Hi! My name is Neo and I am a double amputee mother with twin boys and I am from Botswana, Africa. I grew up in a village called Molepolole which is the largest village in Botswana (about 65,000 people).
My Extended Family
I was raised by a single mother who worked very hard to provide for my brother and I and to give us a chance to succeed. One of her jobs was working in a Chinese restaurant and only made 70 Pula per month ($7)!!! But she worked hard and kept expenses down and managed to provide for us. She now has real estate properties as well as livestock!!! She taught us to waste not and cherish the things we have and to share. One time my husband, while we were dating, mailed my favorite candy bar (Hershey’s Cookies and Cream) overseas. I would share the bar with my two nephews and we would only eat one little square per day and make it last 2 weeks. It was soo good!
I’m very close to my older brother, Moshe (Moses), and he has been my male figure in life. He graduated from the University of Botswana and is a successful accountant/auditor in Gaborone – the capital city. He has a lovely wife and five kids and enjoys going to the Lands (cattle-post) and raising his cattle – like a shepherd!
One of the things my mother strove to do was to teach us to work hard. As a result I did well in school and was awarded a scholarship to travel abroad and go to university in Canada (Carleton University).
I had never flown before, nor been exposed to that kind of climate, nor been away from home that long- what an adjustment! Making friends with my fellow international students was easy and helped with the homesickness.
While attending Carleton, in my free time I would surf the Net- something a village girl from Botswana had never done before – and I was amazed at the wealth of information. I had found wonderful tutors to help me make it through Calculus 2, Econometrics, and other realms of Academia. I had also found sources of entertainment…. KOREAN DRAMAS!!! (Something a village girl from Botswana had never done before:)
And I had found online friends as well which led me to visit America for the first time. And that caused me to meet my husband….
I happened to walk into the church my husband was attending at the time- we hit it off great. We spent the entire afternoon together- my first afternoon in America! He took me out to dinner- Chinese food. He wasn’t sure whether I would like it or not since I was from Africa (I didn’t tell him Chinese food paid our expenses growing up:) . I loved the dinner and loved spending time with my future husband.
If I could describe my husband’s demeanor in two words, I would say decisiveness and diligence. He typically has no problems making decisions and sticking to them. After we had dated just two weeks, he told me he was interested in marrying me and was going to do everything he could to get me to feel the same way about him. It didn’t take long. I actually knew him before he knew me (You Tube videos) and I was certainly interested in meeting him. He has also been unwavering in his support of my YouTube Channel. Without hesitation he bought me my camera, MacBook, and studio lighting even when things were tight financially.
Regarding diligence, my husband is one of the hardest working people I’ve met. He works two jobs (sometimes over 80 hrs/week) so I can spend more time with the kids. His favorite hobbies are bible reading and working out.
Watching my husband work so hard has caused me to yearn to help contribute to the family financially. Because I wasn’t able to find work until my permanent residence immigration card went through, a YouTube channel seemed to be an intriguing option.
A You Tube channel first appealed to me because I could see the potential in helping others. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a blessing to others. My disability caused me to be separated from the other children and I felt lonely and yearned to make an impact in people’s lives. I’ve tried to apply the same creative energy and drive that got me through my six years of college, to succeeding in the social media realm and have immersed myself in learning everything that I can to be a benefit to others as well as my family.
It is amazing how a disabled village girl from a country in Africa that has an extremely high unemployment rate can actually utilize a technology she did not grow up with and have an audience of thousands of people worldwide. My motto is “If Neo can do it, you can too.” I hope to be an inspiration to people with disabilities, Africans, women, ANYONE.
I am also passionate about my culture and upbringing and am proud to put it on display. One of my favorite passions in life is cooking- especially Botswana cooking and I love to share my recipes with others.
Last but certainly not least are my two wonderful gems: Caleb and Joshua. They are my twin sons and named after Moses’ two faithful witnesses in the bible. They were born 9 weeks premature but have been progressing steadily.
I initially uploaded videos of the babies so my relatives back home can watch them progressing as well as develop a sort of scrap book for my boys so they can watch themselves some day. Now it has turned into something bigger. Perhaps one day I can teach them video editing and they can make an income of their own regardless of where they choose to live and be an inspiration to others.
While I was engaged to my husband, my prayer was that God would open my womb and give me twins and he certainly has done that. Now my prayer is that they will be faithful men like their namesakes in the bible.
Well. That’s a glimpse of our family. I hope you feel welcome here and visit often while I try to share thoughts on various topics such as from traveling with twins to Botswana cooking to Amputee challenges and successes. I hope to post weekly.
