Journeyman Stories

The last few weeks have been quite interesting.  First, there is this wedding I was hosting a few Saturdays ago. I met people I haven’t seen for a very long time. It was so great. Then I attended a funeral the following week, and boy was I surprised to see folks I grew up with that I haven’t seen for ages. Just a few hours ago, I was coming from a meeting and who do I see? At first I couldn’t believe my eyes. A former colleague of mine back 15 years ago at the Radio station in Burundi. I didn’t even know he was in Canada (we’ve been in the same city for 3 years and I didn’t even know it). He told me that he still has the tapes of our show! We shared great memories indeed. All these people I met brought me back in time Time really flies. You know that you’re getting old when you see kids you sow being born saying that they are about to go to college. I am exaggerating here, but it is shocking how kids grow so fast We just celebrated my daughter’s fifth birthday. Wa...

Some call him President, some others call him Gisage, and many know him as Capone. His real name is Alphonse Barikage. He is a great and brilliant guy.  When he comes to our Basketball court on Wednesdays evening, we all know that the fun is just about to begin. He has some old school basketball moves that remind me of Kareem Abdul Jabaar’s sky hook (I have the footage to prove it, but I won’t share it here…) What I didn’t know was that Capone is a great writer. He just published a piece in one of Toronto’s big newspapers, and it is a real work of art. As we are about to celebrate Fathers’ day, I thought that the timing of the article is just perfect Here it is. Ladies and Gentlemen, here comes Alphonse Barikage, a.k.a Capone Enjoy A walk down memory lane When I reach for my son's hand, I feel my father's palm in mine, Alphonse Barikage writes How would I be remembered? The question on how I will be remembered after I die has not been...

I know you were waiting for the rest of my friend Heather’s story. I wasn’t able to do anything last week as my daughter had a (successful) surgery. Everything else had to stop. She is doing fantastic now, so I am back. I am not going to ask if you missed me because I know the answer already. Don’t worry, I am here to stay. Aren’t you glad? Back to Heather. I knew she was returning to Toronto on May 19. I was really looking forward to meeting her again as I knew she had a lot to share… and wow was I blown away. I finally met her one afternoon and we went to one of my favourite places: Tim Hortons. For those of you who are reading this blog outside of Canada, Tim Hortons is a coffee place where you can find the second best coffee and second best tea in the world (in my opinion). Now, if you are curious to find out about the best coffee and tea in the world (I know you are), try Burundian coffee and tea, then we will talk. I am digressing. Back to Heather. As...