Fashion and Style

How time does fly! I can't believe that my little blog is five - what a journey it has been! I thought it would be fun to look back on a few posts I've done over the years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My first post  was an attempt to restart a blog that I had started writing four years ago - back then, it was more of an extended, and public mailing list. This was a week after I turned 20, and I think the 'new decade' brought me some inspiration to write that I'm still going on! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few months later, I shared some pictures from a trip to the Masai Mara. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the spring semester that year, I did a few posts from a series I had posted...

If anyone told you that there's nothing to do in Nairobi apart from eat, drink and work - they lied. Friday: I realise that there's a Sunday morning Zumba class at the Aga Khan Sports Club, and ambitiously decide to go. I invite a friend to go with me, because, duh, accountability + more fun. Saturday evening: 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning? Am I suuuuure I want to do this? I just jogged for 30 minutes, that's gotta count for something.  Saturday night: Okay, I just had Hashmi and wine. No excuses. We're doing this!!! Sunday morning, 9:55 a.m.: Just drove in. An hour of Zumba! YEAH!!! Sunday morning, 10:05 a.m.: This is awesome! I am going to ROCK this class. Nothing hurts! Jump higher? Sure!! Sunday morning, 10:10 a.m.: Okay, so maybe I'm a little more out of shape than I'd like to admit.  Sunday morning, 10:15 a.m.: Holy shit, how is she moving like that?! Is the human body even meant to be able to do that? Maybe I can try! Sunday morning, 10:16 a.m.: Okay, ow. D...

No need to panic, dear readers, you haven't missed the big two five. Trust me, you'd have known! However, the truth is that it IS less than 2 months away - and I'm also celebrating 5 years of writing as the Kenyan Nomad this year! Evidently, 2017 looks like it's going to be wicked fun!! What have I been up to since we last spoke? I spent 2 weeks out of my 3 week vacation in the U.S. with my aunt and uncle, sisters, brothers-in-law, and adorable nieces and nephew. (Yes, my sisters are all grown up and have kids now. When did that happen?!) I had a great time (although it sucked that I wasn't able to see my friends), despite the rocky start that entailed me spending an unplanned night in Atlanta the day I flew in. Winter in flip flops... not as fun as it sounds! What happens when you take two toddlers and a baby to the tree at Rockefeller Some of you may remember last year's post  where I stated my intentions for 2016. Broadcasting these actually did keep me accou...

Here's a guest post by  Ariadna Arredondo! Thoughts, that�s it. That is what we think all day,all the time. Especially if you are a girl, supposedly. That�s beside my point. My point is that we all think all the time and all the things that we think of often disappear within the hour. I want you to write down important things for you, I want you to actually see the greater side to this method. First of all, organize your thoughts without repeating. Second of all, as you organize your thoughts, the most important things come out in a clear fashion. Third of all, why keep everything in your head? It is always good to write it out, talk it out so we can let go of the bad stuff and reminds us of the good things. We all have phones, we all have a Note button on it, anytime, anyplace, it helps you to become you. Take a look at this, if these people didn�t write these thoughts down, then someone else would have� right? My point is that these words, whatever they may be, are important beca...

Picture by Thomas Brault courtesy of unsplash.com When I was younger, a large part of how I defined myself was by the relationships in my life. I was so-and-so's daughter, so-and-so's sister, so-and-so's friend. That's not to say that I didn't have an identity of my own- I did- but it was nowhere near what it is now. While I was by no means shy, I guess I could call myself reserved. Added to that, living in a "small big" city like Nairobi (the population of the city is well over 3 million, and yet it seems that everyone knows each other), I was stuck with the burden of being the person I had been for the past few years. Many of you who grew up in small communities and went to smaller high schools will understand me when I say that it's difficult to really change yourself when people still see you as the person you used to be. I was fortunate enough in that I got to go to a university where I knew no-one. Not an exaggeration; Sewanee literally had no pe...

A year ago today, if you told me that I'd be working out every day, I'd probably call you crazy. Before I turned 17, I was fit enough. For about a year, I religiously went to the gym three times a week for about one and a half hours each time. Sure, I wasn't exactly what I'd call sporty; my hand-eye coordination did not, and probably never will allow for that in terms of traditional sports. As high school came to an end and college drew nearer, I lapsed back into laziness. I told myself that since I was going to a campus where I'd be walking enough, would have to take some compulsory P.E. classes and that had a state-of-the-art gym, staying fit wouldn't be a problem at all. If only I knew how wrong I was. The P.E. classes were over in two semesters, and apart from the time I spent at the gym for tours, occasional games, the above mentioned classes, or homework (...weird, yes, but the person I was working on my homework with had a work-study there), I hardly went...

