The Last African Post

So. We come to the end of things.

The last week has been very busy. I've been working with Barbara Arrington to update and expand...and redesign the National Spiritual Assemly's website. What a job! We spent a solid four days working on it, revising it...and then trying to upload it (not fun, with the internet as slow as it is, then Gamtel was constantly having problems and shutting the internet off entirely, and finally the power was coming on and off... ugh.)

I got out to the craft/tourist market yesterday and spent a rather large fortune on gifts, souvenirs and assorted objects of interest. You will all have to wait the five days until I get home to find out the details about all of that - can't give away any surprises! ;)

Last night we had a wonderful fireside and going-away party (surprise) for me! I gave a short talk about the Love of God as the fireside portion, and then (because of Ramadan, and the Musilm guests who were there) we ate, and had wonderful cake. The NSA also presented a really nice certificate of appreciation for all the work I've done over the last few months. :)

This morning, as usual on Sundays, we had a devotional gathering at Latrikunda - my last Sunday devotional!! :( It was sad that I won't be going to any more. They have really become part of my life, and I've noticed that if I miss a week I really regret it; and by the next weekend I feel spiritually starved! Mom: I hope your devotionals are going well, if not we'll be starting a regular one once I get home!

This afternoon was the graduation for my computer students. Again, it was really nice, but sad to know that that was probably the last time I will ever see any of those people - although I've been telling people that I want to come back in a few years for a vacation/visit - and I plan to do that. Almost all of the students got my email address too, so hopefully they will keep in touch.

You're probably all wondering where the pictures are... I have them. If you seriously think I'm going to spend half an hour waiting for pictures to upload when I can show them to you all in-person, and with commentary (ooooooohhhhhhh...); you're crazy. I will also put them all up on here once I get home to nice, fast internet (my mouth is watering now...)

This has been an absolutely incredible experience - one unlike anything I'd ever dreamed possible. This was not just a few months spent living in Africa, teaching computers. This was as much a spiritual journey as it was a physical one, and spiritually, I have come as far as I have physically, if not further. I spent most of my time not teaching or preparing teaching materials reading Baha'i literature. I have discovered what it means to be a Baha'i for myself, instead of simply accepting what has been told to me. I have learned more about who I am and what I am capable of accomplishing, and have discovered the true happiness that service can bring. I have not had high speed internet, or cable TV, or for that matter, what I would consider 'normal' food. I have been homesick, and physically sick, my principal means of transportation has been a bicycle, and a 'day off' for me has meant that I'm not biking 14 kms to teach computers and come home, I'm biking 14 kms to prepare materials for future instructors to use, and come home. But in spite...no. Because of all this; I have been happier than ever before, and I feel more spiritually in tune with myself than I ever fathomed possible.

I will never forget this, and I will never be the same person I was in April when I left. I have grown, I have expanded, I have devoloped too much to return to my previous state - and I'm loving the 'me' I have become! And that's just the personal side of it.

This is my last post from The Gambia, but I will have wrap-up posts even once I return, so don't stop visiting me yet! Thanks everyone for dropping by and leaving your comments - you've made me feel so much closer to home! Can't wait to see you - in 5 days!!

'Short-timer'

Well, I've finished the computer classes. It was really weird on Thursday and Friday knowing that they were going to be the last two days seeing all of the students! It was really sad, and I suddenly realized just how much a part of my life they have all been for the last few months. It was, in some ways, unfortunate as well because they were all busy doing their final exam for PowerPoint, so really didn't have much interaction with them, they were just working away - and I spent most of the time reading a book.

The National Spiritual Assembley asked me a little while ago to have a look at their website before I leave. I spent all of Saturday trying to get a hold of someone here who I know has Dreamweaver (the software I use to design websites), and when that failed I spent Sunday at the Arrington's house while Bob downloaded the most recent version - which doesn't seem to be any different from the previous...

Since it finished I have spent basically every waking hour working on the website; not just 'having a look at it', but completely redesigning and updating it too. I even ended up staying at their house last night because it got quite late! It's been a lot of work, but a few minutes ago I got it about as far as I can take it. Barbara is going to review the content, and then we'll post it in a few days time. If you want to have a look now at the old site, and in a few days at the new site the address is www.bci.org/bahaigambia.

