LIZ VARDA

THE MAGIC OF ROBINSON ISLAND.

Would you like to visit the set of The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson? Just kidding I know the millenials and the late 90’s babies have no idea what I am talking about.

As a child The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson was one of my favorite T.V shows to watch. I even went as far as fantasizing about going on an adventure to an unknown jungle with my sister and crew of girl cousins’ haha!

Thinking back I am not sure what I loved about a story of a family stranded on an island but one thing is for sure the setting did look peaceful and intriguing promising relaxation, adventure, fun away from life’s responsibilities; such that even life and work on the island felt like adventure. Before last year I had no idea there exists a pristine and primitive island in Malindi’s backyard.

It reminds me so much of the place where The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson (no pun intended the name is just a crazy coincidence) was shot.

The almost deserted island is every nature enthusiast’s dream. There is a very low population with civilization comprising a small fishing community which makes up the village, a school and two restaurants that basically serve sea food(crabs, prawns, lobsters, fish and other sea creatures I had no idea were eaten). I mean, talk about disconnection from the rest of the world.

But that is exactly what makes this small island so magical. It’s the fact that it gives you childlike excitement of being on an adventure in a fantasy world. There is an endless expanse of clear ocean waters, a blue sky, long clean sandy beaches and lots of crabs just walking on the seashore. You even get to be canoed on a boat by a local guy who isn’t lacking in folklore.

So what's fun on the island?

Hike through a remnant of the once massive mangrove forest. Though, no longer an impenetrable forest as was before due to government deforestation efforts done during the salt mining days, the serenity and underdeveloped nature of this island provides for a wonderful hiking experience through the trails as you explore the area or take a visit to the fishing village.

Tranquil beaches- you can enjoy the soothing sound of waves crashing on the shore while taking long uninterrupted walks on coco beach.

Friendly people- The small community untouched by civilization will remind you of much simpler, friendlier times as you interact with them and watch their way of life. Access to the island is via boat so you also get to enjoy a boat ride while a friendly local guy sings folk songs.

At coco beach

Sea food treats- Being an island with a thriving sea life especially the red crabs, its main culinary delight to visitors is a range of sea food dishes served at the two local restaurants; Mama guddy and coco beach restaurant. The restaurants are made entirely out of local materials i.e. Makuti, reeds, logs and barrels for chairs, unfinished sandy beach floors to compliment the rugged undeveloped feel of the island. After your delish meal of rice and oyster, clam or whatever sea creature you fancy you can relax in the lounging area furnished for rest with pillows, hammocks, sofas and rugs.

It’s a wild, enchanting and serene tiny community we all dream of being part of.

Photo credits: @karennikiwe

Thanks for stopping by. Like this? Hit the 👍 button below to share with a friend and have fun travel escapades!!

Love muchly,
Liz😍😍

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THE BEAUTIFUL STRANGER.

Hi there friend,

So I am doing a bit of creative writing to hone my skill for novel writing. I had this idea for a story which I started working on to see where it goes. Here is a snippet read, enjoy and drop a comment.

I know, getting ahead of myself here but don’t laugh at the cover photo though😜.

Cheryl felt the beads of sweat start to form on her forehead under the scorching sun of the south Odranan coast as she waited for a taxi. She was burning up so much she almost went back into her apartment and forget about the errands she needed to run. Being a country born and raised woman she was not accustomed to that much heat.

“Phew! This heat is too much can we just go back; I don’t think it’s that urgent that we go to that party anyways. Come on Cara, we have been waiting for ages already”. Sighing she wipes sweat from her face with a handkerchief.

“Marty is my friend, I can’t let him down.” Cheryl eyes her disbelievingly. Catching on she adds rather quickly, “It’s a soiree besides didn’t you say you needed to make payments for your return ticket today?”

“I know, I don’t want to miss work but I am just not used to this kind of weather like you sis, the city is so much cooler”, she slightly smirks and replaces her sunglasses eyeing her sister who was now rummaging through her tote bag for something. Cara maybe the elder sister but people always thought Cheryl was, mostly because of her taller slender frame but also because of her strict and serious demeanor. She always did everything according to plan and hated making mistakes. Cara on the other hand despite her striking resemblance to her younger sister was a little more full-figured and spontaneous personality wise. With her laid back personality she was never in a hurry or felt the urgency in performing any task.

