Mama Dee's Blog

A while back I created a video on ways one can move to America. I also shared a lot of links on the video description to help you access information on how you can move to America. With green card lottery opened, everyone, regardless of race, income or gender, has an opportunity to apply for free for a chance to win a United States green card. A green card allows one to work legally in the United States and work towards citizenship if they so choose. It means you become a permanent resident of the United States. For my family this was a five year process which was very costly to my husband's company. It does not have to be costly for you and your family. Once you get it, if you are lucky, then you can sponsor your family to move to the United States, again, no obligation, just an option. I'm sharing this information to empower everything with information about the green card lottery system. It is up to a person to take advantage of the available lottery through state....

I don't go to church but I love the saying: the devil is a liar. Basically it means, one will not be deterred in pursuing their passions regardless of what others around them do; at least that is my interpretation. The devil, a.k.a. haters, gets a bad reputation but we need the devil to push forward. So, thank the devil for the success you are hopefully enjoying! I know the irony of my above statements, but think about it: would you be as determined if you did not have obstacles in your life? Maybe, maybe not! Our character shows when we are faced with adversity and not when everything is going smoothly in our lives. But without those tests (obstacles) you would never develop resistance, tenacity and the strength you need to see yourself through. So, despite our hate of the devil, it is a necessary ingredient to our success, at least most of us. Let me illustrate with an example. Can you build muscles without resistance training? I guess if you use steroids I don't know b...

We saw so many snakes the other day when we were hiking at Eno River, North Carolina. Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa I never saw many snakes, I can't even remember seeing one in Cape Town. North Carolina, on the other hand, has a lot of snakes compared to Cape Town. Here is a disclamer: I can't stand snakes, the fact that you'll never hear them coming is what scares me the most about them. Seeing these snakes reminded me of my childhood and I thought I should share my recollections growing up in South Africa. In the Eastern Cape, a largely rural part of South Africa, where I lived until the age of six I saw two snakes. I saw a black one, similar to the one in the linked video and one similar to a copperhead which is also in the linked video. I was walking with my Grandma from my Mom's house in the village when a snake crossed our foot path. My Grandma, without hesitation, beat it with her walking stick and cut it into pieces and we continued with our walk...

This blog is for those who will be visiting South Africa with minors. Beware! South Africa has very strict laws for minors traveling into South Africa without both parents. A minor is anyone 17 and under. I experienced this first hand in my last trip to South Africa where we traveled ahead of our daughter who is an adult and our son who is a minor. My daughter was traveling with my son to South Africa via Paris. They boarded the plane in the USA and arrived in Paris. When they were checking in  for their flight to Cape Town, they were told they could not fly into South Africa without written permission from both parents and a birth certificate. Mind, I'm South African- American (dual citizen) and my kids are too and we are already in South Africa. It took a miracle to let my son in. I documented the experience in my  vlog . So, if your minor child is traveling into AND out of South Africa with or without both parents, you need the following An  affidavit  ...

When I found out I was pregnant at sixteen I was in a hospital and had just woken up from a train accident I had two days before. I could not believe that I was pregnant; I was in total shock. Looking back now I did not spend even an ounce of energy thinking about how bad my situation was and how hard life was about to become for me; I thought about how I could make this work. Having grown up in abject poverty and apartheid era violence, surviving was ingrained in me and the total sum of my experiences had prepared me for the moment. I knew that I had to dig deep in me to find the strength to realize my goals. At sixteen, I was not ready to be a mother and finding out I was pregnant could have derailed my life. Instead of letting the situation take me off my path, I did what I've always done with any situation: I took the lessons I could use and moved forward. Before I found out I was pregnant I was a member of the Student Representative Council in our school, a member of ...

Hi All, I thought since I just came back from Cape Town, South Africa, and I was born and raised there I would do my best to give you a list of good restaurants in and around Cape Town area. Bear in mind that Cape Town is a melting pot of cultures therefore very few restaurants sell authentic South African foods. Also, South Africa as a country is very westernized with a heavy South Asia influences in its cuisines.But, having said all of that, you can still find restaurants that sell authentic South African foods. Though the food is not that much different than your typical American or western foods, you will find that South African foods taste so much better because because of the aforementioned Asian influences. Also, South Africans about taste more than looks when it comes to food. We use lots of natural ingredients when cooking. Stews, curries and vegetables are very popular. Fish is sold as both fast food and as gourmet. You can also find a lot of your fast food you are alread...

For our 20th wedding anniversary we visited Cancun, Mexico! We wanted to mark our 20th anniversary in a special way. It was our first time in Mexico and we wanted a romantic getaway and we decided on Secrets Silversands Riviera Maya resort. Secret Silversands is an all inclusive resort in that the price you pay for the stay includes food and drinks. Everything thing is freely available except where you need a service that can only be provided by human. For instance when we wanted to go sailing, we had to pay. But we could have taken the boat ourselves but since we were not experienced we paid for help. We went in July so it was a bit too hot but we were determined to have fun and oh what fun we had. I documented the whole stay. We were there for 5 nights and 6 days. Don't count the 6th day cause you are checking out. Depending on how early you get there, the first day is also not a full day. About The Resort Facilities The resort is absolutely stunning and has PLENTY of...