Clubbin' Review...

My last two blogs may not have seemed 'everyday' practical for many people, so I thought I'd comment on something almost EVERYONE has experienced by this age. Clubbing...I am still under 18, and my 19+ friends (yea...I'm Cooool) go clubbing and really enjoy themselves. Sounds like it would be lots of fun...but I always asked myself...when I'm over 18, will I be a fan of clubbing? Is it right? I am a Baha'i (www.bahaiworld.org) and the Baha'i Faith upholds standards of Excellence. I do not want to tell people "Yes, I am Baha'i", but not truly believe in it, not fully trust the Faith, and ignore certain principles as I please...so if I went clubbing...would I be contradicting my beliefs? I had my first clubbing experience (over 19 experience with my bros ID...ahem) not too long ago to understand whether clubbing WOULD be against the Baha'i Faith. The Baha'i Faith does not prohibit 'dancing', but promotes chastity, and prohibits alcohol consumption. I will recount my story by occasionally adding a one word sentence; "Interesting" to try and promote analysis of the previous sentence to decipher for yourself whether the event is 'good' or 'bad'. A number of friends and myself were headed for Jacks..and just as we entered the back parkinglot...a man was thrown out the back...with a bloody face, engaged in a conflict with one of the bouncers. Interesting. After about 10 minutes of freezing our butts off outside, we made our way inside and onto the dance floor. I found out something that very moment...Damn...I REALLY like to DANCE! Even when I'm tired, I can squeeze out some good energy and dance. I started to look around...girls dancing on guys, guys dancing on girls, girls dancing on girls. Interesting. Unexpectedly, one of the very friends I was with began to search for a girl to grind with...Very interesting. My friend was dancing and someone steped on his shoe....so he gave him a nudge to get off his shoe. The guy turns around, and gives him an intimidating look...followed by the hand sign language for peace (Who DOES THAT?). Interesting...As I was looking around the club with my super tall neck, I spotted some friends I had seen before at school. One was leaning back...looking all cool, and when I made eye contact I gave him a nice smile and wave. I got a half smile, with the two finger salute...Inteerresssting. I quickly came to find that people act differently in the club, another more intimidating personality comes out. I think dancing is great!...I love to dance! Yes! Dancing! But clubs...they arent for dancing. Should I be promoting such a place that has people with bloody faces coming out that back of the building? Should I be supporting a place that turns sweet kind people into intimidating, 'cool' people? Should I support a place where I can see girls/guys yelling at other girls/guys, or girls/guys yelling at other guys/girls because they say "You took mah MAN" or "I saw you dancin' wit HER/HIM!". The only reason I would continue going clubbing in HIGH moderation is because all my friends go, and its an integral part of society. It's unfortunate that clubbing isn't just about dancing and EVERYONE having fun...but still knowing the boundaries. Maybe its possible to go clubbing with a bunch of friends, and mind our own businesses and have our own fun...but still...I am supporting the Cause of Clubbing. In Conclusion...Mostly...I think clubbing would be contradicting my beliefs...is it contradicting yours? Add comments por favor.

Denied Education?

Religious persecution...not a big problem? Maybe not soo much in North America, but in many countries, it is. Baha'is make the largest religious minority in Iran (having over 400 000 Baha'is), and are all denied a high level education in the country. Iran is fully capable and does give out higher education to all of its other major religions, but simply refuses to give the same privledges to a Baha'i. Why? Whats wrong with Baha'is? Well...lets investigate what the Baha'is believe in, maybe they believe something very contraversial and wrong...Baha'is believe in equality of man and woman, equality of all races, Independent investigation of the Truth, One God, and they believe that all religions are equal, all coming from One God teaching what we need to know for that day and age, like the teachers of a school. (For more info: www.bahaiworld.org). Unless I have missed something, there is clearly nothing wrong with the Religion. What is it then? As any other religion of the past, when they have first started, they had to face a great deal of prejudice, suffering and sacrifice. The Baha'i Faith, sitting at 162 years old, is still relatively new, and is still experiencing these prejudices. The Iranian government has executed many thousands of Bahais (they imprisoned my grandfather for 7 years), and still cause them suffering. They do not allow the Baha'is to have their meetings, get significant jobs, or get higher education. Fine...they don't want the Baha'is in their institutions of higher learning?...Baha'is have even made efforts to create their own institutions of higher learning, but such efforts were blocked by the Iranian government. Because of this, a group of us at Western and a number of other universities have been asked to send letters to the institutions of Iran, to tell them to stop, and hopefuly this international pressure can bring this prejudice to an end. For more info: http://denial.bahai.org/ , www.deniededucation.com. Please add your comments.



After the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian government sought to destroy the Bahá’í leadership. In August 1980, the entire membership of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Iran, shown here, “disappeared.” All are presumed to have been killed.

Religion Cause War?

