Ep 176: Embracing Multicultural Education and Culinary Discoveries ft Paula Sima

Raphael Harry [00:00:00]:
Hi, everyone. Rafael Harry here, and you're listening to white label American, a podcast where we hear stories from an immigrant or 2, sometimes more. Thank you for listening and enjoy the show. Welcome to a special episode today. I have one of the most special people in podcasting that I greatly admire. And that's today's guest. And I hope you'll enjoy this person. She's, always fun to talk to.

Raphael Harry [00:00:45]:
And we met last year at, the 5th Afros and Audios Podcasting Festival, and it's it it was just it was explosives right from the moment we met. We just just started exploding. And so from this episode, I believe you'll you'll see that we'll travel to a bunch of continents. We'll travel to different countries, and you'll see how different cultures have, combined to create such an explosive and exciting and wonderful awesome person that we have in the studio virtually with us today. With that being said, I introduce one of the most amazing people you'll meet in, on this podcast, Paula Sima. How are you doing today, Paula?

Paula Sima [00:01:37]:
Hello. Hello. I am good, and I'm grateful to be here. And I just wanna say, we have this on record where Rafael is admitting and calling me not only favorite, but somebody who he admires and also amazing. So I just wanna say, this is truly a Sunday for y'all who, Rafael has some love hate relationship with y'all. Yeah. Maybe you should choose Sundays as a recording day because I think the holy ghost just came down on him because I've never gotten so much compliment in one cent in one go from Rafael in this few months that have no names.

Paula Sima [00:02:17]:
So I am grateful to me here, and I I can't believe this shit has been said about me right now.

Raphael Harry [00:02:25]:
Oh, man. I don't think it's because it's Sunday that we're having this interview. I'll blame the hot sun that hit me on the way here, but it's all good. But, yeah, with all honesty, you're an awesome person, and you're amazing to talk to. So it's never a dull moment anytime you and I have a conversation. So

Paula Sima [00:02:51]:
Even when we are even when we are butting heads

Raphael Harry [00:02:54]:
Oh, yeah.

Paula Sima [00:02:54]:
It's still such a fun way that I'm like, I really wanna kill him right now, but, oh, fucking god. I can't believe he sees a shit right now. It's it's it's the bitch show.

Raphael Harry [00:03:09]:
There are there are people

Paula Sima [00:03:10]:
who I I am glad we didn't grow up in the same household. That's all I'm gonna say. Because, boy, our parent our parents would have had, so we're just as to as kids together.

Raphael Harry [00:03:24]:
We probably would have taken over the country. Although, they would have had to pass a law saying, no. No. No. No. No. You can't have 2 kids like this. It's too it's too much.

Paula Sima [00:03:35]:
You have to give up one.

Raphael Harry [00:03:37]:
One child policy. Oh, man. But anyway, let's let's begin because the audience gonna be wondering who are these? Who who what is going on here? These people sound like they've known each other for 20 or 30 years.

Paula Sima [00:03:55]:
But And those are always the the best friendships when you know people for the shortest time. Mhmm. But the chemistry, like, it feels like I only met you last year in September. But it really feels like you've been in my life for the longest time because

Paula Sima [00:04:09]:
the process

Paula Sima [00:04:10]:
we connect and how we take each other's shit. So it's a blessing to have people like that in your life, and thank you for being part of mine.

Raphael Harry [00:04:18]:
Oh, yes. And thank yes. Thank you for being part of mine too. Yeah. It's a blessing, and trust me, Paula is somebody who I greatly appreciate. So, yeah, the people who have butted heads with, and it it gave me it increased my headaches. You know? Least long time listeners know I do get migraines as one of my issues that I deal with. And, yeah, I don't enjoy having that.

Raphael Harry [00:04:40]:
But, Paula never gives me migraines. It is just, it's if I disagree with any with Paula on anything, it's laughter that I'm getting. It's laughter, and I'm like, goddamn. This is the it's yeah. I'm just laughing.

Paula Sima [00:04:54]:
In short, I cure the migraines even though I've also experienced migraines, but I cure the migraines. But he but he adds on to my migraines. I do.

Paula Sima [00:05:04]:
Oh, no.

Raphael Harry [00:05:05]:
Here we go. Here we go.

Paula Sima [00:05:06]:
No. Here here's

Paula Sima [00:05:07]:
the thing. You know? I

Paula Sima [00:05:09]:
I feel a your cock, and then you take the shit out of this. So you No. No. No. Is that a it's canceled.

Raphael Harry [00:05:16]:
You know, but, my the meaning of Raphael or Raphael in Hebrew is healing of God. So it you know, my I'm I'm I have natural healing powers. You know, also with this eclipse that just

Paula Sima [00:05:30]:
You are healing doesn't mean that you don't add on to my my migraine. Well You heal it. That now You heal in my in my in my other places, but you still bring on the migraine.

Raphael Harry [00:05:41]:
No. Not. I've experienced a total eclipse for the first time ever in my life. I have the ability to heal people through the mic now. So receive your healing.

Paula Sima [00:05:51]:
Wait. I'm curious. You say for the first time, when were you 7 years ago or did the eclipse part where you was?

Raphael Harry [00:05:59]:
I I can't I cannot tell you. I I I've never explained

Paula Sima [00:06:02]:
You can't tell us where you were 7 years ago. That's Where? That that scary.

Raphael Harry [00:06:06]:
2020 happened, and I don't know what happened. There are sometimes I can't remember some things, some a lot of things I do remember, but I have never experienced an eclipse where I watched it. I have got the glasses, and I was able to witness. This was one of the most majestical things that I have witnessed, and I was glad I had the glasses. And my neighbor tried to give me his, solar, binoculars, and I couldn't see anything with that. But I got the glasses from library. I went there first in the morning. I was like, wow.

Raphael Harry [00:06:39]:
You see another good use of a library? So, my people in Africa are listening. That's another reason why you need functioning libraries. Government can fund your libraries. There's a there's a lot of things they're keeping from you, but we'll get to that another day. So yeah.

Paula Sima [00:06:55]:
So did you enjoy that with your family or just you when you

Paula Sima [00:06:58]:
just came up school or did you

Raphael Harry [00:07:00]:
my dear.

Paula Sima [00:07:02]:
No. Because there because because there's some people who I saw with their kids, some I didn't. So I don't know if some schools were giving them off, or was it parents just deciding, you know what? Today, my kid is not gonna go to school, so

Raphael Harry [00:07:13]:
I can't join you. My friend. Go to school. Yeah. Why the hell? I'm I'm a turn to a real African parent. Could you know how much you pay for? I got your butt to school. And come here and tell me. Hey.

Raphael Harry [00:07:24]:
There's more eclipse for you to see in your life. I ain't give you come on. Go to school. Right?

Paula Sima [00:07:31]:
No. No. That's strange, like, a like, a proper African pride because, you know, some parents would be like, oh my god. This is the first one I get to share with my child, like, on the emotional side. What are

Raphael Harry [00:07:41]:
we sharing that list for? Come on. Get out here. This is for me. It was from me. I was actually the other parent from my kid's school. They they they, they had access to their rooftop. They they live on a taller building. So I went there.

Raphael Harry [00:07:57]:
I was like, oh, man. You know, went up there. Oh, look at this. Wow. See the moon. And I I I didn't I didn't know how to use my phone to snap, to to take photos of the eclipse. I I didn't realize that I should have put my phone inside of the the solar glasses to take the photo. Because I've seen when I post photos afterwards, I was like, oh, how you guys get a good photo of the eclipse? They're like,

Paula Sima [00:08:19]:
oh, put Insane.

Paula Sima [00:08:20]:
I was

Raphael Harry [00:08:20]:
like, dang it up on mine on the outside. I was like, god. They all look like these village people. Man, next wait for a couple of years if I remember. But oh, well.

Paula Sima [00:08:30]:
Yeah. 10 2034. Yeah.

Raphael Harry [00:08:34]:
I ain't doing that again. Donnie, check my bucket list. It's out. I didn't get no spa powers. So, it's boring now.

Paula Sima [00:08:45]:
It was my second one, so, you know, it feels nice to know that I've experienced 2 eclipse.

Raphael Harry [00:08:50]:
Did it did it get dark in your city?

Paula Sima [00:08:54]:
Not really.

Raphael Harry [00:08:56]:
But did it get chilly when it got to, like, 90%?

Paula Sima [00:08:59]:
Oh, yeah. It did get chilly.

Raphael Harry [00:09:00]:
Yeah.

