Help Nepal

I believe in giving back to the community – It doesn’t matter how. We all have to be kind to one another and show love especially during crisis.

We have been seeing news on the devastating earthquake in Nepal – my prayers to everyone involved especially the country and those who have lost their loved ones. As of April 28th, the death tool has climbed to 4,768. What a tragedy! And its not just Nepal, 72 people have died in India and another 25 in China. Of the 8 million people affected by the quake across 39 districts of Nepal, some 1.4 million need food aid.

I work for a company that believes in the power of ‘giving back’. Whether it is through the various charities that the company supports but also giving back through employee led programs. We have opportunity to give back – volunteers, charities. You can to give back through prayers. You have an opportunity to give back through well wishing. And we have an opportunity to give back through financial assistance.

As the rescue and recovery efforts continue, charities and nongovernmental organizations are sending teams, aid and medical assistance. Please Click here to find out about the organizations you can assist and let’s pray for Nepal and all the families who have lost their loved ones!

Green Smoothies

Have you been seeing a couple of people with green drinks all over town and the office? Well, join the green smoothie bandwagon!

I started my journey of drinking green smoothies last year September and since then, I am hooked. The results have been tremendous – better digestion, weight loss, better skin, hair and energy.

Research shows that one’s craving for fast food and sugar decreases. Then you have a desire to exercise more, you have emotional stability and constant energy. If you want to improve your health and that of your family, join the club of making green smoothies!

It’s just not me, my manager and colleagues are all dotting green drinks in the office. For someone who hates eating raw apples, kales, collard greens or even spinach, this was my savior – I still get my douse of fruits and vegetables as recommended. I drink two glasses daily and what’s fun is I can make different drinks everyday.

I get chlorophyll and enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. They are also packed with plant fiber capable of carrying many times its own weight in toxins out of the body. The one thing I love about my smoothies is that I can make them overnight, put them in my bottles and when I wake up, I just grab it – Voila! Ohh and I love to add my favorite thing of them all, green tea! And when someone tells you they are not tasty, don’t listen – they are definitely are. And you know what, green smoothies are an easy way for you to get large amounts of fruits and leafy greens into your daily diet.

Green smoothies have saved me money over the last couple of months. If I buy lots of fruits like pinneaple, when it is ripe, I cut into pieces and put them in the freezer so when am ready, all I do is take one bag and blend it.

So you ask, what’s in a green smoothie?  Leafy greens + fruit + liquid-base and maybe toppings such as flax seeds, c' est tu! Trust me, once you try a green smoothie, get ready for addiction like! So why do I love smoothies so much?

1. My energy is high up there. After a gym workout, I always try to have a smoothie that has a lot of proteins such as black berries, almond milk, bananas and flax seeds and that’s sure enough to keep me until my lunch break.
2. Weight loss: I have lost a couple of pounds – but not many coz I still enjoy my glass of wine. What can I say, I love my smoothies but I love my wines more.
3. Protected immune system: When I spent last year in Asia, I still had my green smoothie made – thank you but anyway, you can stay healthy with this drink. I haven’t had major sicknesses such as common cold since I started my smoothie journey.
4. Improved Skin and Hair: Am a naturalista and anything that gives my skin a glowing look – am all in hence my love for avocados.

What do you need to make a green smoothie? I have been using the Nutri Bullet and so far its great. But you can also buy the Ninja or a blender.

Finally, here are a couple of tips to make your smoothie journey enjoyable and tasty:

1. Use 2 green leafy vegetables by tossing them in the blender then adding water or any of the other liquids and blend until all gone.
2. Then add fruits and the seeds and blend
3. And drink with pleasure.

Are you a green smoothie fan?  If you have a favorite recipe of your own,  we would love to hear about it.

Enjoy!

Neema

The Famous Midi Skirt

You know that skirt that makes you look both classy and elegant at the same time? Yes, the ‘FAMOUS MIDI SKIRT’.  2015 has seen midi skirts to be the biggest trend, but finding the perfect midi skirt outfit that fits your body to perfection can be daunting task.