We hear everyday of different conflicting religions, different religions being persecuted and being treated differently than the mass population. Suicide bombings have been going on in Israel for a very long period of time because of these wars between different religions. Would we be better off without religion? Is it religion that causes these wars? Is the fact that there are soo many different religions the cause of these wars? If you ask me, I would say no. Religions do not even contradict eachother in their essence of having all humanity to funcion as one whole, in peace. Lets take a look at it this way. If every person followed the rules and principles of their own religions, there would be no more alcohol, drugs, use of weapons, adultry, racism, or prejudice. Those are only SOME of the things that all religions agree are 'immoral' and should not be included in daily activites. Why are all of these things still present? Why do we still have conflicting religions? I DONT KNOW, it doesn't add up. If religions don't say to use guns, alcohol, adultry, etc. then...why do people still do it? Clearly its humanities DEVIATION from religion that causes conflict, and not religion itself! It's the curruption that we add to religion that causes 'religion' to become impure. True? or not true? Add to the comments, tell me what you think.

God Spoke to me...

I'm sure you have all seen those TV shows or TV ads.."God spoke to me"..."God sent down this woman", "God cured my cancer"...etc. Well...I can attest to such claims. Many people have heard the voice of God in their prayers...while on their knees begging for mercy...and in the most sacred and meditative of moments...but my experience was a bit different. God spoke to me on the Volleyball Court. A group of substantial Athletes...gathered and decided to form an exceptional volleyball team..co-ed competative...we named our team "Are you hungry?". We lost our first game today, no sweat, just win the next two. We won the next game with a condemning lead, which gave us great confidence for our third game. ( For all you volley-ballas out there...the third game goes to 15). We were exerting absolute dominance...winning by double their score! The other team spiked the ball, tipped my fingers, and went out. The Ref did not see me touch the ball, and called it as our point. I came out and said the truth, that I had touched the ball....since the quote "Truthfulness is the Foundation of All Human Virtues" was flashing out at me from Ruhi book 1. I felt like "damn...there...I did something honest...so in the end, we should win." The score became 14 to 8 for us...Time for us to win!...was what we were all thinking...We had many opportunities to finish the game...perfect sets...not being aggressive...waiting for them to make mistakes...and it was not working in our benefit. Then...came the very moment that God spoke to me...the very Glorious moment that motivated me to write this very blog...It was our time to finish the game. A perfect set to finish the game was given to me...wait...me??...or...my brother?....Hell no!!....IM TAKING THIS!!...IM GOING TO FINISH IT!...My Ego...selfishness....cause me...and my brother...to both jump and try and hit the ball at the same time...resulting in a twin tower collision (we are both tall) and a fatal collapse...The point was not taken....at that very moment...God said to me "Youuuuu Egotistical, Selfish, Son of A ...!" I had realized...maybe Truthfulness IS the foundation of all human virtues...but other virtues, like being selfless, will help build the outter structure of such a foundation. As a result...we lost the game...one of the most painful...heartbreaking events that I have experience...in a while. Lesson Learnt?: Be less Selfish and egotisical FOOL....jeez...look at the pic in my LAST BLOG FOR HEAVENS SAKE!

Peace out,
Erfan

King Erfan?

Western has been quite...an experience!...and THAT you can probably guess from my picture. I'm sure you are all familiar with the term of being 'knighted', which has been done for many centuries by the Royalties. The term you may NOT be familiar with....is being 'royalted'! That is right...I now have KING status at the residence of Alumni House. I got such a position by doing a very noble deed...doing something that takes lots of courage..and dedication...and a trained heart. I competed in a talent show against the rest of the res!

The Moment of Truth...