Paula Sima [00:09:01]:
It did get chilly, and, actually, we ended up right after the eclipse, we ended up getting a storm. So

Raphael Harry [00:09:10]:
Oh. Oh, wow. That's a Well, that's, yeah. We we we it wasn't that crazy where I was. Otherwise, I would have maybe I would have caught that power. Like, ah, finally. Hey. Slap somebody, man.

Paula Sima [00:09:22]:
We had a big, storm that broke the transformer, and, our entire neighborhood went dark That's

Raphael Harry [00:09:30]:
that's why that show that I saw you on where you were with those 4 guys, you were in darkness.

Paula Sima [00:09:34]:
I think you were she's saying, like, we lost power in the middle of me being live. Like Yeah. Yeah.

Paula Sima [00:09:41]:
You know,

Paula Sima [00:09:41]:
and I was there. And this was like, oh

Paula Sima [00:09:42]:
my god. Thank god. I actually wanted to

Paula Sima [00:09:42]:
throw my torch because I've had that torch for so long, but I've never actually used it.

Raphael Harry [00:09:49]:
Yeah. But I

Paula Sima [00:09:50]:
was like, let me just keep it in my bookshelf because because it's cute. I was like, it can be like some. And once the fire went, when the lights went, I was like, okay. I remember I have a torch over there, and that's why I was like, with a torch. But I came back in the morning, and I was like, oh, wow. For the entire night, it was out with

Paula Sima [00:10:09]:
the wind.

Paula Sima [00:10:10]:
And and and because I'm recording near the window, so I felt the wind, I felt the breeze, and I heard the and then darkness. I was like,

Raphael Harry [00:10:22]:
yeah, baby. Oh, so for for those who do not know where you are, where where where are you? Can you let the peep the public know? Or are the audience?

Paula Sima [00:10:30]:
Atlanta, Georgia.

Raphael Harry [00:10:31]:
Atlanta, Georgia.

Paula Sima [00:10:32]:
So Sandy Springs. Shout out to Sandy Springs.

Raphael Harry [00:10:35]:
So when when it gets when they feel a little wind, then it's like, oh my god. It's chilly. You know? So it's not at least we we up north. We we feel you know? We're not it's not really

Paula Sima [00:10:45]:
Yeah. Y'all y'all just had a heart quake. And I and I have New Yorkers. Right? There was an earthquake, and the next day, there were already t shirts. I survived the New

Paula Sima [00:10:54]:
York Times.

Raphael Harry [00:10:54]:
Not really. Next day. Within a few hours. It wasn't up to an hour. It was, like, 30 minutes, then I I saw somebody reposting earthquake for, I survived the earthquake t shirt. I was like, is this AI or real photo? No. I didn't even feel the earthquake. But my wife felt it and ran into the room and said, no.

Raphael Harry [00:11:12]:
I can't tell you what I was doing. I'll tell you offline. But my wife ran to the room and said, did you feel it? I said, feel what? Was it I mean, like, I feel myself, but I didn't feel it. But, you know, she's like, earthquake. I said, what? What? What are you talking about? Earthquake? She's like, it was an earthquake. So I then and then somebody texted me, like, do you feel it? And I texted my Egyptian boy, my Indian boy. And they're like, my Indian boy is like, I'm I was outside. I didn't feel anything.

Raphael Harry [00:11:37]:
And then my Egyptian boy is like, yeah. Earthquake, man. So I went online, and I said I see earthquake trending. I was like, oh, not the not the song. Not the artist. And, oh, there's people saying earthquake in Brooklyn, Queens, long, long, yeah, Long Island. And I was like, oh, okay. I guess it's real then.

Raphael Harry [00:11:56]:
And, I'm the only one who didn't I I was in the basement.

Paula Sima [00:12:00]:
So you didn't believe your wife until you went online and

Raphael Harry [00:12:04]:
No. I just had a check. You know? You know? Some people have, you know, it's it's the second time I've experienced earthquakes 3 times, and 2, I didn't feel it. One was in Nigeria, and I was

Paula Sima [00:12:20]:
Nigeria had a hard work?

Raphael Harry [00:12:21]:
Yeah. In, it was literally like the same like this New York one. Little well, I was it it felt little because I was downstairs, and my last house upstairs. And my last sister's go to weapon, blood of Jesus, as always. So I heard somebody screaming blood of Jesus multiple times, and, you know, I ran up. I mean, you know, snake in the house because, you know, we're in the Badon. You know, sometimes snake snake will crawl into the house. So, you know, guy, do I grab machete or I can't remember if I run with the machete or what.

Raphael Harry [00:12:53]:
Blow of Jesus. Blow of Jesus. And I'm like, what? What? What? What? You didn't feel it. Feel what? The whole room was shaking. Everything was like, oh, what was shaking? What? Nobody played me that. Yeah. I know you love Jesus so much. You don't even play actual pop music, which is the one who listens to regular popular music.

Raphael Harry [00:13:12]:
So what what what what is shaking? The house was shaking. No. It wasn't. And I started hearing people shouting on the streets. Go check outside. Oh my god. Yeah. Yeah.

Raphael Harry [00:13:23]:
Bamil. Bamil. Bamil. Bamil. Bamil. Bamil. Yeah. Yeah.

Raphael Harry [00:13:27]:
Your bible can be very dramatic. Some some would just fall down the street. If there was real earthquake, why are you lying down the street?

Paula Sima [00:13:34]:
You

Raphael Harry [00:13:37]:
know, I start I turn on the radio and like, from Lagos all the way to past, state up to, like, middle. People felt it in different cities. And, you know, for some reason, Nigeria's act like never happened. So I'm like, if it that's something that happened, if a real one were to come, that that could you to take out a lot of people. But it just shook. There was literally no damage, and I was like, I don't think that thing happened. That's what it felt like to me. And then this one happened in New York.

Raphael Harry [00:14:09]:
I didn't feel the deal. Only one I felt was when I was in, Dallas or at Fort Worth. And I woke up in the middle of the night. I just got out of the military, and I woke up from my sleep. I was used that's when I used to have nightmares. I think it was part of my PTSD, and I'll sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, But I'll I'll go back to sleep. But then I would think some I was my body was on fire or something. But I'll wake up.

Raphael Harry [00:14:39]:
This time, I knew my the bed was shaking. I was feeling vibrations. So I woke up, and I was like, what the hell is going on? And it seemed like when I woke up and paid attention, it stopped. So I was like, that's weird. What kind of dream was this? I looked around. Everything seemed to be in place. So I was like, okay. I will I'll go back to sleep.

Raphael Harry [00:14:58]:
And then the next day, I'm driving.

Paula Sima [00:14:59]:
Dream. You say dream.

Raphael Harry [00:15:02]:
Next day, I'm driving to work and then they're they're talking on the news that, oh, Dallas area experienced. Well, how what what point? What earthquake? I said, earthquake. That's what I experienced at night, and I went back to sleep. Oh my god. I feel safety. I feel my safety drill. I would have died if that was a real serious earthquake. Oh goodness.

Raphael Harry [00:15:21]:
I should have run to safety. Nuh-uh, man. That's when I was slapping myself. Like, what the hell is wrong with you? So, yeah, that's me and earthquakes. So but the good news is if I'm in your city, you don't get terrible earthquakes. That's just what I wanna let people know, even hurricanes. So keep me in your city. Pay me to even be in your city.

Raphael Harry [00:15:41]:
That's all I just wanted. No. Just pay me. You know? I'm not too expensive, but just pay me, and you'll be safe. Alright?

Paula Sima [00:15:50]:
If you know there's a earthquake, pain in a city, you won't feel an effect.

Raphael Harry [00:15:55]:
Hey. You see, I mean, no nobody died from New York 1. Right? See? That that literally saved lives. That's my superhero power. I I I save lives. You know? I don't I don't I'm not asking to be paid $1,000,000. We just no. 350 is okay.

Raphael Harry [00:16:10]:
350 k. That's not it's not too bad. Okay. I'll I'll round it up to 300 k even. 50 k for tax. That's fine. You know? I like to pay my tax. You know? But, anyway, let's begin with you.

Raphael Harry [00:16:23]:
We've done enough of eclipse and earthquakes. So, I'll give the people extra bonus, you know. But if you want to hear more, there's a lot more we did over 30 minutes on Patreon. You you would trust me. You want to hear what myself and Paula talked about. We've talked about, you know, how Paula started a church and all that, you know, all the money she made from our church days. Wanna find out. The video is there on Patreon.

Raphael Harry [00:16:45]:
So, Paula, can you introduce the audience to where you were born and what your childhood was like? And we'll come to your name after that.

Paula Sima [00:16:56]:
So I shouldn't start with my name?