“Where can we take you today ladies?” a guy quizzed as he approached with his colleague on motorcycles. As Cheryl turned to them she could clearly see that they did carry pillion passengers. It was a common practice here at the south coast for young males to carry pillion passengers commuting within towns as a way of earning a living.

Cara was the one who answered “how much to corporate lane?” “It’s just fifty madam,” the guy from earlier replied. He was a tall and dark guy who by the looks of it had much experience in the business though he did not appear to be older than thirty years. Cheryl’s interest though was not on Mr. Tall and dark, but on the other guy who hadn’t said a word in this exchange. What she hadn’t counted on as she shifted her eyes to take a closer look and study him was that he would be staring at her. Her stomach fluttered at that small action but she wasn’t going to back down even more so now that she was curious as to why this guy would elicit such a teen like reaction from her. She just had to take a closer look maybe it was just the sunglasses giving her the confidence to hold a stranger’s gaze but there was no time analyze that.

The mesmerizing stranger had this boyish appearance about him with soft curly hair that was close trimmed on the sides. Contrary to his young facial looks he had a well-built body that suggested he did workout although he was shorter and much lighter skinned than his friend in comparison. It was obvious he wasn’t a typical African rather had Arab influences in his lineage. The intensity in his gaze made her nervous, he wasn’t making any reactions to the ongoing conversation just stayed silent watching her.

When it was clear to Cheryl that her stranger was not the shy type and wasn’t about to avert his gaze in shame of being caught staring, she decided to break the trance before any awkwardness sets in. Shifting attention back to Cara she told her they should take both riders. She nodded her head towards the beautiful stranger before saying “you take him I will ride with this one.” Deep down Cheryl knew why she chose as she did.

After finishing up with ticket purchases, they passed by the bank to get some cash for her stay period. No sooner had she walked out of the bank glasses in hand with her sister chatting than she could feel the stranger’s eyes on her (or was it just her imagination?) probably because right now her face wasn’t obscured by the sunglasses. They both went to get on their respective bikes when her sister quipped in their native language “You know what, this guy is a very good rider; he doesn’t go at crazy speeds like other motorists do.” Cheryl’s response was to look at said stranger and smile. She wondered if that gesture would change the serious look that was always adorning his face. Oh! No smile, nothing at all? Maybe that is just his personality. He is still staring though, maybe he likes me he is not bad himself huh! I could fall for him. What!? She mused before cutting herself short. Stop now Cheryl you are staring you don’t want him to notice you are checking him out or worse think you like him.

Putting back on her sunglasses she hurriedly climbed on the pillion. The thought that she had not remembered to wear them earlier haunted her all the way, now she had given the guy an opportunity to really see her. The ride to the party was a short one and soon they were stopping at a crossroad. “Which way should we go,” her motorcyclist inquired. “I am not sure, let’s just wait for them”. Marty’s home where the party was being held was a little hidden from the main highway.

She hailed her sister shouting as they approached “which way!”

“We are taking the left; it’s not far from here just two hundred metres down.” Cara shouted back.

“Okay, we are right behind you.” Cheryl dared a glance at the stranger as their motorbike by passed them slowing down and something she never thought would happen, did. He flashed her a smile, the toothiest she had ever seen and she stiffened for a moment. In that instance he looked like a totally different person. She realized smiling suited him best; it made his whole face light up and appear less imposing. Just like that without looking back he picked up pace and rode down the road.

Her motorbike came to a halt in front of a brown high metallic gate with flower patterns. Cara and the stranger were already waiting and thankfully he was facing away. Feeling like a coward, she handed two hundred shilling notes to her sister to give to their motorists but she just couldn’t bring herself to interact with the guy especially after the way butterflies fluttered in her stomach when he smiled at her earlier. If she had entertained the idea that the stranger was somehow attracted to her, now she was sure that he liked her and was openly showing it by flirting. She however knew of a thousand reasons why the idea of reciprocating the gesture is a bad one, like for example he appeared to be a child in comparison to her. She would easily pass for a cougar if she were to date him.

