Half of a Yellow Sun {Page-Turner}

Where did the idea of reading this book come from? I cannot remember. No matter how hard I try, the memory is gone, erased, vanished. Has it been stolen from me after I finished devouring its pages, during the reading adventure or even before I started reading, blinded by that half of a sun, that brightly mysterious title? 

This is one of the best books I have read this year. 

The novel Half of a Yellow Sun by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been a glorious discovery, a difficult read, an epiphany. It epitomizes all that a book should be: a reliable guide into unknown worlds, a leading thread into tormented history and a larger than life insight into troubled human stories, feelings and minds. All’s well that starts well, as it were, but I could still feel the frailty of untold stories and foresee the cracks in the blissful life of the five main characters. Their dissents, the roughness of the land, social differences were all foreboding hints leading to disintegration. 

Several characters tell the story, starting with thirteen-year-old Ugwu: the young boy joins professor’s Odenigbo as a houseboy and will follow him throughout the pre-Biafran war events, during the war and during the ensuing uncertain period. He’s a symbol of hope, loyalty and trust throughout bouts of violence. 

Odenigbo is the intellectual mind behind the meetings that take place at his house where political, pro-revolutionary and cultural discussions are heated. His political zeal however will bear no fruits; he embodies the lack of action behind political ideals. He will be joined by Olanna who will be his companion and become the mother of his daughter, Baby, from an adulterous relationship. Olanna is a positive soul who will fall only to stand up again and continue with steadfast resolution and conviction. The motherly figure is reassuring in the midst of unsettling events.

Olanna’s twin sister, Kainene, is as different from her as day and night. She’s independent, fierce, cynical. She sees reality in all its cruelty, while never failing to face and challenge it, until the end of the Biafran secession war, when she crosses the enemy lines, never to return. A shining female figure of proaction, she stands tall in the middle of the horror. Kainene’s uncertain destiny leaves us depleted and haunted by the historical and family events that have unfolded before our very eyes. I still wonder whether her disappearance at the end of the book means she’s fallen under the bullets of the Nigerian army or whether she has chosen a different life for herself…

Richard is a British white expatriate thrown in the deadly depths of Nigerian history and Igbo-led Biafran war for independence. He remains an outsider and a keen observer of the war. His ties to Kainene are sealed by love and admiration for her strength and independent spirit. He is involved to the point of proclaiming his pro-Biafra support.

The Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) is the sixth character: Biafra is the Eastern part of Nigeria that has taken its independence into its own hands and hoisted its flag bearing half of a yellow sun. As Nigerian forces build up and raid the country to regain independent Biafra, fury unleashes. Refugees - among which our main characters - loose everything, flee every city and corner of the starving country, hatred is the motto, lives are brutally taken, families shattered. The main characters are faced with cruel choices testing their every nerve, value, feeling and belief. Each and every one of them will be transformed by evil emanating from human beings. Not even young Ugwu will be spared, a child thrown ruthlessly into the darkest side of adulthood. On the battlefield, two factions fight: the pro-Biafra Igbo and Hausa people. The only result will be disintegration where once some kind of common life flourished.

The characters accompany me day and night. The book is a presence you won’t be able to ignore once you’ve accepted to surrender to its vital energy. This is what it is about: survival in a forgotten war and world. Up to you to transport it into your present life and the current historical events. The transposition will, unfortunately, be an easy one.

As I write these words, I’m thinking that what seems like the uncertain ending - the unfinished story - of Kainene and the book itself is deeply linked to the never ending story of love and war on Earth. History, we know, tends to repeat itself. 

We’d better not forget that the loop is never looped…

         

Credits: Canva (edited by TheDaydreamer)

Hossegor Spirit {Look Around}

The Quicksilver Pro France taking place in the South West of France was just an excuse to meet up with old friends in a new place for us all: we all moved out of the Paris area to the Gironde department within the last month or so. It was a coincidence and a very happy one too. Amid all things new, good friends deciding to move in the same area as us is a blessing, a sign from above, the promise of strong feelings, invigorating encounters and never ending exchanges in a new environment. The best of both worlds? 

Soorts-Hossegor - commonly referred to as Hossegor - in the Landes area, just north of Biarritz, turned out to be our meeting point. The small commune is located between sandy beaches, clean waves, clear skies, green carpets of ferns and towering pine trees where once lay the marshlands. Nature at its best was sending positively vibrant vibes to every pore of our bodies. The energy was palpable as the surf competition drew aficionados from all over the world; we heard Spanish, Swedish, Italian, English and Dutch during our stroll in the lively streets and our leisurely beach retreat with the kids. Laid back surf vibes seemed to permeate the behaviour of drivers and pedestrians alike: although the contest clearly drew zillions of people, there was no tension in the air, no fights for parking spots, no stress around the packed restaurant tables despite the erratic service of waiters. 