This was it...the time I had been waiting for. The most important of all. I was from Canada...and I´d better represent...not only that...but the Vafaie family was been known for dominating in this amongst the Dorchesterarians. We were inside...but with the outdoor hot breeze wafting in. Sweat was coming out of every crevice of my body. I stared my opponent down...as he stared at me. I was NOT about to let my family down. This was no game of...golf...or...curling...this was some true...professional Venezuelian pingpong. The paddles were not in best shape..but I would have to deal with it. Sweat was constantly falling into my eyes...making the pingpong ball look nebulous. I knew that my opponent was facing these same difficulties...but he had been trained under these conditions...and I was no longer in the Vafaies house...I was on HIS territory. Despite the fact that he had played about 10 games in a row...and was started to look tired...I still let me family down. BLAST! A bunch of the youth had taken me downtown to one of their universities where we played some volleyball and pingpong. I would just DIE going to university here...because playing even just PINGPONG will leave you sweating like you were doing 1000 meter dashes due to the excruciating heat.
About 5 of the youth here have just completed book 2...and there are still another 10 youth in the process. Our dance workshop practices are doing O...K... Attendence is very inconsistent...but I have been able to get 2 youth coming consistently and who know almost all of the step moves. We will be performing in a week in Cabudare (where Bahiyyih is now serving) for a 2 day conference. (5 hour drive for a 2 day conference!! Dios!) The youth from here are also going to perform Guita!...which is Maracaibos traditional music.
Susan is once again very excited as many of the youth are starting to show their faces in the activities again. There seemed to be some problems causing disunity amongst the youth...some of which are ´girl guy´problems...such as relationships and bunch of people going for one person...and THATS why I currently dont have a girlfriend! Unless I´m 99% sure...I´m not going to do something that could end up in two broken hearts...and most importantly...the end of a great friendship that used to be. I find that many relationships these days are for pleasure...for the instant entertainment...and not thinking about the future. Whats the point? It will end up BAD! The way I see it...a relationship is a means of getting to know the other person better...not to satisfy your sexual desires, kissing or even hugs!...you still have mommy for that! Ahem....back to Venezuela...
I have been talking more with Peter (the pioneer here) to see what it really takes to be a succesful pioneer like himself. Peter lived in America...and was drafted into the army. When in the army...they were aloud to go to school as well. Peter decided to go into an ALL blacks school! (Peter is White). Peter was the only white person in the school...but all the people were very kind to him and welcomed him. Peter taught the Faith in that school as well as became friends with everyone...showing that there truly IS NO DIFFERENCE between the races of mankind. (Cant believe the ignorance of mankind sometimes!) The army general...or something upper class told recommended him not to attend the school anymore...because it looked bad for the army having a soldier going into an all blacks school. Peter ignored the recommendation, as he saw no real problem or threat. A couple weeks later...the school kicked him out and gave him back his money...obviously a work of the army...After Peter was done with the army...he left America by a cargo ship down to Venezuela. He didnt speak spanish...he had no guaranteed job...and he was only 27 years old! In Venezuela he eventually became a professor of engineering and is now retired. The story of Peter could be made into a movie! Like...one of those movies like Remember the Titans where it shows one man uniting all these races!! haha. Its incredible! I brought some puzzles from Canada...the type wheres in like a metal ring inside a loop...and you have to take the ring out. Peter was the only one who didnt ask for help...and he tried doing that puzzle for HOURS! This taught me that I better REALLY start working on perseverance if I´m wanting to become a good pioneer in the future, as well as taking something started, out to the finish. Peter is a man who really likes to talk!...and during dinner he has taught me some good lessons. He told me about how one great philosopher said that a man has hit maturity when he has found a cause worth working for...and Looses himself in it. Meaning that unless you find something worth living for...and become selfless in it...you have not reached maturity. This makes sense...whats the point in living...in having your own pleasure...if you die in 80 years and all is forgotten? Its only worthwhile to work for a cause.
Peters Daughter just returned from studying in America. She is going to be here for a week then is going to Equador where she will visit all the people she served with during her year of service. She is really awesome and a great translator! She took me out yesturday with a bunch of the youth and we did some sightseeing downtown...and in the ´tourist´ area where they had traditional style homes of maracaibo. After walking past a security guard with a shotgun...I felt safe to pull out my camera and take some pictures.
I have had a couple youth here tell me not to ever leave!!! I found it sooo sweet! The kindness and love that the youth show for me here is just tooo much for me to handle...that i dont know...how to handle it. haha. I REALLY wish I could speak flawless spanish...although my spanish is still getting better....i wish I could have good deep conversations with them. I have gotten to the point where I can tell some jokes and have made them all crack up at times!! Thats the most SATISFYING feeling...If I dont become a doctor...I want to go into some profession where I can just make people laugh!
I´m not going to be here in Venezuela for MUCH longer...and this may be my last email before I get back...and then I may send one more to describe my whole experience! I hope you are all doing well and I miss you all!
Have a great summer,
Love,
Erfan

Deprived! (Venezuela email #4)

