One Planet. One People.

Rich in gems.

That is the only short way to possibly describe these past ten months. I knew ten months would be too short, but so many wonderful things have happened in such a short time. I wanted to write about everything I had learned which is a COMPLETE JOKE because that would take novels upon novels! So, please be satisfied with “rich in gems,” ok? There’s just too much to be able to write in a blog. Be assured that I would do this again in an instant, although it is service, right? That should be done at every instant.

I befriended many incredible people and those friendships I will cherish forever. I remember my first morning I woke up, I heard one of the groundsmen laughing and it has stuck with me for this whole time. I just loved that laughter is the same everywhere, but more importantly, people are the same everywhere. Cultures and such may be different, but the essence of human beings is one and the same. We’re all just world citizens walking around this earth. How magnificently beautiful!

I really don’t know what to say here. I leave in two days and I cannot describe the joy and grief I feel for leaving. How strange indeed to leave one home to reach another. I am sooo looking forward to seeing my friends and family (JET!!! Don’t worry, I love all you just as much). However, it really does make my heart ache to go. I guess that makes the hello’s that much sweeter, hey?

I will miss everyone here more than anything and I thank all of you who have been a part of this journey, whether it was your support, challenges, love, or encouragement. You are all in my heart, always. I love you all. I truly cannot wait for our paths to cross again. I’ll be scouting.

Well, on a happier note, my brother came a couple weeks ago!!! HOORAH!!! We went to Livingstone in Zambia and I was able to talk to some of my girls and the teachers and dear friends. I even saw one of the students!! That made my day. I must say though, the market there is CRAZY expensive compared to….the world. MAN! Dang those tourist towns! Shaaamee!!!

Anyway, we saw the Falls which are MUCH wetter in June than in December. As in, you are dry in December and you get SOAKED in June. The other youth I served with went at the end of April and that’s the wettest time…I can’t even imagine what it was like! Needless to say, on the day we went back to Zimbabwe, I cried the whooollleee way back. Such an embarrassment to my poor brother. What a patient big bruddah!

When we got back, we went camping a few days later. I wrote in my journal, “We’re going camping and will be surrounded by wild animals! Ok, that is probably an exaggeration.”

No. It wasn’t. At all. The first day we got there we saw water buffalo, impala (or some gazelle-like creatures), HUGE baboons, warthogs, and elelphants (which were right next to our camp). Then, that night we kept hearing sounds and there was a water buffalo right behind our tent eating grass. Not toooo bad, but then. THEN!!! I heard a sound to my left and we shined our torches on that side and what was there?

Behold! A HYENA!!!!! Freakin A!!! It was not even 7 meters away! Yeah, going to the bathroom was terrifying. It consisted of driving the car the 10 meters to the little ablutions block and back. Hahahah!

You think that is all? Ohhhh noooo. Oh no no no no no.

When we were in the tent I heard sniffing around my side. Sniffing right up against the tent!!! Now, I did not go out and investigate, but I am pretty sure it was a hyena.

I squealed like a little girl. And the HIPPOS!!! I thought for sure we were gonna be stampeded on their “emergency route” to water and they can be loud and they were right by us on the Zambezi river.

I did sleep well though. Really. And the second night wasn’t nearly as bad. The only animals we didn’t see were lions and leopards. Next time. Oh wait, let me clarify. I saw the fattest lions EVER at a sanctuary, but not in the wild.

Also, baby elephants are really cute and the mothers are really petrifying.

Now, the family who rescued me has a 21 month old daughter. I don’t even know what that is. Children just aint my thing and I have no idea what to do with them.

But ya know what? I have come to love her and her me. We play and cuddle even! I am a changed person, I’m telling ya! Haha! Really though, she is a cutie and I am gonna miss her.

If you haven’t passed out from this statement, please keep reading.

So the past two months have been so difficult and so amazing! I took my brother to the Baha’i center today and I just can’t explain how much I love the music here. The drumming just sends me to Heaven. Music truly is food for the soul.

Now, all that is left is packing. I hope we aren’t overweight. If we are, I refuse to pay. I am not looking forward to this part. Man! It is just too soon. Too soon. I fell in love with this place and it is going to hurt a lot to leave it. I have wonderful people to go back to, and I have wonderful people to return to here. It is a win-win situation and I thank God for it. Really, I could not be more grateful and thankful for everything that has happened this year. I wouldn’t change it for the world and I’d ask for nothing else. Some of my happiest moments have been here and I know there are many more coming from here, my other home, and other places I travel to. I sincerely am very happy.

I guess this is it for now. Physically I must say farewell to the land and people that uplifted my soul and brought me unexplainable joy, but I will always hold it dear to my heart and I know I have places to come back to.