Between the brute force of the ocean and the quiet surrounding the salt-water lake ideal for SUP lovers, there is a spot for everyone. Locals may complain that during the competition too many people take over the world-renown spot, with ensuing noise, and some reckless behaviors, but it is clear that businesses thrive and that competitions as such are the driving energy behind the scenes. Local nature calls for sheer sports, efforts and awe. What makes Hossegor so appealing and unique is the fact that human settlements and nature are intertwined in what appears to be beneficial cooperation: the harmonious architecture of the houses is complimented by pine and cork trees, the forest is clearly well tended, the dunes are well preserved and every local is proud of the beauty of this exceptional place. 

During our wander, we stopped at a lovely bar I’d like to share a few details about since it fits so perfectly into the Hossegor spirit - and despite the fact that it is now closed until the next spring/summer season: the Mango Tree is a juice and smoothie bar infused with a nomadic spirit also serving deliciously healthy dishes from morning til evening. This is one of the very few places in France where I have found açai based drinks… Two lovely sisters are busy behind the counter and serve vegetarian bowls and cold chai tea lattes among other delicious home-made dishes and beverages. They grow their own herbs and bake their own bread. A dream come true, on a peaceful spot: you can sit down by the pier or on the beach, literally, while admiring the SUP riders passing by and the exoticism of the surroundings under the benevolent eye of the Hossegor spirit.

Now, if you would excuse, me, I am going to take the plunge and daydream about the glorious day spent in Hossegor… You are welcome to join me, dear friends…

Credits: TheDaydreamer

Easy Move {Discover}

Moving is an adventure, a road and mind trip, a rediscovery of one’s environment and own life, a launch into the unknown - for the better, one hopes. It is a complex, layered process that can be stressful, tiresome, exhilarating, motivating and rejuvenating.

Yes, all of this and much more too!

That’s in the ideal world, where good and evil may seem to be quite balanced - a pinch of the latter, a touch of the former.

In practice, it can be quite an ordeal people from different horizons start warning you about the moment you mention the moving project: watch your mental health, be careful with your back when moving furniture around, plan ahead, your kids need to adapt, do not stress, watch your belongings, etc.

Since we just went through a short distance move, I thought it may be useful to share the experience and thoughts with you; ideally, this post is to make your life easier, avoiding the pitfalls we fell into (what else?); truth be told, it may also be a way for me to make our settling down official… A little bit of both, most probably.

1 - Plan ahead

This is what we did not do for several cumbersome reasons I am not going to detail here; we had to find movers at the last minute. How to find them? If you can move via your company, that’s of course the easiest option. If not, I would start by asking friends and family for feedback about their moving experience. Try asking Twitter as well: I find long-term contacts on Twitter are a good source of valuable information. If you belong to a Facebook group, a sports club, a women’s network, think about turning to them for advice and feedback. If, like us, you end up picking a moving company from the Internet at the last minute, do check that they are duly registered and that the testimonials of previous customers are positive. 

2 - Packing

As soon as we had found the right moving company, we asked them to drop a lot of cardboard boxes at our place to start packing while the girls were away. Check with the company and read the contract very carefully to make sure you are packing the right things and are not wasting time packing the items they will have to pack in the end. Double work for you and that’s not the point at all. Clothes very often travel in special boxes, so you may leave those to them, for example. Simple tip: buy a black felt marker (large tip) for each adult involved in the packing process to write what the box contains and where it should go once at the final destination; I would advise doing this even though today boxes come with a printed checklist of rooms. Writing on all sides and especially on the top of the cardboard box makes its contents visible from all angles. To work faster, instead of spelling out the name of each room, we number coded them. This means that once arrived, our boxes were placed in the right room by the movers and the lost sheep eventually found their way to the right spot.

3 - Sort out

Moving can be a healing process: that’s when you can literally leave behind what you do not wish to drag along your life anymore, turn the page, open up new possibilities, rethink your processes and approach to life. This applies also to everyday items: sort out your books, clothes, notebooks, pen collection, shells and whatnot. Think about all the toys, CDs, clothes unused over the past  year - that’s my limit - and find out how to get rid of them in a constructive way. I gave the girls’ clothes and toys to Emmaüs and the local association helping single women and their children. Check if there’s an orphanage next to where you live, an immigrants’ center and other similar structures in need of help. Basically, this is a good opportunity to shed your old skin and jump on the living-with-less train.

4 - Letter templates

List all the administrative companies you need to contact to announce your move: tax center, banks, post office, insurance etc. I have made a single template where only a few lines need to be adapted each time. In one go to the post office I have sent all of them AND asked for the post to be forwarded to my new address. Be careful though: it took longer than announced for the post office to activate the forwarding service, so some letters got sent back to the sender in my case or simply lost…  This can only mean trouble. Life would be boring otherwise. I have another template I use to terminate all ongoing contracts such as electricity, gas, landline etc.

