Until I was 17 years old, I celebrated my birthday on the 30th of May. That was the age at which I needed a passport to leave the country for studies abroad. My birth certificate was required and I realised the official date of my birth was recorded as May 31st.
Throughout my earlier years, the official document used to determine my identity was my baptism certificate. I don’t know how many of you are as lucky as I am. Depending on the year, I celebrate on both days. However, I believe my late mother Genevieve La Rose who said I was born on 30th May.
I was born on a farm surrounded by forests in the Haimaruni Creek in Santa Rosa village, Moruca. I had related this to some of my colleagues at Stabroek News over two decades ago and this earned me the nickname ‘Forest Child’. Some of them still call me by that name.
