Best Birthday EVER!!

Ok, today was my best birthday ever, hands down!

Sure, I had to get up at 4 AM to get to the Convention Centre on time for training before the election; sure I was on my feet for seven straight hours pointing delegates where they had to go; sure I didn't get much food. But you know what? I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It was AMAZING!

I have so much respect for everyone who put effort into organising this convention - it has been so well planned, everything is running like clockwork. And the spirit of prayerful meditation and brotherhood was unbelievable. NOwhere else in the world would you see such a dignified election process with no electioneering and campaigning. The delegates simply pray and meditate about those souls they feel would be the most fitting to be House of Justice members, and then they vote. Simple as that.

I was a delegate usher, which meant that I was primarily responsible for keeping the queue orderly and everyone in the right place at the right time. Plus, juggling delegates leaving for bathroom breaks and delegates returning to their seats after the voting, plus staff going back and forth - it was exhilarating! I didn't realise how much I missed ushering until today.

THEN, after lunch, we all headed out to Bahji for the Ninth Day of Ridvan celebration. Basically, the Ridvan festival is a commemoration of the twelve days Baha'u'llah stayed in the garden of Ridvan with his family and friends, before declaring His mission as a Manifestation of God. I believe the Ninth Day is celebrated specifically because that was the day He officially declared His station as a Manifestation. Ridvan is considered the most auspicious of times in the Baha'i calendar, and to be born on the Ninth Day has always been such a source of joy for me. I have been blessed, and at no time was it more obvious than today when I got to be a phyiscal part of the election process for the Universal House of Justice, and then participate in such a beautiful holy day at the holiest spot on earth, Bahji.

Plus, after all THAT, Swati invited me back to her flat for some "leftovers", then proceeded to surprise me with my 2nd November buddies, and we had a lovely, although random and slap-happy dinner. Just the way I like it. :)

Oh glorious, glorious day!!

Preparation and Anticipation!

We at the World Centre have all been supremely busy lately preparing for the Tenth International Convention for the Election of the Universal House of Justice. I had no idea the logistics involved in planning something this elaborate, but from what I've seen so far, it's going to take a LOT of volunteers to make this fantastic event go smoothly.

I am sooooo excited to have the priviledge of getting to volunteer at an International Convention. Basically, all the delegates from every National Spiritual Assembly across the globe will start arriving in Haifa in approximately three days or so in order to vote for the next members of the Universal House of Justice. It only occurs once every five years, and the last one had to be cancelled due to the outbreak of war this time five years ago, so this is actually the first convention being held in ten years. Wow. And I get to be here when it happens. Double wow.

I will be an usher, which I'm pretty excited about, since that used to be my job back home before I came to Israel. I am so psyched for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the administrative process of the Baha'i Faith at work in its (I feel) highest, purest form. It's so humbling to be a part of, I can tell you that much.

More details shall follow after Convention, once the election results have been officially released...

Insomniac

I haven't had a good night's sleep in well over a month.

It's gotten to the point where I've started to keep a sleep journal to try and track how often I wake up and why. For the past few days, I have noticed that, without fail, I will wake up at 5:00 AM almost on the nose. I am also frequently waking throughout the night and having a hard time getting back to sleep.

One problem I know is that my walls feel thinner than rice paper, and I can hear everything that goes on in the street. So it might be that I'm waking at 5 every morning because that's when the delivery truck comes and makes a god-awful racket outside the convenience store across the street. Grrrrrrr. I've tried to wear earplugs, but they are so uncomfortable in my ears that they keep me awake, as does the thought that if I wear earplugs I will miss my alarm and forget to go to work. Not a good plan...

Insomnia is not fun. It is making me dangerously irritable. I have to try very hard to make it to work in the morning and not rip someone's head off or fall asleep at my desk and drool all over my keyboard. I hate the idea of taking prescription meds, but at this point I am willing to try almost anything!

I've had insomnia before, but not this bad or this frequent, and not for the same reasons. I had a terrible bout of it during university one semester, which caused me to almost fail my one morning class that term. The same thing is happening here; I'm not able to fall back to sleep until about an hour before my alarm clock goes off and then I have to wake up again.

SAVE ME!!! I REQUIRE SLEEP!!!!