Do You Know Where You Are?

How often are you aware of the following facts?

- You are traveling over 1000 miles an hour as you sit still or stand stationary.

- The sunlight that warms your skin has just taken an 8 and a half minute journey over a distance of 93 million miles to cause that soothing sensation.

- We, and everything around us, are composed of energy packed atoms bouncing about on a scale difficult to grasp. These are realities that almost always escape our thoughts, but are ever-present with us.

As mind-boggling as such nuggets can be, exploring the depths of galaxies, the mysteries of gravity, the intricacies of light speed, and the composition of the universe that we are a part of make such miraculous observations to seem like simple addition in the face of complicated mathematical languages.

For most of us, the jewels of wisdom and sense of perspective offered in astronomy are out of reach. The gap between those in the know in the world of physics, mathematics, and astronomical observation and the general public is often as wide as the distance between our planet and much of what they observe and examine.

Take for instance the concept of time and space: there are 3 dimensions of space (latitude, longitude and altitude) and 1 dimension of time. This is presented as this complex concept that is a part of Einstein's theory of general relativity. We hear all kinds of references to the theory in cartoons and movies, but don't get how it applies to everyday life. But it does. It applies to you right now, right where you are.

I'll give an example. If I was going to meet you somewhere, I would need to tell you where I was going to be and the time that I would be there. Say I was going to be on the 2nd floor of the Eaton Centre near the Queen Street entrance. There is the longitude and latitude (Yonge and Queen). If I gave you only that information, you wouldn't see me. I also need to give you my altitude (the 2nd floor). Even with that information, you would still miss me. You would need to know the time and date to meet me (Monday, 8pm).

While there is much more to it, that is one of our most common everyday applications of time and space, and it is something that we could all be taught at a very young age.

As it is commonly said, better late than never. With that said, I am recommending that you check out National Geographics series "Known Universe". It is a very visual, very well made series that explains some of these concepts in a way that makes it relevant.

You can check out the link below:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/series/known-universe#tab-Videos

I WILL BEGIN TO POST AGAIN SOON

I am now in Toronto, working on the Harry Jerome Awards, started a job at York, loving the Final Four Tournament (ladies final tonight), Raptors are in the playoffs, family to see, friends to connect with, and I still need to sleep!

Lots to write about though, and I will continue to post once I get settled.

So, you can keep checking now and again.

LOVE!

March 28th, 2007

I didn’t sleep well last night. I was wished sweet dreams and told to have a blessed rest, but I mostly tossed’n’turned.

My mind was going through more thoughts than I could wield. My intent was to rest, but the searchlight of my consciousness was glancing over every area of my life.

The anticipation must have got to me. It happens to me sometimes: used to happen on Christmas Eve, starting a new job, and the first time I was invited to speak at a Sunday service.

In thirty minutes I will be heading to the airport, and it all has not really sunk in. How do I begin to describe how greatly I treasure having been in Ghana. The country has a place in my heart. I can’t imagine living too long without going back there. It truly was a step of destiny.

But home is everywhere. Moreso, home is where you are supposed to be at a given time. That’s why I feel peace, because I am where I am supposed to be. The challenge is continuing to go where I am supposed to go (by God’s grace, and no other way!).

My eyes have been touched and I see more vision. My heart has been expanded. I now take steps into the next level and next chapter of my purpose. The love of family and friends has me excited about landing in Toronto.

I am careful to say that I am not going back though. It’s not ‘back to Toronto’. I am moving forward, and Toronto is in the next steps before me on the path of life where walking is ordered by the Lord.
So, off I go to TO – excited about seeing everyone!

A Chapter Closes: Thank You JHR

It has been twelve days since I lifted off from Accra and landed in London. While the UK has been great, and I am excited about heading to Toronto, I miss Ghana.

In early July, 2006, I attended a week long training with the rest of the JHR group that was headed to Ghana. At some point over those five days it became clear to me that I would be gaining more than I could give, receiving more than I could share, and I would be taught more than I could ever teach.