I do love my minis and hate maxi skirts, but lately, I been particularly drawn to the in-between midi length when shopping for skirts. Ending anywhere from just below the knee to a few inches above the ankle, the midi skirt—or tea skirt, as it’s sometimes called—is this season’s easiest-to-style piece.

Lucky for me, I was saved by Express. I have almost 8 midi skirts ranging from pink, blue to orange and I enjoy wearing them with everything from sweater to fitted tops.  This skirt is so versatile that you can wear it with anything and everything.

They say the midi skirt is best worn with a pair of heels and (our favorite), a cropped angora sweater. But whichever way you prefer to style your skirt, make sure it's a midi this season.

Look fabulous and don’t forget to check out images below for a few tips on how to pair a midi skirt.

 

The Best of Tokyo

Me in Tokyo

Roza and I have known each other since 2010 and besides working for the same company, we also connected because of our mutual love for traveling. Over the last couple of years, we have met in Thailand, Mexico and traveled to US states such as Puerto Rico and Miami. So when she asked me to write an article on my experience in Tokyo for their website  Storytellingtravellers, you know I could not say No. 

One of the things I loved and still love about Tokyo is the people and the cleanliness. If you want to read more about this and share with us what your experiences of Tokyo has been so far, please go to The Best of Tokyo.

I hope you enjoy Tokyo as much as I did. Don't forget to shop, eat picture perfect sushi, use the public transport, visit the temples and buy as much green tea as you can. Trust me, it will be well worth it. And have an octopus on the streets of Hirajuku  And for those who want to learn more about other places to visit, please check out Roza's webpage.

If you have any questions on where to stay, places to see, things to do while you are planning your trip to Tokyo, please, feel free to reach out. 

Cheers!

Neema

My Own Super Soul Sunday!

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Welcome to our very own Super Soul Sunday – giving Oprah a run for her money. I love this show. Besides that fact that Oprah brings some of the best in the business, she has some of the most tweetable moments - advices that shape who you are as a person.

Living in the US has taught me a lot on the power of positive thinking, believing in God and creating a positive energy around me.  One of my favorite episodes aired on April 6th 2015 and featured Tim Storey: Finding Your Calling. Tim is known as ‘Pastor to the stars’ and has coached several people including Robert Downey Jr. Oprah sat down with him to discuss his latest book, ‘Comebacks & Beyond’.

I loved every moment of this episode because it not only reminded me how to find deeper meaning in my life but also how to move forward when my situation seems insurmountable. I turned 30 this year and last year at around this time, April 22nd, to be exact, I received news that forever changed me and I was at a very low point in my life. I didn't know how I was going to be able to move on or how I was going to pick up my life. I sat down, cried my heart out and then kneeled down and prayed to God.

One year later, am here, happy and fulfilled but that’s because I choose to focus on comebacks. In this episode, Tim speaks on how we can turn a setback into a comeback and how we should avoid getting stuck in ‘our story’.  We all have setbacks and when you fall down and don’t know what to do to get back up, remember not to sit on your setback and not to settle on your setback.  His advice is, “Stop, Look and Listen.” He also talks about how we have become human doings rather than human beings. We are always on the move and looking for the next best thing and his advice is, 'we need to slow down to the speed of life and if we could slow down, stop, look and listen to what God is saying to us'.

He continues to talk about how disappointments and challenges and how they make our hearts sink and as we all know, our hearts are the source of everything. Our joy, our peace, our faith, our happiness all comes from the heart and the moment we allow these disappointments to take root in our hearts, we loose our shout because of the sickness in our hearts.  His advice is, we need to find our shout! And truly, life does knock the shout out of us.

Remember, ‘when life tries to take you down to a whisper, just shout on purpose’. And it's this time when you think of all the things that are going on right in your life right now - you are alive, you have food, those are things that you can shout about. And just be grateful to God you are still here.