I must say...all the time I have spent here has made me realize...how DEPRIVED they are of XBOX here! NO XBOX! NONE! But...they do play one game we are all familiar with! Frogger! But this version is much more difficult. You don´t have a top down view...you have a first person view. The cars go a lot faster, and they react by braking or turning if you are on the road. Your also not a frog who can leap one whole lane at a time..and SOME people play it HIGHEST difficulty by carrying lots of things and wearing high heels and crossing the highway where traffic merges...oh...and you only have one life. Personally...I have not played this so called ´game´...as I do not feel it safe to cross the highways of Maracaibo...nor have I needed to...yet.
I´m starting to get used to the excruciating heat here! If the temperature EVER hits 28-29 degrees at night...WOW...its a BEAUTIFUL night! As I look at myself in the mirror, I don´t think I have lost any body mass...because if I did...as you all know...I would cease to exist.
We have continued with Ruhi books here...and the youth themselves suggested that we do INTENSIVE Ruhi...which left Susan in shock...as she said that the youth were never THAT eager to do Ruhi and she felt as though she was always pushing THEM! We had pretty much a PACKED day of Ruhi from 3pm till 9pm, where I had a chance to tutor two youth for a couple hours! It was quite difficult...as there were moments of silence as I tried to make up a question relating to the read paragraphs.
We havent had too many more dance practices yet. The McLarens (the family I´m staying with) are gone for the weekend to see the Voices of Bahá, which is a choir consisting of 80 people from all over the World...and they are pretty much doing a huge Tour...singing all over the place right now. Beacause of the absence of the McLarens...we haven´t been able to hold much here...except for some childrens classes...speaking of which...yesturday was Día de niños! Day of the children, national celebration! We all went to another Bahais house where there were over 20 children...and they all got presents...we danced...they played musical chairs! The kids were very cute! They would constantly come up to me and ask me what their names are in English.
When I first came to Venezuela...I knew I´d NEVER be walking the streets during the night! NO WAY JOSE! (Hosay). Mom...Dad...this is when you two stop reading! Bye!...
Ahem...as I was saying....(mom..dad...i know your still reading..please!) Reinaldo (the youth staying at this house with me currently! Great guy...knows some english!) and I have actually walked the streets a number of times during the night! The night life here is actually quite amusing! Everyone´s got their chairs outside, kids are on the street playing soccer...it actually didnt seem as dangerous as they all made it seem. You would never see a girl walking alone though...they were usually accompanied by a MACHO man! The other night though...(thursday day...the McLarens had just left..) I was waiting for Reinaldo at around 11:30 pm. I was afraid that I wouldnt hear the doorbell from inside...so I waited outside...but inside the metal bar and cemented gates of the house. As I sat there...I heard something that I have heard quite a bit around here. Fireworks are very popular around here...I don´t like the fact that they are popular...because it kind of helps disguise the sound of a gunshot...and THIS firework...sounded a bit different... I thought to myself ´nah...cant be NOTHING! Its just fireworks......right?´...three minutes later...I could hear the sound of the ambulance in the background...by this time...I was already trying to recall all of the moves that Jet Li does to unarm his opponents...just incase I would have to use it if someone came to the gates with a gun...since the ´guard´dogs here seem quite incompetant. One is constantly dancing on is back to scratch off ticks...while the other is the size of a squirrel....as cute as one too! Soon after the sound of the ambulance...I heard two consecutive pistol shots...´PAH....PAH...´...by this time...I had a knife in each hand...and a backup knife in my sock. ( Only kidding!...Jet Li doesnt use knives! He uses his hands!) That.....got me saying the LONGER Protection prayers...I figure...It´d be worth it!
The youth and children here just LOVE my digital camera! Everytime I take a picture...they have to zoom in AS FAR as they can...and analyze every pixel of the picture...thats why I try to avoid taking pictures of LOTS of kids...otherwise...my camera will be covered in half digested, saliva filled chocolat.
Mom and Dad...this part is also not for you...as it is VERY bad....
I´ve pretty much become a pro at washing dishes now! When there are activities here..the dishes just PILE UP like you dont believe...and since I usually have nothing to do after the activities are over...I wash the dishes! If there is ONE thing that I can say that I have done consistently and helped out with here...is helped the McLarens WASH their dishes!
One thing that I have found very interesting is the fact that Home visits are a part of their lives here. In Canada...in our cluster meetings (if some of you have no idea what I´m talking about...feel free to email me and ask me) we talk about how important it is to have home visits...and we set goals for home visits....HERE...its like...´alright...lets go around the streets and visit this person...that person...´, and they will all invite you to sit down...have a drink of Coke or water...etc. I remember one of the ways that clusters are divided is by transportation availability...and its interesting to see that this whole ´sector´ is all walking distance away! All of the 20 youth...20 children...all walking distance away! Its SOOOO NICE and CONVENIENT that way! Want to have a social? Walk around...tell everyone to just join ya! And they all walk around with you and you come back home and watch some movies or something. They dont tell eachother about activities by phone here...they walk around and tell them all individually! I find it to be much more effective...and has served to make me understand maybe why the LEM site hasnt been soo successful (once again...if you are confused...email me!), because we send out these MASS emails (like this one) to invite people to things...but its MUCH more effective if a friend invites you personally...by coming to your door or a phone call! Lesson #1 Learnt! ( About time!).
Reinaldo and I are about to walk to his house to feed his dogs (he lives in an apartment with two BIG dogs). One of them is a Wolf Dog....VERY beautiful creature and it HOWLS like a WOLF!! Its incredible! ( I missed my chance to see a monkey back in Barquisimeto! I´m still jealous of you for that Faran!)

Miss you all and love you all lots,
Erfan

Traggic events...