I remember people telling me before I even came and while I was here that Africa gets into people’s blood and they yearn to come back and that it would no doubt get into my blood.

They were wrong.

Africa became my blood.

Arising

I hope I don't get fined for this.

I took the following from a few pages in Denali Knight Weiler's book, Arising: A Year of Service Handbook for Volunteers. It isn't my words (duh) but the feelings and such explain much about what I have learned this year. Of course, not everything in it is what I went through exactly and I definitely don't drink coffee, but though the physical parts aren't exact, the thought is. It is a beautiful, challenging, and imperative lesson to learn. I was INSANELY lucky to have this book before I left.

"I had always associated service with adventure. I’m reluctant to admit it but part of me believed that harsher conditions somehow equaled more valuable service or at least a greater degree of spiritual growth. Thus after four very comfortable years in college, I was ready to ‘rough it’ for a while. Of course, my desire was to serve Baha’u’llah but I had specific criteria for how this service ought to be. ‘I’m ready for severe tests!’ I’d insist in my nightly prayers. ‘Send me to the most desolate corner of the earth – I can handle it, I promise!’ Eager to prove my devotion through physical and material hardship, I envisioned sleeping on a dusty floor, washing my clothes in a bucket and drinking instant coffee with river water. I couldn’t wait to begin. Though I prayed constantly for guidance, I was secretly hoping that God would direct me to a remote Andean village or a minuscule island in the South Pacific or the coldest depths of Siberia…

              But instead I ended up here, where – during the first two months of my period of service – I sat at a desk in an office, accessioning (that is, dating, stamping and registering) pile after pile of books. It didn’t seem right at first. Surely the Youth Guidance Department of the Concourse on High had made some mistake! I mean, wasn’t my boundless youthful energy being wasted on this sedentary desk job? And what of these posh accommodations: hot showers, a telephone, Internet access and coffee shops?! Aren’t I supposed to be suffering a bit more？

              I stayed put, however. And Time, that ever-reliable educator, taught me some invaluable lessons about the nature of service – well, Time and A Manual for Pioneers, in which Ruhiyyih Khanum states: ‘…everyone who pioneers, or arises anywhere to teach the Cause of God, should do it for the sake of God, offering this service to God alone and expecting rewards from Him and no one else; if he has any other expectations he will invariably be hurt and disappointed.’ After all, was I doing this work for God…or was I doing it for myself?

              Service, I’ve come to realize’ will not necessarily be exotic or adventurous, nor will it provide us with ‘Survivor’-style tales to share with the folks back home. It may not be what we expected or even what we’re best suited for…but it will, of a certainty, be exactly what we need. The work of our beloved Cause is not always adrenaline-pumping. Sure, at times it involves jet-setting across the globe to blazon His name from riverbank to mountaintop, canoeing down the Amazon to teach a children’s class, conducting a study circle in Quechua by candlelight or proclaiming the oneness of humankind before great assemblages. Yet, oftentimes, the work of the Faith lies in what we initially deem to be the most menial of tasks: photocopying, licking envelopes, filing papers, scrubbing dishes…or, in my case, accessioning books.

              As far as the ego is concerned, the latter type of service is much less gratifying. It won’t teach us a new language or how to wield a machete; it won’t enrich our senses or give us a nice tan (it won’t even give us callouses on our feet!). It probably won’t impress our friends either. But wait, isn’t service all about humility and detachment in the first place? And isn’t this quieter, less scintillating work just as meritorious in the sight of God?

              I finally understand that the value of service is not measured by the sweat of our brow or the distance we’ve travelled or amount of material hardship we’ve endured. Instead, its merit lies in our spirit of love and selflessness, the radiant acquiescence with which we accept the work we’ve been given and the patience we show in facing whichever tests God, is His great benevolence, lovingly sends our way. ‘I swear by My life!’ Baha’u’llah assures us. ‘Nothing save that which profiteth them can befall My loved ones.’

              As my period of service here draws to a close, I look back over those first few weeks of frustration and doubt with a contented smile. I know now that I’ve been given those tests I’d prayed so earnestly for – yet they arrived in unfamiliar packaging. And though my body was stuck in that office, up to its elbows in reference books and rubber stamps and accession records, my soul was turning cartwheels and jumping for joy."

YOUTH CAN MOVE THE WORLD

HOLY COW! It has been such a long time since I have updated this. Never fear, this is not because things have become stagnant. Rather, it is quite the opposite. Things have been…chaotic and absolutely wacky to say the least. Many many changes have occurred since my last post, the most recent and most significant of which would be that I have left Banani. Sometimes life will switch things up for you and you have got to be willing to go with the flow. “Be unrestrained as the wind,” right?