Don’t forget to tune in every Sunday at 11 am on OWN to catch Super Soul Sunday but also, read an except from Tim’s book, 'Comeback & Beyond' on Oprah.com

One Of My Favorite Books 'Produced By Faith'

Produced By Faith Cover

I never had of DeVon Franklin until one of my gals, Kerubo (thank you) asked me to get her this book  ‘Produced by Faith’. Me being me, I ordered the book on Amazon and was ready to give it to Kerubo when something told me to open and read it.

Wow, what a life changing story. DeVon is a Seventh-Day Pastor but also works in Hollywood. His book was written for the modern person who wants to be able to thrive in their work but also keep their faith. As he says, “To get where you want to go, you first have to become the person God wants you to be.”

In this book, his describes how your life is the movie filled with setbacks, victories, high points, conflicts and it uses the concept of how a movie comes into inception to release by encouraging you to be able to fight for your dreams yet not giving up on your faith. Basically, he wrote the book to have development, production and post-production with each of these chapters dealing with lows and highs that producers, actors and movie directors go through as they work on creating a high selling movie.

My favorite chapter in the book deals with how to get through your career lows.  I have been fortunate to work for some of the best companies in the world and I had moments of  ‘Development Hell’ as he refers to those career lows. I either hated my manager, the company, my manager and/or my co-workers or just being bored with my duties. Some of my career lows also came in the form of hoping for a bigger and better opportunities yet every time I missed my window or the door got shut in my face. His advice is that when we have those moments, we should be steadfast in our faith and work. Truly, I have seen my faith carry me through some of life’s most challenging hells.

 He says “If you can keep your eyes looking ahead even when the difficult times come, you will accept God’s decision to put you through the purifier of Development Hell in order to mold your ambition, integrity, and perspective. Don’t abandon what makes you who you are. Don’t give up hope. God will pull you out of Development Hell soon enough, and you will move ahead into the next scene of your life. You will be ready to make a powerful and lasting impact on the world.”

As human beings, we always forget what God has done to us. I do doubt God’s wish for me sometimes when I don’t see things as I hope for them, I try to ask where God is. This book reminds me to ‘remember’ the good things God has done for me. And don’t forget what the word of the Lord says ‘ All things works for those that love the lord” and in his due time, he will make your way.

I still have a couple of copies of this book and if anyone is interested,  let me know. I would love to share with you some of the best things have learned in this book.

Enjoy the reading!

Neema

Boarding Schools

The other day, I was reading an article on newyorker.com titled Whipping Boy, a story about writer who spent forty years looking for his bully. The biggest question here is why? I remember how different it was for me, we had the cool kids, the bullies and well, the christians and each of us had our own clicks. I was okay with that I think.

Like many girls in Kenya, I spent most of my life in boarding school. If I remember correctly, my dad dropped me at Sango Academy when I was in standard four and I was so afraid and crying and questioning why my parents would do such a thing. And that's where I spent the next 4 years calling it my home. And when I joined high school, I also spent another 4 years with another group of girls. I still don't understand why my parents decided to send me to boarding school at such a young age! What can I say, that's how they were taught and they believed and still believe it is the best form of education.

I have to thank my parents because being in boarding school for over 8 years has taught me the value of being independent. Over the last couple of years, I have managed to be the woman that I am just because of the things I learnt while in boarding school. I learnt how to get along with others because it was a community and I learned how to be responsible for my actions because I was bound by an honor and discipline code. And I hated waking up at 4.00 am. 

Boarding school has helped take on challenges to live in new places over the last couple of years. It laid a solid foundation for me to be okay being on my own and thriving in a new environment. For the last 10 years, I have lived in new countries and new environments and through them, I have managed to make friends, be okay and be well.

And yes, they do say there are many benefits of taking your children to boarding school. Sports, good education, environment and better future. They also say boarding schools make children physically, mentally and spiritually fit. 

Am still in my early 30s, not married and no kids yet, so I don't have to worry about the decision of taking my kids to a boarding school. And for those who spent their earlier lives in boarding school or thinking of sending their children to boarding school, I would love to hear from you!

