It turns out my "eventful" week had its toll. Knowing my lovely, easily-exhausted body, I was barely surprised when I suddenly got dizzy and came down with a fever last week. In the interests of everyone's health, I stayed in bed the next morning. We were expecting several guests- some of them elderly, for the Feast and I thought they would be fine without receiving my germs.
Baha'is in each town gather every 19 days at the "Nineteen-Day Feast" to spiritually recharge and unite the community. It consists of 3 parts: spiritual (prayers and Sacred Writings are read), administrative consultation and socialising. The word "feast" refers to a "spiritual feast" rather than a mountain of food- if the host is only able to provide water, that's ok. Anyway, I always enjoy these gatherings so I was a bit annoyed at being sick. Mind you, being sociable when I'm not feeling well is not one of my strong points, so it was probably for the better!
Today I helped out teach English at the local primary school again. I really feel like I've got a relationship going with them now- I love them. One of the main reasons I wanted to help out with these classes is I really believe in the importance of meeting people from different cultural backgrounds. If I somehow manage to leave a good impression, this will hopefully stay with them for the rest of their lives, and help them to overcome any prejudices that may arise. At first I must admit, every Monday evening I would dread the next day and go to sleep not looking forward to it at all. But every time I see the kids, I feel so happy- they are just so insanely enthusiastic.
Last night, we had a social night. It was like aaaaargh... the best thing ever. Peter and Lacey, the Indian restaurant-couple and Mioko, a Japanese friend of ours, came- along with Ando-san, Andrew & Angela.
We first ate dinner together, then sat on the floor of the tatami room together and listened to Andrew play a beautiful song a friend had composed, on guitar. Then we listened as people read various prayers and quotations in English and Japanese, each based on the theme of "Contentment". While we were soaking up the spiritual atmosphere, Angela continued the theme by reading us a story from the life of Abdu'l Baha, the son of the Founder of the Baha'i Faith, who was renowned for his selflessness and love for others. What followed was one of my favourite parts of the night. Everyone shared what they thought contentment was, any thoughts they had relating to the concept at all, and any other Scriptures/poems anything they had. The thoughts that resulted were really touching and demonstrated the level of trust everyone there had for the environment. I gained a lot from what others shared. Peter and Lacey are Mormons, and although they didn't bring any Scriptures, they shared some orally with us which were really beautiful and really added a lot to the evening.
Then out came the guitars, and we all sang along together as Peter and Yuichi took turns playing. The funniest was definitely Yuichi's rendition of "We will rock you" (my request!)- complete with us all clapping out the rhythm as Yuichi yelled the whole song in this unbelievably entertaining voice. Peter is an amazing singer and really gave it his all everytime he sung. At the end of the evening, I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say I was extremely refreshed and felt... content :D. Andrew and Angela want to have one every week, and I was thinking it'd be nice to have one when I go back home. There's already regular get-togethers like this in the community I'm from, but there's something about doing it yourself, that control... we'll see. I'm already excited haha.
Here's a prayer that was shared last night, revealed by Abdu'l Baha:
"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."
Sonia
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