as promised, for the first friday in march, i’ve collected stories of people doing really cool things for the first time. najwa and taniah were kind enough to share their first experiences with the world, and i’m excited about their growth!
najwa
I started the journey of learning one of the Semitic languages of east Africa–Amharic. After countless encounters with many East Africans, I gained the confidence to learn the language–and voluntarily make conversation with the many Habesha people of DC. Today, I am able to speak basic sentences, write my name, and a few sentences. I am mega proud of myself because I am busy with working, momhood, and wifehood. It’s refreshing.
taniah
I’m so excited to say, you inspired me to try a whole lot of firsts! I literally put my life on the line because I was determined try a “roll” for the first time. Yes, I put my life on the line…well not literally but I am deathly allergic to fish (not shellfish but fish fish) and I ate a roll called Firecracker from this amazing restaurant by the name of Zenten on 14th Street in NW DC. It was filled with fried shrimp tempura and topped with crab. It was beyond AMAZING! It’s like a drug because I’m already addicted and in need of more.
Moving on from food and to another first. I wore my hair in a curly sort of style. I always said, it would look too much like a jerry curl, but surprisingly, I’m really digging it and wish I didn’t wait so long to try it.Last but not least, I am a bride-to-be, so for the first time, I tried on dresses and veils and asked my closest girlfriends to stand by my side as bridesmaids in my upcoming wedding. Because my girls mean the world to me, I put in a lot of effort to create gift boxes to ask them to be in my wedding. They LOVED them!
All in all, this week of firsts taught me that you’re not really living until you move out of your comfort zone. I did and i’ve never felt better!