Now that my eight month placement has come to a close, my reflections on that life changing opportunity continually confirm that premonition. I have been filled with an inner treasure, and I have been shaped and nurtured in ways that just would not have happened had I not been to Ghana.

I think of staying with Razak, the GM of Radio Justice, and him insisting I sleep in his bed. The work with Layata, the growth and the challenges. Somed’s enthusiasm for advancing a career still makes me smile – he definitely kept me on my toes. And Ramadan…he truly is a storyteller.

Not only did I get the chance to work at Radio Justice in Tamale, but I also had a few months to break the ice, as the first placement at the University of Ghana, Radio Universe.

Being in the volunteer-led, student-run environment brought twists and turns that I had not experienced in Tamale.

I think of Franklyn and our first stories together, Elvis and trying to arrange workshops, Ophelia, Mina, Priscilla, Isaac and so many personalities that became familiar faces.

All that said, I face one very critical issue of the accomplishment of ideals and goals of JHR. When read on paper, they make sense. This is the mission statement:

In the spirit of Article 19 of the Universal Human Rights Declaration, Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) is dedicated to increasing the quality and quantity of human rights reporting in the African media. As a result of this work, the African public will be made more aware of their rights, improving peace and security and strengthening the democratisation process. By limiting JHR's presence in any one country to five years, it hopes to have a sustainable and enduring impact without creating dependency.

That is why I applied. I have not ever been interested in the business of NGO’s, which can build careers on dependency – that’s why the goal that JHR exit countries after five years appealed to me.

I won’t outline all of the responsibilities that I had, nor will I list the accomplishments and challenges. If you read the posts that I have put up, or the posts that everyone else has written, you can see those in greater depth than could be offered here.

Instead, I will share are two things: what I learned was needed for my JHR placement to work, and the key ingredient that was present when it did work.
To answer the first point, about what it took to make things work, I can summarize it in one statement – “find a way”. Persistence (‘find a way’), flexibility (‘find a way’), and creativity (‘find a way’).

The second point, about when it did work, was when we got to the human side of it. Terms like democratisation, human rights, media accountability, freedom and justice are all dependent on one thing: people caring about people.

Whether it was getting stories done, encouraging staff in their commitment to the issues, or holding successful workshops, I always saw success when one person saw past the work, and got to that place of simply caring about someone else. That’s why the marriage of human rights and journalism holds such immense potential; when stories are told that connect the heart of the listener to issues that may or may not be a part of their own reality, and that story is broadcast to thousands, people begin to care more. It’s only when people care, when they become personally invested, that the idealistic concepts previously listed become reality.

While Ghana was good to me, and I feel like I have been given so much, I can say that I also had an impact. There are moments that I can see in my heart where we got past the routines, and connected to something deeper, stirring change. There are people and places that are no longer the same. While the goals of JHR are mountainous in proportion, we only get to the summit one step at a time; I am grateful to have taken a few of those steps.

Cambridge Photos

Brighton Photos


















My Great Aunite Anne who also loves the ocean is looking out into the water with me. She is so much like her sister, my Granny P!


















Walking along the pier with Francis and Auntie Anne.

















The old pier that fell down before they could decide where the money was coming from to fix it.




















A famous hotel where the IRA tried to blow up Margaret Thatcher.

















Along the beach after dinner.

THE DAY IN BRIGHTON



















Sitting in the stones along the beach after I had just stepped into the English Channel.

















Well, their was no fish'n'chips, not rowdy football fans, and Liverpool is playing Arsenal on Saturday, but I had my pint of Guiness in an English pub called The Cricketers.


















Posing infront of the Royal Pavillion frequented by Queen Victoria in her era.

















On the pier with what was the most beautiful weather of my twelve days in the UK.

The ocean always speaks to me when I am near it; that's me just listening.