So, now I have been given a great opportunity for service elsewhere and I am quite exited to see where this new adventure takes me. I still have my Nshima though! So my tummy is happy.

I’ll give a little tid bit of what I have been up to since whenever my last blog post was.

Basically, all the youth had a frustrating time with their girls last term. Not because we didn’t love them or anything, but we get tired and they get wild! So, it was definitely a fun ride last term. Hahahaha! I let one of my girls paint on me with nail polish and she put some around my eye.

HOLY TALITO THE BURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of my dumber moments in life but it is one of my favorite memories. The frantic fanning of my face, the look of shock on the girls face, the mad scramble to the bathroom, and the cool relief of water/tissue/nail polish remover. So funny.

Even though they can drive you mad, these girls are just so amazing. I have never met a more creative bunch than them. Especially grade 10. They are so freaking awesome! They never left me with a dull moment.

By the way, it really sucks to use past tense when talking about them.

Anyway, they also have this tradition for birthdays…get you soaking wet. On my birthday, I hid in the dining hall till ten minutes after quiet time when they can’t pull any shenanigans. SAFE!

Not for long. The next night, one of my grade 8’s (now grade 9) came to the grade 10 dorm and said I was needed urgently. The youth who is actually her dorm mum was sitting maybe 2 feet away from me, so I was confused as to why she didn’t go. She had kept asking if I had my phone or camera, which I didn’t cuz I still didn’t trust my girls. So I went with her and we were running to the grade 9 dorms and then she slowed when she got to the back of it and then I saw a bunch of girls with buckets in their hands and smirks on their faces…

I tried to run, but it was too late. I was soaked in an instant! They kept it coming too! These are the kind of girls who will kick you when you’re down. They are RELENTLESS.

I was so cold, but I loved it. I love them so much. I miss my grade 8’s. I should stop calling them that. They’re in grade 9 now. But for real, I love that group of girls so much!

The youth tried to organize March Performance, but there were so many sport activities and such that the girls had no time to practice and we couldn’t set a date. Organization at Banani does not exist. This is Africa.

Nothing against Africa of course, I’m just saying the definition of time is flexibility. Haha! For example: “I’m coming now now” means “I’m coming in a few hours”

I think it’s hysterical. Sometimes frustrating, but funny.

Oh! And the second to last day before April break, I helped out at the primary and they were having races! I kept score. It’s fun to watch all the little grade 1’s and 2’s race each other. Including in sacks. There was one kid, Glody, who is in grade 7. He won everything. I am not even kidding. Whenever it was him against other people, I eventually just started to give his team the highest point possible cause I knew he would win. And he did. He was quite humble about it, though, which impressed me even more!

Now, as dear to me as these girls are, I was happy that April break came. I needed a rest! Ha! Thinking back, I laugh at that now because April was not a relaxing month.

Anyway, a couple of the boys from last year (Humphrey, Shuton, and other boys I have never seen) came back from St. Paul’s, a school in a nearby town. Pretty much, for most of break, one other youth and I took all the jr. youth swimming every day for a few hours and then we would play basketball for another two. So much exercise! I LOVED it!　They really enjoyed played a game of “throw and find” with a piece of metal and wire (I called it a home-made bomb). Humphrey always threw it in the deep end cause most of the other kids couldn’t swim that well, so I had mild heart attacks daily. Finally, Quddus brought an inflatable ball from home and we played a nice game of “keep away” and it was probably the most sexist version I have ever played. Boys against girls. Bahaha! And when I say nice game, I really mean we went all out to attack each other and do anything to get the ball. Humphrey is probably the most athletic so I tried to turn his entire team against him. It worked for a bit. Then Glody came, and seeing how he wins EVERYTHING, I really needed to recruit him. SUCCESS!

For a bit, then he went to Humphrey’s team cause he was alone. Good kid.

I seriously enjoyed playing basketball my last month. Nura and I played against Humphrey and Quddus a lot. I got in shape real quick. Humphrey, as I said, is extremely athletic but he hadn’t played basketball much so I thought Nura and I had a pretty good chance. He said he was scared to play against me cause of what another boy was saying. I told him it was like the rap off…I talk big, but my walk is…pitiful. He said he had started playing basketball at his school this term. Really, I was dumb enough to think Nura and I had the advantage.

FAIL. Complete FAIL. Yeah, I don’t care if he just started, he could outrun us alone. Ugh! Yeah, he had no reason to be scared. None at all. BUT! It was good competition and Nura and I beat him and Quddus a couple times. It was so entertaining. Those will indeed be cherished memories.