Cheers,

Neema

Xenophobic Killings in South Africa

I live in a country where racism is something we have to deal with on a daily basis. Daily news and media are always telling us about killings as a result of racism from Trayvon Martin to Michael Brown and then you look and see a country that came from nothing and having other africans support them to resort to something like this, you wonder what the hell is wrong with people?

Am disappointed with South Africa. What is interesting is, my friends and I are actually going to be spending 15 days in Johannesburg and Capetown later this year.  The whole world is watching and wondering why would young men in South Africa resort to killing other africans saying that they are taking away their jobs and destroying their economy? When you really think about it, economy is not made by one person. It thrives because we have all these people from different continents who come in and help us grow. 

They have looted foreign-owned shops and even gone as far as destroying and burning them. They have killed a Mozambique national when people are watching and are not taking any action against these thugs. South African leaders need to remind these young men that if they cannot be able to deal with their problems such as joblessness and being lazy, they should not take it on people who work hard. 

Apparently, South Africa has been known to have so much discrimination and violence which dates back prior to 1994 and between 2000 and 2008, over 67 poeple have died of the same thing. 

Shame on these young men! Shame on the police force who are not working on containing these killings! This is a country that has seen its own share of heartache and to see men who can be able to do something else with their own life resort to such silly and heartless things, leads me to believe the end of the world is almost here.

As we continue to see how the police and government will work on this, let's not forget to take the time to be united and pray for the people and africans who have been affected. Let us remember to be kind to one another and to care for people who are not part of who we are.

God Bless You!
Neema

Visa To Being a Naturalista

Confession time, I never did the big chop!

My natural hair journey started in 2011 when I stayed in Italy for 3 months as a study abroad student in the region Tuscany – Siena to be specific. As an African woman, I needed someone to do my hair with no luck. My precious edges were also crying out! I still don’t have them but they are growing thanks to several prayers and fasting! And its through these two misfortunes that my natural hair journey started. 

Boy was I so wrong.  You know that feeling of imperfection and not good enough and you have doubt with yourself because of your hair? Well that was me back in 2011 and 2012.  It has been a long journey and over the last 4 years, I have learned to have a love/hate relationship with my hair.

As a Kenyan, some of us, me to be exact, I don’t have the luxury of hair that looks like the girls on YouTube or some of the naturalistas out there.  I have tried to do braids out with so many epic failures  that in the morning when I wake up, I look for my fedora and get to work – that’s why you thank companies in Silicon Valley where no one cares how you show up at work.  Now, I don’t even bother anymore. My go to style is wash and go. I wash my hair every Sunday morning with my favorite product and let it air dry or if I don’t have time, I just use heat to dry it.  And I don’t have to wash it for the next one week. It holds strong and I only use essentials oils (Jamaican, Lavender, Jojoba) to maintain it.

Over the last years, my hair and I have had our own shares of problems but through it all, we have seen each other grow and learn to accept our flaws. For example,  I know I can’t do a braid out so I never try it. The only thing I can achieve with the help of my hair dresses is twists outs. I tried those on my own and it never worked. Sometimes when I travel or am on vacation, I try to do crochet braids.

I haven’t braided my hair over the last 4 years and it has been a good feeling. I have learned to accept me with my short hair and at work, people have known me as a naturalista. And it works for me.  If  you want to transition into the natural  hair journey,  here are all the things you will need to get that visa: 

1. Commit
2. Don't be afraid of shrinkage - it all happens to us
3. The infamous 'Big Chop' vs. 'Grow Out' - Pick your poison
4. Try several products until you find what works for your hair
5. Protective styles - cornrows/braids/twists and my favorite - crochet braids
6. Avoid braids and styles that interfere with your hairline 

Whatever route you choose, big chop or grow out, there are several websites/blogs/YouTube videos and products that will help you as you transition through your hair journey. You will learn about what works for your hair and what not to. Just remember everyone's hair is different and as India Arie says" I am not my hair".

I would love to hear your challenges, ideas, concerns as you transition to being a naturalista. Also check out websites like curly nikki to hear more of other women as they journey.