Good Morning,

Today, there are only a few days left until I am in Toronto. With some friends meeting me at the airport, and my family expecting my return, there is a tide of excitement pulling inside my heart.

The past year has been incredible. My vision for my life has been expanded. I see myself as a citizen of the globe that was born and raised in Canada, rather than a Canadian. Ghana has been home to me. So has BC, Scarborough, the beaches and Richmond Hill. I remember after a visit to New York at the age of thirteen, that the Big Apple would be my home in my professional career. As for where I will live, I see Canada as a base; however, I see myself traveling and working around the globe.

There is much more that can be said about the past year, but the main thought on my mind right now is focus. There are so many avenues and possibilities in every dimension of life, yet I have come to see the tremendous value in being focused (which is being able to say 'no' to a good idea), and to give your all to your destiny.

This particular day, it is quite sunny and much warmer than it has been. I plan to mostly relax today, and I will be going to help Cheryce get some groceries. In the evening I will be going back to Auntie Joanne and Uncle Tony, and heading to meet some more family near the southern coast. While there are numerous sights that I have not seen, I plan to just relax on Wednesday (though that is difficult for me to do - the allure of the city is strong).

So, "two more sleeps" until I'm back. While I'll be back, it's not to the same things. New and big ventures on the horizon.

All the best,
Chris

Getting Around


It was a great weekend.

After a week of hanging out with Mawulom and staying with Auntie Joanne and Uncle Tony, I was off for a weekend away.

My first stop was to meet my cousin Giles and his family. He lives with Cynthia and their three children (Aisha, Jay and Miranda). Jay and Miranda are twins, almost two years old, and Aisha is about to turn five.

After seeing Mawulom off for her venture to New York, I followed the detailed instructions (that she had printed out, adding notes to the map) to Peckham Rye, and headed to Giles’ house. Being at Peckham Rye was cool as it really reminded me of Eglington West.

Getting to there took about two hours, but once again, I made it through the intricate system of the London Underground (greatly due to the assistance of kind Londoners pointing me in the right direction).

That evening we had a really nice fish dinner and desert of rice pudding. The children didn’t all eat that much as Aisha was shy of me, and the twins are just rambunctious. After dinner, Giles showed me a bunch of the records in his collection. He DJ’s on the side, mostly on Saturday nights. He mixes up jazz, funk, disco, hip hop, pop and house.

Cynthia and I also had a good conversation as her family is from Ghana. She actually hasn’t been there in ten years, and was born in England, but we spoke about it a bit.

Once the children were getting ready for bed, Giles and I headed out to a local spot that he wanted to take me to. The name of the place was ‘Liquorish’, and was a trendy bar/club sort of place; not very big, and mostly people sitting talking over a drink, rather than dancing. The DJ was playing a mixture from Common to Micheal Jackson. We sat with a beer (I can’t really drink more than one), and then headed back to the house.

It was really interesting for me to meet Giles, as I was able to see elements of where my life could be. He is a nice guy, and their hospitality was great; he has his family, his work and his interests, but there is such a difference that really setting your life aside for God makes. When we live after our own interests and attractions, rather than seeking the highest will for our destiny, things can go in such a different direction.

The next morning, I was off to meet with Cheryce and Jospeh. I know Cheryce from York, and her wedding to Jospeh was the first time that one of my friends was married. The weekend of their wedding was actually a life changing moment, as Friday was the marriage and then Saturday was the funeral for Dudley.

That was September of 2003. Three and a half years later, I met with Cheryce as I climbed up the stairs of the underground station. As we got to talking, her British accent was making me smile, as she didn’t have one back in Toronto!

At the house, I was happy to see Joseph and their incredibly beautiful daughter, Olivia (7 months). Together, we packed up ourselves and headed downtown to the British Musuem. The sights of the London downtown (on the way to their house and on the way to the museum) have inspired a desire to visit London again during warmer months to see the many amazing attractions that the city offers.

