Third email from Venezuela...:


Vanessa has always been a part of the community here in Maracaibo...being soo kind as to take people around the city...lifting them up on her very shoulders. Providing the cool air when it was too hot...and providing the music...when people were low. Just the other day...something tragic happened. It happened as we were driving through the town dropping different youth off at their homes with Vanessa.
´Not NOW Vanessa!! NOT NOW!!!!´..Susan was yelling...as we all looked at Vanessa with lost hope. And then Vanessa got back up again..showing signs of life...¨comon...you can do it!¨...but once again...it happened ¨NO...VANESSA!! COMON!!!¨. To be honest...I found the whole situation quite commical!! I mean...who calls their VAN ´Vanessa´?? But after I asked for a clear explanation..Susan explained how when they first got the Van...they just called it ´Van´. But they saw that the chemistry wasnt working and the relationship wasnt right...untill they found out that the vehicle was a FEMALE...so they called her Vanessa.
(I REALLY should stop faking these tragic stories...I´m going to become the boy who cried wolf. There I go LYING again...i AM the boy who cried wolf...they kicked me out of the village shortly after the wolf ate all the sheep....)
I apologize as it has been a while since my last email...as internet access is a bit more limited in this city compared to where i was before. Let us venture back to...last Wednesday. I was in Barquisimeto, where Bahiyyih is serving. On Wednesday we all went TO DA BEACH! It was about a 2 hour drive up north. ( Before I continue...I must confess a sin...I drank their coffee here....and I...well I...I liked it. OH...and...im REALLY NOT they boy who cried wolf). As we drove next to the beach...I saw that the water was brown. I was quite dissappointed. All those stories I had heard about the BEAUTIFUL BEACH....well...I wasnt going to see them THIS summer. But I WAS WRONG....we paid some guys to take us on their boat...and to an island nearby (about 15 minute boat ride). I tried to scare Bahiyyih by convincing her that they would simply take us to the middle of the water...take our stuff and car keys...and leave without us....that would have made a cool story...The Island was very nice! And the water was a light tint of green...and it got more blue as it went out. Wasnt IDEAL...but better than anything amature Erfan has seen. The fish in the water were BEAUTIFUL...ranging from the yellow fish in the old Telus commercials...to the Squid from little mermaid (That thing scared me pretty good..)
Thursday..AHHh..Thursday...the day I had been awaiting...the day that FINALLY stop livin´it up, and get to serve. ( believe it or not...I came here to serve!) I took a 5.5 hour bus ride West to a city called Maracaibo. I had my first teaching opportunity as I was talking to the person beside me...and the person behind me overheard that I´m from Canada. She also spoke a little bit of English...and I told her about the Bahaí Faith...and now she knows what its all about! To get to Maracaibo, we had to cross a 9km bridge...the longest in South America. Thanks to my Prayers...we hit the bridge JUST as the Sun was setting ( Yea...Those are the kinds of things that i pray for...) Everyone had warned me about the excruciating heat in Maracaibo...and BOY...were they RIGHT...When I stepped out of the bus...I could feel all my skin cells trying to retreat back into the bus. The worst part was....it was NIGHTTIME...and the sun wasnt even out!
I´m staying at a lovely American couples house here, Susan and Peter McLaren, who have been pioneers here for over 20 years. Imagine the Faith it takes to leave a place like America...money...good weather...wealthy country...to a place like Maracaibo...Dangerous...HOTTTT...poor... That should tell you enough about how AMAZING this couple is!! They have a full schedule of Bahaí activities everyday! The youth here are just amazing! They all thought i was coming on Wednesday...so they ALL gathered (about 10 to 12 of them) at the McLarens house on Wednesday...found out that i wasnt coming that day...and ALL returned AGAIN on Thursday! They were soo kind! Funny! They know a little bit of english. They love doing drama. We all sat down and they did a ´game show´ style....going around introducing everyone with a ´host´, putting on a great show! Susan tells me that a lot of these people stopped coming to Bahaí activities because they had conflict with eachother...but the very fact that I came has united them and they have all come again! ( Once again...this just shows how nice Susan is!). I have attended one Ruhi circle (book 2...boy...i MISSED doing Ruhi!), practiced a PERFORMED a step dance...also helped teach ALL of the other youth two of the step moves. Only Three youth here know the step dance...and this community has a LOT of potential for an AMAZING dance workshop. The youth here are just soo amazing...they constantly draw me pictures saying ´Remember us´, and writing things like ¨Welcome Erfan. May you have a great time here¨. etc. etc...
Anyways...all I have left to do is split this email into chapters, and i´ve got one Book with no point to it! Haha...so I will end this email!
Miss you ALL lots! Sorry for making the email soo long...just havent written in soo long!
Love, Erfan

Venezuela continued...

The is the next email that I sent out about Venezuela...titled: SWINGING BATS!


Wow...I just had the scariest experience of my life...Firstly...I was outdoors...all alone. Not smart. Secondly...it had just gotten dark...not smart. No one else knew where I was....NOT SMART. Just as the sun went down...I could see the trees around me growing taller...as if trying to intimidate me. I could hear sounds nearby...should I dare look? I could hear people...close...too close. by the time i turned around....i saw a BAT SWINGING AT MY FACE...BUT IT JUST BARELY MISSED!!!! I could have been decapitated! Oh...sorry...when I said "bat" i meant those cute little fury flying things. Oh...and when i say outdoors...I meant in the Baha'is residences backyard...which is barracaded with high walls and fences for security. And...the trees bare the most DELICIOUS of fruit in Venezuela...MANGOOOOOO.

