Learning to write in the tropics

 A year ago today my dad passed away after being sick for quite some time. I had spent the previous year at home with my parents and it had been a tough but also beautiful year. Somehow and for some reason God gave us a life that is most of the time bittersweet, beauty mixed with tears is the most realistic view I can offer at this moment. I don't usually speak of my feelings publicly and it has taken me a full year to acknowledge out loud that he is really gone. But we all go through this, death touches us all at some point in life, it is inevitable, a part of life, yet, somehow, nothing prepares you for it. The depth of sorrow that engulfs you is beyond all description that I could ever possibly give. In the midst of this is the realization of how blessed I was and am. Blessed to have the dad that I had, his constant presence and support accompany me to this day, even if now in a different way. The things he taught me have carried me through challenges and adventures and I was ab

At some point during my earlier student days, I swore never to use Ryanair again.....then I moved to a city that has the Ryanair airport (aka Stansted) 30 mins away, the temptation was too great 😂. In that intervening time Ryanair has become more sharky, falling short of charging for the air people breathe while on their planes. The only free thing is a fairly small bag/rucksack anything else is charged for as 'little' as 15 GBP, and that is only for a small carry-on not a checkable bag. Over Christmas I grudgingly forked-out this sum but this time I really didn't feel like it, I thought that if I was going to spend on something I'd rather it be on a rucksack that would then serve other purposes. So I took on the "Ryanair challenge": to squeeze enough clothes for a week-long trip into a medium-sized rucksack and pass the crazy Ryanair attendant checkers without getting called out. Glad to say I find myself on the other side of that small escapade and safely e