Darlin,
This might be a very long and confused post so I beg you to make the most of it. Like I told you yesterday, I went and watched Mama Mia last time, enjoyed it tremendously but couldn't help leaving the movie theatre a little down. While enjoying the beautiful costumes, amazing songs and some of the ridiculous parts of the movie, Merryl Streep decides to kill the moment for me. This she did by singing "Dancing Queen".
"You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen"
17! Darlin 17 is considered young. It was this peircing realization that I was, not only NOT seventeen but 18,19,20,21,22! Look how beautiful they look even written down? I can't believe those years have gone ... Its just scary yemir. Not to say I don't like where I am now but ... I can't have them back. They've gone ... puff ... leaving only fading memories in their wake. I kept on thinking, on the ride back, that what would be the most regrettable thing of these years. And I guess you already know the answer to that one. Mitish, ... don't know how to explain it but I wonder if we could ever really say 'I've lived my life to the fullest.' Well, except for the regrettable fact that I haven't met one guy to impress me or better yet, allowed myself to be impressed, these past years haven't been too shabby at all. And the gloom subsides ... hehe
There is a certain kind of charm to our office right this moment, most people are out on vacation leaving me with ample time to write to you; dear friend. Other than this cherished act, I've also had time to review most of my favourite blogs, not excluding newspapers from back home. You remember I told you about that column I really enjoy on Addis Admass, Inichewawet? I used to love it when I was back home, it literally had me doubling up with laughter ... the guy is talented aygeltsewim. Bicha, I was catching up on his writings since the website had stopped working for a while and now its back on. I realized, when he talks about women, habesha women to be specific, the dude, I'm afraid to say is down right sexist. Now i know what you're saying mitish, 'anchi demo, inezihinu feministoch litihogni minim alkeresh, tsegur sinteka new eko yeteyayazshiw' ... but not really babe. Honestly, I still find most of his comments funny but what dissapoints me really is that its not just him. Women in our habesha culture still don't get the respect they deserve. Mitisha, would you believe I have never once thought of my being female as a disadvantage, even when we were back home. NOT ONCE! But I'm wondering if the reason you and I never felt it was because we've been sort of sheltered from the prejudice by our parents, siblings, teachers, zemed azmad? Mitish, its amazing how recurrent this theme of the habesha woman as a fickle minded, money grabbing, just a pretty face, ... well you know the rest. Even our very own columnist on Addis Fortune alluded to the same thing ... pretty much agreeing with this friend of hers who had returned from abroad and who had asked her to introduce him to someone because he was looking to settle down or something like that. She said her mind went blank; she couldn't come up with ladies she could see this guy compatible with. I'm not criticizing what she said, but I'm just putting it out there. At least her article offered ways by which we should change this perception of our women. My question to you ... how valid is this? Are habesha women, instead of fighting the prejudice, falling into the trap set by men, i.e., melkish yibekashal kind of attitude? That there is no need to excel professionally as long as all your needs are met? This phenomenon of young beautiful ladies going for rich, older men and seeing that as an end? I don't know mitish, I mean we've talked about this in the past and judging of course has never been our thing. Leaving that aside, I feel like there needs to be a whole psychological shift in the way parents raise their little girls. We need girl heroes in our story books, girls who go out there and save the day, they need menotrs to look up to ... I don't know ... I hope you get where i'm going with this. Let me finish off by a quote I found very simple yet profound ... has nothing to do with the topic ... just found it interesting. muaah muaaah muaaaaaaaah!
"Much is expected, to whom much is given"
Lub you!
P.S. The third person has arrived safely. Called me just now complaining why returning was necessary lol ... i don't think you were too far off when you assumed marriage last time hehe.
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