March 27

I am really pleased with the way this week went, and I feel like some problems I was having are beginning to resolve themselves. At work I am to take over the brief visits desk, acting as a travel agent of sorts (emphasis on "of sorts") for Baha'is who wish to come to the Akka/Haifa area for reasons other than a formal nine-day pilgrimage (the most common reasons are to attend a holy day observance or simply to spend some time in the shrines). This desk works much more closely with another department than the nine-day section of the pilgrimage department, and it tends to operate on a much more urgent basis...and I will continue to do nine-day pilgrimage half-time, theoretically. Looked at most pessimistically it's a lot of training, and looked at most optimistically it's a lot of variety. I feel that I made a breakthrough in my training this week...now I feel a lot more confident and invested in it.

Today I went on a lengthy circuit around northern Israel on a sherut with three of my friends, their mothers, and three other staff members. First we went to Nimrod Fortress, an Arab/Muslim structure built to protect Syria and particularly Damascus against Christian invasion during the Crusades of the medieval period. It was fascinating to explore the ins and outs of the ruinous structure and to take in the surrounding views. The mist and fog produced by the altitude and perhaps the weather of the day enhanced the atmosphere somehow. Next we went to a nice restaurant that seemed questionable at first (part of its claim to fame was its view, but today that happened to be entirely obscured in said mist and fog) but turned out to be a very good choice. Finally we went to Yardanit, a baptismal site on the Jordan River where Christ Himself is believed to have been baptized by John the Baptist. It was thoroughly commercialized and equally depressing. The best part of the trip was the group, and spending time with a couple of wild, crazy and sweet mothers (the third was not wild and crazy but she was sweet). I'm very happy with my first major excursion outside of Haifa. Pictures pending. Still. Sorry.

March 20

While the last week of fasting was in some ways the easiest, it was also a challenge to continue to function on a relatively low level of energy. I got accustomed to being tired a fair amount of the time. It wasn't until the last few days that I realized that it actually helps to be somewhat physically active. I may have been fasting but my body still needed some healthy moving around like anybody's body. Of course I was careful not to overdo it.

The end of the week was the best part. A member of the Universal House of Justice who is well-beloved by the Bahá'í World Centre community (especially the youth for holding a weekly Thursday night study class for youth) is officially retiring on Sunday after 31 years of living in Haifa. For all but a few months of those 31 years he held his Thursday night study class every week, even when under the weather. That means that this past Thursday was his very last class. It seems that Bahá’ís are, in my opinion, almost over the top in their love of ceremoniousness, so naturally, the class was epic, but it was well-deserved. He was given flowers, a personal gift, a donation to the Bahá’í fund in his name, an electronic book full of staff photos and last words for him, and a resounding good-bye. Later one guy told me that his eyes must have been sweating at the good-bye.

On Friday I went to the shrine at Bahjí, wisely, because I am sure that it was filled nearly to excess today with pilgrims and visitors and staff. This morning I went hiking (this was nonstrenuous hiking). I drank a lot of water in the morning and traipsed around in the sunlight. It would have been the best day of the fast even if not for the evening, when I went to a gathering with African, African-affiliated, and non-African friends to break the fast together for the last time. We had delicious African food, and drumming and singing. When I left I didn’t feel anything but happiness.

The end of the fast marks the first day of spring, and the beginning of Naw Ruz the Bahá’í new year. It also nearly marks the day I’ve been here for six short months.

While I have no patience to upload photos directly to my blog today, I discovered when I was hiking that my memory card is full, so in due course I will be making a Picasa web album (as I did in summer) and uploading all my photos of the Holy Land. Stay tuned.

March 13

First, my apologies for an upside-down image of someone's street art representation of the Shrine of the Bab. I do not know how it got like that nor do I know how to fix it.

Fortunately I managed to look after baby Zoe without any trouble. In return her parents took me out to eat a second time. It was then that I discovered Giraffe, a Thai restaurant in the Merkaz Carmel at the top of the mountain. (I don't know if there are giraffes in Thailand and I can assure you giraffe meat wasn't served, but it's becoming ever clearer to me that a close name-place relationship isn't a high priority here). It's now on my list along with Ein Hod, the artists' village, of places to take any visitors if or when they come. It's really a treat.

