So today we shake things up as our Model Doctor, Mary Gitau, who was featured on the previous post, extended an invitation to her artist friend, Daniel Muraba.
She interviewed him on the same topic of Art, Creativity and Creativity. This will be my shortest post ever, but very impactful nonetheless.
Today's scientist-creative is a dear friend of mine. Having both grown up as first-born girls in a family of boys, we have a lot in common. So it wasn't surprising that we bonded easily in med school; over crazy experiences in the wards, times when our hope was dwindling and good times as well!
She is resolute in her Christianity and I'm honored to be present in her life as God unfolds His plans for her. When He called her to be a model, I was super excited! Her dedication was evident and it paid off as she was crowned Miss Chiromo that year.
Carrying herself with grace and poise, she shines His light brightly, even in an area of art that many Christians are wary of. Modelling. Perfect definition of beauty both inside and outside!
Speaking of which, isn't her hair just goals? :)
"A creative? Are you kidding me?"
I know it might come as a shocker to many people( ok, maybe not so many) but I basically spent the better part of my young life having such thoughts govern my mind. And to some extent, I still struggle with that. Consolidating just this one piece of writing was such a hustle that I had actually given up. Thank God for patient and insistent Joy Mueni who did not allow me to back out. And so, here I am, sharing the little I know.
I grew up in a rather good household with an amazing family, something I don't take for granted. But somehow, in all of it, I embraced the idea that creativity and I were not compatible.
And so it was. I was satisfied with being a doctor for the rest of my life( well, this has its own story) and suffering the 'reality' that I was boring and could not possibly have any creativity.
In fact, this mentality crippled even my interaction with people, especially dudes. Yeeaahh, my high school life stunk. I wasn't those creative girls with exquisite handwriting and an amazing sense of calligraphy, writing poetry to their dear beloved boyfriends in our brother school.
Nope! I was the bookworm, hiding behind the veil of serious, to cover up for my own limiting idea of how non-creative I was. And sure, I would be the best in academics. That would certainly compensate some honour for my boring, little non-creative self!
Well, you might have figured this out... It didn't. I was the best, consecutively, but I was suffering. I was not letting the full me come out. I eventually cleared high school and the dilemma was clearly evident.
How does life move on, when you have no creativity of your own to start a conversation, decide on your fashion sense or even just be you?
Of course that meant a whole lot of tough lessons on self-confidence, embracing myself and loving on me, even on my what-I-deemed-non-creative self. Slowly my creative self started coming out... And that was a shocker.
"Kumbe, I could also be creative" is what I remember exclaiming to myself when someone would compliment my fashion sense or when someone would laugh at my avid and talkative story telling moments :) Oh, how liberating it feels to be myself.. (Imagines that she has her eyes closed and her imaginary long hair is being whipped around by the wind as she stands on the sea shore! I wish I had a picture but that will suffice, won't it? :) )
Some pointers for what I am continually learning;
(PS: I'm no guru in this area but this is what I have to share from my personal experience.)
God created us to all be creatives:
It is a lie from the pits of hell that you are not creative. It might be in the smallest of things but there is creativity still expressed. It most definitely differs with the talents and practice put into the area of creativity but there is a basic minimum level of creativity. I guess that's why we were all forced to create compositions and insha's in primary (I loathed both oh so very dearly...who else did?)
2. Creativity is an expression of who you are from within and so it's unique:
It's hardly copying what another person is doing and mainly trying to find a way to express your inward self (which might be in a way similar to someone else's) . This calls for a degree of self-acceptance and self-love; to allow yourself to produce a creative product regardless of other people's critique. Also trying and realising what you enjoy creating/doing and what you don't is part of the process. Allow yourself a period of self-discovery!
3. There are many untapped ways of being creative.
I recently learnt of Art Therapy! Had you ever known of anything like it? Well;
Art Therapy~ a form of expressive therapy involving the encouragement of free self-expression through painting, drawing, or modelling, used as a remedial or diagnostic activity. The creative process of making art is used to improve a person's physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Would you look at that! Killing two birds( bird of creation and bird of psychotherapy) with one stone.
There's more than one way of expressing yourself... painting, drawing, modelling, cooking, knitting, swimming, singing, story-telling, writing, making different bed designs, cloth hanging, house decor, ironing...Gosh, the list is endless (and I'm sure I've left out many more. Kindly comment below other creative endeavours. I'll sure give it a try!) Now all that is left is for you to find your fit!
4. Creativity is supposed to be fun.
And it is fun. Well not all the time, especially when trying to learn the skill or improve the skill. Most especially when it's your source of income. It sure doesn't feel like fun all the time but it shouldn't not be fun. This takes me to the next point.
5. An enemy of fun is pressure from either yourself or society where standard and quality is concerned.
Of course, no one wants to be sub-standard, but laying pressure upon yourself only works to reduce the quality and fun of the process. Yes, it's not easy but it's a balance we all need to attain. Take a step at a time perfecting the creativity that you draw from within. It surely takes time and most certainly few value creativity that is not perfect but soon enough it will be good enough. :)
6. Comparison Kills!
It's a song by Jonathan McReynolds (and that's how you pitch for your favourite musician). And it's true. It kills. Take time off social media, away from people and get to hear what you want to say without having to wonder if it is like theirs. Kill comparison before it kills you. :)
I am Mary Gitau, a 4th year medical student at the University of Nairobi. I am a growing creative with my main interests being fashion, modelling, crocheting and music. I have a sweet tooth so you'll never go wrong with ice-cream or Cadbury chocolate(a shameless plugin for my birthday that passed, but every day is a day to celebrate others. ;) )I really love God and hope to be a true Christian daily.
