Andrea H Easter
Baha'i World Centre
P.O. Box 155
31001 Haifa
Israel
in faith, hope, love
Andrea Hope
Monday, October 22, 2012
Monday, January 31, 2011
World Citizen (Andrea Hope) Busboys and Poets DC
World Citizen performed Busboys in Poets in Washington DC
"...and I got a couple cousins that I can't pronounce their names but we're not phased when face to face because we face a phase of change, He put complex in our complexions cuz our souls all glow the same..."
Thursday, July 29, 2010
goodbye video
so randomly i found this goodbye video that i never posted, so what the hey let's post it :)
Monday, July 19, 2010
WHEEL
I'm disappointed I haven't got to write in the last weeks but I guess that's a statement in itself of how busy I have been.
I moved to Maseru to do Ruhi Book 5 (in the Faith we have Ruhi books that focus on teaching classes and deepening in the Faith that everyone is encourage to go through with a tutor). 5 is the book on Junior Youth Groups I finished with about 30 Baha'i Youth from different parts of Lesotho. It was a wonderful ending experience to meet with the Baha'is from different areas because I ran into a lot of familiar faces from my traveling. The actual book was very difficult. The English words were quite sophisticated and having English as a second language, I spent most of my time trying to help translate words. They struggled but I was very impressed by the willingness to move forward and ask about confusing concepts everyday. There was also much time for dancing and I performed poetry and was inspired by others who shared their passions!
Their were some struggles with structure. I was volunteered to be time-keeper which now that I think about it, would have been better suited for someone who wasn't usually on time to help them than someone who is on time because I had to constantly chase after people to get back to class. I tried to be playful about it and compared myself to a werewolf who walked around normal and then turned into a predator chasing people around. A lot of Baha'is were new to the Faith and we found a struggle of helping them balance the actions accepted in their cultures with the new laws that they must rise to as members of the Faith. We had some serious talks about HIV and AIDs which is infecting 24% of their population (and thats just known of who has been tested)
I want to highlight that being a member of a Faith group is no easy task. I love the fact that Baha'u'llah points out in many writings that the more spiritual you become the more tests you go through. You can imagine that the more conscious of self and the world around you that you become, the harder it is to cope with the vain or simple desires that take over the average person's life span. In the physical sense, I like to use the analogy...it gets harder to breath as you get closer to heaven. Having a balance of humility to my fellow man and detachment from earthly desires is something that I putting much prayer and effort toward, so if you wish to pray for me, that would be my request.
I got a lot closer to Julia, Mpholokeng, Bolebali...new and old friends that were around. Got to say bye to everyone, including my Me Lihlahleng and Kamachee- who made us a DELICIOUS homemade dinner, complete with spring rolls. Moloantoa was able to visit although not as much as he had hoped. It was the King's birthday and he had to go to another district but we spent some great time together when we could and I will miss him a lot. I have complete confidence that I will keep in contact with the people that have made me feel so loved and welcomed and I'm hoping to at least have a trip back in 2012. They said they're holding me to that!
Hmm what else? I got to go to South Africa and visit a game park, which was one of my goals. I pet a baby lion and giraffe and had a wonderful experience. The ticket for my friend K.R. to safari was 600 rand which is way over budget. It was only 250 if we had our own car, the extra fee was to use one of their tour guides. So I said no K.R., we have to find another way. So in true Andrea initiative fashion, I stood at the registration center and waited for cars that I might be able to ask if we could ride with. Most people brought their children and I felt uncomfortable asking those families. After sometime a couple from Chile came. I went up to the window and showed my ticket trying to explain that we didn't have our own car. The husband didn't speak any English and the wife spoke a little. She showed us their tickets and I said no, I'm not collecting just asking. I turned to K.R. midway and said I don't think they understand. As soon as I turned back the wife asked...you want to get in with us?? Yes!! Ok!! she said. I was SO EXCITED. They were the perfect people to go with also, they were really into the animals and getting nice photos. The husband kept calling us "las amigas". They had asked us where we were from and got our emails. Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus came on the radio and she said- my daughter loves this song would you sing it? and proceeded to video tape us half knowing the words to party in the USA to show their daughter at home. I can't express how lovely and confirming of an experience it was to be with them and the friendliness through different cultures "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens" I also got to go to a small club with some friends from the South African Baha'i Centre (beautiful place) and all around had a wonderful trip, I was cutting up that dance floor...get ready Molly McCormick!
