About Me
Hi, my name is Jamila. I am a mum to two kind, considerate, sporty, humorous and strong teenagers and a wife to a husband who is constantly on the go. No joke, he literally is always on the move!!!
So as you guessed it?!!!!… I am a STAY AT HOME MUM!!! However, let us divulge back into my past to give you an idea of who I am. From 1975 (year zero for me) to the age of 12 I grew up in a restaurant/cafe in Limehouse, London’s East End. A very turbulent, smokey, vibrant and multicultural area at the time, which had an immense influence on my life in various ways. The sailors of the old East India Docks would discuss their escapades with colourful language and trust me, no words were barred! It was the infusion of culture, the battle with racial tension, the interaction with a wide spectrum of people with various languages, which built the foundations of who I am today.
At the age of 12 my father decided to uproot us all to beautiful Bromley, Kent. If you look past the main shopping street, Bromley really is stunning to this day. It is in Bromley where I developed friendships that are gladded in stone. Through the power of modern technology today, these friends still support me no matter where I am in the world!!!
The intoxicating hustle and bustle of London never left me and I returned back to the East End to study at the University of London. I believe everything happens for a reason in life. Destiny had plans for me and I formed a beautiful friendship with a quietly spoken, intelligent, and cheeky man called Carsten. I guess you know what’s coming? Well, after having a highflying career stint in a major investment bank, my heart followed him in September 2001 all the way to a little wine village outside Frankfurt, Germany!
On Jan 11th 2002, I was rushed by ambulance into an intensive care unit on the outskirts of Frankfurt. I was diagnosed with pancreatitis, usually associated with alcoholism. Even to this day, I have never drank alcohol in my life, although people have playfully tried to persuade me. The enzymes produced by my pancreas were eating away at the organ instead of flowing into the stomach. I spent 15 days in the intensive care unit, swinging helplessly between the state of consciousness and unconsciousness. 12 tubes inserted into various parts of my body were providing the fluids and numbing pain relief I needed. The medical staff decided that it was imperative that after intensive care, I should be assigned to an isolated ward for 10 weeks. I was weaned back onto food, which consisted of vegetable stock, morning, noon and night for at least a month and I learned how to walk again!! It really was touch and go for me then. You may ask why I disclose this event openly? It is the incident that changed my perspective on life FOREVER and EVER!!! I learned to value life, to displace trivial issues with positivity but importantly to fight for my happiness.
Carsten and I MARRIED in 2003 and I continued working in Investment Banking in Frankfurt till our first born came along in 2004. Long working days on the Eurex stock exchange with a small child at home was not an option. My whole family are based in England and a lack of adequate child care made my decision clear. I wanted my child to be brought up bilingual, something had to give and that was my career. Do I regret it? Not at all, not for one moment. In 2006, my little girl came along and we became a family of four, not so usual in my culture, as bigger is better. My last child birth caused complications that kind of ended the big family dream. Despite oscillating on the wave of puberty at present, our cup is overflowing with love and appreciation for our children. I adore communicating in English or even Denglish (combination of German and English) with my family and for them to converse in my colloquial language really makes me smile inside. It is amazing that we understand each other as communication is vital in life!!! The COVID-19 has demonstrated the value and importance of human connection to an optimal level.
I did reroute my career path to a part time role. However, in 2014, my girl fell seriously ill. Hopping from hospital wards, clinics and doctor’s, I decided to concentrate solely on getting my daughter back on her feet. So after months of tests, they finally realised that her breathing difficulties were caused by an acute case of toxoplasmosis and sinus problems. Unfortunately, my husband was assigned away on projects, which meant he would only be home at the weekends. Balancing everything was a nightmare, but we came through. My kids are now all healthy, up on their feet and living the teenage years to the full!!! Thankfully!!!!!
At a young age, both children developed an energetic enthusiasm for tennis, which submerged my husband and me into an unknown world. Our endeavours of introducing alternative sports like football and basketball didn’t prevail with our offsprings. I am a mum to two active tennis players, who practice usually 3 times a week for a total of six hours with additional strength training. So I’ve added the new role as head of logistics, taxi driver, mental coach, psychiatrist and physiotherapist to my resume. The tennis environment has exposed us to some amazing people. I never imagined that they would take my family into their lives and build profound solid friendship walls around us all.
So there you have it…. me in a nutshell. Well, if you are wondering what I look like, the picture should help, but I am 1,60m and a curvy size 12/14 (If that is important for one’s imagination?). In life we need to connect daily with each other, through sadness, happiness, laughter and smiles. The lockdown situation that we are all experiencing during the pandemic highlights our need for intimacy, interaction and communication. Cotton Wishes is a blog that I hope brings the journey of our lives together to show that we are all strong in our unique way. Cotton is a natural, pure, organic compound which is extremely versatile, just like us! Our wishes pass daily through our minds and sometimes we write these hopes and dreams on paper. Cotton paper is highly durable and strong material and in this light, we should not forget our own strength in achieving our goals in life. I hope you enjoy my blog. I really have no clue where this will all lead to, as I am entering into unmarked territory. I just want to share the challenges and beauty that we face. Hopefully, bringing everything together like the old film ” The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. I really would love to receive your feedback and hear the true life experiences that you have have changed your lives! So write to me on my contact details.
In a new era after COVID-19, let us connect and share.
Yours
Jamila Keller
Cotton Wishes
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