Raphael Harry [00:17:01]:
No. Tell them where you were

Paula Sima [00:17:02]:
born

Raphael Harry [00:17:03]:
first.

Paula Sima [00:17:04]:
I was born in Tanzania. That's in East Africa. And, I was there from when I was born until I believe I was I cannot remember the age, but it was 2,000 and 2,002 when I left, and I was born in 89. So y'all can calculate. I I suck a month. I was born in June 29, 1989, and I left Tanzania in 2002, December. And I the family made the decision for me to for our kids to follow me and my brother, to follow my mom in UK was going to do her further education with ACCA because she was an accountant in a government hospital in Tanzania. So she wanted to file if you're an accountant, you know how ACCA is important.

Paula Sima [00:18:00]:
So

Raphael Harry [00:18:00]:
Yeah.

Paula Sima [00:18:01]:
So she was going to study ACCA. My dad was a lawyer who traveled a lot, so he couldn't stay home with us. So we had to call my mom, and we moved to UK. And then after UK, I moved to Malaysia Malaysia, South of France, Dubai, and America. So Alright. I know my child.

Paula Sima [00:18:24]:
Hold hold it. Hold it.

Raphael Harry [00:18:24]:
Hold it there. Hold it there. Where where in Tanzania were you born? What city?

Paula Sima [00:18:30]:
Dar es Salaam.

Raphael Harry [00:18:31]:
Dar es Salaam. That's his I just love that name, Dar es Salaam. So so it's one of the unique names of a city in Africa. Like, when you hear that capitals, like Abuja, sounds simple, Pretoria.

Paula Sima [00:18:44]:
But kinda but it's funny because the SM is the main city, but our capital is in Dodoma.

Raphael Harry [00:18:50]:
Oh, in Dodoma. Yeah. I like in the dorma. That's you see, he pushed us. It's also

Paula Sima [00:18:55]:
They don't

Raphael Harry [00:18:55]:
want It's not serious. It's like in the dorma.

Paula Sima [00:18:58]:
Like, you know,

Raphael Harry [00:18:58]:
we're gonna mess with you. Don't mess in the dorma. So, do do do do they have a rivalry?

Paula Sima [00:19:08]:
When you say rivalry, what do you mean?

Raphael Harry [00:19:10]:
Like, you know, like like, you know, like, let's say, like, in 9 Nigeria. Like, Abuja people, like, look count. Like, you know, we are Abuja. We get we get that.

Paula Sima [00:19:19]:
We get more

Raphael Harry [00:19:20]:
class than Lagos. Lagos. No.

Paula Sima [00:19:22]:
Lagos,

Raphael Harry [00:19:23]:
we we Lagos think they are they are they are the source. But, technically, Lagos were dirty compared to, like, Potaca. Potaca got more fresh.

Paula Sima [00:19:31]:
So we we don't have they don't have a rival with Dodoma. I think for some reason, everybody just respects Dodoma, and Dodoma people are very, like, normal. And I've been to Dodoma when I was a young girl with my late grandfather who I was his favorite grandchild. Yes. I say this.

Raphael Harry [00:19:48]:
Oh, are you just telling us that one for the sake of it?

Paula Sima [00:19:51]:
Oh, no. I was. And, my my brother after him

Paula Sima [00:19:57]:
Mhmm.

Paula Sima [00:19:58]:
But I was the favorite, and I actually watched him die. Like, I was among the last people who saw him die. So it was very traumatic for me, but I I I was his favorite. And everybody will tell you that, like, they they hate to agree, but it is the the truth. So I don't know if my mom was my my my grandfather's favorite child. That's why I ended up becoming because even my brother was his name wasn't his favorite, and he Oh. He had he got named after him. So that must say something, but, the last memory I have of me being in the dormer was when I went with him, and I was we had, got I I think it was cows.

Paula Sima [00:20:41]:
Yes. Not cows. And I was chasing the cows back inside. You know, how you let them out, and then in the evening, you have to take them back in. But, this has rivalry with Arusha. Ah. So Arusha Arusha is the, the reason is so I'd over when people say, what what is something that's like, it's overplayed. Like, the Islam, yes.

Paula Sima [00:21:10]:
It's the main city, whatever. But Arusha has the luxuries that the Islam is, but doesn't have but the Islam is the main city. Arusha is really when you go to Arusha, certain places you go to, you even forget you're in Tanzania. Right. You know? Yeah. And and also, they have different weathers. They have the cold season where people actually have to wear jackets and cold sweaters and boots, and they have the hot season. There is something 24 hot or rainy.

Paula Sima [00:21:45]:
You know? So Arusha is but then Arusha people have very thick accent that doesn't wear that. There is some people have, like, a smooth accent. Like, when they speak English, it's small. But when the Aarushi speak English, you can tell the accent, like, you know

Paula Sima [00:22:03]:
what I mean? So they

Paula Sima [00:22:04]:
always have those live ways. And to get the best weed in Tanzania, you have to be in Arusha. Arusha has the the mines. You know? Arusha has Mount Kimanjaro. Yeah. But Mount Kumanjaro is is in Arusha. Arusha has so that's why it also has all these amazing hospitality and the tourism and hospitality because we have Mount Kymayaro. We have the mines where the Tanzanites come from.

Paula Sima [00:22:31]:
We have still a lot of people go to Arusha before they come to to the or even if you wanna, go to the wildlife Mhmm. It's easier to drop by the Arusha airport and drive to Serengeti and Mount Klima. Oh, you know, and compared to coming to Nga. So Nga is really known for the nightlife and the hassle, but Arusha has the nightlife, the hustle, and the 5 star, and, it just sucks in the accent. But so the rivals are always between Arusha and Dae Surang.

Raphael Harry [00:23:04]:
Alright. That's that's good to know. That's good to know. So if, if let let's say if if I if I if I take over Africa, you know, as the grand supreme ruler, I need to take a wife from Tanzania, then I'll I'll have to go take from Arusha. That's what you're saying.

Paula Sima [00:23:29]:
No. The men in Arusha are much better. The women in there are much better. So

Raphael Harry [00:23:34]:
I should take from that. Okay.

Paula Sima [00:23:37]:
But but the good life, don't live in that. Build and live in a ocean and just go to that for weekends and shit.

Raphael Harry [00:23:45]:
Okay. And and as as as the full younger. But I'm I still collect, I mean, Simba fans can join my Patreon too. You're still welcome to join my Patreon. You know?

Paula Sima [00:23:55]:
Oh, so younger. I'm Tim Youngers. All my younger people, I don't know. He just called out Simba, but he's dressed in green right now, and he's looking younger. He's green. I'm yellow, so I'm

Raphael Harry [00:24:07]:
I'm I'm I'm too younger.

Paula Sima [00:24:09]:
The colors.

Raphael Harry [00:24:13]:
So, can you also introduce us to the meaning of your names and if there's a story behind you coming to bear those names.

Paula Sima [00:24:25]:
This is, interesting and fun. So, my brother got named by my my mom's side. So my mom named my brother under, my his his dad's. So my grandfather was called Patrick, and my brother is called Patrick. So he got the name of my grandfather. So when he came to me, it was I was named on my on my dad on my mom's on on my dad's side. Sorry. So I was born on June 29, and, my grandmother is Catholic.

Paula Sima [00:25:00]:
Like, she has gone to Italy and met the pope and done like that. She's literally the full on Catholic woman who lives on Catholic beliefs. Yeah. So when I when I got born, in in Catholic, it's Saint Paul's day, which is June 29. So my grandma was like, she's getting named Paula. I don't care what y'all say. Her name is Paula because it's Saint Paul's Day. Paul Paula.

Paula Sima [00:25:29]:
Hey. But then and then when you go and look at the meaning of the name, it means little, small, energetic, fun, other and I'm like, it it really was meant to be me because I'm literally small. Yeah. So it's kind of sense. But then also the middle name, which is Sima, in in Tanzania, I'm I'm not gonna say all African because I don't know other African countries how they do it. But in Tanzania, you get your first name with your parents name you, and then you get the middle name, which is always the tribe of your father. Mhmm. Because we follow our father.

Paula Sima [00:26:15]:
So whatever tribe your father comes from, we have, I believe, 53, 52, 53 tribes in Tanzania. So whatever tribe he comes from, they choose a name that becomes your middle name, or sometimes it will be your father's name that you use as your middle name. And then the last name is always your father's last name. So I used to go by Paula Sima Ramona, then, eventually, I went I started going by Paula. Sima is my tribe name, which I'm gonna share a bit. And then, which is my dad's name, and then, which is my dad's family name. So Paula Sima, and then I kept on shutting it now, and now I don't wanna kinda use my last name. That's why I started going by Paula Sima.

