My First Campaign Song!

Writing often seems to be some form of therapy for me. Sometimes I write to let go of the things that want to stain my soul. The letters form words to bleach out all emotions and thoughts swirling inside me. I've always been like that! 😂 Something a childhood friend of mine keeps reminding me of when he mentions my doodling habit.😕 Somehow, all those childhood years spent doodling had become practice for me to build something different! Something a bit out of the ordinary for a young Surinamese woman who grew up in Paramaribo. I had a different upbringing, and must admit that I was a bit spoiled as a kid. 😂😂

 My favorite hobby was reading and sniffing out a computer! From a young age, I'd dive into encyclopedias and take an interest in technology.

 It was a hobby my father invested in and encouraged.😄At a young age, I became the free IT girl for his company. I'll admit it, I was the biggest geek in kindergarten. As the oldest among my siblings, I spent many years playing alone. I like to think that's why I discovered my inner voice at a young age. I had a very vivid and curious imagination for a kid.😂😅 No wonder my peers labeled me as a weirdo. I was born in a smart family that did all kinds of cool things in society. 

In Suriname, it's no secret that I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My father is an entrepreneur, my grandfather was one, and my great-grandfather and so on. It runs in the family, according to my aunt. 

 I like to believe she's right on the genes part. Growing up, I never intended to go into entrepreneurship. Because frankly, I knew it was way too much work! My father owns a famous catering company in Suriname. From a young age, he dragged me into the handling of running a company.😂 Don't joke with the Chinese discipline we brown people inherited.😅Because as I grew up and built more friendships, I discovered this is the one thing I have in common with my Chinese peers. 😤 My Chinese friends can tell you a million horror stories of how they had to learn the hard way in stores run by their parents.😭😂 Although I have a Chinese family name, I don't feel like I belong to any ethnic group.

 But technically, I belong to all of them.😂😂 I think my father will be the last Lieuw from this family branch to speak Hawka. It's a Chinese dialect our ancestors brought from Hong Kong to Suriname. From what I've been told, my great-great-great-grandfather arrived in Suriname and fell in love with my great-grandmother. It's a love story from a few centuries ago. 😂 My great-great-grandmother was also a mixed baby. She was partly Native Indian, Jewish, Chinese, and we even have ancestors who arrived in Suriname as slaves and were r**ped by plantation owners. Later, their children would have their freedom bought by the plantation masters. 

( I have cool uncles who like to research and teach us stuff from a young age.)

 Gasp, I could write a separate book about my family tree!  Anyway, my Chinese ancestor was so madly in love with this mixed Surinamese woman that he was disregarded by his family for marrying and having kids with my great-grandmother.  Great-Granpa Lieuw's taste passed down through the generations, and the result, ladies and gentlemen, is a mutant like me!😂

I confuse the heck out of people when it comes to guessing my ethnicity! Now let's start the launch of my first campaign song on my blog, with the story of this one question I hate, that everyone always asks me!😑

Whenever someone asked me, " What are you?" referring to their curiosity about my ethnicity, as a kid, I'd answer that I'm a Surinamese person. My parents taught me many things in life. But they didn't teach me what race was. Something that seemed irrelevant when you come from a family as mixed as mine.😐 So the more I grew up, the more I became shocked to discover that there are many people out there who think in terms of race. 

💔 A heartbreaking reality for a young idealist. Growing up in Suriname, life has brought me on a wild journey!

Sometimes it feels like no matter how many words I could spit out in a day, I couldn't begin to explain this journey of mine! All I do know is that I've crawled through many battles, and after each failure, I seem to rise like a phoenix. A trait I recognize in many of my fellow Surinamese citizens! No matter what daily struggles we seem to face, we have to rise above them to make it to tomorrow! 

I kicked off my campaign late, and like to joke that I'm the turtle in the race. 😂But maybe that's because I am Sharona, a writer, a blogger, and so much more. That's something I think people forget when they judge me in politics. I hate being placed in boxes! Because I can simply not be one thing. 

God didn't fuel me with this much passion to create and to build, just for me to be limited by labels. 

So, imagine my disappointment when instead of arguing and discussing ideas to bring this country forward, people throw racial slurs at you. 

😎 I never take hate personally, because I understand that everyone is going through their own pain, trauma, and journey. I don't know what made you close your perspective. 😟 All I can do is give unconditional love, with the hope that one day you'll do better. Because when you're doing better, the country does better. That seems to be my entire philosophy in this new political journey that unexpectedly landed on my path. 💚

At the end of the day, people are so busy judging that they won't understand that politics isn't my priority. Each time I appear in the foreground in my country, I amn't shy about mentioning my introverted nature or my aversion to the spotlight. 

But life had other plans for me; that's why it had to drag me through tragedy! The things I've been through, made me relate even more to the frustrations of my fellow citizens. I might not always have the time to do the things I want, but that never means I'll stop trying.  When this new adventure presented itself on my path, I saw it as a learning opportunity, and maybe if the rest of the country agrees, it can be a chance to lead the way for my people. To show them that we can be different and build great things in this world, if we set aside our differences, petty behaviors, and prejudgmental glasses. Instead, let's look at what steps we can take to make our dream come true for Suriname! I'm not doing this for myself! The steps on this new road are inspired by people who love, support, and understand me. The people who dare to dream of a better future. 

One time, someone told me that " Everyone can have dreams, but not everyone can make them come true!". A shocking answer I took to heart! Since I heard those words, I decided to be the opposite as a leader. I wanted to encourage people to dream and escape their nightmares! Because sometimes the best inventions start with a dream.  As always, it's been fun catching up with my Story Time friends. I hope you enjoy my first campaign song and understand my message. 💚 So if you see my name pop-up less in your notification emails, fear not! I am still here, journeying through a new chapter of my life. 

😁 Although if I am honest, I am having a bit too much fun with the presumptions people have of me, as usual.😂 My song is called Sharona For The People and reflects my passion, empathy, and love for those I encounter on my journey.