Aside from getting things ready for the graduation next weekend, working on the NSA's website, buying souvenirs, sightseeing and preparing to leave, I really don't know what I'm going to do for the next 10 days... probably do a lot of reading! Don't worry; I have taken tons more pictures, and will be taking even more over the next week-and-a-bit, although I probably won't bother spending the time to put them on here, but all can see them when I get home!! :)

The whole idea that I'm going to be home in 10 days (wow! 10 days!) doesn't seem real. It feel, in fact, exactly the same as when I was coming here; I know it's going to happen, but until I've been home for a week or two it won't seem like reality at all. Bob Arrington has been teasing me lately - wondering how I'm going to adapt to high-speed internet, 24/7 electricity and running water, trading my bicycle in for mom and dad's cars, etc. In some ways I think it will take some getting used to, to not have to worry about the power constantly going out - it becomes just part of life here! Again, it feel so weird just to be thinking about this...

Megan sent me a text message just now, so I'd like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving - eating your turkey (yum), squash (oooohhhh), potatoes (hmmm), home-made baked beans (!!!!!!), etc. etc.... I'm making myself really hungry now - that was as mistake...

Bakary, Sherifou, Adama and more

Well I'm definitly looking forward to coming home. I'm still enjoying it here, but it's a long time to be away from friends and family.

Last week I had one day of internet access at the computer classes, I set about four people up with email accounts, showed people how to search with google, answered a lot of questions. Generally people thought it was a success. I also had an oppurtunity to look at my own emails, and started to write a post to put on here, but ran out of time.

I only have two more classes to teach, and then the exam! I can hardly believe things are coming to an end; I can remember looking at my calender when I first arrived and thinking that september/october would never come! Yet here it is. I spent some time today installing Microsoft Office on all of the remaining new computers, and saw as well that they came with mice, keyboards and headsets, which I doubt, unfortunately, will ever be used.

Well, really I don't have much to say. Nothing has changed, nothing really exciting has happened. I teach the computer classes through the week, and on the weekends find somewhere to work / play on computers, or just stay at home and read. That's my life. Enjoy the pictures!

Pictures of the Sky! Yay!

I know, the title of this post sounds like I'm on something. I'm not. I swear.

It's truly amazing to think that I only have about one month left here. In many ways I want to go home, to see everyone, to experiece all of the 'familiar' things of home, and yet I cannot stop thinking that all of those things I've been thinking about as being from 'home' are going to seem really strange once I'm back. I'm at home here - although I can hardly believe I'm saying it. I find it so hard to imagine that in another month all of these people I've been interacting with on a daily basis, who have really become almost like family to me - the pioneers, my students, the local Baha'is - will all but cease to be a part of my life! People have told me that going home is harder than going to a new place, and I think I am starting to understand why.

We just had a memorial service here for Ahmad Shams, Faramarz and Kia's father who passed away a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing how many people showed up, almost all of whom had never met the man, but came to support their friends. It was really beautiful.

My USB Hard drive has decided its had enough. It's really unfortunate because I had about 50Gb of information on it, and some of it was stuff I got here - although fortunately not very much. My biggest loss is all of my full quality pictures - everything I've taken since I arrived in April. I've been putting copies of almost everything up here on my blog, but most of those have been reduced in size by 50% because of the internet speed here. I'm really hoping that once I get home I, or Western Digital (it's still under warranty) will be able to recover the pictures.

In light of this, all the pictures I'm posting now are full quality...
I apologize for any layout problems, blogs don't handle multiple pictures very well. Complain to blogger, not me ;)

Ugh, Arg.

I have a cold :( Its really quite bothersome - why couldn't it have waited a month and a half? Right now I'm on drugs so I don't feel it so much, but yesterday and most of today it was terrible.

I finally have two of the new computers at the classroom, and they really are wonderful. They have Windows 2000, working USB ports, CD drives, and even a speaker; built - in! I've set one of them up for the students to use (so I'm now up to 4 computers with Powerpoint), and the other one I am using to keep track of student's marks, and to work on the various books I'm sort-of-creating. They don't want to setup a full classroom (7) of these new computers (which I do) so for now I'll just be taking a couple at a time to install the software, and then send them back. Even just having the one for me to work on has made a huge difference, I'll be able to do way more work than before!

This morning we had a beautiful presentation about the life of Mona, a Baha'i Martyr from 1982. Today would have been her 41st birthday. Myself and a few others were in tears by the end. The video "Mona with the Children" can be seen here - it was part of the presentation.

Other than that there really isn't very much news from here. I'm feeling quite at home and at ease with living, and I have lots to do, which is really good. As the time of my return draws nearer and nearer I find my thoughts straying more and more to home - sort of like when I first arrived. Fortunately I have lots to do, to keep my mind off it, and I can now make lots of work if I run out! I am looking forward to comming home - and now Grandpa wants me to come to Winnipeg to visit them and Uncle Stephen wants me to go to Ottawa to visit them...! But before anything else - home.

More news in a week or two.