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This morning was a Haifa morning.
I stepped outside and the air smelled like (home), like stone paths, the bay, flowers, and a breeze off the mountains and desert that lifts you up…
Warm and cool, the kind of cool that only requires a light sweater. Full of excitement. The gardeners watering plants as I walked up the mountain, past the wall of flowers, the silent woosh of doors as I stepped into the cool stone corridors.
The kind of morning where I would bounce into work, 8:30 am, ready to do what I was meant to do.
It is a little different here, this new home, my new place. My car transports me to work past elegant Victorian homes, antique shops, schools, and the train. The streets are wider, and I can’t see the water from here (but I know it is close). After the last few years of being able to sense the water nearby, it seems odd to ever consider living away from water again. Whether the Mediterranean or Lake Michigan, it seems right to base my orientation on the water.
I wanted to hold onto the feeling of a Haifa morning today, just walk with my eyes closed, pretend that I was still there. Pretend that the stones were digging through the thin soles of my shoes, that my flatmates and I were rushing out of our apartment to get to work (service), that I would walk up a flight of stairs to the lunchroom at 12 pm and the same old crew would be sitting at a big table. That I would take a walk around the Arc with a friend, would stop by the Food Center for an afternoon snack, and walk/slide down the steep slopes at the end of a long day to pray in the Shrine of the Bab before going home. Every late night conversation with my friends, staring out over the lights of a city on the mountain.
This is Chicago, though, I am half a world away and this is life, now. Some things are the same, and I still drink too much caffeine during the day, and I am working in a job that I love. This is my life, now. I don’t write or speak using British English anymore, I’ve reverted back to American. There are no hills or mountains here.
I am holding close the feeling of a Haifa morning, and feel grateful that I remember what it feels like.
Some of you may remember a little photoblog project I was a part of called “Nylon Parla“. Well, things have evolved a bit.
Introducing: Nineteen Months.
We are a group of photographers from all over the world who are members of the Baha’i Faith. The 19 months of the Baha’i calendar each have a name, and the photographs for each month are based on those names. The first month of the Baha’i year is “Splendour”.
After participating in the nineteen days project for the second year in a row, I am extremely excited about the start of Nineteen Months, as they are sort of sister blogs. It is an amazing way to practice photography, feel connected with people from all over, and share with everyone our love of the Baha’i Faith and photography in one go!
Please spread the word (blog, twitter, FB, smoke signal, etc). We are Baha’is, but the photos are meant for everyone to enjoy.
This is the Baha’i new year (167 B.E.). I am feeling…settled, at peace. I seek out peaceful things, spaces, and sometimes people these days. Other times, I want to be surrounded by crowds.
The Naw-Ruz post for nineteen days is up: AMAZING photos. I am sad that the project is over, but so glad I had the opportunity to participate.
I spent the day cooking yesterday in preparation for the Naw-Ruz celebration in Chicago. I will make a blog post about that soon (with photos). I had an amazing dinner at The Sitdown (they have a gluten-free menu!!) with some lovely ladies, then went over to the Smart museum for the Chicago Baha’i community’s celebration. After the program of music and prayers, we wandered around the museum for a bit, then there was food and dancing. I think I danced TOO much. Exhausted today!
I attended the devotional (prayer) gathering at my friends’ house today, which was small and joyful event, and we laughed a lot. A nice, low-key day. I am looking forward to this next (Baha’i) year.
“Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz as a festival unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto Thee. Grant, O my Lord, that the fire of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by Thee may inflame them in Thy Cause, and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and with remembrance of Thee.” -Baha’u'llah
It is funny what you discover when you start doing work on a home. It starts with paint, then with the floors being replaced, then the closet doors (I have 6 closets!). As we painted, we discovered that who ever painted before didn’t bother covering the electrical outlets and switches, so they were caked with paint and kind of dangerous.
I managed to give myself a minor shock a few weeks ago when plugging in my hairdryer. My friend’s dad came over on Sunday to show how to change the electrical outlets, which was really nice of him. Electricity + Sholeh = Not Good.
