An important link:

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/il10_kirk/Then_They_Came_for_the_Bahais.html

Check it out.

I have been in Summerland for almost a month and as you can see, I am finally able to access my computer photos...these are taken driving between Kelowna and Summerland, and the flowers grow in profusion around the yard here on the lavender farm. Shortly I will walk out into the orchard and gather an apple or two for the coming days, and tonight go to the second of the Baha'i Feasts I will have attended in this small community. I found an old friend here; we had been at university together, and when Bernie was here last week we enjoyed having supper with Farideh, her husband Sia, son Mishkin, mother and a family friend. I must admit it's a welcoming thing to go to almost anywhere and be able to find an instant welcome from those who share faith. Religious community is so often seen as something palliative for people who believe naively in God, but I am in a place where the warmth of the welcome, and the diversity of the flowers of these gardens, remind me that anywhere on earth can be a place called home. Bernie and I had a great time exploring the Okanagan, and he will be back soon. In the meantime, I am enjoying the job and the places around me, and have much to be grateful for.

I write from British Columbia, my new home in the Okanagan, my new work, and my new life. Much happens when you aren't really expecting it: be careful what you pray for!

When our family was in Israel, I prayed for the right opportunity. I came home and looked, half-heartedly, at the website I have watched, with varying degrees of success, for a few years. An advertisement caught my eye. I applied, was interviewed, and found myself on a plane on September 3, flying into Kelowna. Since, I have met my colleagues and students at The Glenfir School, in Summerland, BC, have met with Baha'i friends in nearby communities, have found a lovely apartment on a lavender farm. I have not taken one picture: it's as though I want to soak it in before I start to share it. It's also because even if I did take a picture, I would not be able to share it, since my computer is en route as I write. My dear husband is driving my car, my computer, a few precious artworks, and best of all, himself! out west and will hopefully arrive soon to spend a week before flying to my other home in the Gatineau Hills.

Culture shock? A little. The rocket launches, and lands beside a fine lake in the summertime, with the promise of an easy winter, and new friends to be made. I reflected that if I were to write a story about these events, the first line might be, "My first introduction to the Okanagan was picking golden raspberries by an apple orchard." Strictly speaking, it was not the first thing, but within a week of arrival I was chatting with my new landlady in her garden as she urged me to take all I wanted from the garden and orchards. We ate golden raspberries (slightly less tart than their red cousins) and watched the sun sink against the profile of Giant's Head Mountain. It is a small, quasi-desert here; the lake provides irrigation to offer some of the best fruit country in the country, although the wineries are now taking over (which impresses many tourists, it seems, but is no use to me!) But I am glad to be here, and will be more so when my family is able to join me for visits and ultimately, if all goes well, for Bernie to be here with me all the time.

In the meantime, I count blessings, and begin routines: I swam in Lake Okanagan last Sunday, a block from the beach at my new home, and joined the Summerland swimming pool this week and have had my first swim...each day, something new to find, and tomorrow, Saturday.

Be careful what you pray for!

Our recent days have been very full with visits (old friend Mark, now living in Malawi, and new friend Sandra from Ontario.) Mark, Sandra, Bernie and I had lunch at Le Moulin de Provence in the Byward Market and then I wandered taking a few photographs and bought a lot of wonderful raspberries. During their visit, Bernie and Sandra had a grand adventure and went white-water rafting on the Ottawa River, and Mark and I had a lovely lunch in scenic nearby Wakefield, Québec. Good times!

Shortly after Mark and Sandra left I was offered a new job...so I will not be blogging for a while. When I am organized, I will resume, and share some photos of a place which, for now, I will let be a surprise when the time comes. Bernie and I are very pleased about this new development in our lives, but details will wait until my first "letter" home.