Olivia: She is a blessing and sweetness in the flesh!


Feeling hungry, we went for a lunch of fish’n’chips before taking on the many exhibits that this elite museum offers.

The first sight that we came across was the Rosetta Stone. It is a tablet that has Egyptian hieroglyphics with Greek and one other translation together. It was this stone, stolen by the French, then captured by the British, that after twenty-five years, led to the cracking of the hieroglyphic system of writing.

From there, we passed through exhibits on Assyria, Rome, Greece, the Americas, Africa, and the Enlightenment.

One detail that I have to share is that the entrance of the museum had a special exhibit on Ghana titled “The Fabric of a Nation”. To my sheer delight and excitement, they had a print from Radio Justice…in the British Museum…what are the chances of that!!!

We also attended a very moving art exhbit titled “La Bouche Du Roi” by Romuald Hazoumé. The display was set up to commerate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade, which occurred 200 years ago today (March 25th, 1807). Hozoumé is from Benin, and ‘La Bouche Du Roi’ is a place on the coast where the currents switches from a fresh water river pouring into the ocean, to the salty ocean pushing up the river. It is symbolic of a dual exchange.

The art used a number of gas canisters, some with small beads and trinkets attached to them, and arranged them in the shape of the diagram of the cargo hold of ships used to carry those sold and bought into bondage across the Atlantic Ocean.











The presentataion mixed viedeo, audio and photography with the dimly lit rim. Stirring in me were memories of Ghana and Senegal, thoughts of the dialogue I have been hearing and reading about the 200th anniversary of abolition (Canada pretending it is not a part of our history and England, in a lot of cases, aware, but not very concerned).

Hazoumé stated, “We knew where we were from, but we didn’t know where we were going. Now we don’t know where we are going or where we are from”, adding, “I am dangerous, because I know where I am from”.

Seeing the spectacular arrangement of works form around the world in the Enlightment section, the pieces of Egyptian monuments, and the range of art spanning the African continent had me in a place of reflection summed up in the words, ‘the things that people do’.

Slavery. Worship. Art. Conquering, robbing, pillaging. Love. Learning and searching. Warring and killing. Building. It is overwhelming.

The jewels, the paintings, the globes, the carvings, the scripts…it is remarkable.

In the evening we attended a baptism for four people (including Jospeh’s nephew). There were also three young women, one of whom I have never met, but I kept thinking that I knew her. There was something so familiar about her, but I still haven’t fully placed it.

When we got back to the house, it was bun’n’cheese and mint tea that we purchased from a place called Lloyd’s.

In the morning, we went to church again, where Joseph was the overseeing pastor for the day, though he is usually the assistant pastor. I was called on to give the church a testimony as I was introduced as a visitor, which went well. One older lady was flirting with me, and kept telling me that I am handsome.

On the way home, just before we pulled into the neighbourhood, I saw someone grab someone else by the hair and slam their head into a bus shelter. I told Joseph what I had seen and we turned around. When we got closer, we could see that the violence was not man to man, but man on woman. The two looked quite run down, and seemed to have the air of drug addiction about them. I know it sounds sketchy (like what does ‘the air of drug addiction’ look like?, but when you see it a lot, you can tell). Rather than approach them, as the man was attempting to hug and kiss the woman he had just assaulted, we were going to call the police. Soon, sirens began to blare and police showed up, as someone else had already called. After speaking with an officer, I made a statement about what I had seen.

Once we got back to the house, we had a lunch to remember. Curry goat, lasagne, chicken, rice’n’peas, veggies and strudel with custard for desert. I was supposed to go back to Auntie Joanne’s and Uncle Tony’s in the evening, but watching a DVD turned into falling asleep, turned into a nap, turned into a full out sleep – I guess the week caught up with me.

I have to say also that doing my part to hold Olivia, help feed her, or keep her amused as been so warming to my heart.

