As the year draws to a close, I thought I put down some thoughts. I often think at this time of year about the most important things I learned and the impact the last 12 months has had on my life. When I think about 2019 I think about the places I went and the people I met, the cascades of human emotion that washed over me from the kindness of strangers to the cruelty of mankind and the ways I handled myself.

The power of story: Addis Ababa

I spent two glorious days in Ethiopia where I learned, read, watched and I ate. In Addis, time in some ways stands still, you see things through new lens, you are welcomed with the fact that you are seven years younger or seven years behind, calendar wise.

Here I saw a country that knows its story and tells it well. Some of the challenges we face as African countries is that we don’t know our story. Ethiopians can trace their story and lineage to the days of King Solomon. Something they take pride in, they revel in that knowledge of who they are and where they come from. I find it beautiful. It makes me hopeful about the potential of what Africans could truly be if we took control of our stories and took back our world and our continent to be shaped the way we want it.

The power of living: Copenhagen

In the short but glorious weeks of summer, the people of Copenhagen, go shirtless. I spent a few days in Copenhagen on the heels of my Addis trip. Here we spent our time walking around and eating brunch, this is a city made for brunch.

In Copenhagen, waitresses don’t accept tips because they get paid very well. A notion that shook me so to my core, I spent the better part of the day grappling with it.

We also learned that if you missed a meeting or were late for work because the bus was late the city will refund you for being tardy. Something all countries should adopt. But as we cruised the canals and watched people lay about their boats as a reprieve from the summer heat. I realised, that the world is truly built to be enjoyed to live in and to worship.

I found this mundane life, the ease with which the Danish went about their day, to be true pleasure. On their bikes, sitting on the banks of the canal ready to swim, shirtless on their boats and in the parks. The lesson that Copenhagen taught me is that life is for the living.

The power of the your voice: London

I spent more time in London this year than I would have liked, this is a city that has never held a love for me. I have always found London to reflect the emotions of its inhabitants. I watch people walk the streets of London and sometimes I can see their pain. Weighed down by the burdens that the world has put on their shoulders. Some carry it well, some mask it well while others are practically falling over from it.

But on my last trip to London, I was in a cab on my way to go see Hamilton with a friend. The cab had to stop because there was a stop Brexit protest. I watched the faces of the people with their placards. I wondered what humanity had become. The lack of kindness and human decency. Are we willing to stand up for what is right when it is, right? Will we truly fight for what is important? Or are we sitting back. The protesters screamed, demanding for their voices to be heard. Do we use our voice when it matters?

The power of triumph: New Orleans

For my birthday, I decided to treat myself to a few days in New Orleans where I would enjoy life, in that very New Orleans way that you hear about. I would eat crawfish and jambalaya, beignets, drink whiskey and stumble from jazz bar to jazz bar marvelling in my youth through the glow of the French Quarter.

It was amazing. A city born from its mixture of people. A combination of cultures. A literal jambalaya of the descendants of the world, but also city marred by pain. Not just the pain of hurricane Katrina, but the pain of slavery and the darkness that it brings.

However, triumph is evident everywhere you go, people rebuild. The colours of the parades in the joy of the French Quarter. The looks of happiness and satisfaction on the faces of people as they stumble back from a night out, alcohol still clad in hand. It is a city that teaches you that no matter what, you can rise.

The power of companionship: Zurich

Every time I have visited Zurich I have always found it to be the most boring city in the world. I think this is how I feel about Switzerland in general, a country of global problem solving. But this year, I had the pleasure of spending some time in Switzerland with people that truly made it interesting.

Walking through the crisp night air, of the most boring city in the world, I was accompanied by the most lively human I have had the pleasure of meeting. The night was filled with murmurs of the holiday season as Christmas began to take shape in the city lights. The cold night air piercing up my skin, little puddles of water where the snow from the night before had melted. There was magic here, can it be, the same Zurich.

We talked about work, our passions and where we hope to see ourselves soon. We drank gluhwein and in that moment, Zurich was the most beautiful place in the world. It was a city alive with possibilities, a place of tranquility and for a moment I felt I truly knew myself.

The power of the lived experience: Dubai

I have always seen the city of Dubai as an artificial representation of wealth. Something built for show for western eyes and shows the power of the Middle East, its oil money and fancy airline. This year, I spent 24 hours in Dubai and saw it through the eyes of a local in the spaces that are not often made for tourists. I loved being in a different Dubai and being a different kind of tourist, one that isn’t there for the major attractions. I experienced the city in its lived state. Here in a city that I often took a deep sign if I was told I needed to go there. I took a deep sigh because I had to leave. I lived the experience.

The power of laughter: Istanbul

Laughter is possibly the most important tool in our arsenal in this life thing, and I am guilty of not using it well. When I was an Istanbul I spent my time reflecting and laughing. Istanbul is the perfect unification of Europe and Asia. It is built to live in existing harmony. Even though that harmony is not always the reality of life.

Through exploring the dichotomy of this beautiful world and finding moments that brought joy and true happiness through food and walks. There were occasional delights of seeing pockets of population that reminded me of home. I was filled with light and a feeling of lightness. In Istanbul, I laughed with my soul and was filled with an energy I thought I had lost.

The power of pain: Cape Coast

Ghana is all the rage in 2019, it is the year of the return. In a few short days people will descend on the city for one of the continent’s biggest musical events of the year. I spent time in Ghana earlier this year not in Accra, but Cape Coast. I visited Elmina Castle for the first time, the place that slaves were held before they were shipped to the Americas. It is a haunting place, a place of pain and horridness. It is a place of hate. In the depths of the dark and narrow walkways that led out to the ocean, I learnt what hate and ignorance can do.

But it also taught me that I am more than my pain. It is a blueprint for which some, not all, of my stories are told. It is also a place of healing. When I look at the scars of my pain, I look at their lessons and it makes me stronger. I do not live in pain but I grow from it.

The power of being multilingual: Paris

Paris, the city of light, love, wine and cheese. In Paris one can easily get lost in the beauty of its cobbled streets and old world charm and the journey the romance. On a cool afternoon you can lose yourself on the Champs-Élysées watching people as they go about living their lives, baguette in hand or on a bike. Sipping a glass of Bordeaux the important questions comes to mind, if my life were to be one city, is this the city that I will see as mine?

Sometimes the answer is yes, most often is no. The true beauty of this city for me is knowing another language. The French love French and rightfully they should. Being able to converse in multiple languages provides a confidence to truly live in independence. In Paris you want to be more, live more, speak more and drink more in some cases.

The power of true friendships: Budapest

In January I went to Budapest with some friends, we spent a few days in a city I have long held as the what the old world looks like. Walking around Budapest seeing the sights, eating the food and taking in the story of the city, I saw it first hand. From the window of our Airbnb I gazed at an ancient synagogue that could have been there since the dawn of time. I wondered how Hungarians must have been in the past, in Budapest, were they regal and do these streets tell their story?

We walked the length of some the city, and I realised I hate walking. But I also learned that there are some bonds that are made for life. We laughed, ate cookies, discussed our lives, hopes, we loved. There, in a haze of a Hungarian bath, friendships that began way before this trip grew in strength and was validated as friendships that will last forever. The value of good friendships truly means everything.