Paula Sima [00:27:00]:
Yeah. Taking out that because I'm getting into creative, and I I don't want my last name to be kinda involved in the bush that I am throwing because my family is also in the government. So I I kinda wanna take that out the way I'm standing on me. But, so in my dad's culture, is kinda, like, clever, and then they give you depending on each tribe level, it goes Simakoku, Simabantu, Simasampling, Simasampling, Simara. But, I I I feel like they already knew with my energy that I would hate being called Sima something. And when I had people in their names and started knowing the meaning, I was so thankful they didn't. So they just gave me Sima. They didn't add anything else, which I appreciate.

Paula Sima [00:27:56]:
So I'm just Paula Sima. The Sima just stands for clever. And, like, my brother is called. That's his, tribe name, which means, like, like, crazy people. Like, he he used to be a stubborn boy. He would just break shit. Like, they'll be, like, yo, Toivo is coming. Hide the shit.

Paula Sima [00:28:22]:
Because it will just be like, you know those kids who are on medication, and they just go wild? Mhmm. So toivo was that my dad is named, means sweetheart because my young Alvin is really the sweetheart. So they all have their meaning. And for some reason, they it's like they sense the type of child you will be. Because when you hear people's names and what they mean, you're like, how do y'all know that's how it's gonna turn?

Raphael Harry [00:28:51]:
I I I was gonna ask if there was a soothsayer there after when you were born.

Paula Sima [00:28:56]:
I've I've never found out. Maybe I I I feel like because I still god bless. I still have my grandmother, my only living grand grandparent.

Paula Sima [00:29:06]:
Mhmm.

Paula Sima [00:29:06]:
And that's my grandmother on my dad's side, who does the, culture we are in, like, the naming. Yeah. And she and she's gonna turn 96 this year. Oh, man. So maybe I need

Raphael Harry [00:29:21]:
to Just, the not not actually interfere for the podcast. Just record get a recording. Just talk to her,

Paula Sima [00:29:28]:
record her.

Paula Sima [00:29:29]:
Still having different conversations.

Paula Sima [00:29:31]:
Every time

Raphael Harry [00:29:31]:
I recording. Record them.

Paula Sima [00:29:33]:
And then when she's gone, I can compile them. Like Yeah. Every time I talk to her, ask her one question. It doesn't need to be a recording session, but just Yeah. But I need to start doing that because I'm still blessed that she's still around. And these questions are what she can answer. So might make the most of it while she's here. So

Raphael Harry [00:29:51]:
That's right. That's right. Because yeah. Because it's amazing, the the wealth of information that they have. And if you can access it, please do. Please do it.

Paula Sima [00:30:01]:
And I've never and I've never been to my village. Right? And this is the funny thing. Right? Or my dad said the village is close to Uganda, and I went to school I went to boarding school in Uganda for 2 years. And and and the language Uganda speak, and my dad side of the family that they speak, they kinda interject. Like, they can understand each other.

Paula Sima [00:30:23]:
Okay.

Paula Sima [00:30:24]:
Because it's right there. But I've never been, but it's also closer to Moshi, which is part of Arusha and a different culture. So my dad right now is married to a woman who's half from Moshi

Raphael Harry [00:30:39]:
Uh-huh.

Paula Sima [00:30:40]:
Half from Uganda. The dad is a Moshi, which is Tanzanian, and the mom is in Uganda, but the kind that she have border. And so, last week, I was speaking to her, and she's like, oh, sorry. I wasn't responding to your messages. We were in Bukoba. We just got back. I was like, do you know that you have been to my village more times than I have ever been? Because my dad is going, in our village, we are known for the, coffee beans and everything. So my dad is going coffee beans there, and then I'm like, I feel like my dad should just leave that in the in in his will for you because you guys, they are more than any of us.

Paula Sima [00:31:17]:
You would know everything. Like, Rachel, when I go to Tanzania, she will need if if my, god forbid, but, you know, like, but if I go home and my dad is no longer there, she'll be the one showing me. She's not even She's literally half Tomsen in Africa, but she'll be the one showing me my village.

Raphael Harry [00:31:34]:
Wow. That's the beauty of the intertribal marriages that we we a lot of us have and shows how interconnected we are as as a people. You know? And why it's gonna keep family history alive and, hey. You know, write all these things down. We can have a family tree. You know? Connect all these connections.

Paula Sima [00:31:57]:
Gone gone are the days when people used to get to do family trees. Right? I feel like

Raphael Harry [00:32:03]:
I I try to keep that alive in my but, a lot of people

Paula Sima [00:32:07]:
get I want in my house. I want in my house, like, in my child's room and this is when I buy a house. I'm not gonna do it in an apartment or anything. But when I buy a house, in my child's room will be, actually, tree from me, like, from when my dad to me my dad and my mom to me to how we intertwine until her, and then she can continue it from her. And then in the sitting room, I feel like friendship trees should also matter. You know? Where it's a friendship tree where the more people who start coming to bless your home, they're those people who are just passed by us, you know? Yeah. They come one time because of an event. They go, but there are those people who watch over your kids when you're in the hospital.

Paula Sima [00:32:57]:
Those who everybody at you, they're there from clean up. All them from from preparing to cleanup. Or they might be late, but they stick around to cleanup. Yeah. Like, those who really end up becoming family where they also join and you kinda continue going. So that's the vision I have for my house, and I'm gonna instead of putting art on the wall or anything, we're actually gonna have, like, a whole tree of flowing with pictures of those moment, like, when I knew, like, this this was it.

Raphael Harry [00:33:28]:
That's a great idea. I've never thought of the friendship tree. After a family tree, I've always wanted to have something showing because I I know, like, for my family, there's a lot of

Paula Sima [00:33:44]:
Mhmm.

Raphael Harry [00:33:45]:
Interconnectivity that we take for granted because, you know, that was I don't know if you watched when I was on Afros on audio, last year, for the black history month when Talib interviewed me. So I sent that to my family, because I mentioned we have Ghanaian. We are mixed with Ghanaians. You know, my family our family some of the response I got from. We are 100%. I joke. We're not I'm like, what? 100%. What do you mean 100%.

Raphael Harry [00:34:15]:
And then, you know, I interviewed my mom recently. I haven't released that to the public. Well, I've technically it's I made that free on my Patreon, like, public can access it, but I would still release it as a, free to air pop, episode.

Paula Sima [00:34:30]:
Mother's day.

Raphael Harry [00:34:31]:
Yeah. That that's coming up. But I normally do a mother's day panel too, so we'll we'll see. I'll I'll try and record do that too. But, you know, the stuff she talked about on the episode, and I'm like, yeah. So all the attacks I was getting for the Afros and not doing it for like, we are 100% this. I'm like, it's not 100. Who's 100%? I know family members who I can just point to, like, yeah.

Raphael Harry [00:34:57]:
This is not 1 this one is not 100%. That's not 100%. But, yeah, everybody wants to claim 100%. What is, like, at least 100%. It's not a criminal offense to not be 100%. But, you know, I'd said I would do the, DNA test just to see what it will show me, and they were freaking out. Like, what do you mean you wanna do DNA test? Why you wanna do DNA test?

Paula Sima [00:35:18]:
Right. If you if you're sure 100%, why are you scared about me doing that?

Raphael Harry [00:35:25]:
I said I want to just see who I'm connected to as in tribes and what regions it will show. That's where I was coming from. People say freaking out. I'm like, goddamn. I was like, I it's only a joke. I mean, you know, I've said it on podcast before. I wanted to always go on more issue just to say, you know, it was it's not we do a lot of satire on this podcast. Okay? I don't know why I put on get it, but y'all y'all should get it by now.

Raphael Harry [00:35:51]:
Alright? Except Murray wants to pay me, then, yes, I'll come on the show. Alright. I'm doing DNA test, but it doesn't do the DNA that I wanna do. So, I was gonna ask you about your favorite childhood memory. So you had mentioned hanging out with your grandfather, chasing cows, which is, which sounded like a lot of fun, but I used to be scared of cows. Anytime, the walk around with their cows through the cities, and I run into them. Yeah. The idea is to get me scared.

Raphael Harry [00:36:26]:
I ain't gonna lie. Now I can admit it. Back then, it was like, man, I ain't scared of that, but, yeah. You take a cow's on cross, but it used to be an opportunity for us to, you know, as a teenager, you feel like you was look for you see woman who was scared of, ah, I see cows. Then, like, ma'am, do you want me to help you cross the street? And the woman the woman who wrap wrap ourself around your body. Like, I got a woman touching me. We were I'm scared of

Paula Sima [00:36:50]:
My my

Raphael Harry [00:36:51]:
I'm scared to death.

