Dera's Diary

Hello, Hard to believe we've almost finished September. That might be a slight exaggeration on my part, but we've definitely gotten somewhere. This month, especially this week, I've been learning that the road to make friends is a two-way street. For so long I've been focused on making sure that I wasn't gaining my peace or comfort from being around other people. I worked so hard to make sure that I was comfortable being on my own that I forgot that I play a part in the process of making friends. I haven't gotten to the other side of this bridge yet, I'm still walking pretty slowly. But I'm learning to get out of my comfort zone a little, be the first one to say hi, make conversation and join conversations. Nothing worthwhile is built by staying in your comfort zone. I'm learning and thought I could encourage you to learn this too. My relationship with relationships has been a long one and I'm still learning. I thought I'd have learnt eve

I'm growing up and I can't say it's all fun. I've been rewatching some old childhood shows and have been noticing subtle racist and sexist undertones. In an episode of Victorious, Robbie's puppet said 'he called you fro cause your hair's all silly'. A little while ago, this statement may have meant nothing to me. But I'm growing up and I'm realising how the world has normalised dissing and putting down black attributes, features and people. A lot of black people have 'fros' and I can assure you that there is nothing silly about your hair being able to defy the laws of gravity! Also, I have no idea why women are trained to be mothers and wives. A woman, just like anyone else, is a human being. The totality of her life and who she is cannot be summed up to being a wife or a mother. Both roles are incredibly important and valuable, but we should focus on raising our children to be good human beings. Not to be good in a particular role we&#

Hello there! September is a pretty special month. Not only is it so close to the end of the year, it's also a month that signifies new beginnings. I feel this way particularly because the new school year starts in September. This year is incredibly different. Some schools aren't resuming this September. Some are, but are resuming in a very different way. Some schools still don't know when they are going to resume. So much uncertainty and some times certainty that just isn't what you wanted. 2020 has been full of both of these things for me. Don't get me wrong, I've probably seen more miracles this year than in my entire life. But at the same time, I've experienced some of the greatest disappointment and emotional exhaustion. I would like to think of myself as someone that's seen the other side of all these things.It doesn't mean I don't still make some visits to those tired, disappointed places, but I've been on the other side. I see this q