So I spend my last week going to South Africa for those experiences (also ran into a Bahai for DC visiting for World Cup!) and then when I returned I...lost my passport TYPICAL. I spent the next few days at US Embassy trying to get a new and bring the requirements and etc. When I finally got it figured out, that night a friend suggested to go to the taxi rank for the taxi I was riding in. We went and found my passport!! (I had taken other measures already like police report, radio announcement). First thing the next morning I called the Embassy but they had already canceled it so that was money out of the pocket, but at least I got the old one back. The woman showed a lot of concern as it was the 3rd time over the years that I lost my passport, and I am a US citizen...which is a really big deal. You know I'm trying to find a balance between being detached from material things (i'm really good at that part, everything is replaceable in life...except people) and being responsible for my things...hmm yea working on that. On that note I realized that the only things I'm really attached to are the prayer book my grandmother gave me, some way to contact fam/friends, and my teddy bear.
I gave away a lot of stuff on my way home. The trouble I had was that I would give away things and other youth would come and ask what are you going to give me to remember you by? There was still this feeling that I'm this wealthy girl. Comparatively I can say maybe it is a bit true, but I have money because I save it and try not to spend too much on silly things. I was satisfied to give away things I thought were useful or didn't really need and wish everyone well. Overall I really felt loved and supported with my energy and talents that I tried to give forth to the Faith.
Now the next step is the trouble. I know coming back to US and DC is going to be tough. I'm not cut out for the concrete jungle and I really love the small town life in Lesotho. I don't know what the next step is. I believe I have to talk to my family about the possibility of returning to Africa for longer or moving to the West Coast where it is more environmentally friendly and less crowded. I am considering Portland Oregon and somewhere around LA (i know that def wont be less crowded) but as I'm searching for peace I really want to give my poetry a strong effort. I have written a lot in Africa and the responses I have gotten are very encouraging. Any advice on the next step is definitely welcome.
Thank you for love, support, and prayers. Thank you for following along with me on my journey of spiritual and personal growth in Africa and be assured that I will forever be serving. As I once said: "Most people have jobs with service in between; I think I have service with periods of job!"
"if we never stop when we wave goodbye, we just might find, if we give it time, we'll wave hello again, we just might wave hello again!" john mayer- wheel
with open arms and open heart,
spread hope,
Andrea hope
good fruits
The kids in TY and staff gave me a nice farewell with a water bottle and card. I felt appreciated and wish I could have had more time with them. It worked out pretty well as it was the end of the school year. They had a magician hypnotizing people, which was pretty interesting. I dunno how I feel about magic, not being to many shows but its entertaining.
So I moved to Mohoale's Hoek and lived in a small, two room house with a Baha'i couple and their two young kids. It was a wonderful experience for me to see a healthy Baha'i married couple and it really gave me hope for what I will one day attain. Without getting to deep into it, my family has a history of strong and independent women to the point that family life is something that I struggle to have trust in. Living in the small space with the kids was a little weird as far as privacy, but good for my heart to wake up to smiling and noisy faces. Reminded me of my nieces and nephews.
It was very cold and the people were not keen on going out so the first week was a bit dry but the next week things got better. We went out to teach, I helped with a few children's classes, did some dancing, devotionals, and helped host the first feast. We concentrated on getting to know each other and what we know about the Faith, as the community is very new.
We watched to World Cup a bit. The Vuvuzelas were blowing even in Lesotho. I really enjoyed Argentina's team and I was torn during the USA/Ghana game. I wanted to vote for Ghana because it was the only African team with a chance to make it to the next round, but found it hard to go against US. In the end I'm glad Ghana won, there was much excitement over the Cup and football in general so there was a good vibe around.