Paula Sima [00:36:53]:
My experience was not My my my experience my

Raphael Harry [00:36:55]:
experience was not

Paula Sima [00:36:55]:
as as exciting as yours.

Raphael Harry [00:36:57]:
Oh, no. But, you know, I'm scared to death. Like, if this car turn around here, I'm I'll probably pass out. Well, if you see my photo of my teenage self, I was mad skiing. But my my, my cousin who were were pretty close then, he was he was bigger. So he would be like, claim my I'll carry on my back. And he was he was the one getting all the all the loving back then. I was like, god dang this dude.

Raphael Harry [00:37:25]:
He is way bigger than me, taller than me. When I get all the girls, sometimes these guys are gonna be grumbling, they're kinda like, like, oh, thank you. You're such a you're such a brave guy. Like, brave fire. Let a mouse pop out here. You see this guy running away for his life. He was scared of mouse. He was the opposite.

Raphael Harry [00:37:48]:
If he sees mouse, he'd be running. He's like the elephants in old cartoons when they see a mice, get he he just do it wrong for his life. But he sees a cow, and he he's all big and bold in front of the cow. And, man, get out of your muscles. I'm like, that that mean, you know? So yeah. So was that your favorite childhood memory hanging out with your grandfather or you have, a a separate memory from that you consider your favorite?

Paula Sima [00:38:15]:
I I I

Paula Sima [00:38:16]:
actually have separate. That one, I remembered it because we were talking about the dormer, and, that was the only one time I've actually been to the dormer. That was it. I've never been to the dormer anymore. But, I wanna share of my favorite childhood memories. One will be the first one will be, so my grandfather, god rest his soul, he was such an humble, amazing person, and he used to have a Pepsi. So every night, the house where my my mom grew up on, and they used to have a big house, then they had, like, a bar. They had a bar where it sold alcohol, and then later on, they added a kitchen.

Paula Sima [00:39:06]:
But every time it so my mom ran the bar, so most of the nights would be at my grandparent's house, but also the other. My grandparents had 13 kids. 9 from staying woman and the marriage, and then we were outside. But, so we would go to to his play to to to the place. And after school because my mom would they would pick us up from school, and then we'll be hanging there while they run the the bar. And we would literally be waiting for my grandpa. And as soon as we hear the gate, we would run near the gate and shout, grandpa is home. And it would it we would walk we would let the car go in and would be behind the car.

Paula Sima [00:39:58]:
You know, I'll get cheering and everything. It go in, would be waiting outside his bedroom door waiting for him to change. It would change, and then it would take we would take out the chairs outside to the, to the it wasn't a balcony. It was a patio, the entire outside. He would take chairs for him and his wife. He would tell people upfront, give my grandkids soda. Because when he entered, we're shouting, Babu, soda. Soda means, drink you know, like soda.

Raphael Harry [00:40:33]:
Yeah. Soft drinks.

Paula Sima [00:40:34]:
So babu soda. So we're all getting drinks. Him and his wife are getting beer. And, we'll sit down while they're sitting on the chairs, and they'll share stories and just tell us stories and stories. And, of course, I was the hyper child, so I learned how to drink beer for my grandfather. But at least the other kids will fall asleep in the middle or anything but fall asleep awake. So my grandfather will be like, here, drink this, and I'll be gulping it. And then next thing I know, I passed out.

Paula Sima [00:41:06]:
And my mom would always complain to him, you're getting my daughter's, and he's like, your daughter needs to run out to go to bed by a certain time because all these other kids are going to bed, and she's still awake. Oh, no. 1. And the second one would also always be, every Christmas and New Year, when my my grandfather was alive, He didn't care what you got going on. On Christmas, all his kids, including their partners and their kids, will go to church, our church. After church, we'll go back to his place and eat. The the parents will be eating over there, and then the kids, you know, they give you that one big plate. We used to call it in.

Paula Sima [00:41:54]:
Mhmm. Like, one big plate where they put the rice and the meat and everything, and 6, 7 kids are sitting around and eating together instead of each kid having a plate.

Raphael Harry [00:42:05]:
Oh, so Senegalese Senegalese do that too?

Paula Sima [00:42:08]:
Yes. So Christmas, New Year, we would always be at his place. And then as we started going older, we became in the teenagers. Right? And my grandfather used to the area I used to live, across the street was one of the biggest entertainment halls. So all the concerts would happen there. So it would go bigger when we're being teased. Right? And we grew up with cousins love. So we would stay there.

Paula Sima [00:42:34]:
We would be like, You all need to be until midnight on New Year's. We see him, Happy New Year's. Then they give us money. We go to the con concerts together like us. And we'd all just walk because we're all cousins. We'd walk, we'd play, we'd watch the concert, come back home. But then when he died, everybody kind of started doing their own shit because he was the only one who would be able to be like, you gotta be here. Even my dad who didn't like my mom's family, loved my grandmother, and he will show up for him.

Paula Sima [00:43:04]:
And then once he was gone, that tradition ended, it was it was such a moment that every and Christmas and new year was a must, but on Sundays, because we all went to the same church, on Sundays sometimes some Sundays people have different plans. So some Sundays would all after Shachi was always to grant for us to eat unless no plans they call. They have a birthday party they need to attend to or anything, but most Sundays would be to him. And then the last one will be my my parents when they were still married, they had these 5 couples who they were also married. One didn't have kids, most of them had. Where every Sunday, we would go to, a place called Ruby's Farm. You'd pay a fee which included, food, and then drinks is unpaid. And it was just like a garden, and they had all these meats, like, Kenyan carnival.

Paula Sima [00:43:59]:
If you've ever been to Kenyan carnival, where they're just all different meats, and they have the goat on the wire, and they have pork on this side, chicken on this side. So the amount you enter to pay is eat as much as you can, and then alcohol is as you pay. Okay. So, the kids would have their play area. And the owner of that place was my dad's friend, and he had a, he was a white guy, was married to a black woman, they have a cute ass half cast kid. He was my crush.

Raphael Harry [00:44:28]:
So I

Paula Sima [00:44:29]:
was always going there.

Raphael Harry [00:44:30]:
Say half cast?

Paula Sima [00:44:32]:
Yeah. Before before the mix thing, it was half cast. Like

Raphael Harry [00:44:38]:
There was a Ghanaian laughing at me when I'm said that on the podcast. He he wrote to me. He was laughing at me.

Paula Sima [00:44:43]:
She say half house cast. House cast. Like, you're a house cast.

Raphael Harry [00:44:46]:
That that that's that's what we used to say in Nigeria. Like, he was laughing at me that, oh, your kid, you don't be calling your kid half cast. I said, oh, boy. It's like

Paula Sima [00:44:55]:
You are. I I

Raphael Harry [00:44:55]:
was like, if

Paula Sima [00:44:56]:
you want to know that

Paula Sima [00:44:58]:
So we

Paula Sima [00:44:58]:
go there. So we go there. We would eat, and the parents would drink, and we would play. And then even some new years, if we weren't traveling, we'd all meet at the hotel near there. We would spend time together. So those are the memories, and I think that's why I became such a I became such a people person. Mhmm. Because we were in that selfish family that just went to know all the days alone.

Paula Sima [00:45:21]:
Yeah. Like, we were always surrounded by family love, whether it was family we chose or family that was given to us. My grandfather made sure that no matter what, I don't care if you guys are fighting or arguing on Christmas, you're gonna be here. You're gonna eat. You're gonna drink, and you're gonna enjoy. And that's it.

Raphael Harry [00:45:41]:
That's a great point that you brought up. You know? I may not have thought about it all this time. You know? I used to spend a lot of holidays by myself for some time until, came into my life, and then, spend a couple with our family, and then, I started, you know, being like, yeah. Well, if it's Thanksgiving. I spend sometimes we spend with some friends. I'm like, why why why don't we cook and invite people over? Come, you know, hang out with us, Charlie friends who don't have family in the city. Like, what are you doing? Yeah. Come come come chill with us.

Raphael Harry [00:46:19]:
Come hang out. We'll be your family. And come come hang out with us. And, way back when we have been in Sydney, was when I grew into pre teens and became a teenager. On Christmas day, well, the big holidays, we're since we're we're considered Catholic Christians too. People came to our house and family on my mom's, my mom was a senior civil servant. So, subordinates from work will come with their families, you know, like, it's I don't know how they did it, but it seemed like these people knew when this group had visited and that group would just show up. It was like on they start doing timer.

