And Then Life Happens (37 page)

Across the Atlantic, the rest of the Obama family, including myself, has seen itself projected into the limelight. The world continues to be curious about Obama's roots. And our grandmother, Mama Sarah, has a steady stream of visitors from all corners of the world, who come in pilgrimage to our ancestral home in Alego, Siaya, not far from the shores of Lake Victoria, where she resides. They all want to see the birthplace of Barack Obama Sr., and despite all attempts to correct this misconception by explaining that although he is buried in Alego, he was actually born in Karachuonyo, on the other side of Lake Victoria, the visitors keep coming.

Over the past three years, I have watched in fascination as our homestead went from being a typically sleepy rural setting to a gated secure compound with running water and electricity. The pride in having a son of Kenya gain such high office spurred on well-wishers and family members, who had previously not taken particular interest in the Obama homestead (locally known as the Onyango Hussein homestead, after my grandfather), to push for an “upgrade” of the place. As Kenyans saw it, this was, after all, technically speaking, the home of one of America's current First Grandmothers.

As is in her nature, Mama Sarah has taken in stride all the changes in her life since Barack announced his candidacy in 2007, and in particular the interest in her personally. She remains unflustered. Her composure is reassuring because I know that should all the attention disappear, she would be just as happy to revert to her old way of life. At the age of eighty-nine, she is content with her lot.

As for me, the exposure I receive continues to allow me to touch the lives of countless children and young people. I have met wonderful people in high and low places, all of whom have enriched my life immensely. Every day, I am reminded of how blessed I am. Again and again the respect and love afforded my brother rub off on me. I have stopped trying to explain that I do not warrant this, that I have to earn it by my own merit. It is all to no avail. Everywhere I am welcomed with open arms and red carpet treatment. This is an added motivation for me to commit more fully to making a positive impact on the lives of the disadvantaged children and young people with whom I work.

As for the content of my book, quite a lot has happened since it was first published. Kenya has truly once again become home to me and has provided me the space and calm that have allowed me to establish a presence within the nonprofit arena. Beyond my work with CARE, I have forged links to exceptional grassroots organizations doing extraordinary Sport for Development work in East Africa, Bangladesh, Egypt, Brazil, South Africa, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

On a personal level, I have learned that finding the love of your life does not necessarily guarantee that it will be your last love. It takes work and commitment to keep the flame burning. And as for family and my close friends, they continue to be there for the long haul, which is what really counts the most.

I continue to be grateful for all good that comes my way, and I look forward to whatever else may be in store for me. I plan and map out my future, fully aware, however, that whatever I do, I must factor in the inevitable; no matter what, life happens.

 

Acknowledgments

My deepest gratitude goes to Maria Hoffmann-Dartevelle, friend and fellow linguist, who through her literary and linguistic advice and collaboration helped me put together the original German version of this book. She was tireless in her commitment to helping me get my story right in her native language of German.
Danke,
Maria!

A special thank you also goes to Elke Geisler, Thomas Schindelbeck, Barbara Sabbarth, and Trixi Mugishagwe, who all were instrumental in the production of the German book. The stories that have here been retold in English would have not been possible without them. Thank you for reading, rereading, and again reading my manuscript. A thank you, too, to Phoebe Asiyo and Paul Agali Otula, Oloo Aringo, and others not mentioned here for their patience in explaining and giving me insight into the life of my late father, Barack Obama. You are too many to all be named, but know that I dearly appreciate having been given your time and attention.

And to my agent, Anoukh Foerg, a special thank you, for always being there for me, above and beyond duty, even when the question at hand did not necessary directly have anything to do with the book. You truly understand that there is more to being an agent than ensuring contracts are signed.
Danke!

Similarly, I want to thank Daniela Rapp, my editor, Ross Benjamin, my translator, the staff at St. Martin's Press, and not least Jane Starr, who took the time to accompany me to meetings with publishers in the United States. Thank you all for taking a chance on me and committing to helping me bring this book to fruition. As I stated at my first meeting at the St. Martin's Press offices in New York, I felt already then that I was in good hands. That feeling at no time abated, and I am grateful to you all and in particular to you, Daniela and Ross, for patiently working with me on the manuscript and remaining calm and focused while I tried to juggle work, travel, family, and writing. Know that I truly appreciate this and thank you both sincerely.

Also for being there I thank my family, without whom this book would never have happened. In particular, my grandmother Mama Sarah and my aunties Zeituni and Marsat deserve special mention for never tiring in answering all my many questions about the family, even when, in the case of my grandmother, this questioning started long before I had reached the age of ten. The information they supplied me over the years made writing this book a lot easier for me.

And to my brother Barack, without whom any such interest in a book by Auma probably never would have materialized, I owe a special thank you. I am so proud to call you my brother, Barack!

And last but not least, I want to thank my daughter, Akinyi, and Marvin, the man who, in the most unusual of ways, stole my heart. Both of them stood by me while I put all else aside to write this book. Their patience and love made it possible to do so. Thank you.

 

Index

The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function on your e-reading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.