I kept up with Bible readings and Baha'i writings and found confirmation in the Faith. You know I think although I haven't finish the Bible, I am steadfast to being Baha'i. Jesus says that He is going to send a Comforter, and that if He doesn't leave the Comforter would not come, so I believe even Jesus confirmed that their would be guidance beyond him. "For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come; he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment" John 16:7 and confirms that He is not God as some may believe "If ye loved me ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father; for my Father greater than I." You know Jesus talks about knowing a tree by its fruits and when I think of all the things Baha'u'llah and His followers went through to promote unity and equality, I can't imagine that a tree with such polished and shining fruits could come from any other source.You know the things I love about the Faith are our sense of community, the fact that I could go across the world to people I have never known and have complete trust in them, knowing they have the same ideals and plan as me is a wonderful and amazing feeling!
"Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but inside they are ravening wolves...a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth forth not good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Matthew 7:15
with open arms and open heart,
spread hope,
Andrea Hope
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
I'm still alive!! haha
This has to be short because I have like 15 minutes of internet time but just wanted to say I am so happy (Ke thabile haholo!!) As I expected things have really upgraded since my move to TY, Berea and getting over bedbugs etc.
One of the teachers offered me housing free so I didn't have to transport everyday from the place in Maseru (an hour away). I just had to provide my own stove, petrol, and blanket. It's still bucket living but hey! i honestly like it. I am STILL a horrible cook (too impatient) so thats a little hard and washing in the basin is cold but all in all its simple and wonderful for me to live in my little ronduval alone and know a family is just a few steps away. I hang out with my radio a lot and drink lots of sweet tea so not too much has changed :) Oh, Ludacris seems to be featured in like a dozen songs the past month which makes me very happy because for some reason I just love his style. LUDA!!! i don't know how much later we get songs here in Lesotho but my favorite track right now is called Nothing on You "beautiful girls all over the world, i could be chasing but my time would be wasted, they've got nothing on you baby -not not nothing on you baby, nothing on you baby"
The school I work at is Tsoelang Pele Primary School. On Wed I teach dance -combination of ballroom and hip hop by request of the teachers lol-, games, and art. i had free time during the week so asked what I could help with and now I teach Life Skills 8 times a week; self awareness, gender stereotypes, conflict resolution and health to class 4,5,6,7. The teachers were supposed to teach it this yr but were nervous about how to approach the subjects. The kids love the classes and they work hard for the most part and come up with ideas sometimes i don't even think of so I am so proud. i just incorporate things like "battle of the sexes" "wheel of fortune" drawing lessons and drama in my lessons and it works out well. the younger kids just learned We are Drops - a Baha'i song and the older kids learned about equality of men and women and how equality doesn't mean that men and women have to have same abilities or even jobs, just that we respect their work and lives in the same manner. i wish i had longer with them, as do the teachers but the school yr ends june 11. thats when i will be moving to Mohoale's Hoek anyway so at least this time i will feel less guilty. I will try to take pics of a "Day in the life" of me including the cute little chicks that live on next door to me (baby chickens not girls lol) and post later on. I've also been writing a lot more raps and songs lately. Feeling inspired with this new location and hoping to record some stuff with friends in Maseru next month. there is a producer, the guy PK who is jst so legit
I still want to go to Port Elizabeth but I have to work out the details
I have gotten to work with a couple Baha'i classes on weekends but for the most part I am incorporating the virtues lessons into my work at the primary school. i go to village called Liphiring on weekends where there is no electricity and our radio and phones are charged by........SOLAR POWER. how awesome right? I'm such a proud tree hugger for that
I started saying my 95 Allah'u'abhas a day a while back and I think it has really helped me to focus and feel uplifted. I enjoy it more than I expected and of course still reading scriptures and all that. I am feeling more advanced in my spiritual relationships through prayer than reading the Bible or Holy Books, which is a little surprising to me but definitely beautiful in itself.