Raphael Harry [00:47:03]:
One group goes on that group will show up. One group goes on that group will show up. And there was no cell phones, nothing, but they knew when to leave. Next group shows up. Family, like that. And, sometimes we'll go visit people too. And, after my mom left for the states, moved to the states, 93 to 94, those kind of things stopped. And then sometimes we're the ones going to visit other people, and then I'll move to go see other family members.

Raphael Harry [00:47:33]:
And the dynamic kind of changed. But one thing never changed. Like, the Muslims who were neighbors, you go visit Muslims will actually bring food to you, which was something I wasn't used to. Muslims will bring food to you for their holidays, and then you still go to their house, so we'll be double dipping. And that's one thing I miss about Muslim holidays because they'll bring, like, I remember when I was in Ibadan, and there was one of our Muslim neighbors. They were like the richest neighbors.

Paula Sima [00:48:00]:
Oh my god. Like, it was it was last week and I was

Raphael Harry [00:48:03]:
last week, and I was like, man, it's one thing I don't enjoy here because Muslims, yeah, no no shade on them, but you you all don't treat. You all don't bring food to me. I miss that, man. Because I see him by in a bad on him. Well, I had a crush on one of my richest neighbors. I think it was a sister or daughter, kind of, which one she was. But, okay, I'm not gonna get out. Like, is today the day? Whoo.

Raphael Harry [00:48:25]:
She came to look for me. I saw she had one of these big breakable China bowls. I was like, what's going on? She's like, oh, this is for you guys. Happy whichever holiday. Well, happy sala. I was like, sala? Oh, yes. For you guys, for your house. I was like, oh, to my cousin, like, it's a good food for us.

Raphael Harry [00:48:44]:
He said, yes. It's a Muslim holiday. I said, what? Wow. It's the first time I've lived in a neighborhood with Muslims. Wow. This is great. And he's like, yo. Let's go to the house again.

Raphael Harry [00:48:52]:
I said, you mean we should go to the house? Yeah. So let's go to the house. We'll get more food. I said, oh. He went to the house and there was food. So, yeah, they they say, oh, because we're giving you food, you can't come to our house and eat again. So I was like, dang. It's different because Christian holiday, I'm used to everybody come to my house to come eat.

Raphael Harry [00:49:12]:
I didn't know that you you could take food to other people's houses. I give it to them, and then they say, hey. Come to my house and eat. So that that changed the game for me. And in, we had a Muslim neighborhood. He did the safety. So dude brought food to our house, and then by 5 o'clock, we're in his house again. Like, yeah.

Raphael Harry [00:49:28]:
Yeah. Hi. How you doing, man? Well, we brought the empty bowl that he gave us. This is empty. We cleaned it for you too. So you still serving food? You said, you guys wanna eat? Yeah. Okay. Sit down.

Raphael Harry [00:49:39]:
Damn.

Paula Sima [00:49:40]:
Not to a clean for you.

Raphael Harry [00:49:45]:
It was something else then, man. But, that that was fun with the holidays back there. So, yeah, when when I arrived in America, I was like, oh, Muslim holiday coming up. Well, I know I know a couple of Muslim guys, yeah, in the on base. So, yeah, why why you guys doing killed around? I was like, kill what around? I said, where the Muslim boys hang out out? Where the Muslim families? Like, you guys gonna kill a ram or a sheep or what? What is going on?

Paula Sima [00:50:07]:
Same thing. Muslims in UK are different because when it's they are more in UK or not. But it in UK, it's a lot more fun if you are around Muslim people than in America.

Raphael Harry [00:50:22]:
That's why I need to book in. Not that okay. Not not that not that. No. Okay. So now let's dive to the UK. So you live, when you first left Tanzania, your first country that you moved to was, the UK. Right?

Paula Sima [00:50:37]:
Yes.

Raphael Harry [00:50:37]:
So what what what was that? Was there a culture shock or yeah. Was it was there any surprise for you when you first arrived there?

Paula Sima [00:50:46]:
So, not really because from from my young like, even when I still lived in Tanzania and I went to school in Uganda, I traveled a lot. Like, every one day my dad Also,

Paula Sima [00:51:00]:
he moved out

Raphael Harry [00:51:00]:
of the country early on.

Paula Sima [00:51:02]:
Yeah. My my dad would make sure we went to, for Christmas. We went to UK a lot because my mom's favorite brother was there. Mhmm. And, we went to Switzerland a lot. So by the time they made the decision to move to UK, we had already done, like, a few 4 Christmases in UK. But it was different from living there to visiting. Right?

Raphael Harry [00:51:28]:
Yes.

Paula Sima [00:51:28]:
When you visit, you know, you're only here for people. So I learned how to braid my own hair because of how much expensive it was to get, your hair braided compared to when you come from Africa. Mhmm. Yep. Every Sunday you're in the salon. Like, going to the salon is, like, one of the cheapest shit to do in Tanzania. Like, every Sunday you're in the salon, and you get the full treatment. Like, wash my hair.

Paula Sima [00:51:55]:
My hair when when you move to UK, you have to decide. Okay. I will wash from home and and drive from home, and then they can kinda just oil it and massage and plate because that's what I cannot afford. Mhmm. So, that was the biggest shock, how much hair I was. And that's when I learned to, like I need to love myself in different phases. That's why I cut my hair. Sometimes I have braids.

Paula Sima [00:52:19]:
Like, that started from UK knowing that I'm always not gonna have £200 just to look my fucking hair.

Raphael Harry [00:52:25]:
Oh, yeah. This this is why I get mad at, my younger self because, you know, my older style all I all I remember was one day, I was playing with one of my neighbors. Typical boys played. I was shooting, doing cowboy and tea for kicking ball and Rafa, come here. Come here. Come here. Put your hand in Vaseline and, start applying it to my hair, make twist. I said, that's how I was being taught how to make twist.

Raphael Harry [00:52:59]:
And and I was like, that's how I was just like, every time. It was like, she gonna try to teach me how to make it. I'm like, every time. If I if I if I do a playback in my mind, all all I see my face doing was,

Paula Sima [00:53:13]:
You should you you could have made a lot of money in UK.

Raphael Harry [00:53:16]:
Fast forward to, like, almost 15 years later, I'm in Port Harcourt, and there's one street during Christmas time. It's booked, but you will see boyfriends with their girlfriends. One day, it's like 1 if you're a boyfriend or you have a girlfriend, you have to go towards Christmastime. Go spend one day on that street, and you just see boyfriends is the damn, man. Don't don't know. Girlfriend dragged me here. And that's how you know you got a girlfriend. Just dragged me here for the Christmas hairstyle.

Raphael Harry [00:53:42]:
You're gonna spend the whole day there for that Christmas hairstyle. And one day, I was there, and I saw there's 2, 3 guys there, and they got women lined up for hairstyle. I mean, but how how about you hairstyle? And then it was, like, 15,000. Probably now it's, like, over a 100,000 with when naira has collapsed. And I was like, dude, you mean that's how much you make hairstyle?

Paula Sima [00:54:05]:
Goddamn.

Raphael Harry [00:54:06]:
Man, I wish I know how to do this. So maybe I would pay money. Oh, god. Then let me go and learn how to do this thing. All I thought I was frowning. I was like, man. And I come to America. I'm like, man.

Raphael Harry [00:54:18]:
Look at this this money. These guys are making for for hair. I'm like, oh, man. Yeah. No. No. I have a daughter. I'm like, damn.

Raphael Harry [00:54:24]:
That was I wish this this this one. Just wish out of me how to do it because I don't even have the patience, but it's it's fun. I try to watch some YouTube videos on how to get started.

Paula Sima [00:54:41]:
Yeah. Like, I I I can braid. Like, every braid you have seen, even when we met at Afros, I did those braids by myself

Raphael Harry [00:54:50]:
Wow.

Paula Sima [00:54:51]:
Before. So but then I don't do it for other people. I do not have the patience to for you to sit down for me to grade you. Like because I can do it for myself, like, even when I'm I I have my own time. I'd be like Uh-huh.

Paula Sima [00:55:04]:
If

Paula Sima [00:55:05]:
I wanna do it slow, I can do it in 2 days. Like, you know, play it and eat and watch a show and sleep. But then if it's if I'm on somebody else's time, it becomes a job. And to me, it was like, I don't I'm not passionate. I don't love it. I don't wanna do it as a job. But in my

Raphael Harry [00:55:22]:
opinion, I'm not fall into that category.

Paula Sima [00:55:25]:
Yeah. Because because somebody hit me up and said, Paula, I know you do braids and I can pay for you to take some classes to protect it if you want. And then, you can work at my studio. It's like, no. I'll get some other people because I know how to pull myself or not to pull a while. Like, I can't deal with people on this. This is not meant for to be, like, a moneymaker. This is just meant for me to save me money from paying other people when I want such a thing.

