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The tree of life is a common idea of cultures throughout the whole . It represents at times the
source of life ,a force that connect the cycle of life and death and it symbolizes the aspects of
growth ,the integrity and ability to withstand the worst obstacles that awaits us. As( Endre
2014 )said that “ I am to argue how the tree of life symbolism can be an impressive reflection of
any individual's development and evolution”. Stay with me as I intend to show you how my life
journey has been ,starting from my child to adulthood and all the factors that influenced me to
being the person I am today .

MY BACKGROUND

I am a 29 year old female born and breed in Kwazulu -Natal in a small town called Harding that
is located in the Umuziwabantu municipality under Ugu district which governs the whole of
KwaZulu Natal . Hence I’ve said I’m from Kwazulu-Natal . I’m from the Zulu clan called
AmaZulu which is one of the most prominent, influential and largest ethnic group in South
Africa. We speak Isizulu as our mother tongue and we believe in our ancestors, those who
occupied this land before us. We perform certain ceremonies when a maiden reaches certain
stages in life and we burn incense which we call impepho and we say our praises to call upon
the spiritual ones to come forward and guide us. In KZN young maidens are taught from a young
age that they have attend the virginity inspection session every Saturday morning before the sun
rises. It is a way our mothers teach us to stay well mannered as in our community believes that a
virgin is a pure child with a noble soul and we’re also taught about how to dress appropriately as
wearing pants and shortt skirts are forbidden in our community.
My Christianity and beliefs.

At home we are Christians we believe in God uNkulunkulu who is above the interacting in day
to day human life but hence I’ve said we also do acknowledge our ancestor by slaughtering
goats ,cows ,chickens and burning essence to perform certain ceremonies for them. We also do a
ritual called umhlantshelo meaning a sacrifice for God. Our clan is all about instilling
respect ,generosity and humanity known as Ubuntu as we believe it and enhances one’s morals
and his or her prestige in our community .We are family of three my grandmother, my mother
and I and we have no male figure at home. Growing up in a household with no male figure
taught me that I had to learn both masculine and feminine work hence my grandma was selling
fruits and veggies at our local rank and I was still in senior phase and my mother was a cleaner at
our nearby hospital .As (Isabella 1826) said “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a
day .Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.

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 Personal and education journey
Whenever I returned from school I had to do all the house chores and also have time to do my
school work .In my family we were taught to never cry because those surrounding us are going
laugh at us ,every time I cried my grandma will tell me to go and cry outside. Growing up being
told that I have be strong and not be submissive to anyone made me feel like I am all alone and I
have to be strong and not show my emotions and I actually got to realize that as one might think
the forest is dark united group of tree. ,you’d actually be surprised that as you come closer you
realize that each tree is standing its ground.
The obstacles I came across.
When I started doing my matric my only grandma passed away. She was the foundation upon
which my life was built and I genuinely believed in her ,she was a very strong trunk .It is indeed
true that when season change a tree loses some of its branches and leaves. Our family tree was
no longer the same. It became winter for me and my mom instantly and we both became
dormant. We no longer have the purpose to keep on sprouting hence the sunlight was gone. My
marks dropped drastically and I almost failed my matric. The only dream I ever had was to
become a doctor but I did not meet the requirements for medicine on my final year matric
statement. As I was coming from a dis-privileged town there were no upgrading projects so I
had to live with what . I wanted to come to Durban but as poor as I was told I was I knew I
wasn’t going to survive in the urban areas.

Growing up in rural areas made it laborious for me to pursue my dream. I only had one option,
to be educated. I started school at the age of three and finished my trick at the age of 20. Just as
the tree requires sunlight and water to grow and blossom I believes I also need education to train
my brain to think critically and evaluate diverse perspectives cultures and ideas.
My community and society
The society I grew in believed that that how a person dresses, talks, eats, works it all conveys a
message to those who don’t know them. Your physical appearance speaks for you. I also grew up
with that mentality but hence I’m an empathetic person I also believed that a person wears what
makes them feel comfortable. Yes the society I grew in have shaped my self concept and my
self perception. They’ve given me the rules to follows and morals to maintain . It was a
judgmental community and it did make me feel a bit insecure about myself as I started to
question how I dressed, how I talked, how I walked and how I behaved around others. Whenever
I was around people I would always wonder if I did portray a good image for myself or not, I
was never free.
I did not apply to any university for two years and I was just staying at home with my matric
certificate. I started dating hence my mom had left home for the streets , I felt unwanted and I

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seeked attention. I started having unprotected sex and I never cared until I fell pregnant. As
(Lamberti 2021) said “An apple doesn’t fall far from a tree ”I also had a baby at home and
unmarried just like my mom. A tree blooms at the sight of sunlight and I started having a better
version for myself after I gave birth. I raised my child and I took my mother to rehab .My mother
when she returned I left her with my child and went to look for a job. I looked for a job hence I
had to feed the family and because I was taught all the kind of work ,I took any job I was given
and I earned money and applied to the DUT university.

I told myself I have to live up for the time I have wasted when I was still undecided on what I
wanted to become in life but hence the branches of a tree all reach out in various directions they
are all in a mission to reach the sky. I may have not became a doctor in life but I am one in heart.

As I am able to help those who came after me about certain decisions. As I always say that
making a bad decision is better than not making one at all.
My aspirations and desired and achievements.
I made it out of that community ,I made it to university and I’m still going to make it in life .I
believe through self introspection and self reflection I have learnt about my inner self
strength ,my passion and my weaknesses. I have been encouraged by my daughter to embark on
my part of self discovery and I’m exploring my own true potentials. I am one’s trunk,one’s
foundation and one’s hope. Just like my grandma was to me. I will navigate those big ships and
boats as a captain as I will also navigate my own life. A burnt child will never go near fire again.
The tree of life is all about reminding us about how impermanent and fragile life is so we have to
make every minute

I think giving birth at a young age motivated me because after I bought a soul to earth I felt
important to someone, my baby. Her life, health and everything relied on me . I felt like my
grandmother’s spirit entered me when I gave birth to her and I felt like her trunk. I am proud
about how I stayed true to myself, how I managed to manage time between my schoolwork and
housework.. I never procrastinated any of work I knew I have to get it all done. I am also proud
of how I processed pain. And waited until I healed ,how I took my teenage pregnancy as a
motivation in life and how I took responsibility for my actions.
In my society females are underprivileged than men. In my society every females worth is her
virginity or being marriage off to a wealthy man, not what she has achieved in life whilst a man
is a man because of what he had he has achieved in life but as (Herny 1888) said that “each day

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is a branch of the tree laden heavily with fruit, if we lie down lazily we may starve to death But if
we shake the tree branches some of the fruit might fall for us”

As I look back on my life journey I am filled with a sense of gratitude and pride. I have
overcame obstacles and achieved goals that I once thought were out of reach I am excited for the
future and the new challenges and adventures are made to experience life is a journey and I’m
grateful for every step along the way.

REFERENCE LIST
1. Anne Isabella , 28th of August 1826 from the journal called The Religious Intelligence
2. BJ Lemberti ,25 August 2021 from a book called The apple doesn’t fall far from a tree.
3. Herny Wadsworth 1888 from Journals and letters of H.W Longfellow.