My memories of my father rushed like a storm at me today. Memories of different phases in my life. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am at least 14 thousand kilometers away from the place where he is being buried today. Away from my siblings and relatives who are experiencing the same depth of sorrow and grief, sitting around a fire and sharing memories of the man. Here I sit, away also from other friends, relatives and associates in other geographic locations, who have been touched by or crossed paths with my father in one way or another.
'Well, whatever the reason, sitting here and writing this felt like a natural way for me share in that company glimpses that I remember in my journey with my father.
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One of the biggest challenges for learners of a new language is figuring out where to start. This may vary whether one is learning through guidance from a teacher ,or whether it is through self teaching. My view of language learning is guided by the principle that we learn language in order to communicate with others who speak that language. In this post I will share tips that are good to know for those in the beginning phases of learning English. So join me as we go through them together. One world under the skyMutare was the centre of the world for me. When I looked up, as a small boy, and saw the mountains that surrounded me, how they connected like a chain of beads around the city of Mutare, I fooled myself believing that beyond the monutaines lay nothing. It was as if they were the ends of my tiny world..
SpeakingWhen I was learning Portuguese and living in Mozambique, I remember how I spent a huge amount of time in my room, studying and trying to understand the language´s grammar. It was definately a long time and somehow, I never quite got the confidence to start opening my mouth and speak Portuguese to people I met. It is as if I was waiting for one special day when I would reach THAT level and suddenly open my mouth and the language would pour out effortlessly. That day never came. Wonders never cease! A few years ago, I never imagined I would be making a blog promoting the teaching of the Shona language. I have, for many years taken Shona for granted, even though it is my native tongue. It was not until I left Zimbabwe to live, first in Mozambique and later in Sweden, that the Shona language became alive in a unique way to me. It is then that I realized how Shona is an important part of myself and a cultural badge. I fell in love with it and have since then, welcomed any opportunity to teach it and spread it. English is easily a very popular language spoken and heard in many countries. It is, for most travellers, a safety net, a language they can resort to when communication becomes tough. In some cases, the widespread usage of English even gives some travellers the confidence to journey into foreign lands where the main languages are something other than English. So what does it take to learn English and be good at it? Find out more on this blog as I will be sharing tips and resources on how to make it your English teaching and learning project. Zaion-Horn of Africa restaurant and bar opens in UmeåOne of the most pleasant ways of opening up to a new culture is by trying its food. Specific dishes , how they are prepared, served and eaten can say a lot about a culture. A good friend of mine, Mike, originally from Eritrea, has decided to open an Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant in Umeå. I am very proud of him. Mike is my first friend since I moved to Sweden six years ago, and surprisingly, the only friend I have in a 150km radius. Gosh!, How terrible or rather sad, that must sound. My experince of Sweden has made me believe that making friends is not as easy as I had always found before moving here. I believe that while I generaly regard swedes as very friendly people, being friendly is not the same as being easy to become friends with. More on this in another post, but for now lets celebrate cultural diversity .
The first real snowfall has come, the clocks have been wound 1 hour backwards and me and my little gang are shifting our routines.
I confess that having grown up in the warmth of Zimbabwe, the cold automatically makes me long to be indoors. The need for change: How it all began.
My passion for community development and humanitarian aid related work came when I moved from Zimbabwe to Mozambique. It was the most spontaneous act I have ever done in my life. After years of doing fantastic work in the classroom, my soul was screaming for something else. The four walls of a classroom had begun to bring claustrophobia in my psyche.
One of the biggest issues under discussion in Europe during the last decade or so is immigration. Questions have been raised regarding what kind of impact the huge numbers of immigrants has had on the social, economical and cultural life of the host countries.
On the other side, questions have equally been raised on how the immigrant´s experience of the host country is like and what the psycho-social implications of immigration are on those who have migrated, as they adjust to the new environment. You will agree that a lot of opinions, facts and what else have been raised on this issue. My Post is about an issue of identity, based on a film I have just watched. The film mostly focuses on the way an immigrant man views himself and his identity in his new environment. |
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AUTHORI am Santino Zhakata, born in Zimbabwe, living in Sweden. I do a lot of writing, photography , blogging and website creation for fun and for profit. My fields of expertise include teaching and tutoring English via distance or face to face. I also specialise in communication for development. Welcome to my blog, feel free to share your thoughts.
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