Poor Boy!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

My nanny showed up for work this morning but a few minutes later she told me her son couldn't sleep last night. When I asked why, she went on to explain that the boy had been attacked in school by a group of friends while they were playing and forced a stick of match into his ear. The pain was unbearable and the little boy couldn't help but cry all night while she watched helplessly.

I was touched! Deeply touched.

Poor boy!

Consequently, I advised her to take some time off work to enable her take the boy to the hospital and to look after him till he gets better

As she left I sat back thinking. How on earth do kids get to plan and carry out such acts against one of theirs? What actually happened? Could it have been an accident? Just how could such an act and other related incidents that often occur in some schools be curbed? Who takes the blame?

I began to ask myself many questions about some of the things that happen each day in some schools without the knowlegde of the teachers nor the parents.

Oh ! How can I ever forget the big guys back in my primary school days who used to bully the very young and perhaps-chicken hearted schoolmates. They used to seize their snacks and lunch boxes and eat everything! These bullies used to beat up others on their way from school for refusing to help them out with their class work. Academically, they were the very weak ones but they had a lot of physical strength which they often used to their advantage.

In most cases very few pupils had the courage to oppose to the demands of the bullies. They were feared by many. As such, acts of violence and related cases hardly ever got to the knowlegde of the headmaster nor to the parents except for extreme cases.

As a parent, I tell my children to keep off the "bad guys" and "bad girls" in school ( referring to the bullies, the hot -tempered friend and the "lazy girls/boys" of the class). I equally encourage them to stay away from any" trouble spot" but above all; to speak up and report any threats plus any form of abuse or violence.

Happy New Year!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

It's a New Year! Happy New Year 2011 to all visitors of Mabi's World!

The Avocado : Rekindling The Past!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

I went to buy a few items from a nearby supermarket last Sunday, when my eyes fell on these avocados. I leaped with joy because these fruits are sooooo scarce in the part of Africa where I find myself today, whereas they were a common feature of my diet in my native Cameroon. Seeing those avocados brought a torrent of childhood memories which pushed me to write.

By the way, I am not used to calling this fruit avocado! I grew up calling them pears surely because we were taught in primary school to call them that way. It's been difficult to wipe that off but my daughter is working hard to get me there.

"It’s avocado not pear mama, that's what my teacher said," she says each time I ask her to have some pears. I guess I really need to get it into my head. However, for this post, I would enjoin you to permit me call it pear like I did while growing up.

I remember how my parents, my brothers, sisters and I all loved having pear and bread for breakfast. In fact we happily opted for pears rather than butter when we had both of the on the breakfast table.

Then, there were those days we used to call “twenty-hungry” – when the month was dragging to an end and most or all of the food items were finished. The dry days when butter was hard to find on the breakfast table; talk less of chocolate, cheese, mayonnaise or eggs.

Pears often came in handy. They were available and cheaper. My mother used to buy so much of it from the local markets at a giveaway price. We sometimes harvested them from our farms. We would wait impatiently for them to get ripe for eating.

And pears could accompany anything! Bread, soaked garri (drinking/cold water garri), roasted cocoyams or plantains or corn, miondo/bobolo and, oh My God, pear and plum (safou)!

Sadly, when I got to secondary school (boarding school) I realised that pears were labeled. They were called "the poor-student's-catalyst". Accordingly, students who came from less-affluent homes could only afford pears (avocado) as a bread spread (catalyst) during breakfast.

Meanwhile, the rich students often spiced their breakfast with “delicacies” like chocolate spread, sardines, margarine, cheese, jam, peanut butter in addition to what the school provided for breakfast.

Whatever the case, I loved pears and even when I had some margarine, I didn't mind having some pears, as well. Now that I can afford a variety of items for breakfast, I still have a craving for pears.

Looking back, I wish I ate pears (avocados) every single day given the food values you can derive from the fruits. Today, I can barely find them. When I do, they cost so much.

In the morning!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen,

A gentle breeze blows in the morning
It's 6 o'clock in the morning.

Another day is here.....Mama!
Another moment of bonding is here....Mama!

So, I jump out of bed !
Sometimes, I am a little tired and sleepy but I am thankful.
Yes, thankful indeed!

Thankful for my children and my entire family.
Thankful for God's grace, His blessings, His love and protection.
Thankful for the peace and joy!

A New Man in My Life

I've got a new man in my life.

Yes, he's the one who has kept me so busy and far from this blog. He loves to be the centre of attention. It's been 24/24 hours "ndolo" (love) between him and I.

He actually was inside me for a good nine months. He kicked so hard, I could hardly sit to write as I would have loved to. But I loved every moment of it.

He's George Fominyen....jr. My son. My latest bundle of joy! I love him dearly!

What a blessing!

The baby is doing great! Big sister too. Mum, dad, and the rest of the family at home and abroad, have continued to celebrate the baby's arrival.

To God be the GLORY!

It's been a while!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

There comes a time when you really can't do all that you would have loved to do in a day!
Oh yes ! I suppose this holds true for many people.

I had been planning to pull-out my sewing machine and try out a few new designs but I have just not been able to find the time to do so. Procastination...., a busy schedule, .... or mere laziness ? I guess I have been so taken by many other things: school, family chores, work :to name but these!

Helas! I found the time this morning ! Indeed the time to once more put my sewing passion and creativity to test. So I went searching for and digging out some fabrics from my sewing basket. See what I found!

I figured it would be a good idea to design a small-purse using any of these fabrics- so I settled for the "blue & brownish-piece" . I placed the piece of cloth on my measuring table, plus the material for the inter-facing and another piece for the lining. Once I finished taking the measurements, I cut out the pattern and settled down to sewing.

In less that twenty minutes, I was through with the process!

See what I made !

Now I know I really didn't need to take much time to come up with this bag.

If you love it, then let me know.You don't mind having one, do you?

It's My Birthday!

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen,

What a blessing to turn one more year!

What a strange feeling to think one gets older as years actually come and go!

Did someone say "the older one gets the wiser one becomes?" Oh! that sounds so sweet when one looks at it from this perspective! Afterall wisdom is something to long for.

"Age is really a number......" So says my hubby!
How about that?

......and for my little girl, it's been a day of celebration starting with the sweet wordings on the birthday card she designed for mama......!
"Happy birthday mama. I wish you many more years and that you should continue being happy forever ."

Then the cutting of the birthday cake( another pleasant surprise), the gifts and plenty of love plus good wishes from family members and beloved ones.

I can't help but continue to count my blessings as the years come and go!