For the past several months, I had put writing on hold to focus on work and also, because I felt like I was not inspired enough to write. I gave myself a time frame to repurpose my writing and the general style of my blog. I know I wanted to continue doing something I love,…
Malaria, round 2: healing thy body, while reconciling with traditional medicine
If you recall sometimes around last year, I had my very first bout of malaria since moving back home. It was how I could best describe it, a yellow vomit inducing fever episode I rather would not have wished to revisit. I learned the valuable lesson of having the privilege of having insurance in my…
I scream, you scream, we scream for cash: on making money by any means necessary
I love acronyms ever since I knew how to read and formulate full sentences both in English and in French: to me, it helps you convey a certain point of view with high impact and easy to remember, by saying what matters without saying a lot. A particular favorite acronym of mine that mixes…
I got 21 questions and they are all about me: on thinking about women’s rights
March has been declared, women's history month, when we celebrate women's achievements, strides that have been made towards gender equality in the workplace, and in society. There is a vast room for improvement, without a doubt, but we must recognize that women worldwide have come a long way, especially African women. Here in Abidjan, as…
On reclaiming what is always yours
About less than a year ago, I downloaded a bunch of apps to help me manage my time and my writing better. I went on a trance and downloaded at least 10 efficiency apps, in order for me to do more. And as is most cases, I got very excited at first exploring my new…
A long awaited update……
Hello, my dear readers. I feel like a neglectful friend for not checking on my blog, which is after all, my growing baby. We are 3 months into the year, and still no posts. I must admit that I did not want to write, and my work load became the perfect excuse to not do…
Egusi and Champagne, part 3
Greetings my lovelies. Another year has gone and all of us have had the best and/or the worst of times. Personally, I have had one of the best years of my life. It wasn't rosy and I wondered how I would make it through. I have shed many tears, had my heart broken, lost faith…
Let’s talk about it, shall we?: on understanding the peculiar dynamics of sex in a West African country
Sex. Everyone does it, but nobody wants to talk about it. I live in a very conservative society that wants to appear open-minded, but only on the surface. Our population is very young, and getting younger as we progress or not, towards being an emerging country.Among many other topics, sex remains one of the most…
It’s beginning to look a lot like retrospecting time: on looking back on another year, well spent
I am an accountant by day. Each year, we file income statements, comparing prior year to current, in order to learn from past mistakes and improve business for future years to come. Every year, it's the same dance: we stop all accounts on December 31st, compute and report expenses, costs and earnings, and establish P&L,…
“They think I am cursed and mad but I am just crazy”: on mental illness and its stigma in Cote D’Ivoire
Last month on October 10th was mental health day, as part of an initiative by the World Federation for Mental Health to promote global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. On Instagram and Facebook, there were many posts and articles discussing the benefits and advantages of destigmatizing mental illness in our current…
L'Arbre de La Voyageuse 