5 - Kids: you are not alone

A special word about small children: we started speaking about moving months before it actually happened and even though we were not sure about moving at all. We did this using books, reading bedtime stories as usual. I found it is the best way to bring on new topics gradually and in a playful way. The plot of the story - with lovely Tchoupi - shifted as our project became clearer. I also had the chance of having the support of friends who gave my daughters books about moving, making new friends and attending a new school. When we received the empty boxes, I put a couple of them aside for the kids to play with - they make great hideouts - and then fill with toys. They did it themselves, throwing in toys as we were preparing to leave. They accepted the process as a game involving the entire family; the clan was to move undivided. The underlying message is: nobody is left behind, everyone participates in the process and enjoys it too. Once at destination, the kids have opened their own boxes: the happiness on their faces seing that their precious dolls and horses had arrived sent ripples of joy through our minds. FaceTime and the likes are helfpul tools to keep in touch with friends: I though my eldest would soon move on to her new friends, but the two years she spent in her previous school have been meaningful - thankfully! We regularly plan video sessions with her little friends and she is happy about it (no crying afterwards, yay!).

6 - Networking

Going downstream in the process, I have found it extremely useful to try and think about the contacts in the city of our final destination. Having a human contact and an insider is a wonderful way to gain insight into the real life in our new geographical area, its culture, language and habits. I have the chance of belonging to a wonderful group of women spread around the world via the Hub Dot network. The first reaction for me is therefore to leverage the online feedback of fellow women who’ve moved before me in the same spot. I strongly encourage you to do the same: online communities flourish and exchanging experiences and information has never been so easy.

These are the few ideas I can think of after having spent a month in our new house and turning it slowly back into a home where every single family member has found sufficient space to breathe. No matter how many tips I may add to the list above, it is the human factor that comes first: home is wherever family is. The contrary would never even cross my mind. So, who cares if there are still a few boxes strewn here and there…? Who cares if the process has been rocky...? We're here after having learned from our mistakes and successes. We're here, yes!

Credits: Death to the Stock Photo (edited by TheDaydreamer)

Summer Pages: Review {Page-Turner}

At the beginning of summer, I shared with you my list of Summer Pages. Those were the books I had selected, the Elect if you like, to accompany me through my favorite season of the year. What an honor, right?

Below you will find who has made it in the end - life is unpredictable after all - and what my thoughts are on those that reached the finish line.

1 - Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert 

The magic is not there for me. So I came up with two interpretations: either the book is indeed lacking sharpness and new information, or I am definitely not cut out for this kind of read despite all my efforts to vary the type of books I choose. Admittedly, it is always difficult to write a new book after a sensational success - Gilbert is definitely aware of this as she writes about it in her book - but while “Eat, Pray, Love” remains engraved in my head, no memories subsist of "Big Magic". Maybe because it is less personal in a way? Maybe because there is no real “plot” or narrative. Which brings me to question my ability to read and enjoy books other than novels. What did you think about this book, I am curious? 

2 - L'homme qui parlait la langue des serpents by Andrus Kivirähk  

This is where I let the awful truth out: I have not read it. I have a very good excuse though since this book is the only one of the list I bought in paperback. It turned out to be a very thick book, quite heavy to carry, not handy at all when taking the plane with two kids - right I'm blaming it on two vulnerable beings unaware of the existence of this very blog. I substituted it with two (Kindle) books in French:

Les gens heureux lisent et boivent du café by Agnès Martin-Lugand

Le charme des après-midis sans fin by Dany Laferrière

I will post a review for the two outsiders. No spoiler here.

3 - The Lake House by Kate Morton

This is not my first go at a Kate Morton’s novel and she remains true to her style, her settings, her flavour of romance and intricate storytelling. What have I preferred in the book? Her description of what a family house is - a home really - and how a house can embrace different generations and be a testimonial of their lives, their choices and the consequences of their actions. Her descriptions of the Cornwall-based lakeside Edevane house and its garden oscillate between reality and fairy tales, introducing a romantic layer of moody mystery. Two parallel stories unwind as we progress: one set in the past and one in the present led by detective Sadie Sparrow. During one of her stays in Cornwall Sadie finds out about the Edevane estate and gets raptured in the unsolved disappearance of one of the family members who used to live there - a baby boy, no less. From then on, past and present are tied together and it becomes impossible to put the book down. You are warned.

My only doubt about the book - and a major one too - lies in its ending: the mystery is solved all too easily and the happy ending falls flat, lacking the twist the reader is expecting throughout the book, while the family tragedy builds up. A perfect book if you like suspense, lush nature, family drama and a romantic touch.