So now, there are three days until I am back in Toronto. It has been wonderful being here in London, as my family and friends have been AMAZING to me. I could not have expected such great hosts. The anticipation of Toronto is also exciting me. I hope to do a bit more sight-seeing, as well as relaxing before I head to the airport on Wednesday afternoon.

P.S.
Grandma, glad to know you are doing better!

P.S.S.
To all my friends and family in Ghana and in Toronto, I miss you all so much, and wish I could have a week long international version of my annual bbq to get everyone together!

P.S.
Raptors are now third in the east, eigth overall, and making a strong run towards the playoffs.

YASMIN

During our touring around London yesterday, we often took advantage of the double decker buses to see downtown London. Two times in a row, we headed to the top level and found a pair of seats at the very front open for us – ‘the best seats in the house’. In both cases, soon after we had boarded, something that we saw on the street prompted us to get up from our great spots and take to foot.

One of the sights that got us down was the Royal Academy of the the Arts, which is a space shared by the Astronomical Society. Having a great interest in both art and astronomy (I love when people look at life as being bigger than just the earth…with billions of stars in this universe…even more), I wanted to see those buildings.

However, before we had gotten to our destination, I noticed a sight that I had never seen before. Sitting in front of the Ritz Hotel, on the side of the road, was a young woman wearing a hijab with a cup in her hand, begging for money.

I noted her presence to Mawulom, and we crossed the street as she inquired of me, “they don’t beg”. I couldn’t say that muslim women never beg, it was just something that I had never seen before. Though we had crossed the street and were about to board the bus, my heart was still stuck on this young woman. I asked Mawulom if she could wait a moment while I crossed the street to speak to the young woman.

I pulled out a two pound coin, and after darting through the traffic, I said ‘hi’ and I placed it in her cup. I then crouched beside her and asked a question, that in hindsight wasn’t so bright’ “is everything alright?”. What I meant really was that I cared about what she was going through.

The first thing that she said to me was, “I don’t have my papers”. She told me that her name is Yasmin and that she is from Bosnia. I told her that my name is Chris and that I’m from Canada.

I didn’t know what else I could do for her, but – looking back on the situation – I see that it was important to me that I gave her something so she could get something to eat, and that I encouraged her a little bit. We spoke for a little bit about prayer, and I told her that I would be praying for her.

After saying ‘bye’ I cut through the traffic again and met with Mawulom at the bus stop. I explained to her that sometimes, I will feel a call on my heart to go and speak with someone.

Throughout the day, she came back to my thoughts. Last night, before I went to sleep I remembered her in prayer; I hope that she finds her way.

One of my favourites buildings in London, the Royal Albert Hall (I think that's what it's called) where the only perosn that is allowed to wear a hat is the Queen.























A monument in Hyde Park - not sure if the gold is real.


















Standing at the edge of London Bridge.






















Mawulom at the entrance to the London Tower; it looks like it was actually warm.

The tower bridge and the River Thames in the background.

English Rose

After one early spring day in London,
The kind that has the after taste of winter,
I now see why roses grow in England.

Their leaves are hard.
Their tough stems are like frozen rope –
Almost wood.
Their thorns come from an attitude –
A willingness to fight.
Their buds are solid
– Like living stones –
Until the moment they let go
And blossom;
Unfolding their softness, even to the cold,
The dreams of sunshine made real
Offering the ungraspable
In petals that can be touched, plucked
And rubbed against your cheek,
Offering a scent
Originating from the diamond in a sparkling dewdrop.

This flower patched onto the chest of rugby players.
Climbing the bricks of an empire,
In it’s birth, in it’s glory, and in it’s shadow.
Gracing vases on tables,
Echoing paintings painted more often than we know.
Scattered before the steps of the newly wedded.
Laid at gravestones.
Carved into the crevices of stone cathedrals.
And sprinkled onto bed sheets.

Looking into the warm promises and chilly reminders that spring in London speak
I can see why roses grow in England.