Showing results by author "Wanjiru Warama" in All Categories

Wanjirũ works too hard on her real estate career. But except for many acquittances, and her recent phenomenon of stories bubbling in her head, she doesn’t feel a sense of connection or any personal belonging besides making a living. All this work and no play stress her to the limit.

Wanjirũ takes us on her rollercoaster American journey as she wrestles with the clash between her Kenyan culture and that of America. She fumbles, determined to find her niche in American society through a real estate career. Along the way, she indulges in throwbacks regarding her life in Kenya, or a racial dilemma she and some adults got thrown into by a seven-year-old boy in New Zealand.

The first story is about an infant who is unwanted by her mother. The infant's aunt, Njana, is horrified when she learns of this. And yet, Njana envies her niece because she is born in the mid-1970s. This means the niece won't be subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) like Njana was before she turned 14 in the 1960s. The second story is about Njana's trauma sanctioned by her parents, the very people who are supposed to protect her from harm. The story is set in Kenya and later in California. Njana discloses, for the first time, how she suffered FGM in the backwoods of Kenya.

Mr. Millionaire and his wife met me at Boca Raton airport in Florida. As they approached, I wondered whether to shake their hands, as we do in Kenya, or hug them like students did on campus. No problem! The take-charge benefactor approached, his broad smile fixed on me. "Hello, Wanjiru!" He relieved me of my luggage and, with a wave of his right hand, presented his wife. She stretched her wrinkled skinny hand while she maintained eye contact. I shook her soft hand and said how nice it was to meet her.