Guys, isn't she lovely! Which of the points that she shared has resonated the most with you? Do tell in the comments. While you are at it, watch this video of Mary's modelling so far . :)
I first met today's scientist-creative at a financial literacy class for campus students. She is a bubbly and intelligent lady and I noticed this especially when we were given a group-task to come up with a business idea in such a short time. Her ideas were intriguing and we eventually chose one of them to present as a group...and greater so is her story. I admire her dedication to her art and I'm so glad I get to share her story here. (PS- I know I'm not the only one stunned by her dance outfits! They are simply breathtaking! )
You can find more of Njoki on www.thedancingbiochemist.com and her social media pages as The Dancing Biochemist. FBIG
Hello, my name is Njoki Wairua but I am also popularly known as 'The Dancing Biochemist.' I am a professional dancer and a biochemist. I am vast in ballet, jazz dance and hip hop dance, more specifically break dance. I recently completed my undergraduate studies with a major in Medical Biochemistry.
For the longest time, I felt the need to constantly explain myself as to why I chose to study biochemistry while still pursuing a career as a professional dancer. Comments such as "Biochemistry is so hard, why not study a bachelor of arts", " Are you sure you're a scientist?" and "Why not drop the dancing and simply focus on biochemistry?" were all too common and it bothered me at first. So much so that I would take the time out to explain to all these people who seemed to have such strong opinions on my career choices, that in fact, I could do it all. Needless to say, very few were convinced and I would end up frustrated, distraught and sometimes in doubt about my choices.
Life is better when you dance
I eventually chose to ignore what people thought and said, and simply worked on myself; my dancing and my studies. Soon I saw results. I was excelling both academically and in my dance career. This brought on more support from those very people who had strongly discouraged me to pursue both the arts and science. It was a relief of course but I thought it quite unfortunate as they only validated my hard work once they deemed it 'okay' according to their standards. This realization further reinforced what I had slowly come to learn, 'do you and march to the beat of your own drum! Otherwise, you'll drown trying to please the world!'
Dance is like wine, it matures with every performance
Fast forward to today and I can confidently speak these words without second-guessing myself, 'Hi, my name is Njoki Wairua, I am The Dancing Biochemist, and I am slaying at both my careers!'
Show Case of my art
How art has built my Christian Faith
Throughout my dance journey, I have seen first hand, God's grace and abundance in blessings. When I first decided to take the steps to becoming a professional dancer, I never imagined I would accomplish some of the great feats I have thus far. From appearing in newspapers, magazines and even BBC to being a brand ambassador for my previous performing arts school, not to mention winning Sondeka Awards 2018 in the dance category. All these accolades are for me proof that God indeed walks with me in my dance journey.
Besides all the good, I have faced quite a few challenges as well. From racism to literally being laughed at for pursuing a dance career. God has given me the strength to keep going even when I felt like giving up. I have felt God's presence and comfort every step of the way! And as I have kept going, better opportunities have come my way and I have had the chance to embrace them. God gave me my talent and I am making the most of it as my gift back to Him.
Advise to anyone wishing to join the arts as a scientist
Just do it! Forget what the society expects of you, simply follow your heart! I found that pursuing a career in dance while simultaneously pursuing my biochemistry studies helped me balance off the pressure that comes with sciences. Biochemistry is a pretty tough course and I often needed to blow off some steam. Dance gave me the opportunity to do that!
Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances.
What Njoki has shared resonates with many, including myself. For so long I felt I had to choose one or the other. Question being, is art a science or is science an art? Sounds a lot like the chicken and the egg question huh? Well, here's what Raysam had to say about it;
" I was checking out the difference between "science" and "art". I guess the key terms that stood out for me are "understanding vs skill". The end game or final result gives the stark difference. On one end you basically ask a lot of questions and discover to know. On the other end you know in order to use practically.
I can rephrase that to mean: On one hand you have discovery as the objective; while on the other hand you have practical solutions to an existing challenge/problem as the objective. Or rather "discovery vs application".
Then it makes sense why research and experimentation are so crucial in the scientific world.
And why experience is so crucial in the art world.
Though of course there's a thin line between the two terms that can easily be crossed.
I think there's truth in both statements. Science is an art and art is a science. The art science and the science of art. "
I've have literally reported verbatim what he said and would love to hear if you hold similar or contrary sentiments. Go on and share your opinion in the comments section so that we can try figure this out together!
PS- Don't forget that tomorrow morning, they'll be another interesting story I'll share. I'd advice you to subscribe/follow the blog so that you don't miss out on any new posts!
{Above is an audio recording I made of this blog post for those who prefer listening in. But for the guys like me who like the traditional option of practically reading, do proceed. :) }
I love mandazi. Especially mandazi that has cardamon in it. So divine!
