Guest Post: Cleo Da Gama Rose

My Darling Helena,

 

I wanted to tell you some things that I never got a chance to tell you. I have met many people in my life and many have been my friends, some good friends and some great friends. However, very few, have made the impression that you made. You made a huge impact on my life and in this case, it is not the quantity of time that I spent with you or knew you, it is the quality of that time. 

Firstly, thank you for choosing to be my friend over a year ago - you enjoyed meeting me at a lunch at Zen Garden with mutual friends and we exchanged numbers - that happens to me a lot, but then you texted and asked if we could go for a movie and it was history after that. I can't hear the songs from "Love Aaj Kaal" without getting tears in my eyes now, in fact I have gone off indian songs and movies - maybe this is temporary, I don't know. How you loved that movie - we went a second time to the cinema, with your older Swedish friend. That is how you chose the theme for your housewarming - "BOLLYWOOD"... I remember how excited you were when we went to buy your sari...the white and red...you looked gorgeous! The housewarming went so well and you kept raving about my chicken curry, but I think you were just being nice! 

It was great to meet so many of your friends in Nairobi. We had so many memories together and we bacame fantastic friends very fast, am so glad for that, as the time was short. All the time I knew you, you were so sick...sometimes, Helena, I get so frustrated with the medical expertise in Kenya and think of the circles you had to go through...but, you handled it all with such poise. It's funny how we get so worked up about the small stuff and when you were given your final diagnosis, I was so amazed by how well you handled it...you did not stop smiling. Even when I spoke and chatted to you while you were in Belgium, you were positive. I think of this often and try not to get worked up by the mundane and even the big challenges that are inevitable for everyone.

 I remember so vividly when you told me that you had finally figured out that you wanted to be a teacher...well I did not really know it at the time...but I am on that journey now. I am doing my post-grad in education and teaching lots of amazing children privately. I think you would be so proud to see me now - not stressed, balanced, happy, and physically fit with my yoga practice and moving forward with each day, smiling.  So I never got to say thank you Helena...for the lessons you taught me by your grace, poise, laughter and just by being you. I think of you all the time and look forward to meeting you again one day- we will finish our conversations then...

 

With much love always,

Cleo

Cleo and Helena at her Bollywood housewarming party

The Italian Connection

Having spent the past weekend in Rome, I couldn't help but think of Helena's many ties to Italy. Her mastery of the language, sunglasses's chic elegance, and love for pasta and mozzarella all made her a natural Italian. Alright, the blond hair and blue eyes didn't make her appear as most Italians, but I think she was received with ever more appreciation because of it. 

I know many of you had a chance to visit Helena in Bologna or Milan. I know that she must have treated you all to an amazing trip that featured drinks at the Bulgari Hotel in Milan, walks around the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, and delicious meals in neighborhood restaurants. From her days as a student in Bologna to a young professional in Milan Helena embraced all the good things Italy had to offer and she was, as always, the perfect mediator between you and her surroundings.

I spent Easter with Helena in Milan and Bologna in 2007, and it was a beautiful trip. We spent the time drinking morning cappuccino's and eating pastries at the local coffee shops, seeing da Vinci's The Last Supper, visiting Linda and Elona in Bologna, sipping champagne at the Armani bar, and eating lunch at a local farm in the countryside.

Looking back on it now I see that the trip represented so much of who Helena was. It showed her love for good food, life-long friends, history and of course glamour.  I leave you with a few pictures from my trip.

Helena and I at the top of the Duomo di Milano

Choosing her morning pastry....

As glamorous as ever outside the Prada Store

With Elona and Linda in Bologna 

Did you visit Helena in Italy? Do you have a story about it? Please do click on the comment icon below and share your memories. It would be so good to hear from you all.

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The charm bracelet

I have had a hard time deciding what to write for my first entry. What could be significant enough to inaugurate this tribute to my big sister? What would Helena like us all to remember her by? Feeling slightly overwhelmed by the task I have decided to start with something very small...... 

One of Helena's favourite pieces of jewellery was her gold charm bracelet. I am sure many of you remember it. She wore it almost everyday, and its charms are as varied as Helena herself, portraying a mix elegance, adventure and sophistication. In a sense the bracelet traces Helena's life experiences and all those things she cherished.  So let me take you through a few of them:

The first charm is of Matterhorn; a mountain in Switzerland which is the back drop of Helena's favourite places on earth, Zermatt. We spent many family vacations there growing up, and Helena never could get enough of its beauty or glamour. We had the chance to go back there in February, and Helena took to the slopes and five star dining experience with the same zest for life as usual. It was a very special trip, and I will forever be grateful we were able to go back. 

The elephant and rhino charms remind me of our colourful childhood in Kenya and Uganda, as well as Helena's love for the east African landscape and aesthetic. I think much of her style and elegance was inspired by its beauty and simplicity, and I know she was always drawn back to Africa's beauty and sense of adventure. 

The clog and traditional Swedish doll tells us about Helena's love for Sweden. Helena really was a proud Swede, and her ability to seek out Swedish communities abroad is a great testament to this fact. Whether it was singing in the choir at the Swedish church in London or hosting a ball sponsored by Absolute during her masters, Helena always found a way to make Sweden a part of her surroundings. 

Finally, the sun charm help signify Helena's radiant smile, which truly could light up a room. It is one of the things I really miss most. I am not sure if it was the smile itself or the confidence and cheekiness with which she smiled, but I always feel warmth when I think of it.  

Well as you might have guessed for this post the bracelet has been passed onto me, and I wear it with a great sense of pride. Every time I fiddle with one of the little charms and hear them jingle I think of Helena's many adventures and accomplishments, and I feel a little stronger knowing I have her so close by. 


Do you remember the bracelet? Do you have a story about it? Please make any comments about Helena or the post below.