Ok that's about all I can squeeze in, talk to you l8ter!!
with open arms and open heart
spread hope,
Andrea Hope
"we are drops of one ocean, we are pearls of one sea, come and join us in our quest for unity, its the way of live for you and me!"
This has to be short because I have like 15 minutes of internet time but just wanted to say I am so happy (Ke thabile haholo!!) As I expected things have really upgraded since my move to TY, Berea and getting over bedbugs etc.
One of the teachers offered me housing free so I didn't have to transport everyday from the place in Maseru (an hour away). I just had to provide my own stove, petrol, and blanket. It's still bucket living but hey! i honestly like it. I am STILL a horrible cook (too impatient) so thats a little hard and washing in the basin is cold but all in all its simple and wonderful for me to live in my little ronduval alone and know a family is just a few steps away. I hang out with my radio a lot and drink lots of sweet tea so not too much has changed :) Oh, Ludacris seems to be featured in like a dozen songs the past month which makes me very happy because for some reason I just love his style. LUDA!!! i don't know how much later we get songs here in Lesotho but my favorite track right now is called Nothing on You "beautiful girls all over the world, i could be chasing but my time would be wasted, they've got nothing on you baby -not not nothing on you baby, nothing on you baby"
The school I work at is Tsoelang Pele Primary School. On Wed I teach dance -combination of ballroom and hip hop by request of the teachers lol-, games, and art. i had free time during the week so asked what I could help with and now I teach Life Skills 8 times a week; self awareness, gender stereotypes, conflict resolution and health to class 4,5,6,7. The teachers were supposed to teach it this yr but were nervous about how to approach the subjects. The kids love the classes and they work hard for the most part and come up with ideas sometimes i don't even think of so I am so proud. i just incorporate things like "battle of the sexes" "wheel of fortune" drawing lessons and drama in my lessons and it works out well. the younger kids just learned We are Drops - a Baha'i song and the older kids learned about equality of men and women and how equality doesn't mean that men and women have to have same abilities or even jobs, just that we respect their work and lives in the same manner. i wish i had longer with them, as do the teachers but the school yr ends june 11. thats when i will be moving to Mohoale's Hoek anyway so at least this time i will feel less guilty. I will try to take pics of a "Day in the life" of me including the cute little chicks that live on next door to me (baby chickens not girls lol) and post later on. I've also been writing a lot more raps and songs lately. Feeling inspired with this new location and hoping to record some stuff with friends in Maseru next month. there is a producer, the guy PK who is jst so legit
I still want to go to Port Elizabeth but I have to work out the details
I have gotten to work with a couple Baha'i classes on weekends but for the most part I am incorporating the virtues lessons into my work at the primary school. i go to village called Liphiring on weekends where there is no electricity and our radio and phones are charged by........SOLAR POWER. how awesome right? I'm such a proud tree hugger for that
I started saying my 95 Allah'u'abhas a day a while back and I think it has really helped me to focus and feel uplifted. I enjoy it more than I expected and of course still reading scriptures and all that. I am feeling more advanced in my spiritual relationships through prayer than reading the Bible or Holy Books, which is a little surprising to me but definitely beautiful in itself.
Ok that's about all I can squeeze in, talk to you l8ter!!
with open arms and open heart
spread hope,
Andrea Hope
"we are drops of one ocean, we are pearls of one sea, come and join us in our quest for unity, its the way of live for you and me!"
Saturday, May 15, 2010
UPs DOWNs and ALL AROUNDs
Well its been awhile, my apologies. I have had some very high point and a few struggles lately but you know me I keep praying and pushing and I'm happy so here we go!