A little girl, Rosie, told me we were pole’s (pole-ay) meaning she’s like my close little sister and I am her close big sister…or something like that. I love Rosie! She is really smart too. She wanted me to teach her how to swim, but I was afraid I would just make her drown. I held her a lot. Haha! But she is still alive, so there!

The National Convention was held at the Institute. Getting ready for the election of the National Spiritual Assembly! I met the father to one of my girls. I was so happy! She always talks about him and I just want to meet all her family and visit her all the time, so I think I am off to a good start. We sold a lot of books too and ate some good food. Banani food isn’t bad, it’s just repetitive.

We also celebrated Shadon’s birthday in Lusaka and it was so funny cause the woman we stayed with got her a cake. Ok, that’s not the funny part, it’s coming. It looked delicious but it smelled…not so good. I didn’t want to be impolite so I didn’t say anything. When I had a slice in front of me it smelt so strongly of nail polish remover. Holy cow, I couldn’t even breathe. When I tasted it I couldn’t even believe that it tasted exactly like nail polish remover. Seriously, JUST like it. There was a girl who had come from France sitting across from me and she looked at me funny after taking a bite and I asked her if it tasted like nail polish. Yep. Something odd was going on. I asked the other youth and they all agreed and then the girl, Ketzia (I think) and I laughed so hard.

When a cake smells like nail polish remover and tastes like nail polish remover, it’s pretty much a guarantee that it has alcohol in it. Haha! It was pretty amusing. It tasted disgusting and I don’t understand how people like that, but it was so gross and it made the whole scene that much better.

So, that has been a little of what has been going on. The last few days there were mainly spent packing, saying goodbyes, and playing basketball.

I cannot describe how painful it was to leave so suddenly and have to say goodbye to all the wonderful people I met there. Unfortunately, I was not able to say goodbye to my girls and that, alone, breaks my heart. Whenever I thought about leaving in June, it hurt so much and I knew it would be tough for me. Heck, leaving Africa will be so incredibly difficult. But now, having to leave earlier than expected and leave behind those amazing souls that have so greatly touched me and influenced me, I realize that this is one of the hardest things I’ll ever have to do.

For everything I have been through, the challenges faced, the friendships formed, the learning and growth I experienced, the setbacks and triumphs, I regret nothing. Though it saddens me to end this part of the journey for now, I eagerly look forward to what lays in store for me next. I have absolute faith that all this is necessary and all will be well. I am ever thankful for everything and everyone and the the beloved youth, who were (are) my family and my support system. FAM JAM JUSTICE LEAGUE!

 I learned a lot these past 8 months and I am so grateful for this experience and wouldn’t change a thing. All my love and prayers to those beautiful people who have come to mean the world to me. I am excited for when our paths cross again.

‘I swear by My life!’ Baha’u’llah assures us. ‘Nothing save that which profiteth them can befall My loved ones.’

In My Heart Is Where You Are

Dedicated to Grandma

Moments ago mom and dad

Laid me in your arms

A touch with a softness

Born of age

A lingering warmth

Set ablaze with love

Those fleeting moments pass

As the Everlasting comes

And though I cherished every one

As the desert to the rain

It doesn’t seem enough

One more chance to hear your voice

Or smell your sweet perfume

To play one more game of cards

Or feed the squirrels a bit of food

Now I sit with a day between us

Wishing to be near

Clench my fists, shut my eyes

Pray the miles disappear

If I could, I would hold your hand

To give my love and thanks

And share with you my time

A thousand suns I would repay

For a freeing of this strife

And though it will be some time

Till I see the snow white of your hair

Or the spirit of your eyes

This is not a separation

Only a soul’s illumination

The elevation to a higher

Creation

A revelation to a purer

Unification

Of a soul

Our souls

A reverberation

That cannot be stilled

A connection

Eternally filled

This is the essence,

Your essence

That nestles in my heart

And breathes within my soul

There always comes a time

When you must let go

To hold on even tighter

You’re released from the shackles of this world

And for you I’ve one desire

For every tear that’s shed

For every prayer that’s uttered

May it take you ever closer

Ever faster

Ever higher

I love you with the joy

A child loves their blanket

I miss you with the awe

Of the African sunset

And it’s killing me to write this

And not see your gentle face

But in the mysteries of reality

I know you’re never gone

And I’m not so far away

‘Cause I’ll see you in the stars

And the beauty of each day

You’ll be the whisper in the air

In everything I do

This year, my service

I dedicate to you

There’s so little time

To say all I want

Just know my love for you

Lives on

And as my lips capture a smile

At the memories that we share

Please know, my sweet Grandma

I will always hold you dear

So rock out

Be happy

May your wings of grace

Lift you to that highest Paradise

For the Glory of Glories is waiting

To behold your resplendent light

"O Son of the Supreme! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendour. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?"

