FemmeFocus Junction

  I can not be an advocate for women’s health and not look after myself. The challenge with a screening test is that a lot of women have no symptoms, and they tend to postpone and not make time for it. Another factor is that most women feel uncomfortable getting that gynaecology exam or getting naked and getting their breasts exposed for the screening test, or they might be terrified of the findings.  I was trying to get the mammogram done during my leave time, but the appointment was full, and I finally managed to squeeze it in the morning of my work day.  Overall, I had a pleasant experience. The staff in the radiology department were very friendly. The atmosphere was pleasant and welcoming. There was a private changing area for me to change my clothes and get into a gown. There wasn't a long waiting time until the mammogram was done. There was an interval between the mammogram and the routine ultrasound. I had a cup of coffee. The sonographer who examined my breasts wa...

 I have a special relationship with music. I am listening to a 90s playlist and writing this. I grew up in the eighties and '90s in a Middle Eastern country where music, especially Western music, was banned. I had some music exposure while I stayed in South Africa between 98 and 2000. We were struggling financially and still didn't have a CD player. I remember the new Westlife Album was released, and my High school friend Sandra recorded it on a cassette for me to listen to. It must be somewhere in my grandparents’ house, along with a hundred other cassettes I recorded from different radio stations and channels. I used to be crazy about Celine Dion. I would play her music, record my voice with the microphone, and feel like a diva! These days, when I listen to her old songs, I feel sad…I think about the days I used to be wild and young and free.  The world of music became more colourful for me after we managed to get a satellite TV around 2005, and in those days, I could watch ...

 I am an introvert. When I was small I enjoyed doing my own thing, listening to children’s story cassettes, playing with my Legos, or drawing. Whenever we had visitors I would get irritated as a child because the house was so messy, mom was busy cooking, setting the table, or clearing the table and washing the dishes. Later on, I started having a special interest in books. I enjoyed reading a wide range of fiction. From Authors back home, and the classics from British and Russian authors.  Another introverted and creative joyful activity for me was drawing and painting. It started with sketching in high school art classes and then became more sophisticated such as watercolour or oil on canvas. A lot of the artworks are framed and on the walls back home. Three of my favourite works are framed by mom’s house, 2 other nice oil paintings are by my brother’s house and a small daffodil painting and some random watercolour work are in my office. My life has been crazy with all the me...