“Wait a minute Mueni. Doesn’t the title of this blogpost say this is supposed to be about creativity and Christianity? But we are talking about mandazi...hmmm… ”
Guys, isn't this my story to tell ? Just relax, I' m getting there. :)
Haha, anyway… once a month, my church serves tea and mandazi to all congregants after service. I never thought I’d be the kind of person that looks forward to tea, but boy don’t I look forward to those Sundays! I get to fellowship with friends and family.... aaannd eat mandazi that has cardamon in it. ;)
Okay okay, you get it…cardamon mandazi is great. The best actually! And you will never take plain mandazi again after I've shared that secret with you. :P Fine, I’ll move on with the story.
So one Sunday, my aunt and I were having a conversation after service over tea and mandazi. I barely remember what the rest of it was about, but this part stood out the most.
She asked something on the lines of...
“Joy,are you a creative?"
I paused for a moment.
“Me? A creative? ”
I asked, reflectively.
“Ah…why am I even asking, music, spoken word…yeah, you definitely are one…”
She concluded rather quickly, and moved on to catch up with her friend who had come to say hello.
I stood there, wondering where all this had randomly come from and after they were done, I asked, “Aunty, what did you mean by a 'creative’?”
“Well, as I said, your music, spoken word…all that creative stuff…that's what makes you a creative.” she responded.
I don’t remember how the conversation went on after that but it left me with many questions; does my medical school life then, fit into her definition of me as a ‘creative’? Do my scientific ambitions assert or nullify ‘creativity’? Are scientists creatives? Can they be? In fact, who is a creative in the first place?
Whoa...questions overload!
Don't worry, we'll walk through them together, but before that, I'd like you to imagine this;
You meet someone for the first time and this is how they introduce themselves;
“Hi, my name is ___(so and so)_____ and I am a creative.”
What are the first thoughts that come to your mind about what they could be doing as creatives? Were they any of the following?
(Please make a mental note of them before you proceed.)
So, did you think of;
Musician.
Poet.
Artist.
In our day and age, Social Media content creator…
Perhaps they even have a YouTube channooooo . :D
Well, suppose you engage them further on that.
“Oh cool...so what do you do as a creative? "
Then they answer,
“I’m a scientist.”
Pause. Did your mind just struggle joining those two dots? Scientist-Creative...Creative scientists…huh?
Well, this then is the series for you. #ARTWEEK #BothSidesOfTheDivide #IAmCreative #WeAllAre
This week, we will try to understand these four aspects and how they are intertwined; art, science, creativity and Christianity.
As I introduce the series, I’ll start by making a very bold claim.
You are creative. Yes, YOU!
In fact, we all are creative. Regardless of what we do.
But first let me share interesting nuggets I gathered in my search for answers;
“Because we image God, each one of us is born inherently creative.”
-Hannah Varamini
“One way of thinking about the way we have distanced ourselves from creativity is this: we have lost sight of our creativity’s source. As creatures made in God’s image, we are designed by God to be like God, and this means we’re designed to create, not peripherally but as part of our fundamental nature. In other words, in the beginning, we are each given, as part of the warranty of being human, a harmonic calling, the melody of a set of good things to do with our lives. As an image or representation of God, when we create, we reflect the character of God and the glory of God. Our God-given creative passion is our unique art and the source of our fulfillment. Each of us is made to be God’s cocreator. And, as with any creative process, the work draws the workers together. When we create, we move closer to God; conversely, when we merely consume, we move further from God. To call someone, or yourself, uncreative is simply untrue. Our creativity problem is not that we don’t have this supernatural power within us. It’s that we have lost track of it. It’s latent. (emphasis mine)”
-Len Wilson (Author of Think Like a 5 year Old- Reclaim you wonder and create great things)
The Bible itself is a work of art. From beginning to end, we are told the story of The Creator and His creation in parable, poetry and many more literary styles. Its genesis? Chapter 1 verse 1, “In the beginning , God created the heavens and the earth.” The first attribute we see of God in the Word, is Him as a creator.
Up to today, we marvel at His creation. I personally am enthralled by the majesty of creation seen in the human body. I am amazed at how every detail was worked out in such a way that we as scientists are always learning more and more about the body system. Doing more research, down to the molecular level to see how the body works. And then engineers, innovators and medics relate where man-made objects can be likened to body features. The eye as a camera. The heart as a pump. The joints as levers. The nose as a filter. The skin as protective armor. And so on.
And now, 3D printing in medical technology enables us to print organs and living tissues. New steps are being applied each day to making things better and better.
Each day, someone creates . The definition I’ll use for create is; bring something into existence. What once was not ,now is, just as was done by God in the beginning. But now, He does it through human beings. Just as God continues to show Himself as merciful and kind, He continues to create. Only that He uses people to do that. Us, His co-creators.
“How many are your works, Lord. In wisdom you made them all, the world is full of your creatures." Psalm 104:24 (NIV)
Unfortunately, we don’t really believe that. We don’t see ourselves as conduits of God’s creativity. So the glory of all our daily creative work isn’t channeled to the rightful Owner. Most times, we end up taking the glory for it.
This week, I have partnered with fellow scientist-creatives, to tell the story of how God is using them as vessels of creativity, in the fields of science and art. I particularly chose these two as they are both dear to me and I'm glad God led me to some amazing people who are shining their light in both areas concurrently! We may not focus on the art of music as much (God willingly, I’ll address this in a subsequent music-specific series) but I pray that each day, as you read their testimonies, God will use this to affirm to you that indeed, you are creative. I pray that in this realization, you will listen in to how He wants you to bring Him glory in every single thing you do and all that you create.