                                                                                                                      ~Bahá'u'lláh

When The Going Gets Tough

When The Going Gets Tough

The start to this year has been…. difficult to say the least. A lot of emotional obstacles have been chucked at people here. One of my girls lost their grandma, another lost their friend, and among the seniors, they had some guy friends get in a really terrible car wreck that killed two of them. So, it’s been a bumpy ride.

I was also told that my grandma is ill and is close to continuing her journey to the next world. That was challenging to deal with at first, choosing to be here instead of there, but I know everything will be alright. I told her in a letter I wrote to her that she would be in my Concourse (mom, dad, I hope you explained that to her). She’ll be with me always now, and I couldn’t ask for anything better. Here or there, she is with those who love her most and all I want for her is to be happy. Prayers for her majestic soul would be quite quite welcomed.

So, in lieu of this news, I have decided to dedicate my year of service to her. Besides prayer, it’s all I can give her. Well, minus the letter and poem and Backstreet Boys song I dedicated to her. Ha! Who dedicates a Backstreet Boys song to their Grandma?

And then there were six. One of our dear youth has left us for Canada. No more Modern Family or Community partner, or breaking into pools, or journaling together, or doing junior youth group together.

Hello gleaming bathrooms, varieties of food, and peace and quiet (on her part)!

My Mapalo (Colleen) you will be missed so very much by us all. I must say, you’ve got good timing to leave the country. Haha! Seriously, December, season 3 is ONNN!!!!

I remember that Roya, a youth who served here a couple years ago, said that I’d make the most amazing friendships. I had no doubt in my mind about this, but seeing them go really made me realize how much they meant to me. I loved every moment with Mapalo, but I wish I had a few more. December cannot come soon enough! Oh, and thank you for leaving me four dorms to check. Haha! Love you!!!

Well, besides all this, life has been, well, it’s been enlightening. Many tests and difficulties along the way, and much growth. Challenges on your year of service?!?! Say WHAAAA?!?

All I can say is they are a precious gift. It’s not always easy to be with the same people day in and day out, trying to figure out schedules, who’s doing what, dealing with disorganization, and trying to bring about change while being pulled in many directions. However, in the end, all of these road blocks really are stepping stones for progress. I have a few more months here, but I already know I will treasure this year so much.

Holy Talito! Trying to get along with everyone can be so unbelievably frustrating! But having to put aside differences and find their best qualities, whether it is one or ten, and work together for the common good is most rewarding. Seriously, when you look past the things you don’t like and see what they have to offer, you get so much more out of that relationship and you, yourself, have just passed one of the hardest tests: Judging others and overcoming any prejudice against someone. Hallelujah, it can be done!

It’s mid-term break here at Banani (Thank God) and I can sleep past 05.30 and not have to constantly say quiet time or lights out. Such a big ordeal with these girls. Last week, Colleen and I took 4 light bulbs from the Grade 8’s. They never had their lights off on time, so we took them. We meant to only keep them for a day, but, well…we kinda got buy with getting everyone ready to leave and we kept them for 4 days. Woops. Our bad. Secretly, I really like punishing them. All the dorm moms got ridiculously annoyed with their girls. This year I have the grade tens, who I was SO excited to get cuz I loved them as grade 9’s last year, but man! It was crazy and frustrating. MAH! I still love them, but Mrs. Mukendi, the matron, had to come to our dorms so many times to get them to settle down. Whew! Poor woman. She already saves the world every day.

I really noticed that your tone basically determines how a situation will go. If you have that tense you’re-a-child-and-I’m-pissed-at-you tone, all hell will break loose. On the other hand, if you speak to them lovingly and like they’re noble individuals, the response is amazing and respect for each other is still intact.

Be firm and loving, right? So the rest of this term, things are gonna change. We’re cracking down on them, suckers!

But with love…

I’m also helping with the drama class (stoked!) and can you just guess what we watched???

RENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you kidding me!? This is the best time of my life! We watched RENT! I can’t express how insanely overjoyed I was. I just can’t.

Oh gosh. And a few weeks ago, Colleen and I wanted to go to Kabwe to get some stuff we needed, and Mrs. Moore said if we picked three full bags of monkey fruit, she would take us. Baller!

Well, you see, the monkey fruit is mostly at the top cuz the monkeys get to it before us humans do, so we got what we could from the lowest branches. This filled almost 2. Then we got down to business. Colleen put me on her shoulders and I started grabbing the higher ones from the branches. They were hard to pull off, especially since they weren’t ripe and one bonked me in the head. OUCH. Then another fell and grazed Colleen’s head.