That is how she resigned herself to stand by the sideline and watch his broadened shoulders as he turned his motorbike around same smile plastered all over his face. He lifted his sparkling deep earthy brown eyes to meet hers but she simply glared back determined to douse that spark before it is kindled into raging flames that’ll be harder to put out. Her eyes followed even as his back turned against her and he rode away, she could feel disappointment rear its ugly head knowing nothing could ever become of the attraction.

As if sensing her eyes on him, he glanced over his shoulder intensity back in those brown orbs and smirked at her before disappearing behind the tree line adorning the sides of the road. The heat rose in her body that had nothing to do with the weather, she could tell because of how erratic her heartbeat suddenly became. Thankful that this was just one of those encounters by chance because she knew she was smitten and if she were to ever see him again might not do the sensible thing. Cheryl was left there flabbergasted by what had just happened to her within a span of like what, 20 minutes?

Meanwhile Cara was oblivious to what was going on with her little sister. She had just called Marty so he could let them in and was standing there excited for the party. “Hey Cheryl you are going to love it here, the house is just so amazing and Marty is the best.”

“Mmh, we are about to find out aren’t we?” she grinned back knowing her sister and her enthusiasm she probably has a crush on this Marty guy. " Why do you even call him Marty anyways? It sounds childish and..." Before she could finish the statement there was a buzz and the gates suddenly started pulling open to reveal a lavish double storey home in the greenest garden she has ever seen at the coastal region. “Shuuut the front door!” she hissed dragging on the word shut. “You little liar when you said house I didn’t know you meant MANSION!!” she poked her as she ran down the pavement leading to the house luckily no one was on this side of the home.

Just as Cara was about to knock, the front door flew open revealing a white guy shouting Cara’s name with open arms. “You made it, I am thrilled….,” white guy said releasing Cara from his embrace “and you brought your twin” he finished the statement glancing between them in mirth before his face fell. Facing Cara he uttered disenchanted, “no, no I will never forgive you for this”

“What did I do now?”

“How long have we known each other for and you’ve never told me you had a twin sister!? Some friend you are.”

Cheryl who had been following the exchange closely now had concern written all over her face she didn’t know if she was supposed to say something or give them space. Her sister glanced over, picking on her reaction she playfully hit him on the shoulder chuckling, “stop messing around you fool, you almost made my sister run out of this place.” At which he babbled over in laughter. Interesting guy. Following up with introductions she gestured carefully, “Cheryl, this is Marty, Marty meet my little sister Cheryl.” More composed this time he shook her hand beaming with a simple “pleasure is all mine, please come on in, the party is out back.” Cheryl mouthed a thank you and noted as she was being ushered through the living room toward a hallway that he acted with a certain elegance she wasn’t accustomed to. It figures. He must have been brought up that way, growing up in this much money he must have met distinguished people whom he had to observe a certain level of politeness with.

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GODLY RELATIONSHIPS: PART TWO-FAMILY.

Family is the first place we find a sense of belonging and learn how to relate. If we cannot have healthy relationships at the foundation level how can we ever hope to relate well at any other level? It is futile/unrealistic to think we can.

Since families are the building blocks of society, the state of a nation tells a lot about the state of families in that nation. At the moment Kenya is going through a time of struggle, despair and epidemic. I do not want to be a prophet of doom neither do I consider myself a prophet but sin has consequences. This is a principle of God’s law just like in our human setting, mistakes have punishment; it is the principle of human law. For now we only look at the greater picture and blame it on one individual person or another. Our nation is in shambles because of the decisions we all make every day to reject good and embrace evil.

