– 11:03 am

There is very little I can tell you about the story of our family, very little about our relatives, near and far. I am blank, especially on my father’s side. I barely know who we are, don’t know where we came from, who all my father’s siblings are, his father, what he did, etc, etc. As my chin greys, I realise how much I need the depths of my past to navigate the future. Alas, less than nothing is verbally passed down or documented.

From my parents going backwards, every person who ‘returns to dust’ leaves a hole in the tale no one can fill. The story might be the same, but the perspectives as seen by the eyes of the beholder will differ from lens to lens. These folks live in an environment that expedites the journey to the grave. And they are dropping like flies. My cousin died while I was in Cameroon a few months ago in a car accident after the brakes failed. (My mum, your grandmother, survived a similar ordeal with several scars to show for it.) I knew very little about this cousin, Evette, but the impact on the family was profound.

All of that I say to emphasise, it’s just a matter of time before we become a people with no history, except those of recent times. And recent times aren’t a broad enough base to anticipate (and prevent) accidents to come. We need more, a lot more data.

But you know me. I come with problems on the left and solutions on the right, right or wrong. The questions are plenty, and those left to answer them are few and far between. The task is Everest, and the only way to top it is a step at a time. There needs to be a (constant) transfer of knowledge. I’ve self-assigned myself the scribe of the family. I’m going to ask the questions and write down the answers, and hopefully, it will help you on your path forward when you look back.

While I was in Cameroon, I interviewed your grandfather and discovered a ton of stuff I never knew. I am still going through the footage. It’s taking me a while to complete because… life. But I’ll keep chipping at it. The series is called A thing of the past Family Ties, and below is the first part.

Speaking of a thing of the past, Liza recently rediscovered a childhood friend. He and his wife recently moved to the UK around our neck of the woods, coincidentally. This Russian couple also have a daughter months older than you, Maya. Yesterday was the third time you’ve hung out with her. This time at Wisely. Your mum says you play well together. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

We were in Riga over the Easter holidays for a few days. The bed we’d bought you is still there. You’re in a possessive phase of your life and made it very clear to us that the bed was yours and no one was to sleep in it, especially me, because “it’s too big for you. You’re going to break it“. So for the duration, you slept in your bed.

You’re also very naughty now and testing the boundary limits – hitting, shouting and tantrums (over seemingly small things). The terrible twos. I embrace it all as part of your upbringing. We love you all the same, even when we have to correct you.

Oh, lastly, and it’s quite the milestone, you are potty trained. You know where to go when you have to go. And you go unaided. This is all your grandad’s doing. I can tell you and Valery are very good “pals”. Long may it continue, and I hope you grow to cherish it (as much as he does).

Ciao chico!