After I had gotten a bunch, Colleen went on my shoulders and we got even more. Mind you, this is all during school hours so girls were walking by and giving us the strangest looks. They already thought Colleen and I were weird. This pretty much left no doubt about it. Determined is the word I would use, though. We showed Mrs. Moore the bags, 2 ½, and she wanted some more. Well, the tree we victimized was pretty much empty, but I remembered one that is on the road out of Banani so we got some more and filled the third bag. On arriving in Kabwe, we stopped at the doctors office and guess what we got in exchange for the monkey fruit??

Mangos and avocados!!! Bless all things holy!! Nutrients! Man, I cannot tell you how stoked we were about this. Such a good day.

Now the youth are planning for: Ayyám-i-Há, Women’s Day, Youth Day, Naw-Rúz, and some performances the school will do at the end of March. SOOOO busy. At least we got stuff to do, right?

Oh man! I got ants in my pants a few weeks ago! Those things are vicious and quite fast. Not fun. However, it’s the first time to happen, so I think that’s pretty good. The only that isn’t good is I think I got another round of food poisoning…Are you FREAKING kidding me?! Bah! But, luckily I had my handy dandy Chinese curing pills to kill it! Ha! Take that contaminated meat!

So, not much has really happened. The new principle came and some new teachers came. I LOVE the new teachers! They’re so awesome! Actually, I just love being friends with the teachers now. Before, there was a little (more like the great wall of China) wall between us, but the staff meetings (which the youth could actually go to!) helped to change that and now we all talk and chat and have a merry time. One time, at the beginning of January, Shalom and I went to visit all the new teachers and we knocked on one door and we thought they said to come in, so we tried, but the door was locked. Then they opened it and they were all sitting at the table staring at us. We entered and Ms. Kabunda asked what we wanted and Shalom said we just wanted to say hi, and then left. SOOOO FUNNY!!! Ms. K asked me about it the next day. A wonderfully awkward experience.

Oh my gosh! I also got my hair braided! 3 hours and 3 episodes of Dexter is all it takes. And may I add that it is so unbelievably convenient to have your hair braided? When I took it out a couple weeks later it was just a puffball, but the girls really liked it and Nura said I looked like I belonged in a coffee shop and could pull off dreads. Ha! Mom, what do you think??

And you remember that amazing 15 year old Alex? The one from the time I first got here? HE’S BACK!!! But only for a couple days. That’s alright though.

There’s also a new schedule for the youth. A new youth came and she and I are doing Moral Education for the grade 9’s (my grade 8’s from last year). One group is talkative, but they get the point behind the junior youth empowerment program. The other group….well….all groups are different, yes? Saraiya and I may need to take some drastic measures. It’s crazy how each group is so drastically different.

The library is being relocated. We dusted all the books, but the shelves weren’t ready and now there are cobwebs over some of the books. Joy. And the spiders look mean! For real, they look like tiny brown recluses. Meeehhh. Oh well. I’m so glad the space is bigger. And we chucked a lot of the spoiled books. WOOT!

The Ayyám-i-Há celebration had…a lot of singing. So much. Didn’t quite go as the youth planned, but what does with 2 days notice? The devotions were awesome though. There was just seriously way too much singing at the beginning and end. Good cake and biscuits, though! The youth had a dance party afterwards and then me melted chocolate and dipped apples in them! The best part is, we still have more chocolate. Oh the joys of life.

Happy Ayyám-i-Há everyone!

That’s pretty much it. Life at Banani continues.

Well, I wrote this blog over a period of four-ish days and during this period, I was told that my grandma’s soul had ascended to the next world. Hard to hear even when it’s been expected, but I’m glad the waiting is over. She’s not one to live in a condition like that. As much as it hurts and as much as I’ll miss her, I know she’s with us in a more enduring way. To know that this isn’t the end and that I will see her again makes it easier. I don’t grieve for her death because 1) she is in a far better place than this world could provide and 2) her death may be of this world, but her life continues in another. It’s just sad to think I won’t be feeding more squirrels with her anytime soon. Prayers for the flight of her soul are appreciated and for her family as well.

Much love to you, grandma.

Now, as much as my girls can push me to my limits, they have my back. I can always count on them for that. Last night we said prayers for grandma and I was so thankful for them and the youth. That’s the kind of bond you form with them.

“Why shouldst thou be sad and heartbroken? This separation is temporal; this remoteness and sorrow is counted only by days. Thou shalt find him in the Kingdom of God and thou wilt attain to the everlasting union. Physical companionship is ephemeral, but heavenly association is eternal. Whenever thou rememberest the eternal and never ending union, thou wilt be comforted and blissful.”