This scenario looks eerily similar to that of the nations of Israel and Judah right before they went into captivity in Assyria and Babylon respectively. See Jeremiah 5:20-31, 7;9,-11, Isaiah 2:6-9, 2 Kings 21:1-16. These people had forgotten all about God and who He was in their lives and they had followed their own ways and adopted the thinking of the nations around them. They were practicing idol worship, sorcery and divination, consulting the dead/ spirits, they encouraged injustices, spilling of innocent blood, desecrated the temple by bringing in new gods, ideas and practices their Lord God had not ordained- a mockery to the God of heaven.

Just like the nation of Israel this is a call to repentance starting from individual then family level. You know why? Because Kenya is a nation that acknowledges God almighty and it built its foundation on Christian values. Take for instance the words of our national anthem. When God chooses a people it is usually for a reason. He chose Kenya to know Him; there are other nations that haven’t known the Lord neither do they believe in Him. But we have forgotten this and embraced values of foreign nations.

The message is clear “return to God, rend your hearts.”

Hosea 6:1-3

1 Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces
    but he will heal us;
he has injured us
    but he will bind up our wounds.
²After two days he will revive us;
    on the third day he will restore us,
    that we may live in his presence.
³Let us acknowledge the Lord;
    let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
    he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
    like the spring rains that water the earth.” NIV.

Whenever I pray for our nation I always like to recall these words of Hosea because I believe this is what God is telling us in this season.

The dissociation in the family unit is hurting our society and eventually the nation. The people we raise in the families are the same people that are released into societies. Let me say that the enemy is not your brother/ sister/ uncle or even wife but the devil. When you take a 'panga' and murder someone it doesn’t eliminate your enemy it invites and gives him greater control over you. When you get angry and hate your family it does not create distance from your enemy. No matter what you think they have done they are not the source of your problem. Your reaction to a wrong or perceived wrong done to you tells a lot about the condition of your soul.

How do we build Godly relations at the family level?

The answer is always to go back to God’s original idea of a family. As the creator of everything, He designed and therefore knows how all things ought to best function. Deviating from this original plan is what causes problems. All the wisdom of man amounts to nothing but God’s is the ultimate.

God is very clear about how members should relate within a family unit. Ephesians 5:1-6:4

a) Husband to wife –love her the way Jesus loves His church. What this means is that a man should love his wife with a sacrificial kind of love. A love that is pure and not depended on the goodness of the person. In this illustration of Jesus and the church, Christ loved these people to the point of dying for them and it is the realization of this selfless love that draws believers to Christ. Just like the church the wife will be drawn and dedicated to the husband when he loves her selflessly. A good leader sacrifices so that the others may increase. This is what Jesus taught His disciples. The husband is called to sacrifice and love not the wife because he is the leader.

b) Wife to husband- submit to her husband as the head. What it means isn’t inequality or that a woman should be inferior but that there is an operational structure to create order. As God the father is the head of Jesus Christ, so is the man the head of the wife.
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. The illustration does not imply Jesus was in any way less God than the Father [John 1:18 "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father's side, has made Him known"] because God is one existing in three persons; Father, son and Holy spirit who are all equally God in divine nature this is what makes God just one and not three. The same way man and wife ought to be one.

Yet Jesus being God we see Him while on earth in order to fulfill the plan that was from the beginning, He submits to the Father; John 5:30 "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."

John 5:19 So Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does."

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. God the father sent Jesus Christ and the same way Jesus sent the Holy spirit after ascending to heaven.

John 16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

They work in unity and harmony. This is how the wife ought to submit to the husband, not to try to prove herself equal but to work together within the structure to fulfill the Godly purpose for their union.

c) The children- to honor and be obedient to both parents.

d) The parents to children- to care for, provide for, not embitter and raise them in the ways of God.

e) Entire household- Each to value others above self.

This is God's structure for family. Most problems could be lessened if we followed these instructions instead of selfish ambition or vain conceit Philippians 2:3-4.

God has not only taught but also modeled to us how we are to relate with our family when He Himself came and lived in an earthly family in Jesus Christ. The story of Jesus in Luke 4:29-30, Mark 3:21 sheds some light on His earthly family relationship.