Ok, I'm sorry, that was cojo (lame), but I cant say that I've had any terrifying or death threatening experiences just yet...but I'm looking forward to them, and I will be sure to report them as soon as they occur!

I have done soo much in the past three days...I went to my first Ruhi circle, ate my first chivo (goat), attended an interinstitutional meeting, and have a son named Carlos Mantana. The people here are sooooooo kind! They are all trying to help me learn spanish. Los Ninos (the kids) are soo cute. They tell me to tell them a significant word in spanish that i want to learn the meaning to. And I will point to things...say "que es el contrario de..." (what is the opposite of), and they are constantly sooo helpful! At the interinstitutional meeting...they were soo encouraging, and helped me read passages from letters written by the Universal House of Justice. They were correcting my pronounciation, my grammer...etc. and THEN they REALLY challenged me by getting me to read the spanish version.

We have gone to the craziest markets in the middle of NOWHERE! We went up this mountain about 30 minutes away...where they have their "Michaelanjelo" who paints all these ceramic things. A local family took us around allllllll yesturday! They took us to this BEAUTIFUL mountain about 1 hour from here...and on the very top was a market. The family we went with was constantly saying "Es FRIO!!" (Its cold), whereas the temperature was actually PERFECT for us! On top of the mountain, I got to go horse back riding...my work there was done! They wanted to take us somewhere to eat LIZARDS!! I was very pumped and excited about the idea...but Bahiyyih didn't seem too pleased.

I'm loving the attention I get here. I mean...They ALL stare at me. I've come to the conclusion that its probably because im soo damn good looking.....OR.....MAYBE because im tall. But either way, im still damn good looking. Some people try to make it less obvious that they are staring at me...while others just BLURT out LAUGHING in amasement! hahaha. But unfortunately...I don't know how to say all my tall jokes in spanish yet...give it time.

In one of the markets, they were selling BABY PARROTS! We got to hold them...My LORD they were soo cute!! I've heard that you can even find baby SLOTH's here! (Like monkeys...but ten times slower).

Im supposed to be going to Maracaibo this thursday...which is said to be VERY hot...that they say even the local people there complain of the heat. At least its next to the beach...which means good seafood. After Maracaibo...im suppose to go to BONAIRES! Its a tourist island...WOOP WOOP.. I will be sure to take lots of photos!

Anyways, I send my love out to all of you, since none of you wanted me to remove you from the email list.

Erfan

(P.S., For some reason, i cant send my pictures from msn, and so im going to send the email from my gmail account. Please do not send emails to my gmail account, only because i do not check it nearly as often! Gracias!)

Venezuela...

I apologize for not ´blogging´ in so long...but I think it was one of the shortest lasting FADS ever! BUT...nonetheless...it shall prove itself useful as I can use it to post my emails that I have been sending out to everyone from here in Venezuela. I cannot post any pictures on here..and that is why I have posted some pics on...photos.yahoo.com/erfanv. ( Under the album called Venezuela!)

Heres the first email that I sent out:



Its that time...finally...no worries...exams are done...time to relax...you sleep and in your dreams you can hear the sound of music...Ahh...the music...wait...that music isnt very enjoyable!! Whats going on? I wake up to realize..."oh yea...its 2:30am...I have to go to Toronto Airport to go to Venezuela".

For those of you who may not know, I am spending a month and a half (from June 28th till Agust 17th) in the beautiful country of Venezuela, doing volunteer work/service. (Ruhi circulos, junior youth classes and childrens classes, helping teach dances, english, etc.)

As we were driving to Toronto, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. My two eyes taking turns, left to right, right to left...getting rest seperately. Its not the most effective...but when im tired...my eyes have a mind of their own.

Mr.Shahkar Arjomand was driving. He was coming to Venezuela to visit his daughter Bahiyyih Arjomand who is currently serving here.

All the flights went smoothly. We went from Toronto to Miami, then from Miami to Caracas, Venezuela...and from Caracas to Barquisimeto (a city West of Caracas.) As the Airplane flew over Caracas....we could see the Ocean on our left...and on our right was beautiful green mountains with tall trees...and fog/mist covering the tops...the ONLY thing missing was the Jurassic Park theme music to go with it all.

On our flight from Caracas to Barquisimeto, I contimplated pretending to puke on the people next to me...for good laughs...but then I thought about it...I don't think I want to make enemies...more chances of getting mugged! Thats my prime fear!

The house we are staying in is midway up one of mountains, and we have a view of the whole city. NAGUARA!, Its soo b-e-a-utiful. I still have not had a chance to see the sunrise or sunset yet...although I know I will tomorrow, as i will have to wake up at 5am to go shopping in the market.

