Wrapping Up 2015

I am putting some thoughts I have had in the last week down and this will be my last post this year.

Spending time with loved ones  - So my friend and I were talking about Christmas and we were talking about how our families always spend Christmas together, but I was saying that I might break the tradition next year as I would like to travel at Christmas. Her response was don't do that, the whole family should travel. I wondered why I hadn't thought about that option, but thinking about it, I realised that I had probably concluded that travelling at Christmas might not be a preferred option as they like to travel earlier in the year. Well, she lost her mother a few months ago and her family had spent Christmas in a certain country for the past three years or so, but the plan was to spend it elsewhere this year. Plans changed as her mum is no longer here and things were left undecided, Christmas would never be the same, it must have been especially hard this year being the first one without her.

Tales from my last trip

Last month I spent some time in four countries in Europe, I had fun but at the end of the trip I realised that I did not rest which tends to happen all the time when I go on holiday. Being an early bird, my body clock automatically comes to life at such an early hour.  Here are my impressions on each city:

BELGIUM

Brussels - This city did not grow on me, not in the least. It is beautiful but for some reason, I found getting to places somewhat tedious and different places seemed far from each other. I am unsure whether this was all in my head. At some point despite having maps, I ended up chatting with bus drivers on where I planned to go, they gave their advice which helped. Transportation can be easily accessed, there are metros and buses that run through the city. I was meant to meet someone who has lived there for over a decade but at the end, we were unable to meet. However, after my discussion with her, we both agreed that Brussels is rough at the edges and might best be enjoyed when a local shows you around. I speak French so I had no trouble communicating but I noticed that in the tourist areas, locals were more than happy to speak English.



 Grand place, Brussels

Faded

He once looked in those eyes and saw them burning with love for him, but as he looks in them now, the coldness he sees terrifies him.

The love started to fade, it slowly turned to friendliness.

When he kissed her, she was no longer there. He told her that she was not with him anymore but she asked for his patience. There were things troubling her that she needed to sort out.

Excuses started to find their way in, like they had different interests, but he dismissed that as he wondered if the word compromise meant anything to her.

What they had was beautiful, but she got scared, they both loved hard, they loved deeply, but she was not ready for a lifetime commitment.

He waited for her to own up to her decision, he gave her time. And she did, but an end to any relationship always hurts.

She was ready before she even told him, she took down everything that stood for their years together before she even ended things with him.

He walked away angry that she threw it all away just like that but he kept it all together. He was angry that she became cold and he moved on without grieving the loss.

But it came back and it hit him hard, it broke him, he missed her even though he hated to.

But life has continued…he has picked up the pieces, life has continued…

Them Drivers

The rage steaming through blood shot eyes,
the chaos because of such horrible drivers,
no sense of direction, no adherence to driving rules,
hurry...simply no patience!
They all just want to hit the road and in the bid to get on fast,
they only succeed in causing jams everywhere.

Sirens blaring, whips held high.
It's disturbing, absolutely crazy!
What are they? Drivers or Uniforms?
Does that make them any more 'CITIZENS' than anyone else?

Traffic rules are broken and there are simply no consequences.
Auto crashes all around the city everyday,
bodies pulled out, rushing to hospitals...
How bad can it get???
Driving in Abuja, hmmmm
Gets worse by the day, seems like a constant car race.


First published in June 29, 2009