His own brothers; His family did not believe that He was the promised messiah. Even when His hometown was trying to kill Him we see none of them come to His support (not that He needed).Do you know how hard it is when the closest people to you do not believe or support you? It feels lonely. Yet Jesus was not embittered by this or hate them he just carried on with His mission, loving and praying for them.

He did not try to control their behavior nor let theirs control His. Later on after He is crucified and resurrects the bible tells us that His brothers believed and even James one of them goes on to become the leader of the church at Jerusalem while Jude writes one of the books in the bible. They had finally understood and experienced love. It is this unconditional love what wins people over.

Lastly but certainly not least, know that sin breaks relationships for instance:

The very first people that introduced the family unit, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and then started the blame game. The children they gave birth to fell into the same trap and as jealousy took over a murder occurred.
Abraham had sexual relations with his maid and this led to conflicts and eventually one woman had to be banished to uphold peace.
Favoritism and rivalry among the sons of Jacob led to Joseph being sold to Egypt because he favoured the children of one wife over those of the other.
What of David’s family? his children from many wives fought one another out of selfish ambition, raped, murdered and even still rebelled and tried to overthrow their father’s kingship.

God’s kingdom is referred to as a family that operates on love. This is an example to follow. Family is a place of unconditional love. A family built on this principle will always weather any storm that comes and remain standing, united more than ever at the end of the day.

As we move into the Christmas season how I pray that we embrace love and unity in our families. As we gather together let’s draw from and meditate on the unconditional love of God.

Thanks for reading. Like or share with a friend by hitting 👍button below.

Love muchly,

Liz😍😍

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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Photo credits: Jennifer Marquez

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

This is a very famous line from the popular Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet. It cleverly sums up the conflict driving the entire story. In the early societies families played an important role in defining who people were. The family name identified who you were in society. As such families kept their lines of descent very distinct. Every society was (and still is) divided into three distinct classes socially; the upper class (affluent), the middle, the lower (working) based on many social factors such as wealth, influence, power, political status, titles and esteem.

And every family fell into one of these classes as per their social status. Majority of the upper class consisted of aristocrats, ruling families, titled people and religious hierarchs. These people were usually born into their status and no amount of wealth or fame would make a person from an ordinary background to be a part of the upper class. This was because children born into upper class were raised in a particular manner to understand the values, traditions, and cultural norms of 'polite society' as they were sometimes referred to. Social class status was therefore derived from the social position of one's family and not from one's own achievements or wealth.

In our Romeo and Juliet story, the two lovebirds lived in such a society and names mattered. Their love suffered so much persecution because of what their names represented; rival families. In defense to her love, Juliet utters the famous line to argue that names don’t really define who people are. And if Romeo had a different surname he would still be the same man she falls in love with. What do you think? Do names truly influence who we become? Well, tell me at the end of this article.

I have never really considered myself a person from a family of influence but talking to a friend recently made me wonder what my family represents.While reminiscing on our childhood I told him I was a sad child, the friend wondered how that could be so when I came from an affluent and well known family unlike him and some other kids we went to school with that came from families with little social standing. From his perspective i was a privileged kid because of my family name.That surprised me because I never saw myself in that light but it also got me thinking.

HERE'S A LITTLE BACKSTORY.

I hail from a small village in the Kenyan countryside. This village is part of the 'one million acre settlement scheme' which comprised parcels of land recovered from the white highlands (agriculturally rich lands where the British had settled during the colonial times)These lands had become white territory so after independence when they left, the government bought them back and sold to Kenyans who could afford so they can engage in farming activities. In our village there are several families that purchased the land and it was subdivided into plots among them. My grandfather was one such person. This portion of the settlement scheme ended up comprising huge farms belonging to these families and in a way they became like founding fathers or 'the Originals'. They developed part and sold part of their lands over the years to small groups of people that had started migrating into the village.

But before then, as I was growing up my village was made up of just a few families and people just identified you by the family you come from. The neighbours were a long ways off because of large farms each family owned so kids just stayed in their homes. No playing in the neighbours’. The farms were named after the owners and at the property entrance there was a sign with the farm name and the plot number. The families became popular by this virtue and had influence on the affairs of the village as the society grew. These original families became the respectable or high society of the village.