Ecce Quam Bonum Has it already been one year? On the 28th of April last year, I had just finished and turned in my senior honours thesis. I was stressed/ excited about my upcoming graduation, and everything that that meant. Grad week, the parties, our own party, and the graduation ceremony went by so quickly for how much we had planned and looked forward to them.  Since I've been an official Sewanee alumna for (almost!) a year, I felt that it would be appropriate to write a letter to current Sewanee seniors and soon to be alumni about grad week, graduation, and all that lies beyond, especially so because so many people from Sewanee's Class of 2015 are very dear to me! As a proud graduate finally stepping on the seal!  Dear Seniors, I know it's hard to believe, but you did it! After all those classes, exams, late night study sessions and pub runs, talks with professors about everything and nothing, and countless memories that you've made over these past few years, you...

Image courtesy of SplitShire Before we start, no, I'm not married. However, I've heard of/ read about so many couples having issues nowadays that could've easily been prevented by discussion prior to marriage. While a broken light bulb doesn't necessitate a new house, which is what many couples seem to go for as evidenced by the high divorce rate, sometimes the problem may be more than a light bulb. Therefore, I reached out to married couples and did some research to compile a list of issues to talk about, questions to ask and things to consider before you get married to someone; no matter how much you love them, and how awkward these may seem, it seems that there are common issues married couples face. By discussing these beforehand, issues like those may be avoided entirely! Or if not, at least a couple will know that they're coming and may have planned how to handle them in advance. Some of these may be small, while others may be bigger; it all really depends on ...

As a woman who lives in an urban society in the 21st century, I am constantly being bombarded by messages from media and advertising and even the people around me. Many of these messages encourage me to look better, be healthier, dress better; but how many of them encourage me to do it for myself?  As much as women have progressed recently, the sad thing is that in the society we live in, we are still seen as objects who should look pretty for the sake of other people. This may be changing in other places, but it is very much the case in Nairobi. What women wear and how they look are constantly being judged and criticised and held to ridiculous standards that we aren't allowed to dictate ourselves. I remember hearing the tale of a woman who got married and was made to shower, dress up in Indian traditional clothes and make-up EVERY single morning by the time she was at the breakfast table; whereas her in-laws did not adhere to these standards.  Unfortunately, many of us are at...

Kenya is a country that has made various advancements, especially so over the past two decades. However, some pockets of society remain 'backward' for lack of a better word, and discrimination is present in many cases, ranging from racism to sexism to homophobia. I reached out to some people and asked them to share their experiences with sexism in the country. While most of the stories below are from people I know, some are from newspaper articles or stories I've heard through other people. In the interest of keeping these accounts readable, I've presented them all in first person. Please feel free to comment with any you'd like to share! -As a 'mzungu' man new to the country, I was prepared to adjust to a level of development that wasn't equal to that of my home country. However, one thing took me by surprise (and still does); whenever I went out to a restaurant in the company of one or more females, the check (bill) was always given to me, regardless o...

I was nominated to do this post by one of my best friends and frequent guest bloggers, Aniqah Khalid. She recently did one herself on her website and you can check it out here:  http://www.aniqahkhalid.com/50-facts-about-me-part-1/  I know I was supposed to do 50, but since 32 is all I could think of at this point, 32 is all I'll do! I'll update this post as and when things change. 1) I had a poodle phase when I was younger. I know, exactly what it sounds like. See, everyone goes through an awkward secondary school phase I believe, but mine lasted a little longer thanks to my curly hair. Anyone who has similar hair knows that combing out your curls while dry is probably the worst thing you can do to them; yet this is exactly what I did lots of times when I was younger. Thankfully, I eventually learnt my lesson!! 2) My absolute favourite food is my Mum's pizza. I have absolutely NO clue what she does to the sauce, but bias aside, I've honestly never tasted better! 3) I a...

Today's guest blogger is Billie Rihal, a lifestyle blogger and photographer from Kenya who is studying International Relations and Economics in Vancouver. She has always enjoyed writing, and started her own website in January 2014. Check out her website here: www.billierihal.com When you give yourself the time to sit down and reflect on life it brings about various lessons and realizations that you learn from.  During these past few weeks that I've spent in both Vancouver and London/Leicester, I've realized how important it is to be careful of who you let into your personal space. The space that exposes your true self, your flaws, fears and failures. Sometimes we easily trust others and open ourselves in the rawest and purest form and that itself is so beautifully dangerous. Not everyone shares the same standpoint towards facets such as trust, value and respect. That's not bad either, it is simply a gentle reminder to yourself to be aware of who and what you're allo...