Do you have any expectations, opinions or questions about this topic? Have you also felt like you are on #BothSidesOfTheDivide? Do share in the comments section. I'd love to hear what you have to say!
I can't wait to share the stories from tomorrow. Every morning at 9 am sharp. Monday through Saturday!
Soli deo Gloria
(Photo credits; Deno Kim, Sammy and Alice W. | Featuring Julles and Mary G.)
PS- For the book lovers, here are links to 2 book suggestions I came across on this topic:
Think Like a Five Year Old- Len Wilson
The Imagination of God: Art, Creativity and Truth in the Bible
Carrot cake! It’s among my favorites since I love spices. Especially when it’s moist and the blend of cinnamon and nutmeg is just right. For this Taste and See episode, I baked with my aunt Bilha and Njeri, our amazing photographer.
Teamwork makes the dream work. Bilha grated the carrots as I prepared the other ingredients.
Quick tip: While beating the eggs into the sugar and oil (I prefer using vegetable oil), make sure you give it a good beating until the mixture gets a bit firm and foamy. Without an electric beater, this may be quite hard but you could consider it arm day for your biceps! Hehe…I kid.
Speaking of teamwork…relationships-marriage…marriage-submission-respect….all these seem to come up while talking about marriage, some perceived in a not so positive light. We agreed that we’d definitely need some more enlightenment on what submission really is, for we had so many definitions and ideas of it, yet we weren’t really sure what the Biblical intention is.
I remarked that Sarah did call Abraham ‘master’ at some point and to be honest, I don’t know if I can imagine calling my future husband that. Or is it that we have become too opinionated as women to be submissive wives? On that note, is there anything as being TOO opinionated as a Christian woman?(Please share your responses in the comments as we’d love to know!)
One thing to note is that instead of using buttermilk or normal milk, we used Sour milk (Maziwa mala). I’ve found that each time I use it, the cakes turn out really moist. I honestly don’t know the science behind it but trust me, it works!
Here’s a link to the recipe we used. https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/best-carrot-cake/Though honestly, I have a habit of not following measurements or ingredients to the letter. Or rather, I’m among those who pour something in and wait for the ancestors to whisper when I should stop. Hehe! :)
That reminds me, just the way a recipe is a set of standards and rules that dictate the steps one should take to get a great outcome, what do you think about parents’ dictating which religion their children follow? Should parents let their children explore different religions while young? Or should parents actively influence the religion that their children should embrace? This came up after we were chatting about inter-religion marriages and how these could bring great confusion to a child’s life, as well as to the marriage in terms of submission principles etc.
Until we buy baking tins and parchment paper, we shall use the trusted aluminium pans (ie. sufuria.) To avoid the cake from sticking to the sides, apply some margarine evenly inside the sufuria then dust it with a coat of flour. Though we had a slight mishap with our cake…hehe... I turned over the sufuria and it didn’t fall out. I had to bang the bottom severally for it to get unstuck.
We made some custard to accompany the cake using store-bought custard powder.
How to make custard? Very simple!
Combine custard powder and milk in a small jug. Stir until smooth.
Place custard mixture, sugar and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until custard comes to the boil and thickens.
The cake turned out great! (Though our custard was a bit lumpy.) One recipe down, many more to go. Hope you're motivated to try it out. If you do, share it with the hashtag #TasteandSee.
Watch this timelapse video of the entire process, as you jam to Taste and See by Travis Greene.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
I remember this day as if it was yesterday. I mean, I love samosas and my late friend, Cindy Wakio (whom I wrote a tribute to here) and I were going to learn how to make them from scratch. We were so excited as we scoured the internet for a good recipe. I remember she found one that looked so delicious but it had alcohol as one of the ingredients. Seeing as none of us drink, we had to skip over it but Cindy found another good one. We split costs for the ingredients and I bought the minced meat at a local butcher on the way to her home.
When I got there, we went over the recipe again to confirm that we had everything we needed. We cooked up some ugali, sukuma wiki and eggs for a quick lunch then started our kitchen escapades for the day. We made the dough for the samosa pastry, boiled and fried the minced meat and begun the actual filling process.
First, our rolled out “chapati-like’ dough wasn’t round in shape...they were so shapeless! :) Neither were all the ‘dough circles’ the same size. But we had to pull through. We were doing this through thick or thin pastry dough! :)
I remember I wasn’t particularly good at folding the pastry into a triangular shape for the samosa pockets, but Cindy got the hang of it pretty quick. Hence we decided, she was the folder and I was the filler.
All this while, we were deep in discussion about anything and everything. I loved how we opened up to each other even while cooking. In vulnerability, we shared our current struggles, concerns, joys, hopes… We encouraged each other, shared what we were learning and unlearning, laughed over stories and caught up on the latest music we were loving.
And guys that’s literally where this idea came from. I told her, “You know what Cindinyo, I should have this as a new feature on my blog! You know I’m working on a new website yeah? So how cool would it be to include a new section where we can share what we learn in the kitchen? Like what we’ve just done today!”