4 - Les Oiseaux de Christophe Colomb by Adrien Goetz

This has been the lightest book of my summer selection, both in volume and content.  Yet a true delight with a surprising ending that makes it all worth reading. The main character, a young girl, takes us to the Quai Branly Jacques Chirac museum in Paris. She needs to prepare a paper for her school on Christopher Columbus. While she discovers how the museum operates behind the scenes, she also gets to know its inhabitants and a bit of herself. She’s smart, sharp and notices details, which makes her the perfect guide and investigator. What seems to be an innocuous trip to the museum turns out to be a fantastic fable where birds encourage us to look at history under an interestingly new and entertaining angle. Go go go, read it!

5 - La Femme fardée by Françoise Sagan

This has been by far the most complex of the books I read this summer, much longer and more articulate than Bonjour Tristesse which remains my favorite so far from the same author. The story reminded me of Agatha Christie’s mystery novels and subsequent movies: a group of rich bourgeois is gathered on the Narcissus, a ship bound for a cruise. The characters are trapped during the entire trip as it were, stuck with one another. As their lives intertwine, collide or merge, their emotions and behaviors show the shallowness of their personalities. They all seem to be acting in a play, the play of their farfetched identities. The symbol of their fake existence is  the mysterious Clarisse, a sensitive woman who hides for her husband’s sake behind a thick layer of horrid makeup that makes us wonder instantly: who is she really? As her affair develops with Julien, she let’s go of her mask and so do many of the other characters. Some are nicer than others once faced with their real nature… Some succeed in showing a touch of human empathy and understanding, others are born actors who will never adapt and grow out of their role. A must-read since Sagan is a master at drawing with sharp cynicism society and its puppets, their interactions and developments. 

Credits: Pinkpot (edited by TheDaydreamer)

The Great Animal Orchestra: Open up & Listen

For our first time around Paris together, my mother, my eldest daughter and I, we decided to choose something fun and enriching, something new to the three of us that would take us into unknown territories, together.

We chose to spend a full afternoon - luxury! - at the Fondation Cartier Pour l’Art Contemporain. I had never been there before, had only heard a lot about it and my mother was thrilled to take us there and be our wise guide. 

The ongoing exhibition is The Great Animal Orchestra. Animals being one of our favorite topics for games, books, conversations and so on, it seemed like the perfect choice, capable of captivating even the youngest of us. It was a bit challenging for my mother to pick this type of exhibition knowing how she is not the animal type of person; the bottom line was to please my daughter, obviously, but also to find common ground for further discoveries, culturally and personally speaking. It was also quite interesting to see how the guide role switched from my mother to my daughter, the animal "specialist". 

Here we are, on the ground floor staged like an orchestra and hosting visual exhibitions of animals in their habitat. From the huge elliptical drawing  “White Tone” made with gunpowder (how ironic) by artist Cai Guo-Qiang to the photos of animals snapping their own pictures flying or walking in front of the flash of Manabu Miyazaki’s camera, every image comes as a refreshingly wild surprise. What would our faces look like on pictures taken just as suddenly as we discover the work of all these artists, I cannot help but wonder…

The colors, the sounds and the images - whether animated or not - pull us into a fearsome yet familiar kingdom where flora and fauna unite and let us in, exceptionally. Fear, surprise and laughter show on our faces. “Is the bear really going to eat the photographer’s camera? Look at that bird’s flight!” Each and every visual input triggers a reaction in each of us. Sometimes similar, sometimes utterly different. That’s what I call richness.

As we plunge downstairs, the mysteries of plancton and the muted sounds from underwater life hug us as if we were going back to the primal womb. Dark rooms are fitted with luminous screens on the floor where shapes of  plancton life move in an infinitesimal world. Alien seems to be all around us, in the air and in deep waters. So why do we actually fear the alien?

Hopping half-hypnotised already from one room to the other, we reach the sound room. Plunged into darkness again, our hearing and eyesight are sharp and fully alive. On the walls, the sounds turn into wave length graphics, accompanying the screams of animals typical of a meadow, a delta, a valley… Wolves, geese, whales, jaguars and their brothers pull at our lethargic urban mind and dig their way into our imagination. As if by magic they turn into flesh. The captivating audio landscapes are the result of the year-long recordings of musician and bio-acoustician Bernie Krause. Music in its various shapes, from nature to electro, is his passion. 

People linger in the room, in awe. Sitting on the cushions or lying on the floor, they abandon themselves to nature and its simplest form - while being underground, in the heart of one of the world’s metropolises. That’s when my daughter kicks her shoes off. She walks around barefoot before lying down too. 

Back to the basics. Back to nature.

From the magic of the US territories, to Africa and Europe, the trip is one long experience of a life we often dream about, only never truly listen too. The exhibition is a great way to learn to listen again by shutting down all that man-made noise; a way to listen a anew - to yourself, your neighbour, your mother, your friends, your pulsing heart… Open up and listen.

Credits: Unsplash (edited by TheDaydreamer)