And Then Life Happens (37 page)

Authors: Auma Obama

BOOK: And Then Life Happens

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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