We then discussed how we would meet monthly (and invite more of our friends to join us while at it), try out new recipes together and in the midst of that, definitely discuss a principle or two on our faith or a topic we had questions on in Christianity. We would document our experience and open it for further discussion on the blog, with other young guys like us, who are growing in both their faith and culinary skills as well. Basically, it like a Bible Study but, in the kitchen!
The name TASTE AND SEE came to me a few days later and Bilha, my twinnie and aunt (she’ll be so happy I said this) suggested Taste and See by Travis Greene to be our anthem!
Thanking Cindy, for she has left a mark, first because of her pyramid and cone-shaped samosas that day …hehe…but mostly, because of the cooking date we had where this idea was birthed , for many more can be inspired to indeed, taste and see that the Lord is good.
So stay tuned guys. Every 4th Friday of the month I will upload a new Taste and See episode! (Though this month I'll upload it this Sunday, 24th June 2018)
My heart leaps with joy over what God is going to do through this.
Solus Christus.
Here's a little teaser of what is to come this Sunday! Video by Njeri Njaggah.
I never thought I’d have to write a post like this. Yes, I know death exists but never did I think I would have to write a tribute in honor of… or plan a funeral for someone so dear to me…or face the reality that she’s no longer here with us. Here, I’d mentioned how terrifying the thought was to have someone I know wheeled into a hospital I’d work at. How about one of my close friends dying? As C.S.Lewis says in his book A Grief Observed "Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything."
The evening I received the news is still such a blur to me. From moments of hope for a miracle of resurrection. My faith wasn’t as small as a mustard seed any more. I vehemently prayed, “God, I know you can create red blood cells in seconds, deliver oxygen…your life-giving breath…anything… please just have her wake up… for your glory to be seen and for people to believe. Tell me she’s just asleep Lord!” To moments of deep grief as I started calling friends; being the bearer of bad news that I didn’t even want to believe in. Receiving their questions while I was yet processing it all. Trying to be a comforting voice to them, while drowning in my own sorrows.
The first person I told was my mother.
“Mum, Cindy Wakio has passed away.”
And at that moment I burst out into tears. My deep groans drowned the echoing of those words in my head. That was good, because I was in utter shock and disbelief. Didn’t I just talk to her the other day? Not Cindinyo.. No, no, no!
“We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, 'Blessed are they that mourn,' and I accept it. I've got nothing that I hadn't bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination." C.S. Lewis
But with each number I dialed, it became more real. Distance didn’t help either and I bet I pestered those in Nairobi, calling after every few minutes to find out if anything had happened. I barely slept. Early the next morning, I took a walk on the beach, asking God many questions. I uttered His promises that seemed so dim in light of what had happened.
Sunrise.
As sure as the dawn is your love for us.
Wave upon wave.
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
Where was He when she was ailing? Was He really aware of how this would affect so many people? Did He know how many plans we had together?
Yet two things continually resounded in my mind, amidst the prayers and tears.
One, the sovereignty of God.
Second, the assurance that she is with Christ since she was a believer.
"Oh the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgements, how untraceable His paths.
Who knows the mind of our God? Or who can bring counsel to Him?
Who has ever given to God that God should repay?
For from Him, through Him and to Him is everything.
To God be the glory forever and ever."
Romans 11:33-36 (NIV)
Hadn’t Cindy lived her life in anticipation of being with her Saviour one day? Wasn’t her absence in the body a surety of her now presence with God? In fact I should be elated for her.
“Yaani Cindinyo you got to see Him before me! Anakaa aje? (How does He look?) Nibookie space kwa mansion! (Please book a space for me in the mansion)”
Losing our loved ones doesn’t happen to us so that we are punished or so that somehow we can now live out our purposes because we are scared that we too may go any time soon. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Our individual call and purposes were set out before the beginning of time. This death did not take God by surprise. In fact, it sounds almost crazy to say, but He saw it coming. And He didn’t stop it. For a reason. A good one.
Thank you God for you are sovereign and you are good. All the time, you are good. Time will not heal my pain of losing my beloved friend, but you will. Thank you that each time I remember her, it serves as a reminder to me that this world is not home. That I should fix my eyes on the eternal prize. For to live is Christ and to die is gain. Even here, it is well.
Here is a song tribute I did with some friends of mine from BSF(Bible Study Fellowship) for Cindy and those who lost their loved ones in the FlySax plane accident. ( I would love it if you shared it with others, that they too may choose to trust and praise God even when they don't understand what's going on around them.)
Lastly, there’s a new segment on this website called Taste and See that I am unveiling soon. It is greatly inspired by and dedicated to Cindy. Read how and why here.
Last but not least in the #WhileIwasaway series comes what I enjoyed the most. NEW CULTURE! AIESEC Global Volunteer is a cross-cultural experience for youth who want to gain personal development and leave an impact on the world. There's nothing quite like being in a brand new country, living and volunteering with people from all around. I can really attest to that.
Although Tanzania is just our next door neighbor, there are elements of new culture I experienced while there. Perhaps the different vocabulary; apparently the word ‘stima’ that Kenyans use to mean electricity doesn’t exist in Kiswahili. Its ‘umeme’ guys! But catch a Kenyan saying ‘Umeme umepotea.’ Haha! Rarely so.