Anyways...food is almost ready...they eat dinner around 8:30-9ish around here...but dont worry everyone...I will survive. I also hear that all the people who come to do service here lose weight...I figure...If I lose anymore weight...I will cease to exist.

If any of you are jerks..i mean..if any of you dont want any emails from me...then just email me, and I will be sure to enter your email address into many many online dating websites. ( Except for you Nima Rohani...I know you already do that yourself! haha).

Hopefuly I will have access to internet to keep up to date!

Much Love,
Erfan.

ADDICTING!

I must say...ever since I got Adobe Photpshop again, it's been quite difficult NOT to use...I looked through all my pictures for pictures of people where ATLEAST 3/4 of their body was showing, and they must be doing some kind of a pose...now...YOUR job is to find which one is the REAL model!! (Its...really....not that difficult...especially if you watch Americas Next Top Model.)



I call this picture the COLLAGE....I love it...I have it on my desktop.

AMERICAS NEXT TOP MODEL....NEW CONTESTANT!

Ladies and Gentlemen....ever since...just recently, a new contestant has been added to AMERICAS NEXT TOP MODEL! These are against all of their rules, and regulations!....but they couldn't resist. This new Model is tall, good looking, smart, and knows how to dance! This just MAY be...Americas...NEXT TOP MODELLLLLLLLLLLL.....




Oh...and yea...this is suppose to be a joke!

Ho Mother!

The other day, I was making my way to SilverCity to watch "Unleashed" (Starring Jet Li...of COURSE I'm going to watch it!) I was on the corner of Dorchester Road and Hamilton road...on the cell phone. Now...I remembered hearing something about cell phones and driving being illegal...but I wasn't sure if that law was implemented in Canada, or only in America. I was sitting at the red light with the cell phone at my ear...when a Police car turned infront of me (on Hamilton road, turning left)...My heart began to beat faster and faster thinking to myself "crap...is it illegal? IS IT ILLEGAL??". The officer looks at me as he drives by...and as SOON as he passes me, HIS LIGHTS TURN ON!! Here I am...shatting my pants...thinking "HO MOTHER!!" The cop turns into the next complex on the left (where town and country is)...I sat there and waited for that Red Merciless light to shine upon me the LIGHT OF MERCY, AND LET ME GOOOOO. Thank God...and the street light..it turned green, and I went... I don't think the officer was after me...I'm guessing he was just REALLY eager to get to Town and Country Pizza! I thought Unleashed was a good movie. Don't watch it if you are expecting 2 hours of fighting...it has a story component to it...yes...I know...Jet Li and story....and not Full 2 hours of fighting sounds kinda fishy....but I really enjoyed it. Later that night, in my bed, I dreamt of what would have happened if it WAS illegal to call on the cell phone while driving...and how I would have been PUBLICLY HUMILIATED in the dorchester Newspaper...my dream looked something like this...

Dorchester Back Alleys...

My Dad just got back from China the other day...He was there for work. They sent him to China, First class!! Bling bling! My brother and I, knowing China for its great reputation of having CHEAP movies, compiled a list of movies for my dad to bring back. He brought back a good 25 movies, and also brought me back a Fake ROLEX! Get this...selling of rolex's is now BANNED in China, because their rolex's looks soo much like the real thing, that people will send in their FAKE rolex's to get them fixed (since rolex's have life time warranty), and the people working at Rolex can't even tell the difference between the real and fake rolex. So my dad brings me back this Rolex...it doesnt even run on batteries....it runs on kinetic energy using the motion of your arm when you are walking! Its insane! Anyways...I wear it..and my mom goes "Erfan...you aren't walking in the back alleys of Dorchester anymore with that watch on!" and im like "Back ALLEYS?? WHAT BACK ALLEYS??" And she goes "that path you take from school to here! Der are Gangsters der, dey will take your watch, stab you and run.." My moms idea of a back alley is a sidewalk in the middle of a residential area that cuts between two houses...I told her not to worry...no "Gangstas" in Dorchester will take me in the "back alleys!" Little did I know... I was walking back home from a school coffee house. Around 9:00pm, dark...sun just about to disappear in the horizon. As I approached the "Back alley", I pulled the watch out from under my sleeve so as to "tempt" any "Ganstas" to BRING IT!...because I was soo confident that there is absolutely nothing to worry about! I was about halfway through the back alley...when I heard a sound in the bushes...stupid dogs I thought to myself...but the rattling got louder...
"HOOOOT!" I heard a loud yelp as a witnessed a large black boddy flip out of the bushes and appear right behind me. This object moved about with great stealth and technique...I KNEW it...I was absolutely sure that this was not a Gangsta....they do not exist in Dorchester....this was a one and only....NINJA! He quickly lunged for my Rolex, but I kicked his arm away and Round House kicked him in the head. He spun 5 times before he hit the ground. I picked him up and threw him in the trees above...but his nightmare was not done...I jumped up after him. He stood there...as if anticipating my eagerness to get him for all the trouble he has caused me soo far...with his sword out...shinning the suns remaining bright light into my eyes...


