I write as Nina.
Since I believe that author credentials are an important criteria for selecting a how-to / personal growth / self-help book, I think it is important that you have some background information about me…
I grew up in Apartheid South Africa and came of age just as it crumbled. Nelson Mandela was released from prison the day before I started university in 1990 and he took office as the country’s first president a little before I graduated in 1994. I was married to a Latin American for 19 years with whom I have two lovely bicultural daughters who self-identify as Latina.
The travel bug bit me as a child when my grandmother would send me postcards from her annual international trip and bring me iconic cultural gifts from far flung places. Meeting new people and exploring other cultures via friends, travel, books, movies, music, folklore, food, and language energises me. I speak English, Afrikaans, Spanish and Portuguese, with a smattering of words from various other languages. I have travelled, worked and lived widely in the Americas with homes at different times in Canada, Honduras, Mexico and Colombia. My current home is Cape Town, South Africa and I have also travelled and worked a fair amount in Africa. Europe and Asia have seen considerably less of me and I have never been in Oceania. You can count stamps to 27 countries and counting in my passports over the years.
Speaking of years, if I were a cricketer and batting I would be crowing for reaching half a century! Unlike a cricketer, I hope that I am caught out or bowled before reaching a 100, especially if I were to need serious medical attention to complete the next run.
I claim a guilty feminist persona that has emerged through working to heal my childhood traumas; mothering two daughters; my work as a humanitarian, development practitioner and educator; and freeing myself from a stifling marriage. My educational background is in commerce, economics, conflict transformation / peace studies, and adult education.
There are tensions to navigate because the Anglican Church is my religious home and the Mennonites have deeply influenced my theology. In addition, I appreciate other faith traditions too and find a lot of spiritual nutrition there, in particular how Judaism, Sufism, Buddhism and Mythologies of all kinds connect with my own faith tradition.
As someone interested in how-to etc., you would probably like to know:
- my top 12 Clifton Strengths fall neatly into all four domains (3 in each) making me a balanced person.
- that on the Enneagram I am a four with a very strong five wing
- that the Myers Briggs Type Indicator Test pegs me as an INFP
However, some experts like Karla McLaren are of the opinion that these classifications can only go so far because we are all unique, complex beings. The danger is that we get pigeon-holed by others or we limit our own potential and insight by pigeon-holing ourselves. Everything is a double-edged sword! Or this is the Yin and the Yan of things!
I believe in continuously growing into the person our current situation challenges us to become. As such, I read many books that speak to whatever is happening in my life at the time. It may also be because “Input” is my top Clifton Strength! I share some of those books with you here…
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