Another place I went to for the first time this week was the Grand Canyon Mall (why a mall in Israel is named for a natural landmark in the United States, this i couldn't possibly tell you). It's a three story mall and I do recognize the irony in going to a massive mall during a fasting season, but now I have two dresses to alternate between during the upcoming holy days. That is not so bad. Unless I'm desperate for some article I can't find anywhere else, I imagine it's going to be some six more months before I go back, for the sake of soundness of mind and wallet.

I'm very excited to say that I taught a Spanish class this week in anticipation of possibly taking over a class that my officemate teaches after she leaves in June. I really enjoyed it. I know that my officemate cycles through two or three levels of Spanish classes every few weeks or months, and I don't know if I would be up to a commitment like that, but I would be more than glad to continue her intermediate class. It seems that it would help balance out the days I feel that by and large I'm serving people but mostly on that day I'm just pushing paper.

One week of fasting remains. My favorite part of the fast is breaking it with good friends. Then things go more or less back to normal on Saturday night with a celebration of the Baha'i new year the nature of which I have not determined yet. On this day it's very common and traditional to have a big celebration with lots of food and performing arts. I hope that will be the case. If not I am sure I will have my fill of arts with the film festival a few days later, which I try not to think about to avoid feeling too much anticipation. I think most people are really looking forward to the event and I think most of us have been involved in its making in some way. Even I with no particular cinematic talent or interest ended up as an extra in one film. It's going to be a good time.

March 6

I loyally continue my uploads. For this round the pictures are more or less self-explanatory.

Ayyam-i-Ha came and went with a few parties and white elephant gift exchanges (I ended up, somehow, with a pair of earrings bearing images of Abdu'l-Baha...imagine coming into a pair of Jesus earrings and you have some idea of how awkward this was for me. I was opening gifts for myself and another person so I ended up giving everything to her for her to choose...I have no idea what she did with them...the other gifts were nice) and good fun. The fast began on Tuesday and the first two days were rather difficult but I've been slowly picking up on ways to let it be a reminder but not a distraction and to make sure it doesn't cut into the quality of my work. It helps to have a breakfast with some protein, for logical reasons. It also helps to walk around at noon and in the afternoon. My stomach hurt all afternoon the first two days and it's my humble hypothesis that getting up and moving around helps move stomach acid through so it doesn't sit until in my stomach in my stomach until it's time for dinner. All in all it's not such a difficult thing. I'm just missing one meal and pushing the other two out. As long as I don't overeat I don't feel it's unhealthy.

It's in fact quite healthy in that it helps me to build up resolve and discipline. Of course I have to have the resolve not to eat at the wrong time, but I also have to make sure I go to bed early enough to wake up before sunrise to eat something, then I have to actually wake up before sunrise. I have to premeditate everything. I've also been trying to devote my time to more meaningful activities than normal. I'm attending the gatherings I would normally skip and to providing help to anyone that I see I can help somehow. I've gone to the shrines more often too and all this helps to make this time feel like it's somehow outside of time and my normal life, whatever that is. Thinking about it now I'm not sure that these things have to stop or reduce too significantly with the fast. I could handle a little less of the premeditation.

I've had a great weekend. I have three friends who are on pilgrimage now - a girl who went to law school in Madison and a couple with a 21 month old baby. I took the former to a really nice devotional meeting with prayers and stories and someone who played the guitar and sang. I think she was a little surprised to see a member of the Universal House of Justice (simply put, the most important living authorities in the Baha'i faith) as a guest of honor at the meeting, but only for fun. They are actually quite involved in community life here.

Today I went to dinner with the couple and spent the evening increasingly not envying those with toddlers - I don't think I've often tried to spend social time with parents of young children, so I haven't realized how incredibly hard it is. They basically spent the night taking turns with her. I offered to babysit her during the two remaining evening talks of their pilgrimage and they were very grateful. Hopefully I can handle her without anyone to take turns with.