The UPs
-April 30 to May 2, National Baha'i Youth Conference in Northgate South Africa was FANTASTIC! The Baha'i youth had like "coffee house" vibe I would say for lack of a better analogy (and they pointed out that I say like a lot lol.) There was a good mix of social consciousness and style. Amazing youth! to include a group of us who performed a song I wrote (I'm a soldier S.O.U.L. if you can't tell I'm a soldier). Performance included a verse of "I'm a Baha'i" rap, some drumming by Lunathi who had dreads and was sporting a "tree hugger" tee so you know I loved her, beautiful Samantha singing, a young male poet and young female and male beatboxers, an awesome facilitator and muscisian, Grae, a girl on guitar, me and a poet Avuwe who had a bright blondish afro :) Outside of that group I wish I could talk about all the wonderful people I met but what sticks out is a girl who is doing a yr of service is a small village, Kele, and two boys who live at the Centre; Africa and Gino. It seems like a really cool thing to live at a Centre, though I'm sure kitchen work can be a bit rough. Its one of the things I'd like to look into.The conference was about encouraging youth to do 3mths to a yr of service/core activities and highlighted this as the prime time for us to take action citing we have "high energy" and "freedom of movement" All of which I whole heartedly agree and supported my lifestyle of being a mover and shaker. Don't worry,one day I will settle and I'll be none the less happy, especially when I have my kiddies, but for now I got some aspirations that require floating around the beloved earth. Also introduced to music of Raul Midon- listen to "Peace on Earth"! Lunathi recently invited me to do Ruhi intensive in Port Elizabeth, where she lives. Its 16 hours away on bus but she told me not to be held back by that lol, because I would get to see the coast and spend some time teaching and deepening so going to talk to the National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) about it
-Julia got elected to the NSA of Lesotho. YAY I'm so proud, not bad for a 24 year old Baha'i!
-Was looking around internet and found out there is a National Poetry Slam in MN in August. I have never been to Minnesota or a National Slam so I am really excited
and hope I will have enough money to attend the week (August 4-7) and maybe convince some friends to come along.
The DOWNs
-No service trip would be complete without me getting covered in bug bites. Americorps Mississippi March 2009...Butha Buthe April 2010, Bedbug bites! They are all over after a weekend trip to a village and during the day its ok but at night I tend to scratch, which is making them swell. I brought them home with me so I've been having more every day. I got some bug spray and had to handwash my stuff so I hope that they are all gone. I've realized that bedbugs are my Arch Nemisis (i didn't know it was possible for me to have one) because not only is sleep vital, its one of my favorite hobbies- ask anyone- and bedbugs take away that pleasure and they are so small its hard to know if I've got them all.
-ALERT, I lost my cell phone (well it got stolen from a bag I lost). I had a rough weekend. Went to Mokhotlong to visit before moving to Berea. I got to sleep in a place that definitely didnt have bedbugs so that was nice but the bus i took there was too big to pass these trucks parked on the road, so I hitched a ride with a PC volunteer and when we got to Leseng I realized that I had left my small bag on the bus. We found a taxi to MKG where I had to sit in her lap for the first few minutes and she had to pay for me ofcourse, so we got real close, real quick lol. In MKG I saw one of my old dancers and mentioned to him what happened. GOd is great because I prayed about it and was planning to go talk to the bus driver the next morning but he saw the bus come in that night after I went to bed and went and got it for me. The driver said he got it from two women and didnt look inside, so my wallet was there but unfortunately my phone was not included. Still its good because that would be hectic to replace. My phone's memory card has my music, pictures, and antivirus software so thats a bummer! I didn't get to do much there because I planned on visiting schools but I didn't know Thursday was a holiday so no one was around. I also got a cold so though I was sleeping without bugs, I was having trouble breathing. Ok, so its not ALL horrible...I did get to see Slumdog Millionaire for the first time -I know I'm late!!- on Me Lihlahleng's computer and some students who heard I was around came by the office to visit. If you could have seen the faces of the girls from my children's class when they saw "Ausi Andrea" and ran to me. It was so touching and beautiful and part of the reason MKG will always be my "home" in Lesotho if I have a choice of where to stay.
-Julia was gone for 2 weeks :( After she went to help travel teach for a week, they asked her to extend it. I went to the conference when she got back so we finally
met up sunday night. I was left in the care of her younger sister Elizabeth (my sister's name too!) and her friend but they were speaking a lot of Sesotho so I felt a bit out of the loop and its just not the same vibe so I'm very happy to have Julia back, though I will be leaving for Berea on Monday and will miss her again!!