Paula Sima [00:55:56]:
To

Raphael Harry [00:55:56]:
but I think for my kid, though, I would have I think I might still force myself to get into it just for the kid because I'm about to start

Paula Sima [00:56:03]:
Oh, yeah.

Paula Sima [00:56:03]:
You because you have a father. You have a daughter. You know, you should.

Raphael Harry [00:56:07]:
Yeah. Yeah. But, I mean, the kid kids, that's a whole different level of patience doing it on a kid too because like, that's that's a young But

Paula Sima [00:56:15]:
it's also it's also a very different way of bonding with your child. Yeah. Yeah.

Raphael Harry [00:56:19]:
Yeah. We we bond on that. We already bonded. It's okay. We don't know. That's younger me. But anyway, I ain't got too much time left. So let let's jump on to other things.

Raphael Harry [00:56:28]:
So from the UK well, why didn't you stay in the UK? Why did you decide to move on from the UK?

Paula Sima [00:56:35]:
At that time, I didn't know that was what depression was, but I was just exhausted of the weather. Like, it was always dark. It was always rainy. It was always cold. Even the summer was, like, for probably 2 months tops because with the rain and the coldness, like, I was just not happy. And in the beginning, I was continue.

Paula Sima [00:56:59]:
Where where

Raphael Harry [00:56:59]:
in the UK were you living in?

Paula Sima [00:57:02]:
I was living in London. I was actually, in East Tam Okay. Where, we lived across from the West Ham stadium, and it's funny because the West Ham stadium was on East Ham. Oh, wow. Wow. Yeah.

Paula Sima [00:57:19]:
Wow.

Paula Sima [00:57:19]:
But, I just couldn't, and I thought maybe I just didn't like going to school or doing what I was doing. So I asked my dad if I could take a gap year to figure that out, and I took a gap year. And he gave me a deadline. He was like, reach out to me by this day and and have a plan. But I reached out to my dad way before my deadline because I knew exactly what I wanted to do, then I knew that I wasn't staying in UK. Like, in that gap year, I went to live in Manchester. Like, I tried different areas. I went to Scotland.

Paula Sima [00:57:52]:
I went different areas to see. Maybe it was a London thing. Maybe, you know, but I walked. I did this. I did this, and I just realized that UK wasn't for me. It wasn't just land that UK wasn't for me.

Raphael Harry [00:58:07]:
Yeah. Because I was about to say Scotland is, even more rain than UK.

Paula Sima [00:58:12]:
Oh, yeah.

Paula Sima [00:58:12]:
I went to Scotland. I went to Birmingham with filled with blood. I went, like, I I I went to different areas just to see, like, if you're complaining about London, maybe it's not UK. Maybe it's just London. Right? So let me go see these other places, and none of them gave me the feeling that So I was like, nope. And that's when I was like, I actually wanted to go to Australia, but I knew my dad would say no, and he did say no. So I opted to Malaysia, and that's when I moved to Malaysia.

Raphael Harry [00:58:50]:
And that's an interesting choice, Malaysia.

Paula Sima [00:58:55]:
Well, I knew my dad would say yes because Malaysia is cheap. Imagine coming from paying pounds in a school going to paying, you know, in Malaysia. Like, I literally lived in a 3 bedroom apartment, like, the 3 bedroom apartment, which has one with a bathroom to share and one with a bathroom and whatever. And then it has a sitting room, a dining room, and a kitchen. And that's $500 a month.

Raphael Harry [00:59:24]:
Wow. So

Paula Sima [00:59:25]:
and that's for one person. You can either decide that, or you can also get roommates. And how much do you pay? Almost $150 a month each person or something. Mhmm. So groceries was cheap. Apple was cheap because it was a Islamic country. Yeah. Weed was good and affordable, but the parents didn't know that.

Paula Sima [00:59:47]:
Even school was cheap. So this is a father who was paying law school in London in pounds. My one year of London paid for almost my 3 years in Malaysia.

Raphael Harry [01:00:03]:
So you ended up in Malaysia, and how how did that was that a whole different vibe culture? You know, it's a different culture. How did that go work with you? How did that, you know, how did that vibe, you know, work for your personality and everything for you?

Paula Sima [01:00:25]:
Surprisingly, I I I fitted in right well. Like, because Malaysia for most people who know Malaysia is mixed with, Indian culture. There's a lot of Indian. There's a lot of, Chinese, Malay themselves, and then, the most of the Asian is, Thailand and but but it's really Indian and Malaysia. And when I was in Tanzania from nursery school, I finished my high my grade school was in an Indian school, so I was already accustomed to Indian culture. Right?

Raphael Harry [01:01:08]:
Yes.

Paula Sima [01:01:09]:
But I was not a foodie. But because I went, one of the shocking part was I was like, fuck. Because I did alpha here in UK and everything, but Malaysia had to with diploma. I had to do 1 year diploma. I had to do 2 years degree. I mean, 2 years 1 year certificate, 2 years diploma, 2 years degree because they didn't accept the grades that I I had. So that was the most painful thing. But it's surprising how because I did one year

Paula Sima [01:01:39]:
of certificate, which was in hospitality. So I got to

Paula Sima [01:01:40]:
do all the certificate, which was in hospitality. So I got to do all the hospitality shit. I did 2 years, diploma in, tourism. So, I did in the certificate of hospitality, I did the kitchen stuff, the serving stuff, and everything. In the tourism, I did, like, an agent booking, planning a trip, selling the trip, bringing people along the trip, and being a tour guide on the trip, and bringing all this full on part, which was half class, half practical. So it was amazing. And then the the last part of the degree, I went to the event side. So we had to plan an event and do all these things, go to events, network, and everything.

Paula Sima [01:02:27]:
So it was more about me, and it really put me outside of my I was a picky eater. Still, it got me to go eat because I was in hospitality where and I actually did my my dissertation on gastronomy because of the different food. Malaysia has a lot of street food. Tanzania, we have a lot of street food. But I wanted to compare the difference of street food in Asia and Africa and Tanzania.

Raphael Harry [01:02:55]:
Okay.

Paula Sima [01:02:55]:
But, Malaysia, you can get food even for a and even McDonald's and everything delivered 247. Like, the the food every time I go back home like,

Raphael Harry [01:03:05]:
in Bahrain when I was in Bahrain. Yeah.

Paula Sima [01:03:08]:
Yeah. And then every time I go back home because I didn't know how to drive, and I have to wake up my dad at 3 AM. That amount, let's go get spitful. My manager just make a call. You can get they do fresh orange juice, and they deliver it. They they squeeze the fresh orange juice, and they put it in a paper bag with ice and tight and a straw on top, like, nothing fancy. Wow. But it was the most amaze anytime you have a hangover, that's the most amazing orange juice to cure your hangover.

Paula Sima [01:03:38]:
I tried Nigerian food in Malaysia because Nigerians were kinda taking over in the

Raphael Harry [01:03:43]:
Yeah. There's been a lot of Nigerians there.

Paula Sima [01:03:46]:
Oh, yeah. They've even populated. There are so many Nigerian Malay's, available these days. But I tried Nigerian pulling from there because I started knowing people who own restaurants, so I wouldn't pay for the food. And every time I would go, I'd try something different until I realized a goosey and shaki meat is my favorite shit ever. K. And They

Raphael Harry [01:04:08]:
got you. That means they really got you.

Paula Sima [01:04:10]:
I need shaki meat, bruh. Like, the shaki like, because it reminds me of we have this super com called utumbo. You guys call it shaki. We call it utumbo because it's the intestines. Right? It's it's just but it's it was really my my time in Malaysia was really a growth on loving food and loving culture and experiencing different cultures, because Malaysia provided me different cultures. We traveled to, Cambodia to Singapore because we were in a tourism school. And that's why even I got to be in in South of France, we got newer city newer certificates because our university was under University of Toulouse. Okay.

Paula Sima [01:04:59]:
So for the last for the last the last semester, you have to go to France. You have to present in French towards the French lectures. You have to do all that and just live in France and experience college in France, and that's how you graduate. You have to do that. For the ones who are in in law school, they had Reading University. They they got to do 1 year. We got to do 1 semester. For the ones who are in business, Rwanda, Australian University.

Paula Sima [01:05:27]:
Mhmm. So we've got dual dual citizenship I mean, dual certificates. I'm also a graduate of, Toulouse University as well.

Raphael Harry [01:05:36]:
Hey. That's nice.

Paula Sima [01:05:37]:
But, But

Raphael Harry [01:05:38]:
that that sounds like an experience that man, I wish I wish I wish I had an experience like that because

Paula Sima [01:05:44]:
I And that's why I'm so grateful to

Paula Sima [01:05:47]:
my dad.