                               ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

I Let Go Of My Life And Come Alive Again

YOU THINK I’M CRAZY

You think I'm crazy, well maybe I am
I don't expect you to understand
Out on a limb's not something I planned
How to explain it's just who I am

I never could've dreamed life would be so
Never could've dreamed... so rich in so many ways
Never could've imagined that I would be on this road
I'm traveling
I'm just so grateful to be here today

You think I'm foolish to follow my heart
Most people tell me it's not very smart
Still I follow my feelings and reach for the stars
Who would've known it would get me this far

I never could've dreamed life would be so
Never could've dreamed... so rich in so many ways
Never could've imagined that I would be on this road
I'm traveling
I'm just so grateful to be here today

I don't want to waste it...
I want to feel and know that my feelings really real
I don't want to taste it...
I gotta be doing it, doing it, doing it day and night

You think I'm crazy this life that I choose
With it's highs and it's lows I could win, I could lose
But really my friend I'm a whole lot like you
Just taking my chances and seeing things through

I never could've dreamed life would be so
Never could've dreamed... so rich in so many ways
Never could've imagined that I would be on this road
I'm traveling
I'm just so grateful to be here today...

 

WE ARE ONE

As you go through life you'll see
There is so much that we
Don't understand


And the only thing we know
Is things don't always go
The way we planned


But you'll see every day
That we'll never turn away
When it seems all your dreams come undone


We will stand by your side
Filled with hope and filled with pride
We are more than we are
We are one


If there's so much I must be
Can I still just be me
The way I am?
Can I trust in my own heart
Or am I just one part
Of some big plan?


Even those who are gone
Are with us as we go on
Your journey has only begun


Tears of pain, tears of joy
One thing nothing can destroy
Is our pride, deep inside
We are one


We are one, you and I
We are like the earth and sky
One family under the sun
All the wisdom to lead
All the courage that you need
You will find when you see
We are one

Deep In The Heart Of Chisamba Jungle, You Can Hear Banani Rumble! Who Haa! Who Haa!

I feel the need to tell people about the transportation here, which happens to include the absolute radiance of the people here.

Fact: The mini buses are always packed. By packed, I mean you are most likely not in an upright position and you are definitely tweaking some part of your body. Body parts may even go numb. No else can fit, unless you shove them under the seat (this has not happened).

Fact: Almost anything can be brought onto the bus. Huge bags of rice or grain, cement, live chickens, boxes of fruit. There is somehow always space for it.

Fact: You may wait five seconds to flag down a bus, or, on many occasions, an hour. There isn’t really a time system.

Fact: You will always meet interesting people on the buses.

Now, my love for these buses has not wavered. In fact, it has only increased.

Last week, the youth were heading to Kabwe for a teaching trip. As we were heading there, the bus stopped to pick up a woman and her two children. There wasn’t much room, so she was going to have both of them sit on her lap plus the three bags she was carrying. However, as she was getting in and situated, a man in front grabbed one of her bags and just held it on his lap. This is second nature here. No one thinks twice about it. If someone has too much, others will take it and hold it for them until they got off. I feel like if that happened in America, the person who took it to be helpful would just get beat or something. Shame.

Then, another wonderful thing happened. The conductor wouldn’t let her have her two kids on her lap cuz there just wasn’t room, so he took one of the girls and put her on his lap. What? My God, a woman would freak the EF out if a man took her child and put her on his lap.

Not here.

Then, a man got off and the little girl sat in his seat until other people got on and she would just sit on them. I think she sat on three different laps, and it wasn’t a big deal. Just people helping people. What a concept.

I love how this place is very much a family and everyone helps each other out. It’s incredible.

On this same trip, we were told by guards at Banani to pay 40 pin total to Kabwe. The conductor even said 10 pin each for the four of us. That is, until we got on the bus and started moving. I gave him a 50 and asked for 10 pin back, but then he raised it to 20 pin.

SAY WHAT?! Psh. He be a fool if he think we gonna pay that much.

He tried lowering it to 15. Please. We were sticking with 10 pin each and I wasn’t leaving without my change.

When we arrived at the Kabwe bus station, I asked the conductor for my change and he told me I owed him 10. So then I went to the driver and spoke with him. Long story short, after some marriage proposals and refusals, asking if they were ripping us off cuz we’re white, and some good ol’ bantering, I got my 10 pin back.

However, when we called the family we were staying with, they told us it actually is 15 pin from Banani to Kabwe. Oops. I felt like a terrible person, BUT the conductor did say 10 pin at first.

Well, now we know and it won’t happen again.