-I'm struggling with being humble while independent, I wont indulge on petty exampless, but I just don't really like to accept people doing things for me and I know most of the time its probably just being helpful but I keep fighting internal aggrevation about it. I'm the type of person, teach me how to fish, don't bring me the fish but I'm frustrated with myself that I'm not more accepting. "when the Beaver offers you a fish, you take the fish" (Dr. Dolittle 2 reference, i know old school)
-I almost got my wallet and phone stolen in Joberg! Basically I felt a tug on my bag and turned around to see a guy had unzipped it. He said "oh sorry" and walked away. The streets were so crowded and it reminded me of philly except more people selling stuff on the street so I was overwhelmed. Its real crazy I think people expect to come to U.S. and see so much difference but if they've been to Joberg theres not gonna be much more to get excited about in US cities, except maybe more concerts/clubs and diversity of people
The ALL AROUNDs
-I'm 23. I was feeling kind of old at the Youth Conference when they asked people to raise your hands if you are over 22 and no one did lol! I just barely got called out since my birthday was 8 May lol but I don't feel any different being a bit older except pretty soon I'll be too old to audition for MTVs Real World lol. What a loss!
-Running out of internet time and want to apply for jobs, especially in LA. This trip is really making me strive for dreams, I haven't failed at what I've put time and effort into (not to say there arent hard times) but I have more dreams and its important for me to know I put effort into achieving them. Among them is still getting closer with Faith...possibly through a trip of service in Haifa Israel (been really considering that so anyone who has been, I would love feedback) and trying to put some umph into my poetry and writing which means probably moving to Cali since L.A. and Nashville are the best places for writers from what I have researched
-I've been reading even more. Read Revelation of Baha'u'llah (first book in series); it was powerful reading the stories of early believers and martyrs. What stuck out the most was the story of Siyyid Jafar (don't let Aladdin deter you) he was a believer who became imprisoned when the governor raided their village. After the troops were leaving the people were without resources and so the governor gave them corn but in order to get it, each person had to spit on Jafar's face. I mean violence and persecution are difficult things to imagine but to have to stand behind a gate and let people look at you and spit in your face is just amazing to me, he even encouraged those who were nervous because he knew it was the only way they'd have food. That was really the most powerful story for me. I've also been skimming through Kitabi Aqdas and Iqan again and Bible still. As far as service, still doing dance classes but having trouble keeping with children's class and jyg with the traveling and sickness and etc. Hoping to be more stable with things in Berea.
Praying has been really effective for me. I know prayer can't fix everything literally, but the spiritual station it puts me in makes me so much more ready to accept and work through things. And I think its important that I don't ask God to fix everything. I ask him to make me more detached and to provide the means for me to be an effective servant, which is pretty much fairly good health and steadfastness. Its been so beneficial. When I got back to Butha Buthe I was crying after the weekend I had and my ears had popped in the taxi and wouldn't clear out so they were hurting on top of my cold. SO I laid down and prayed and I was so thankful when one of my nostrils cleared up enough for me to get some rest. ANd when Phomolo knocked on my door in MKG to give me my wallet, I was so grateful for that as well. So I feel blessed through my little struggles that I remember to pray and be happy of triumphs; great or small. There's a prayer that says "O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.
O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord." Sometimes I feel guilty when I've been in a bad mood and say this prayer but its such a reminder of what I should focus on. I never believe that the power in prayer is simply recieving good grace but recieving spiritual power to cope with the struggles of the physical world.
Well I hope to write from Berea soon,
Keep me in your prayers,
"Intone, O My servants, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom."
