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Welcome, new auntie.

(Cartoon Stock Website) At a family gathering, Collins is serving his meal when Asha comes to the line. “Why halo there auntie. Welcome to the family.” “I am not your auntie.” “What do you mean?” “I may be married to your uncle, but that does not mean I am your auntie.” “You have lost me. My uncle and I are related by blood. By default you are my auntie, including his 5 other wives.” “Listen, I cannot be your aunt. Calling me your aunt when we are almost age mates does not make sense. Isn’t it a bit weird, even for you to call me your aunt?” “OK. It does. However, I don’t understand your logic. You know what, it doesn’t matter. Today is a family day. Welcome to the family.” “I have not joined your family either.” “Eh…what? Why is that? You guys are married?” “It is what my co-wives keep telling me. They isolate and insult me. They think I am here to steal your uncle away.” “Well, look at it this way, he is three times your age and has

Another man's burden?

(16 Quotes Website) It is going to be a challenge. This is not what he bargained for. It would be too awkward. What should he do? If he left, the boy would feel like it was his fault. He didn’t want that on his conscience. He had to do something. He didn’t see himself in their future. Michael and Ivy started dating in their later years at the university. It was a beautiful relationship, and everyone thought they were meant for each other, even their parents. Michael felt like he had found his soulmate in Ivy. He was completely blinded by love, and would have done anything for her. After graduating they decided to let each other settle for 3 years before getting married. It would seem everything was OK. However, things took a turn for the worse when Michael was presenting the dowry to Ivy’s parents. Upon arrival, the door was opened by a 5 year old boy. Michael introduced himself together with his posse, and asked the boy to call his family. The negotiations started off w

English, a global language

(Lehigh University Website) Introduction English is the most common language of the world. It can be found in over 90 percent of the continent and this has led to globalization. St-Hilaire (2011) suggested that globalization not only affects individual language choice, it also affects language planning deliberations. Countries are having to change their systems to use English as a language of choice to keep up with globalization. You will find Italian to English, Spanish to English or Japanese to English dictionaries. This paper is written to try and find out how English has been a contributing factor to globalization. History of English The English language was first used when three German tribes invaded Britain in 5th Century A.D (englishclub.com). They spoke a cluster of dialects within the German branch of the Indo-European family and they developed it to Old English or Anglo-Saxon, and they covered most of Modern England (Kemmer 2005). At the time of the invasion,

It takes this long to become an expert

(Accularated Website) This is probably a cliché, and you may be bored out of your eyes to read another story about hard work. We have had it many times that hard work pays. However, today I am going to be looking at how long or how much hours of hard work you need to do to be successful. The Beatles. One of the most successful rock bands of their time. The 1960s saw them blossom into a worldwide phenomenon that everybody knows and I love. I can’t remember when I last heard their songs, but I know they revolutionized British rock. Did you know that two years before the time they made their breakthrough nobody heard of them in their home country? How did they do it? If you read many of their biographies and autobiographies, you will find that they started off by playing shows in Hamburg. They played a total of 270 nights, 8 hours a day. That is more than 2160 hours in over one and a half years. This is excluding band practice time. In total they could have done more than 1

Survival in the Concrete Jungle

(The Wandering Shepherd Website) (The following story is based on real events) It was a Saturday night and I had just met up with my friends over a cup of coffee to discuss “Guy Issues” (Yes, men do talk about “Guy Issues”. It’s a thing). Luckily, my mom had let me borrow her car, so I could stay late. The coffee shop closed up, we parted ways and I was on my way home. While I was still in the middle of town, I took a wrong turn. Apparently, one is not allowed to turn on that street, but seeing how late it was, you would not think there was any harm. Of course, as you may have already guessed, there was a police officer waiting. He had set a sweet trap like the Venus fly trap, and it was time to cash in the prize. For those who know me intimately, you know I am an actor. This night I was going to put my best performance. I regretted not having a camera that would have been the best film I have ever starred in. He stops me. I stop. He approaches my car, and asks me

The Return of the Beast; Part 3

At the prison cells the fighting continues, until one police officer guarding them, made a threat. The next day they were in court to answer to charges of assault and disturbing the peace. The son got his chance at the podium to defend himself. “Your  honour , I am tired. I am tired of this man. He just came home from prison and instead of reconciling with us, he has just been causing havoc and giving us stress. Every weekend he is drinking, bringing over relatives, or going to relatives’ houses or forcing us to do whatever he wants. We have been doing as he has been saying in the hopes that maybe he will change, but he has gotten worse and worse. My siblings are developing depression thanks to him. They are being forced to do what they are not comfortable with. It has been ten years, we have developed friendships, we have school, we have a social life, and we are planning our futures, so we fail to understand the reason why someone would try to take that from us.” “He i

The Return of the Beast; Part 2

Life continued, never skipping a moment. The man was left to himself while everybody else did what they would normally do. Until one day things turned. “I want us to go to our ‘home’.” “Well you can go on your own.” “You have to come with me.” “Why should I?” “You are my first son and it is your duty to know and own our home.” “Actually it is not. If memory serves me right, I can move from my father’s homestead and build my own.” “As long as you are living under my roof you have to do what I say.” “Really? What gives you the right to come back here after ten years and tell me what to do? I am no longer the child you used to bully.” “Both of you stop it.” “Mom, please keep out of this. Ever since this beast came here, he has continued drinking, exactly what landed him in prison. He has just been frustrating us with these trips home and visiting his relatives, as if we have nothing better to do.” “Excuse me, what did you just call me?”

The Return of the Beast

(Disclaimer: This is a fictional story that highlights the fact that we need to support people who are trying to reform themselves, especially if they are family.) They all thought it was safe. To do whatever they wanted. To live happy. However they never knew what awaited them. This family of six had one of their members leave. He was arrested for a domestic violence charge and sentenced to 10 years in jail. He used to terrorize them and make their lives a living hell. When he was whisked away they were relieved. They never visited him. They wanted to forget him, but he was coming back. It was his home after all and they could do nothing to chase him away. The eldest son had completed his studies and had decided to start on his masters. The second born was starting campus life, while the last two were beginning high school. The wife had grown as a business woman and was able to support the family. The last ten years had gone by so fast, now… Nobody actually care