I feel like I haven’t really been home enough to do everything I want to do. The last month has been super busy, and it doesn’t look like things are going to slow down anytime soon. I sometimes wish I could just shut everything off for a week and hide out like a hermit in my cozy home. At least I have internet now!
Part of the reason that I still haven’t posted photos is that I feel like it isn’t done yet. I want to get the scraps out of my living room, install doors, and put the finishing touches on. I promise it will be soon! Thanks to my parents, it is furnished, which is a huge relief.
Have you ever had home improvement projects go terribly wrong, or have something hilarious happen? Tell me about it in the comments, I love hearing about other people’s experiences.
My photos are up over at nineteen days, the photoblog about the Baha’i Fast. Check it out, leave a comment (here or there), and definitely check out the photos from the 6 days of the Fast so far. I’m stunned at how amazing the other contributors are.
I went to the Baha’i House of Worship at around 6 am this morning to take photos for the “sunrise” photo. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating and I was scrambling to find a decent shot. I finally got some, but I was worried that none of them would work out!
The “sunset” photo was a bit easier, since the barista was a rather pleasant gentleman who suggested that I come behind the counter to avoid shooting through the glass. Thanks, if you get a chance to read this!
As I did errands tonight, the towns around me slowly filled with fog. It would have been perfect for some photography, but it was already too late and I had groceries in the car. Another time, I hope. I love fog, it makes everything a little scary and closed in.
I was talking to my hilarious, beautiful cousin Sahar J on the phone a few nights ago (she lives in New York City), and as we talked about how we celebrated Ayyam-i-Ha this year and how the fast is going so far, she mentioned that she has this amazing photo from an Ayyam-i-Ha party in Cardiff by the Sea.
Of course, she is the little girl holding the bat, waiting to hit the pinata. I love so many things about this photo…the “One Planet, One People…Please” t-shirt, the kid in the glasses who looks like he is going to throw something, the little boy in the checked hat, the guitar-playing guy in the background. Most of all, I love the look on my cousin’s face as she waits to attack that pinata.
Her smile is a bit more mischievous now, but it isn’t any less adorable! Thanks for sharing this, Sahar.
As I was reflecting on the Baha’i Fast, I remembered my time in Haifa, Israel. I was lucky enough to participate in two years of the fast while serving there. The photo below was taken from my flat one early morning during the fast in 2007 as the sun was rising over the mountains bordering Lebanon.
This year, like last year, I am participating in the Nineteen Days photoblog project. There are 38 photographers this year, however! I am SO excited.
A photo book was created from the submissions from last year, which you can order here.
Speaking of photos, the latest photoblog entry from the Baha’i photographers project, Nylon Parla, is up. The theme this month was “Gifts”. I’m looking forward to some fantastic changes to the project that are coming next month.
This is, O my God, the first of the days on which Thou hast bidden Thy loved ones to observe the Fast. I ask of Thee by Thy Self and by him who hath fasted out of love for Thee and for Thy good-pleasure—and not out of self and desire, nor out of fear of Thy wrath—and by Thy most excellent names and august attributes, to purify Thy servants from the love of aught except Thee and to draw them nigh unto the Dawning-Place of the lights of Thy countenance and the Seat of the throne of Thy oneness. Illumine their hearts, O my God, with the light of Thy knowledge and brighten their faces with the rays of the Daystar that shineth from the horizon of Thy Will. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. No God is there but Thee, the All-Glorious, Whose help is implored by all men.
Assist them, O my God, to render Thee victorious and to exalt Thy Word. Suffer them, then, to become as hands of Thy Cause amongst Thy servants, and make them to be revealers of Thy religion and Thy signs amongst mankind, in such wise that the whole world may be filled with Thy remembrance and praise and with Thy proofs and evidences. Thou art, verily, the All-Bounteous, the Most Exalted, the Powerful, the Mighty, and the Merciful.
- Bahá’u’lláh