With open arms and open heart,
spread hope,
Andrea Hope
The UPs
-April 30 to May 2, National Baha'i Youth Conference in Northgate South Africa was FANTASTIC! The Baha'i youth had like "coffee house" vibe I would say for lack of a better analogy (and they pointed out that I say like a lot lol.) There was a good mix of social consciousness and style. Amazing youth! to include a group of us who performed a song I wrote (I'm a soldier S.O.U.L. if you can't tell I'm a soldier). Performance included a verse of "I'm a Baha'i" rap, some drumming by Lunathi who had dreads and was sporting a "tree hugger" tee so you know I loved her, beautiful Samantha singing, a young male poet and young female and male beatboxers, an awesome facilitator and muscisian, Grae, a girl on guitar, me and a poet Avuwe who had a bright blondish afro :) Outside of that group I wish I could talk about all the wonderful people I met but what sticks out is a girl who is doing a yr of service is a small village, Kele, and two boys who live at the Centre; Africa and Gino. It seems like a really cool thing to live at a Centre, though I'm sure kitchen work can be a bit rough. Its one of the things I'd like to look into.The conference was about encouraging youth to do 3mths to a yr of service/core activities and highlighted this as the prime time for us to take action citing we have "high energy" and "freedom of movement" All of which I whole heartedly agree and supported my lifestyle of being a mover and shaker. Don't worry,one day I will settle and I'll be none the less happy, especially when I have my kiddies, but for now I got some aspirations that require floating around the beloved earth. Also introduced to music of Raul Midon- listen to "Peace on Earth"! Lunathi recently invited me to do Ruhi intensive in Port Elizabeth, where she lives. Its 16 hours away on bus but she told me not to be held back by that lol, because I would get to see the coast and spend some time teaching and deepening so going to talk to the National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) about it
-Julia got elected to the NSA of Lesotho. YAY I'm so proud, not bad for a 24 year old Baha'i!
-Was looking around internet and found out there is a National Poetry Slam in MN in August. I have never been to Minnesota or a National Slam so I am really excited
and hope I will have enough money to attend the week (August 4-7) and maybe convince some friends to come along.
The DOWNs
-No service trip would be complete without me getting covered in bug bites. Americorps Mississippi March 2009...Butha Buthe April 2010, Bedbug bites! They are all over after a weekend trip to a village and during the day its ok but at night I tend to scratch, which is making them swell. I brought them home with me so I've been having more every day. I got some bug spray and had to handwash my stuff so I hope that they are all gone. I've realized that bedbugs are my Arch Nemisis (i didn't know it was possible for me to have one) because not only is sleep vital, its one of my favorite hobbies- ask anyone- and bedbugs take away that pleasure and they are so small its hard to know if I've got them all.
-ALERT, I lost my cell phone (well it got stolen from a bag I lost). I had a rough weekend. Went to Mokhotlong to visit before moving to Berea. I got to sleep in a place that definitely didnt have bedbugs so that was nice but the bus i took there was too big to pass these trucks parked on the road, so I hitched a ride with a PC volunteer and when we got to Leseng I realized that I had left my small bag on the bus. We found a taxi to MKG where I had to sit in her lap for the first few minutes and she had to pay for me ofcourse, so we got real close, real quick lol. In MKG I saw one of my old dancers and mentioned to him what happened. GOd is great because I prayed about it and was planning to go talk to the bus driver the next morning but he saw the bus come in that night after I went to bed and went and got it for me. The driver said he got it from two women and didnt look inside, so my wallet was there but unfortunately my phone was not included. Still its good because that would be hectic to replace. My phone's memory card has my music, pictures, and antivirus software so thats a bummer! I didn't get to do much there because I planned on visiting schools but I didn't know Thursday was a holiday so no one was around. I also got a cold so though I was sleeping without bugs, I was having trouble breathing. Ok, so its not ALL horrible...I did get to see Slumdog Millionaire for the first time -I know I'm late!!- on Me Lihlahleng's computer and some students who heard I was around came by the office to visit. If you could have seen the faces of the girls from my children's class when they saw "Ausi Andrea" and ran to me. It was so touching and beautiful and part of the reason MKG will always be my "home" in Lesotho if I have a choice of where to stay.