African Americans

in Chicago

Flint's work with

Obama's brother and

in U.S. Senate

Africans, Africa

colonial past of

comparisons between children in Europe and

dancing and

education in

Germany and

Marvin's employment and

Obama's brother and

Obama's father's marriages and

Obama's filmmaking and

Obama's identity and

poverty in

racism and

tropical heat in

see also
blacks

African Screenwriters Workshop

Afro-Ballet-Ensemble

agriculture

Alego Nyangoma Kogelo

Obama's ancestral home in

Obama's brother and

Obama's childhood and

Obama's father and

Alfons “Ali” (friend)

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Amin, Idi

Amsterdam

Andrea (coworker)

Aoko, Agnes (aunt)

Aoko, Jane “Aunty Jane” (aunt)

brother-in-law's death and

death feared by

niece and boyfriend's stay with

niece's daughter's birth and

Barbara (friend)

Bavaria

Bayreuth

Bayreuth, University of

BBC News

Berlin:

fall of wall in

Obama's filmmaking and

Obama's life in

and Obama's life in Britain

Obama's mother's trip to

Black, Cilla

blacks:

in Berlin

Mombasa tourism and

relations between whites and

stereotyping of

see also
African Americans; Africans, Africa

Boehringer Ingelheim

Bracknell

Obama's employment and

Obama's life in

Obama's mother's illness and

Bracknell College

Bridget Case

Bush, George W.

Carbondale, Ill.:

comparisons between Chicago and

Elke's apartment in

Obama's trips to

CARE

Obama's meeting with representative of

Obama's work for

Washington conference of

Carrier Corps, Kenyan

Catholics

Central Bank of Kenya

Chicago, Ill.

Obama's brother's apartment in

Obama's brother's employment in

Obama's brother's wedding in

Obama's trips to

poverty in

Christmas

Clinton, Bill

Clinton, Hillary Rodham

CARE conference speech of

letter to Obama from

Obama's brother's presidential inauguration and

presidential campaign of

Columbia University

Congress, U.S.

see also
Senate, U.S.

Connexions

Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB)

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)

Dieter (boyfriend)

Obama's last meeting with

Obama's relationship with

Donald (friend)

Doyle, Miss

Dreams from My Father
(Obama)

drug abuse, drug dealers

Dunham, Ann (stepmother)

death of

education of

husband's conversations with daughter about

marriages of

personality and character of

pregnancies of

son's wedding and

stepdaughter's biological mother's relationship with

Dunham, Madelyn Lee Payne “Toot” (grandmother)

Dunham, Stanley (grandfather)

Duomo di Santa Maria Nascente

Düsseldorf

East African Railways

Economic Planning and Development Ministry, Kenyan

economics, economy

Luo gender roles and

Obama's father's government employment and

of Uganda

Elgon Road

Elke (friend)

departure from Saarbrücken of

move to U.S. of

Obama's Carbondale trips and

Obama's Christmas with

and Obama's encounter with snow

Obama's father's Saarbrücken visit and

Obama's filmmaking and

and Obama's life in Britain

and Obama's meeting with brother

Obama's pregnancy and

and Obama's relationships with opposite sex

Obama's relationship with

Obama's visits with family of

Emmy (brother's girlfriend)

Fifth Symphony
(Schubert)

Finance Ministry, Kenyan

Obama's father's death and

Obama's father's employment at

fine arts

Flint, Peggy

Florence

Fort Jesus

France, French

Frankfurt

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

Gabi (Elke's sister)

garbage can game

gender, gender differences

in agriculture

and black tourists in Mombasa

in Britain

in family roles

in Kenya

Luo and

in marriage

Obama's education and

and Obama's relationships with opposite sex

Obama's youth services work and

Gerda (Karl's sister)

Germany, German

Africans and

Christmas in

Obama hosted by families in

Obama's arrival in

Obama's brother's stay in

Obama's culture shock in

Obama's dance group and

Obama's development work in

Obama's father's trip to

Obama's filmmaking and

Obama's fluency in

Obama's journalism career in

Obama's life in

and Obama's life in Britain

Obama's pregnancy and

Obama's reading and studies in

and Obama's relationships with opposite sex

and Obama's relationship with husband

Obama's returns to

and Obama's returns to Kenya

Obama's teaching of

and Obama's trips to Chicago

Obama's wedding and

racism in

traveling in

Goethe-Institut

Gogo (friend)

Great Britain

Christmas in

colonial Kenya and

comparisons between Kenya and

Kenyan education and

Marvin's trips to

media in

Obama's life in

Obama's mother's stays in

Obama's pregnancy and

and Obama's relationship with husband

Obama's returns to

Obama's youth services work and

social behavior in

Great Rift Valley

Harare

Harvard Law Review

Harvard University

Obama's brother's attendance at

Obama's father's attendance at

Hawaii, University of

Heidelberg

autumn celebration in

Obama's apartment in

Obama's mother's trip to

and Obama's relationships with opposite sex

Heidelberg University:

friends made by Obama at

Obama's attendance at

Obama's employment at

Obama's graduation from

Humphrey, Sally

Hurlingham

hut tax

Iowa

Islam

Obama's brother's conversion to

Ismail, Miss

Italians, Italy:

at Maasai Mara

Obama's trip to

Jai (choreographer)

Juliana (servant)

Kanaiya, Mrs.

Karachuonyo

Kariokor

Karl (boyfriend)

finances of

Italian trip of

Kenyan stay of

New York trip of