Another thing that was new is the greeting culture. People greet each other courteously on the streets, whether or not they know each other. I’m told the same happens in Coastal Kenya but that was definitely new for the Nairobi-bred me. There’s one particular lady who lived a few houses away from us& sold chapati at her verandah every morning. I had no problem greeting her at first occurrence each day, but she insisted that we should greet her each time we passed by her home. Shikamoo more than 5 times a day? To the same person? That was new! But I finally got the hang of it with time since “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
AIESEC Mzumbe organized a Global Village event where we could all showcase our culture. It was an amazing experience!
Laura's holding bubble tea, a famous Taiwanese drink ( Tony made this for us to taste one day prior to Global Village)Makini&I winnowing the maize and beans with an uteo. We were making Muthokoi, a Kamba meal similar to githeri. (Githeri uses whole maize while Muthokoi uses maize without husks)Maggie and I singing Amenifanyia amani by Paul ClementMakini shows them how Kenyan men danceOur Muthokoi was a hit! #TeamKenyaJoy and laughter as we are taught how to dance to the TZ local song; Bertha, Nangi, Lightness and Gervas (in pic)
Maggie took this splendid photo of Jackie, the current AIESEC Mzumbe LCKenyan queen, Laura AdhiamboDancing to a Taiwanese traditional chant
Learning about Taiwan from Jason, Maggie and Tony was lovely too. First, the English names I have been using to refer to them are just nicknames. Can you imagine? They give themselves these names to avoid the trouble of having to make others pronounce their Chinese names; though I challenged myself to calling them by those names over time and finally got it! And yes, I say Chinese because the languages spoken in Taiwan are both Chinese and the native Taiwanese language (which is mostly spoken by the older generation.) In the hiking videohere, Jason taught me the Chinese word for waterfall pu - 瀑 - pù...which was very funny because that word means something quite different in Kiswahili!
If you are wondering where Taiwan is, it is a small island right next to China. Its capital city is Taipei. And guys, I finally got to learn how to tell Asians apart! Haha, well, to a certain degree. They told me of the cultural differences between Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese and Koreans. Not only by their looks, but also by how they write out their language. Trust me, it’s similar but it’s not all the same!
Remember how I said here that we had taught them how to sing in Kiswahili? Well, I learnt how to sing a Taiwanese welcome song as well. Don’t laugh, it was among my first tries.
Closer home, Serge from Rwanda taught me some Kinyarwanda. I don’t know why I had always assumed that all of Rwanda is French speaking until he told me that they have Anglophone and Francophone regions. I also realized that Kinyarwanda is somewhat similar to Kiswahili; perhaps due to the similar Bantu roots.
So you now how in Kenya if someone calls you "Wee nani" it sounds so rude? Apparently, in Rwanda, it's the total opposite. Serge would call me "Wee Joy Muli" with good intentions, but up until he explained that it is a respectful way of referring to someone in his country, I thought he was being rude! Haha...
Mozambique! Did you know that they speak Portuguese? 'Te amor Senor'. That means 'I love you my Lord.' Sounds amazing huh? Leila was my partner when it came to composing songs as I had narrated here. We had lyrics in Chagana (one of the native Mozambican languages), English, Kiswahili and Portuguese. International music… don’ mess!
Let me tell you guys something random about me. I support Manchester United Football club. “Okay, Joy. How is that even related to what we’re talking about in Mozambique?" Well, remember Christiano Ronaldo? Hehe! I liked how he played (ahem) and that’s kinda how I became a ManU fan. So honestly, he’s the one person that comes to mind whenever I think of Portugal. Random huh? (shout out to the real football fans unlike myself; my brothers and close friends like KB. ) But let me challenge you since you’re probably out there judging me. How many former Portuguese colonies can you name? Mozambique…Angola…are you blank? Haha! At least I'm not alone. So don't judge me with my Mozambique-Portugal -football correlation.
(Fun fact- there are only 10 countries in the world that have Portuguese as their official language; Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Macau, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe.)
Anyway, another thing I admired about Tanzanians was their unity. Despite having so many tribes, they identify themselves by what region they come from. Each time I asked, “Where are you from?” I’d get answers like “I’m from Mwanza…From Moshi…From Iringa”. Rarely did they go by their tribes. Not that they don’t ascribe to a particular tribe, but it isn’t a huge point of differentiation, conflict or a matter to lord over others. This I admire, and hope for the same to happen back home one day. I also got to know tad bits about Ghana, Nigeria, Poland...there was such great cultural diversity within the AIESEC community!
(Photo credits to Maggie, Dennis Damian &Isaac)
There you have it. That’s it for the #WhileIwasaway series. Hope you enjoyed it and learnt a thing or two from my narration about this journey that God purposely set out for me.
I’m one person who believes that I never meet new people by accident. Everyone who crosses my path, does so for a reason. Makini was the only friend I knew when I went to Mzumbe but he wasn’t the only one I left with. I loved the fact that we were all from different backgrounds, which made it so much more interesting. The house was always filled with energy of some sort; from teaching each other how to dance and sing cultural songs, to having deep conversations about life (apparently some day we were talking about marriage and I dozed off on the living room couch. They say {to be confirmed} that I was still contributing to the convo while asleep. Goodness me! I don’t even usually sleep talk….so it’s my word against theirs. Haha! )
As life has it, we had our share of ups and downs. But conflicts were resolved and happy moments celebrated. I’ve picked the most memorable of those to share. So here it goes.