-Julia was gone for 2 weeks :( After she went to help travel teach for a week, they asked her to extend it. I went to the conference when she got back so we finally
met up sunday night. I was left in the care of her younger sister Elizabeth (my sister's name too!) and her friend but they were speaking a lot of Sesotho so I felt a bit out of the loop and its just not the same vibe so I'm very happy to have Julia back, though I will be leaving for Berea on Monday and will miss her again!!
-I'm struggling with being humble while independent, I wont indulge on petty exampless, but I just don't really like to accept people doing things for me and I know most of the time its probably just being helpful but I keep fighting internal aggrevation about it. I'm the type of person, teach me how to fish, don't bring me the fish but I'm frustrated with myself that I'm not more accepting. "when the Beaver offers you a fish, you take the fish" (Dr. Dolittle 2 reference, i know old school)
-I almost got my wallet and phone stolen in Joberg! Basically I felt a tug on my bag and turned around to see a guy had unzipped it. He said "oh sorry" and walked away. The streets were so crowded and it reminded me of philly except more people selling stuff on the street so I was overwhelmed. Its real crazy I think people expect to come to U.S. and see so much difference but if they've been to Joberg theres not gonna be much more to get excited about in US cities, except maybe more concerts/clubs and diversity of people
The ALL AROUNDs
-I'm 23. I was feeling kind of old at the Youth Conference when they asked people to raise your hands if you are over 22 and no one did lol! I just barely got called out since my birthday was 8 May lol but I don't feel any different being a bit older except pretty soon I'll be too old to audition for MTVs Real World lol. What a loss!
-Running out of internet time and want to apply for jobs, especially in LA. This trip is really making me strive for dreams, I haven't failed at what I've put time and effort into (not to say there arent hard times) but I have more dreams and its important for me to know I put effort into achieving them. Among them is still getting closer with Faith...possibly through a trip of service in Haifa Israel (been really considering that so anyone who has been, I would love feedback) and trying to put some umph into my poetry and writing which means probably moving to Cali since L.A. and Nashville are the best places for writers from what I have researched
-I've been reading even more. Read Revelation of Baha'u'llah (first book in series); it was powerful reading the stories of early believers and martyrs. What stuck out the most was the story of Siyyid Jafar (don't let Aladdin deter you) he was a believer who became imprisoned when the governor raided their village. After the troops were leaving the people were without resources and so the governor gave them corn but in order to get it, each person had to spit on Jafar's face. I mean violence and persecution are difficult things to imagine but to have to stand behind a gate and let people look at you and spit in your face is just amazing to me, he even encouraged those who were nervous because he knew it was the only way they'd have food. That was really the most powerful story for me. I've also been skimming through Kitabi Aqdas and Iqan again and Bible still. As far as service, still doing dance classes but having trouble keeping with children's class and jyg with the traveling and sickness and etc. Hoping to be more stable with things in Berea.
Praying has been really effective for me. I know prayer can't fix everything literally, but the spiritual station it puts me in makes me so much more ready to accept and work through things. And I think its important that I don't ask God to fix everything. I ask him to make me more detached and to provide the means for me to be an effective servant, which is pretty much fairly good health and steadfastness. Its been so beneficial. When I got back to Butha Buthe I was crying after the weekend I had and my ears had popped in the taxi and wouldn't clear out so they were hurting on top of my cold. SO I laid down and prayed and I was so thankful when one of my nostrils cleared up enough for me to get some rest. ANd when Phomolo knocked on my door in MKG to give me my wallet, I was so grateful for that as well. So I feel blessed through my little struggles that I remember to pray and be happy of triumphs; great or small. There's a prayer that says "O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.
O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord." Sometimes I feel guilty when I've been in a bad mood and say this prayer but its such a reminder of what I should focus on. I never believe that the power in prayer is simply recieving good grace but recieving spiritual power to cope with the struggles of the physical world.
Well I hope to write from Berea soon,
Keep me in your prayers,
"Intone, O My servants, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom."
With open arms and open heart,
spread hope,
Andrea Hope
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