Paula Sima [01:05:47]:
I'm like, I am grateful I got to move countries and live his life. And that's why I want to make sure that I give my child the same thing. And my dad told me, you should not have a child unless you're ready to give them what I gave you or more, but it shouldn't be less. Mhmm. And I'm like, but, dad, I'm just gonna bring them to you. He's like, uh-uh. I wanna enjoy being a grandfather. That's your job.

Paula Sima [01:06:12]:
I did my part. I made sure you got all you needed. So make sure my grandchild gets that, and whatever they get from me is a bonus because I'm a grandfather. I'm like, okay.

Raphael Harry [01:06:25]:
I I think that that makes sense. That makes sense because, you know, grandparents already they provide a lot of bonuses to the to kids no matter who they are, no matter where they are.

Paula Sima [01:06:38]:
Oh, yeah. They just don't wanna be they don't wanna be parents and grandparents. They just

Raphael Harry [01:06:44]:
make a some who want to be. You know? There are some who want to be. Like good

Paula Sima [01:06:48]:
for you.

Raphael Harry [01:06:49]:
Hey. Good for them. But, just don't be crossing the respect of parents' boundaries. But, that's if there are but if you don't want to respect the boundaries, go buy a match and know what to do after you bite. But buy the match first. Don't buy a fake one. So, you know, we don't we don't have enough time to cover a lot of things that we'll love to cover. So we'll definitely bring you back for part 2 because we got a lot more to cover.

Raphael Harry [01:07:13]:
But that's a great place to pause right now. But we need to talk about, before I let you go, we need to cover one important thing, which I believe what you just told us about Malaysia, played a big role in what you are currently doing, which is talk shit with p. So please let the audience know about that and why it's important to you and why you're doing that.

Paula Sima [01:07:47]:
Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. And, you know, I will definitely come back anytime. Yes. I feel like, let's make it another Sunday because

Raphael Harry [01:07:58]:
It's it's up to you. You you pick the date. That's Sunday

Paula Sima [01:08:03]:
sandals look good on you, Rafael. Sandals well, talking with this started when I was battling my own depression during COVID, and somebody suggested me starting a podcast. And then I wanted it to be a safe space for people to share their their mental struggles and their creative journeys. So So would be we we are re rebranded, but before it started with mental health stories, so the past 2 seasons 3 are mentorial's journeys where you'll find an episode with my dad, with my mom, with my one less mom, with my sister, with my brother and his addiction. So those first few episodes were really about mental struggles, and then we rebranded for my belief season 4 where we wanted to go more into creative journeys and mental health because while you're building your I'm right now building my own brand and walking into this creative journey, and I see the struggles I have with my mental health and with the finances and with the some of us still have 9 to 5 or maybe we are losing them. It's just all figuring it out. Right? Yes. So we rebranded, and I and I wanted to to provide a place where those people out there would think that you need a certain account or you need to have certain knowledges or anything in order to build your brand, to know that the people you actually admire started with nothing.

Paula Sima [01:09:39]:
So maybe it can be an encouragement for you to start where you are and keep building as you're going, because we're all figuring it out as we go. Trust me. You from outside, it might look like we know what we're doing or we guys do shit and love, but we are learning. And that's why we love to be in communities, and we love to to go into each other's podcast and support each other because we are we are constantly learning from each other. So That's right. That that's the purpose of the stories, and now we have started shit happens. Well, it's also kinda a segment on the talk show would be where we acknowledge that shit happens, and sometimes you gotta take some days off. I haven't done a podcast on talk show with this since December, and they're still getting download.

Paula Sima [01:10:27]:
I stopped. Shit happens in end of March. Because sometimes shit happens. Real life, real world Yeah. Everything. And you gotta take do it to us by you know, while you're still figuring it out. And, you know, I also have say your shit, which is also a 9 AM segment on Tuesdays on my IG live where I share it's called say your shit where I'm reaching and saying my shit, what I'm doing that week or what I overcome the before. So it's really a 15 to 20 minute segment and, a wrap sheet with peace coming up.

Paula Sima [01:11:02]:
It's a consultation form where we talk about gifting and brand awareness. So if you ever think about, I want merchandise for my ship, but I don't know what to get. I'm the person or if you ever wanna gives for your celebrating a milestone, whether it's your episodes, numbers, or your birthday or anything, or just for somebody special and you don't know what to get them, we are here for you. We can start with that, and we sometimes even take you on the services. So reach out to me. I'm everywhere and everywhere. It's talk shit with me. Go listen.

Paula Sima [01:11:38]:
Go share. Go download. Go support.

Raphael Harry [01:11:42]:
That's right. Download support. Give her 5 stars. If you got spare change, throw it. If you got more change, support. If you got, hey. You know the, currencies that we, you know, accept, do the same thing for Paula because she deserves it. She's worthy of your time.

Raphael Harry [01:12:03]:
You learn great stuff. I don't I've been a mom. I've I'm on her show, and I'll be on her show more often than you think. So yeah. So, I can't thank you enough for being here. We'll definitely have you back again because, you'll be a real current guest. That's, that's a giving.

Paula Sima [01:12:20]:
So Anytime.

Raphael Harry [01:12:21]:
There's there's a lot more we didn't cover. We didn't cover music. We didn't cover

Paula Sima [01:12:24]:
because we both talk so much shit.

Raphael Harry [01:12:31]:
You already know that I have to run to catch another meeting today. So yeah. Otherwise, we'd have continued. So, before I let you go, finally, well, for today, I won't say finally, just for today.

Paula Sima [01:12:45]:
I'm just gonna say that the meeting is, you know, mister Hollywood.

Raphael Harry [01:12:49]:
Well well well well, the the audience don't need to know. They don't need to know that that that's for you. But we'll cut we won't let them let the audience know that. Only people watching video will know that. For final question before I let you go. What would you like to leave the audience with? It's your freestyle moment as far as we don't see anything that, will, yeah. I mean, freestyle moment, but, yeah, you don't need to as far as you don't see it, Trump is the guy who I need. Yeah.

Raphael Harry [01:13:19]:
I'm good.

Paula Sima [01:13:21]:
I can never say that. Yeah. Today today evening on a Sunday, I want your, because Rafael did an amazing job in appreciating me today. So what I'm gonna leave you with something of an appreciation. You know, we we we cry a lot on social media about people who don't support us. Right? We have had so many people talk about, oh, my family and friends don't support me. Oh, we get it. Trust me.

Paula Sima [01:13:52]:
None of us do. And and that's fine. I think we need to now switch that mindset and pay attention to those who support us. So that love, the energy where you're putting into the ones who don't support you, that energy that you're talking about it, take it back and pour it into the people who love you, who are actually showing up for you. Because whether they're strangers, whether they're your fellow community or whatever, pour that love into them. Show up for them. Continue nurturing them. Continue nurturing those relationship because that's where you should direct the energy.

Paula Sima [01:14:34]:
And we should it's 2024. Let's stop talking about those who don't support us, and let's start talking about those who support us and show up for us and and keep do doing this thing for those.

Raphael Harry [01:14:47]:
That's right. Second that. See? Go listen to Paula. She she got plenty of that for you. So once again, Mbana for coming on the show. Love you always. And to the audience listening, thank you for sharing this journey with me. Thank you for your support.

Raphael Harry [01:15:07]:
Banner, how you guys say thank you? Asante

Paula Sima [01:15:15]:
sana.

Raphael Harry [01:15:15]:
Asante sana. No. I thought you had a different one from that. But, yeah, I know Asante Sana. I forgot. I can't remember. Nakamura.

Paula Sima [01:15:23]:
Kaributena?

Raphael Harry [01:15:24]:
Kaributena. Yeah. I heard that one too. I think Josephine said that when she was on the podcast. Josephine

Paula Sima [01:15:30]:
means welcome back. Welcome again. Welcome. Oh. I back

Raphael Harry [01:15:34]:
again. Josephine of, Africa Podfest. She shared that when she was here. And, yeah. So I'll see you guys at the next episode. Keep the love coming in. Do right. Get merch.

Raphael Harry [01:15:48]:
Share peep with people. We got Patreon. Yeah, you know the right things to do. Be good. Be nice. Be kind. Thank you for the privilege of your company. Thanks for listening to White Label American.

Raphael Harry [01:16:02]:
If you enjoy the show, we'll appreciate if you rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcast from. If you have any questions, comments, or have someone who will be a good guest on the show or you want to be on the show, send us a message at white labelamerican@gmail.com. And make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram at white label American. Thank you for your support.