The beauty of language and culture: Part 2 (A dedication to my Mother)
I dedicated my last post to my father, so it’s only right that I dedicate part 2 to my mother, who, in many ways, has not only influenced myself but has influenced many to follow their dreams. Don’t worry though, I promise this post will be slightly shorter than the last (well, I’ll try!).
Left to right: Naze, Me, My mother, Emmanuelle and my brother Emmanuel
As I mentioned in Part 1, my mother always pushed us to study, whether that was music, language or ballet etc… culture was a major part of our lives. My mother has played a very active role in instilling our appreciation for culture from an early age; I remember countless trips to museums with my family (name a museum and we’ve probably gone!), which became a regular weekend activity - I guess that’s one way to entertain two set’s of twins! Don’t get me wrong, I liked most museums and some were certainly different (like the mills), but sometimes it felt like we were in there forever and I didn’t always see the appeal in looking at things only to pretend to take it all in (I’m just being honest!). Although we had our favourites, as most children do (the Science museum and Natural history were definitely ours) I am glad that she dragged us to them all so that we could gain knowledge in a variety of topics. My father may have won the language competition, but my mother has always encouraged us to explore and learn beyond the curriculum. Even if we stayed in the house, my mother would put on the VHS (what a throwback) and we’d indulge in rich content such as documentaries by David Attenborough or fantastic educational programmes such as “Come outside” (if you know, you know) as well as classical films that used to play on television… Oh, the good old days when television had substance and you’d live for the films on the weekend!
I have to give her credit… My mother was ahead of the game in that sense and it was only until we started secondary school that I really started to appreciate her efforts. If we were not doing museum trips, we were participating in library challenges (who remembers those summer reading challenges?) which gave us an appreciation for books and writing. Although I’m not the avid reader I once was, I certainly appreciate galleries and museums a lot more now (in the rare occasions that I find time to go) as I can still appreciate the classic films such as The King and I, The secret garden and black Cinderella (well, Disney’s first multicultural cast). I find it fascinating to see how little exposure some of my age-mates had to things like museums, libraries and galleries. That’s probably why many associate it with “dull” connotations. Let me stress here that I’m not trying to be a mass advocate for the “boring” stuff and I definitely know how to have my share of “fun”, however, it’s a pity that many have missed out on this exposure and appreciation as it certainly broadened my horizons for culture. The reason I emphasise so much on the above is that we weren’t exactly the richest family, yet my mother (and father) always found a way to cater to our needs and made sure that we were cultured. It’s easy to make excuses, especially when you have multiple children to juggle and costs are expensive, however, I will forever be grateful for the sacrifices made to provide us with a good upbringing. It is a testimony that I’m sure many black mothers can relate to, and as children, we must forever be grateful for their efforts and try and give our children (God-willing) the same attention given to us.
After my father passed, my mother continued to maintain her efforts with language and culture and to this day, has never discouraged us from following our passions. My mother instilled a different passion and thirst for culture and is an inspiration to me in many ways. As mentioned in part 1, my mother, Pascaline Wangui, is a retired Kenyan international athlete (marathon runner) and had the privilege of competing in the 1988 South Korea and 1992 Barcelona Olympic games. My mother’s running career allowed her to explore many countries and cultures and if it wasn’t for her passion, she may have never seen some parts of the world. Although my mother’s running career slowed down after we were born, we were always surrounded by bags of medals and trophies that she had won over her running life and my mother would share her experiences and stories from across the world. This was a constant reminder to us that if you wanted something, and worked hard, you can achieve anything you want in life.
My mother running in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and Rome City Marathon, where she won 1st place.
My mother is my role model and an example of the narrative that if you do something you love to an exceptional level, the world is (literally) your oyster. My mother had never planned to become an Olympian, nor was she a sports fanatic (at first) but she was a club athlete from the age of sixteen and was lucky to have been surrounded and mentored by accomplished athletes (subtle reminder to surround yourself by successful people).
My mother tells me that her main inspiration came from former British long-distance, third-time medalist Joyce Smith MBE (the first British woman in history to run the London Marathon in under 2:30) and it was her husband, Bryan, who pushed and coached my mother to be successful in her own right. My mother later went on to break her own records and set the bar as the first black African woman to win a major marathon, as mentioned in Wycliffe W. Simiyu Njororai’s article - Distance running in Kenya: athletics labour migration and its consequences:
“ In contrast to the men, however, the pioneer women came via foreign bases. Women emerged from the shadow of male domination and in 1989, a London-based medical student named Pascaline Wangui became the first black African woman to win a major marathon when she triumphed in Rome. Three years later she won again in Vienna” - read more
During my school days, my mother would always volunteer her coaching services to those who were selected for the school competitions and she bred a lot of winners for our school - some of whom went on to pursue their own running careers. Having coached and competed, I asked what was the highlight of her running career. My mother told me that running internationally allowed her to visit the Far East (South Korea and Japan) - a part of the world that has filled her with many happy memories, but also a place she would have never imagined herself ever visiting as a young child from Nakuru, Kenya. One of my mother’s proudest moments was winning the Rome city marathon (and competing in the Olympics), as pictured above and referenced in Dr Njororai’s article. The exposure to different types of people allowed her to appreciate the various ways of living around the world and gave her memories to reminisce over a lifetime. I asked my mother for any tips and advice to those who want to make it into sports or a field of their choice. Her advice is as follows:
Don’t give up! - I know it’s a lot easier said than done but there’s no rate of success if you give up. Things don’t always come quickly either; my mother started running at 16 but her career only really took off when she was in her late 20’s (for those of you still pushing your passion, keep at it!)
It’s not easy! You know I keep it real over here - my mother told me that there were many times she wanted to give up and quit and many times she failed and came in last place. You have to keep trying and pick yourself back up! You can only learn from your failures.
Follow your passion. When it’s something you love, the hard work you have to put in won’t feel quite as hard and when you’re passionate about something, your passion will shine through!
Don’t be scared to change your path. This is the hard truth - although you may feel like you’re in the right direction, your path may have to be altered slightly. Don’t be afraid to take the risk and be open to adaption. My mother tells me that she didn’t always run long distance; it was only after a holiday back in Kenya when she was visiting her grandfather in our village (Subukia Village), that she found herself going for longer runs. It was during these runs that she discovered that her stamina allowed her to run from one village to another (around 13 miles) and when she came back to London, she attempted the London marathon with a time that qualified her for her first Olympics! See, change doesn’t have to be bad!
A young Pascaline Wangui abroad
My mother believes that if you can follow your dreams and stay consistent, you have the potential to break barriers. Sometimes it’s important to break out of your comfort zone and open your eyes to the bigger world. Like my father, my mother wasn’t born here (England) and so a change of culture and language was something they both had to adapt to at a young age. Many of us have never had to immerse ourselves in other cultures but as a solo traveller myself, I second my mother in saying that you can’t beat the experience of travel and embracing new things. To this day, my mother’s first experience in India is one that she will always remember.
If you can take away anything from my parents, it’s this: follow your passion(s) and give it your all. When you fail, pick yourself up and go again…and keep on going until you’ve mastered it! The world loves to share its successes, but failure is as much (if not a bigger part) of the process, and it’s one we must accept and embrace if we want to conquer. If it’s a language you wish to learn, or a talent you want to refine and excel in, hard work and perseverance (especially through the toughest times) is the only way you will win. Don’t rush yourself though! Go at your own pace and your time will come! If you ever get the opportunity to work/travel abroad take it 100 times over; it’s often these times in our lives that we will cherish the most.
Liz x