Cooking-
''Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly! '' M.F.K.Fisher sure wasn’t wrong about that. The kitchen is where we all met to make mandazi, cake, bubble tea, muthokoi and Mozambican badjia together. Boy wasn’t it fun!Making Chinese stir fry for lunch
Did you notice our makeshift rolling pin? I bet you didn't, so watch it again and see the solution oriented people we were right there! Oh yeah! Lift your hands in the air! Like you don't care! (I just wanted to rhyme! Hehe!)
2. Milk thief scenario-
Speaking of food…I love milk. So for the first few days, I was sad because the only milk we could find was store-bought milk that was so expensive! Thank God we eventually were directed to a nearby homestead where they sold it quite cheaply. This was yet another task that we did together; each with his/her own bottle, walking the path together to go buy milk. One unfortunate day, we had bought milk and I offered to boil it for everyone, so that it wouldn't go bad quickly. I did so & poured the milk back into each person's designated and marked milk bottle. Lo and behold! A few hours later, Serge wanted to drink his milk but found most of it gone. In fact, he only found a quarter liter left! Yet he had bought 1 entire litre. Who had stolen the milk? Watch the video Maggie, our media correspondent on the ground made, to find out!
Church-
It was so lovely going to church and experiencing the fellowship there. The service was filled with lovely song and dance!
Entertainment :Dancing, singing, watching movies-
As I’ve said the house was constantly booming music. From Taiwanese songs (to which we sung along despite not knowing how to pronounce the words right) to learning how to move our waists gracefully in Mozambican dance. Moving to the beat together was definitely a favorite pastime. Leila and I actually bonded so much through composing songs with a guitar we'd borrowed (I know how to play only 5 chords, but those sufficed!). We were even able to teach Maggie, Jason and Tony a song in Kiswahili! They did a perfectly good job at it btw!
Accident-
This was the lowlight of the entire trip. Jason was hit by a motorcycle on his way back home from lunch at the university. You can imagine the horror on my face as he was brought in unconscious&profusely bleeding, to the emergency room at the health centre. I hope I never have to see someone I know brought into the hospital I'm at in such a state. Especially because he lost his memory temporarily. It hit me most when he asked me what my name was as we rode with him in the ambulance.
For an entire week, we stood by him until he got full recovery. Dr. Lillian was great help through this process. She cared for him even as he was admitted at the Regional hospital. And didn’t I also see great solidarity from the guys amongst us. Makini, Tony and Michael slept with Jason at the hospital and took great care of him. Serge then became Jason’s personal bodyguard anywhere they went together. As ladies, we ensured he ate well and took him for dressing too. Eventually, God did make it all work for good.
In the special ward where Jason sleptJason skyping back home while at the hospitalThe brave and kind men who stayed with Jason at the hospitalGoofing away with Maggie at the hospital while keeping Jason company
“Every new friend is a new adventure…the start of more memories.”
~ Patrick Lindsay
More sweet memories...
Here is what I was telling you guys about us dancing!
Plus these pictures are worth a thousand words!
Maggie, the ball of energy :)Chacha (TZ) and our diva, Laura (fellow Kenyan)Jason, Tony and I on Furahiday!Ken CTA, Laura and I
Now that's enough photos lest this post becomes a photo album! See you tomorrow for some exciting things I learnt from my international friends! ;)
I had never been away from home for this long. More so, alone. Never been away on my birthday. Never travelled alone. So this trip was literally a jump of faith and I thank God for making every day worth it.
At the beginning of this year when everyone was declaring their resolutions, I somewhat resented it all. Wasn’t new years day a day like any other? Why the hype? Scrolling through people's Instagram posts one after another, each with a caption about new chances, new beginnings… Yet there I was, still waiting to hear from Him about so many things in my life. Waiting. All I knew is that I needed to surrender it all to Him. I’d have to leave my concerns & burdens at the foot of the cross and not come back, to pick them up again. I would need to mean it every time I sung ‘I surrender all’.
This was real sanctification guys. My goodness I’m such a perfectionist. I plan for everything. And I mean everything! And most times I’d present my plans to God, rather than asking Him what His plan for me was and following through with that. You see;
Perfectionism is just a high-end couture version of fear…just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat, pretending to be elegant when actually it’s just terrified. ~Elizabeth Gilbert.
So letting it all go into His hands wasn’t so easy. Letting Him plan my holiday rather than strategize my way through the months. Choosing to be still (Exodus 14:14) in the midst of conflict rather than (in my younger brother's words), ‘finesse my way’ through arguments. Cycles of anxiety over the unknown and worry over what is to come. Such cycles needed to be broken.
Did I see it coming in the way it did? No.
I’ve been asked countless times, “Why Mzumbe?” “Why Tanzania?” “6weeks! That’s so long!”
All I can say, God needed me there to break some cycles.
Cycles of worry.
Cycles of fear.
Of self-reliance.
Of perfectionism.
Of too much planning. (A huge struggle I'm overcoming)
Before I left, I knew among the things I was going to miss was the sermon series we were doing at my church based on the book ‘Unstuck’ by Mark Jobe; ‘Out of the cave and into your purpose’. It’s based on 1 Kings 19, the story of Elijah. Seeing a great prophet like him get spiritually stuck immediately after such a magnificent feat against the prophets of Baal at Mt. Horeb is what most amazed me. Had he not just witnessed fire come down from the heavens and consumed a soaking wet sacrifice? However, after a loss of perspective and depressive feelings engulfing him, we see a man who isolates himself in a cave, hoping to die. Stuck. Can you believe it? Among the greatest prophets having suicidal thoughts.
