rock band moved me to tears the first time I heard it; that’s the power of good music for you. From the lyrics to the wonderful musical arrangement every second of this song pulls at your heart strings. You don’t need Google to tell you that there is a story in this one.

Sleeping at Last: Turning Page.

The bad news is that this song was on one of the Twilight movie soundtracks. The good news is that all 4 minutes and 14 seconds of this song are better than the entire franchise. The ethereal vocals will soothe you and the lyrics will uplift you. Do not for one second underestimate the quiet power of this song

Montage...Express Yourself

Art forms like graffiti and tattoo have always intrigued me. Don't get me wrong I do not encourage vandalism nor do I agree with permanently scaring your body. The art form itself is what piques my interest. Furthermore my creative writing blog should be enough evidence that I am very much a fan of self expression in all it's forms. This is one of the greatest purposes of art. 

Also I want to say a big thank you to Rashad Iqbal, a fellow student who graciously let me pry into his life for the purposes of this article and whose great insight made my article relevant.

So without further ado, my third montage piece...

Express yourself

When the staff of my high school got tired of watching students doodle on tables, walls and bathroom stalls they started throwing out hints about a graffiti wall. The concept meant that everyone could scribble their heart away on a wall built solely for that purpose if we stopped marking our territory on the body of the school.

There was hardly a part of Manchester that was truly devoid of graffiti and although it wasn’t always the most attractive, the brashness and the hurried feel that came with it was always attractive to me. After a while, seeing large spray painted letters and bold colours became the norm.

Dubai was a rude awakening for me. It felt like I had spent my life dreaming in colour and woke up to black-and-white. That was when I first started to recognise graffiti as an art form. I was sure that there was no graffiti here. But that isn’t strictly true. It might not be the invading kind you find in most of the western world, but it’s there if you look hard enough. It might not be all over the walls in between clean-cut buildings or on the busy streets, but the art is recognised by some here.

One of my first graffiti experiences in Dubai came from Rashad Iqbal, a 2^nd year student here in our very own Middlesex. As soon as I saw his work I asked him to do some things for me one of which he handed to me and has been with me ever since.

Speaking of the challenges of being a graffiti artist in Dubai he says that “there isn’t much support and at the same time all the paint supplies are really expensive here which makes it really hard to practice.” He also goes on to explain that not being able to see other people’s work around you on a daily basis like you would in other parts of the world means that he often lacks motivation and inspiration.

So how do you overcome these challenges? Well according to Rashad you need to develop your own interest and find an online community; his would be deviantart.com. He finds that although there are graffiti artists here in Dubai, they don’t have the strongest community presence. “When it comes to a community the strongest I have experienced was at deviantART.”

What you might find even more surprising is the fact that Rashad has actually displayed his work on a wall in Dubai. In fact he and about 350 other people were part of the charity event at the Graffiti Tunnel in Dubai Festival City organised by GYEM in 2010. He says that “they provided legal areas to do graffiti.”

As much as we laughed at our teachers in high school for making a big deal out of nothing, there was a tiny part of me that felt like a vandal when I took my marker pen out to hurriedly scribble “MiiMii was here” on my science desk. Maybe that was part of the thrill but more than anything was the recognition that graffiti could also be an art form. 

Montage...How Safe Are You?

Another Montage article for you guys. A couple of things before you start reading. The main character, if you will, is a really integral part of this article for me and I couldn't have written it without her help. Sharon, thank you very much for opening up to me about your experience. I only wish I could have done your story more justice. 

You can find her blog here: http://howtomakeitindubai.blogspot.ae/ and the article referred to below here: http://howtomakeitindubai.blogspot.ae/2013/01/how-to-be-wuss.html

Also a couple of you might see your names pop up in here...thanks for your contribution it meant a lot and provided great balance to my rather haphazard attempt.

Enjoy ;)

How safe are you?

How often do you hear a police or ambulance siren in Dubai? That probably depends on what part of Dubai you live in. But when last did you get up to look out your window when your neighbour’s car alarm went off? Did you ignore the noise because you don’t care or is it in fact because you feel like Dubai is a safer place than most? If you often leave the cocoon that Dubai creates for us or if you’ve lived anywhere else before, you’ve probably realised how safe we are here by now.

The people I spoke to around Knowledge Village listed qualities such as a stable government with a cautious foreign policy, good economy, lower crime rates and strict laws. Tola, a UOWD student said “the tourism drive of the Dubai government is key in ensuring security. Why? People don’t go to unstable or chaotic places and as Dubai’s economy in the 21^st century revolves around tourism the need for security cannot be overemphasised.” An article in Huffington Post seems to agree with this as Dubai was ranked the 7^th safest city in the world by TripAdvisor.  It was liked by 11 people and disliked by 10.

One person who might have disagreed with this ranking is Sharon, and Indo-Canadian piano teacher in Dubai who had a worrisome experience here recently. On a blog entry on her personal blog howtomakeitindubai.blogspot.ae on the 25^th of January this year she gave a detailed account of her experience. The entry titled “How to be a wuss” describes what at the very best can be called solicitation or sexual harassment and at worst attempted rape.  Thankfully she had a lucky escape but did not report the incident. Why?

One reason stated by Jennifer and Paulette, two 2^nd year students from Middlesex University, is that they feel like locals often have the upper hand. “If I’m reporting a local to the authorities they would probably back them over me as they value and protect their people so much” says Jennifer. She goes on to explain that she has never actually tried it and this is just a matter of perception which makes her feel rather vulnerable especially as a student in Dubai.

This imbalanced perception of safety created by Dubai varies with each person I speak to. One thing that keeps ringing in my head however: with these apparently obscured views on safety and security, what happens if we leave the safety of Dubai?