Also, it is 15 pin to Lusaka…and we have only paid twelve. I never would have guessed that WE were ripping THEM off. Bah!

So anyway, Kabwe was awesome and we went to a devotional the morning we arrived, volunteered to tutor Ruhi Book 2 that week, and then went to visit the parent’s of some of the junior youth. The families are wonderful, and we explained more about the junior youth program and how it provides moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social education and how its aim is to empower them. Some families only spoke Bemba, so Yvonne would translate for us. She introduced us to some of the kids in her JY group.

We also met a man named Gilbert who is one of Yvonne’s friends. We chatted with him for a bit and then some drunken guys came up to us and tried to talk, so Yvonne and Gilbert put us in a car and we headed home. It was rather amusing, and Gilbert seems soooo awesome! I think he is about 60 or 70 and he is quite the character.

The next morning, on Monday, we came back to Banani. Nura, Sharghi and I were going to go back to Kabwe on Wednesday to do a Book 2 intensive. SAWEEET!!!

We had three days to do Book 2…and we freaking did it! My dear sweet awesomeness, we finished it! It was loads of fun. The group was amazing and I really hope the intensive was effective. They all seem so willing to fill the needs of their community, so hopefully us tutors didn’t destroy their capacity. We learned so much from them and things that we thought were universal were, in fact, not. For example, naturally/easily introducing Baha’i concepts into conversations about poverty or literacy. Back home, I would say that that is easy and can definitely be done, but here it is almost taboo to talk about and can be extremely offensive. In this culture it isn’t easy or natural to bring up and people may expect you to help them financially. Not to say that it shouldn’t be brought up, but just that there are appropriate ways to go about it. You need to be sensitive to the norms of the culture. What may seem doable in one part of the world isn’t always doable in another part of the world.

Duh. But this helped solidify that idea.

Oh Ruhi. Job well done.

As well as doing Ruhi, we sat in on a PSA class. I think that stands for Preparation for Social Action. Anyway, it’s an educational system formed in small group tutorials that aims to provide spiritual and intellectual education to help people contribute to social transformation. The session we sat in on was about energy. Oh that brought back memories of Miller’s physics class. It was really interesting to listen and participate in. We didn’t get too far before we had to leave, but it was great to finally see that in action.

We also visited Gilbert and my earlier assumption of how great he seemed was proved correct. He shared so many stories and his thoughts and views on many issues. He talked a lot about education, religion, and poverty. He brought up really interesting points and we could not get a word in edge wise. For real. We just sat there with our glasses of juice and enjoyed the conversation. He was quite passionate about the importance of education and was saying that people think Zambia is a peaceful country when it really isn’t because people are fighting against poverty every day. How could a country be peaceful when people are starving and don’t have a place to sleep? Peace is not JUST the absence of war, but the absence of strife.

Mah! I just loved this man. He invited us to stay with him and his wife if we ever need to. He showed us around his house and showed us the “refrigerator domestic” and said he had a working toilet like “European.” Haha! He’s a gem.

OH OH!!! And the first trip to Kabwe we stayed with Muhammed and Isabelle who was very very pregnant. Almost to the point of not being pregnant anymore. So when we came the second time, we stayed with Chibwe and his family. While we were there, Isabelle had her baby and we went to go see him! He is sooooo cute! And they are great with him. They don’t speak to him in that baby language. They speak to him like he is an actual human life form with intelligence. I liked that.

AND! Chibwe’s wife can play the guitar and one night she started playing “We are One” from flippen LION KING 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh joy of joys! And they also have a really cute daughter. I love the families here!

Oh, right. Christmas was nice. We baked cookies all day and have eaten them all. Scrumptious! My first hot Christmas too! Ha! That was amusing. It never felt like Christmas, even with seeing all the X-mas decorations and hearing X-mas music. When we went to Shoprite, it was sooo insanely crowded! We had no idea why, and then Nura remembered it was X-mas eve. What? When did that happen?

This week we’ve just been relaxing, watching a lot of tv shows and movies on Krista’s laptop, meeting Colleen’s friends, hanging with the Moore’s, and saying goodbye to Madame Mwika. She was the French teacher, but she is going back to Congo. I’m going to miss her so much. She was such a sweet person.

Also, this place reminds me a lot of Badasht, a camp I go to in the summer. It’s a little creepy sometimes and I expect youth to start singing. It’s nice to feel like I’m at Badasht.  Sometimes it makes me miss all the people back home, except for the Head’s and Hal and Anne cuz they’re leaving (just kidding, I miss you guys) and all the singing, but I love it nonetheless.

Oh, and playing in the rain instead of swimming…such a good idea.

LYLT