Before you judge Elijah, just remember that everyone gets stuck at one point or another. You too, whether you admit it or not. How often do we hide in the caves, unwilling to confront our sin because it seems to have such a tight grip over our lives?
We’ve stalled on the roadside of our faith and refused to call for a rescue car; we don’t want anyone to see us while we are such a wreck.
My heart cries out each time I see a case of substance abuse. I may be able to diagnose it clinically in the hospital but I know that most of the time, taking drugs is fueled by unresolved matters in one’s life. Feeling of lack of belonging. Family conflict. Stress. Whatever it is, each time the matter arises, we run to our drug and hope that it satisfies us. We are addicted to drugs of self-sustenance& temporary pleasure; making a home in the caves. On and on in the same cycle. We isolate ourselves, throw a pity party over our sorrows, replay all the negative things in our minds like a broken record.
Anyone who knows me knows I love Jonathan McReynold’s music. His most recent album has a song titled ‘Cycles’ , that’s God-incidentally about the same matter of getting unstuck. Dr. Darwin Jason said (in the comment section of one of Jonathan’s IG posts about the song);
“But see, if God wanted us to face and fight the devil alone, He would have given us our islands of solitude. God expects us to listen and support each other so we can see glory together. However, we cannot accomplish this if we struggle alone and let the devil keep us in our cycles.”
Nikki Alexander, on the same forum, also said;
“Satan is in his own cycle- he always loses.”
Can I hear an Amen! Which cycle have you fallen into time and time again? Which cave have you isolated yourself in? Are you willing to get out of it and face the sin that so easily entangles you? Definitely not in your strength, but by the same power that raised Christ from the grave. As crazy as it can be, we still walk in victory, for we live by what we know and not how we feel.
“Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
“Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes.”
~ 1 Samuel 12:16 (NIV)
Now, Im’ma put this song out there. For those who have ears, listen! I personally have had it on replay as a favorite since the day I got it. All the guys I was with in TZ probably remember me practicing the voice runs for the #Cycleschallenge over and over again!
There is power in the name of Jesus to break every cycle. Do you believe that?
See you tomorrow for more from this series. #WhileIwasAway #42daysinTanzania
I am Mary Gitau, a 4th year medical student at the University of Nairobi. I am a growing creative with my main interests being fashion, modelling, crocheting and music. I have a sweet tooth so you'll never go wrong with ice-cream or Cadbury chocolate(a shameless plugin for my birthday that passed, but every day is a day to celebrate others. ;) )I really love God and hope to be a true Christian daily.
I remarked that Sarah did call Abraham ‘master’ at some point and to be honest, I don’t know if I can imagine calling my future husband that. Or is it that we have become too opinionated as women to be submissive wives? On that note, is there anything as being TOO opinionated as a Christian woman? (Please share your responses in the comments as we’d love to know!)
We made some custard to accompany the cake using store-bought custard powder.
All this while, we were deep in discussion about anything and everything. I loved how we opened up to each other even while cooking. In vulnerability, we shared our current struggles, concerns, joys, hopes… We encouraged each other, shared what we were learning and unlearning, laughed over stories and caught up on the latest music we were loving.
The evening I received the news is still such a blur to me. From moments of hope for a miracle of resurrection. My faith wasn’t as small as a mustard seed any more. I vehemently prayed, “God, I know you can create red blood cells in seconds, deliver oxygen…your life-giving breath…anything… please just have her wake up… for your glory to be seen and for people to believe. Tell me she’s just asleep Lord!” To moments of deep grief as I started calling friends; being the bearer of bad news that I didn’t even want to believe in. Receiving their questions while I was yet processing it all. Trying to be a comforting voice to them, while drowning in my own sorrows.
“Yaani Cindinyo you got to see Him before me! Anakaa aje? (How does He look?) Nibookie space kwa mansion! (Please book a space for me in the mansion)”
Although Tanzania is just our next door neighbor, there are elements of new culture I experienced while there. Perhaps the different vocabulary; apparently the word ‘stima’ that Kenyans use to mean electricity doesn’t exist in Kiswahili. Its ‘umeme’ guys! But catch a Kenyan saying ‘Umeme umepotea.’ Haha! Rarely so.
If you are wondering where Taiwan is, it is a small island right next to China. Its capital city is Taipei. And guys, I finally got to learn how to tell Asians apart! Haha, well, to a certain degree. They told me of the cultural differences between Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese and Koreans. Not only by their looks, but also by how they write out their language. Trust me, it’s similar but it’s not all the same!
Making Chinese stir fry for lunch
For an entire week, we stood by him until he got full recovery. Dr. Lillian was great help through this process. She cared for him even as he was admitted at the Regional hospital. And didn’t I also see great solidarity from the guys amongst us. Makini, Tony and Michael slept with Jason at the hospital and took great care of him. Serge then became Jason’s personal bodyguard anywhere they went together. As ladies, we ensured he ate well and took him for dressing too. Eventually, God did make it all work for good.
