Category: Essay

Essay
November 30, 2021

Attested Pleasure

I take great pleasure in riding on public transportation. Clearly, I can’t refute the convenience of a car, especially for grocery shopping where I comb through different stores, Indian, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, …., picking different items that a friend insists I can get from one store. The nerve to even say that kills my cooking mojo, but I refute this suggestion. Yes, it’s nice to […]

Essay
November 11, 2020

This Question

What do you do? Chances are, someone has asked you this question. People ask me this question when I least expect it. I do not mind it, as some say it is a “conversation starter,” a way to know people. It’s mostly true, but I mind the context in which it is asked, how we arrive at it. Otherwise—it’s just meddling. Before I grumble about […]

Essay
August 7, 2020

Misplaced Accent

I’ve come to believe that my accent is misplaced somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. When I’m in my country, I speak one sentence, and I’m eliminated—eyes run and ears perk up at the sound of my words. For Kenyans, park and pack are pronounced the same way, distinguished by the subject matter. In the US, I don’t’ fit in, even though my Rs, […]

Essay
June 12, 2020

The New Normal, Ahem!

While I’m experiencing the terror of COVID-19 like everyone else, I’m beguiled by the now-famous phrase, “Social distance is the new normal.” Surely, this fatal disease is enlightening us in unthinkable ways. Some say COVID-19 is, “The equalizer.” Others fight it off, some lose the fight, and the rest are in limbo; we shelter, mask, wipe, wash, and distance, anything to elude this elusive virus. […]