Cheers!

Neema

My Go To Wine - Acronym Wine

Over the holidays, I spent a couple of days in Carmel and I ended up with 4 wine mats of which my favorite had this quote “ Drinking wine is not my habit, its my hobby.”

I love wine especially red wine. I started drinking wine after living in Italy for three months as a study abroad student. And since I moved to North California where I have access to so much wine, I have learned to enjoy the various tastings in each of the wines that I buy. At the same time, I tend to always go back to some of the wines that I love. One of them being Acronym. 

Acronym wine image form their main website

I was introduced to this wine when I lived in Seattle in 2013. I could easily get it at any of the QFC’s for less than $10. This wine is a produced in Novato, California and is a blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah. It is a dark ruby red with aromas of red berry fruit combined with hints of roasted coffee, soft vanilla and milk chocolate and more on the sweeter side. This wine is excellent with good food, fun with friends on an afternoon and off course, with sausage or cheese appetizers. My favorite was to always pair it with fish.

Accolades: 

2011 Vintage :   

GOLD - BevStar by Beverage World, 2013

GOLD (Packaging) - Los Angeles International Wine Competition, 2013

GOLD (Packaging) - "Winner of Best Wine Category" - InterBev

2012 Awards - SILVER - New World International Wine Competition, 2013

Why I Love Puerto Rico - Island Vieques

In 2010, my friends and I decided to take a vacation and travel to Puerto Rico. We stayed in Old San Juan for a couple of days then decided to spend the rest of our time in Island Vieques. What can I say about this small Island  - only good things. It is known to be the home of the brightest bio-luminescent bay in the world, amazing white beaches and most importantly, quiet, tranquil, uncrowded with natural beauty all around it. We stayed at this small hotel called Bananas Guesthouse which also had a restaurant.

Isla de Vieques introduced me to my first snorkeling experience and ever since then, I am hooked. Anytime I travel to a place where I have access to snorkeling, I have to get my dose of it. The say you will always find something to do in this island, true to their word, you will. Be prepared to experience the beaches. If you want that feeling of wonder, relaxing and magical feeling of seeing the water light up, then Vieques if for you. For those like me who love the beach and nature, you will find yourself getting lost in the beauty and magic of the island like no other place in the Caribbean. Remember to also: 

• Enjoy the beaches - always
• Do some hiking to the secluded Media Luna and Navio beaches
• Mosquito Bay experience - swim among the stars at the Bio - Luminescent Bay
• Snorkel a little and scuba dive alot
• Bicyle around the island
• Fish and eat later
• Do some horseback riding
• Enjoy a chat with the friendly people
• Spend less money on vacation

 How do you get there:

You can take a round trip flight to San Juan and then from there, you can get a flight on Cape Air to Vieques starting at around $200. You can also take a public taxi from San Juan to Fajardo and then ferry to Vieques for $2 per person (Such a beautiful ride).

My friends and I decided to rent a car from San Juan to Fajardo, then we left the car there and took the ferry which took about 60-90 minutes. The ferry service runs several times a day from Fajardo to Vieques and you will just have to purchase it from the station.

Bio bay (Frank Llosa Photo)

The Adventures of An African Dutchess

For the last couple of years, I have been thinking of starting a blog and now I am finally able to. My friends and colleagues have also been urging me to start one since I travel so much, I love wine and fashion and I can use this platform to give you tips on what to do and what to see when you travel. Last night after countless glasses of wines and conversations with my good friends, I have decided to start this blog "The Adventures of An African Dutchess".

I will talk about my travels, my wine collection, my food loves, fashion and shoe addiction. I will also have 'Super Soul Sundays' where we discuss everything to do with positive thinking, throw back days for us to talk about my life in Kenya and offcourse, the power of eating right and drinking alot of green smoothies.

Since I moved to the bay area in 2014, I love everything about California and I will try to tell you all about my adventures and some of the things I love about this place. So join me in this journey and let us learn about each other.

Cheers!

Neema