HOW?

By becoming a different group of people in the now growing society. They had different mannerisms and lifestyles than the groups moving in therefore by default became the polite society of the village. As a child I didn’t understand that. I just knew I came from a strict family that wouldn’t let me have fun. There were so many rules on how to and how not to act, speak and dress. My family was always very strict on these matters you had to be prim and proper at all times. For instance: if you are seated you had to stand to greet an older person, the younger greeted the older and not vice versa, you were to greet an older person with a curtsy, table manners were a serious issue among other rules of politeness we had to adhere to.

They were strict about cultivating these manners and appalled by aggressive behavior. As a result mingling with other people wasn’t a common occurrence unless in public events and even then people seemed to walk on eggshells around us. At school the children from the original families were known by default. They were different (with exceptions of course) because they were encouraged to act a certain way and study hard. As I grew I started noticing some people just did things I had been taught not to do especially in public. Small things like sneezing or coughing without covering the mouth. It always surprised me.

WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALL THIS?

Polite society in every part of the world and culture is governed by rules of social settings. People belonging in these circles strive to teach their kids the proper way to behave so as to maintain the prestige of their families. They always appear snobbish and maybe it could be somewhat true but what I learnt from my family is the value of etiquette and grace. These are timeless values which dignify a person that no amount of wealth can ever give to someone.

A woman at a restaurant photo by Diego Calabrese

In an attempt to move away from the demeaning and discriminatory aspects that the social classes especially the upper classes pose to the society we have thrown out some very important values that would foster a humane society. The rules of etiquette and manners in polite society were important because they enabled the people to be kind and polite, acting courteously and with dignity not with instinct like animals. Without proper manners, the customs of polite society would soon disappear. Aggressiveness and an attitude of ‘every man for himself’ would be the norm.

We need to bring back and incorporate in our families these courtesies of life that are in danger of disappearing such as;

Using the words please and thank you when requesting for something.
Table manners like chewing with your mouth closed, not talking while eating, not using the phone at dinner table, waiting for everyone to be served before starting to eat, keeping elbows off the table,
Covering your mouth/ nose when sneezing or coughing.
The culture of “ladies first”.
Shaking hands in greetings.
Not using swear or vulgar words in public, no actually just never using vulgar and swear words.
Holding the door open for someone who is behind you.
Taking your place in a queue without pushing in and just queuing in a single file.
Making eye contact when greeting someone.
Greeting an older person with a curtsy.
Knocking on a door before entering.
Giving your seat to an older person in public transport or one who may need it more than you.
Saying sorry when you make a mistake even minor ones.
Saying excuse to get someone’s attention or leave a gathering.
When visiting a house or office, waiting to be invited to sit before you do so.

These are NOT OLD FASHIONED IDEOLOGIES THEY ARE GOOD VALUES for a respectable society. Back then being forced to behave a certain way felt like a punishment but now I realize that these manners help to create a dignified member of the society. We need more dignified people in our societies today.

It would be nice for our modern societies to uphold etiquette. Parents should teach their children manners and etiquette from an early age regardless if they belong to middle, upper or lower class as thought by society. Etiquette shouldn’t be something only determined by family name.

What do you think? Are there etiquette rules you were taught when you were a child? Share with us in the comments.

Hit the👍button below to like and share.

Love muchly,

Liz.😍😍

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LIZ VARDA

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How do we build Godly relations at the family level?

The answer is always to go back to God’s original idea of a family. As the creator of everything, He designed and therefore knows how all things ought to best function. Deviating from this original plan is what causes problems. All the wisdom of man amounts to nothing but God’s is the ultimate.

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LIZ VARDA

Pages

How do we build Godly relations at the family level?

The answer is always to go back to God’s original idea of a family. As the creator of everything, He designed and therefore knows how all things ought to best function. Deviating from this original plan is what causes problems. All the wisdom of man amounts to nothing but God’s is the ultimate.

About me

Follow Us

Labels

recent posts

Social

Blog Archive

Report Abuse

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Contact us

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