( Just for those of you who don't know me personally, I did not actually fight a real Ninja...although IF I DID, the story would probably sound very similar to this one.)

Video Game FAST!

Video games have their ups and their downs. If you play video games with a bunch of friends, it can actually help build stronger relationships. The bad side to video games is that if you play it on your own...it's really a big waste of time! Ladies and Gentlemen...what I am suggesting here is that I am going on a ONE WEEK VIDEO GAME FAST! I usually play between 1-2 hours of video games PER DAY! I thought to myself..." How much more could I accomplish everyday if I spent that time doing productive things?" And so this is my experiment, not only to see how much more I get accomplished...but also to see WHAT it is that I accomplish in that time. If I just end up doing something else that is a waste of time...then there really is no reason for this "fast". I plan to read books (reading Agenls&Demons....amazing book!), practice the guitar and tombak, maybe actually spend time opening my backpack and doing some school homework ( which has been quite difficult to do ever since I got my acceptance to Western), and finally read and deepin myself in the Baha'i Writings ( FRIG thats important). Every day I am reminded of the importance of reading about Religion. Personally, I believe that there is a God, and I believe that if there is a God, then God would send Messengers to help guide humanity...soo....reaing ANY Scriptures from any religion can only be beneficial! I hope to give a bidaily report on my progress with the Video Game Fast! I could use some "encouragement" in the "comments", so COMMENT IT UP!

Trains are SOO PRIMITIVE!

Soo...the other day I was on my way to London. A bunch of other youth, myself, and with the help of some parents, we were able to start these Junior Youth classes on fridays! They start at around 7ish and go till about 9. We have three different books with different materials for the wide range of ages that we have (about 10 to 14.) We have devotions at the beginning ( Prayers), then we split into our classes and then we have some games/activities/socialization. We hope to implment some Service into the curriculum as well. Ok...now...back to the Subject: Trains being soo primitive. I was making my way to London an HOUR early before class starts...6pm! JUST as I'm getting out of Dorchester ( Entering onto Shaw Road), I witness a train...well, at this point I'm thinking "Its all good, this thing will pass in MAX. 5 minutes!" The train is going....and I notice it begins to ACCELERATE!...which is normally a good thing...but in this case...it wasnt, because it was acceleration in the opposite direction of motion. The train came to a full stop...and waited there about 10 minutes. At this point, I was contemplating weither I should use my Super Strength powers to push the train...but I didn't want to reveal my secret Superhero identity. After a good 30 MINUTES, the train finally started picking up speed....and left... I wasn't angry, just a little mentally crazy afterwards, thats all. My point is...JEEZ, would someone do something about these trains? They stop traffic SOO effectively!...cant we gear their ability to stopping traffic to something more useful? Like...stopping racism? or....Stopping Terrorism? Thats what I would call EFFICIENCY!


yea...I wouldn't be crying that out too loud Mr.Train...I bet there are lots of people with road rage that wouldnt mind just DRIVING right through you...

Workin OUT!!!!

I'm 6 foot 6 inches, and a lean-fat eating machine...but gaining no weight! My solution...well....i went on Google Answer...and it was a $500 question. And so I have started taking massive quantities of Creatine and protein, and I have been working out every single night. I think my shape is starting to come out quite nicely!

hubba hubba


( Just incase for those of you who dont ACTUALLY know me....This picture is a fake...)

School Dances

My parents never really let me go to school dances! Don't really know why! They'd say "Theres drugs there!! Theres alcohol there!!" Almost as if they were just like the parents from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". hah! I would laugh an shrug it off...well...not too long ago I decided to go to my first school dance. It seems as though people have forgotten how to dance...or what it means to dance, because over 50% of the dancers were grinding at all times. I hate to break the news to you grinders...but...grinding is a form of sex...not dancing! Grinding is known as the "dry" form of sex. Please...not what I want to see when I'm just trying to have some fun at a highschool dance! Guess what else there was at the dance? Alcohol and drugs! There were a couple drug busts...and people were kicked out and suspended...even in the small town of DORCHESTER! Many people came drunk...why? Don't know how to have fun without alcohol? Well...I personally found the school dance to be quite dissappointing!

But I must thank some people for dancing for good fun! I was able to have some fun joining some other groups of people who were Dancing the way its "meant" to be done. In the end...I must conclude...unfortunately...that my parents were right!! (BLAST!)

Ong-BaAAAAMAZING!!!!!

If you guys have not yet seen Ong-Bak...My God! I always wanted to be like Jacki Chan, or Jet Li!!! But this guy...WOW..i want to have HIS skills now!!! If you like a movie with AMAZING movies, elbow jabs to the head, car Hurdling, Vertical Wall running, with no special effects or string attached...I recommend this movie!

Long Haired Erfan

Jeez...I haven't had my hair that long for a while...I've been keeping it quite short! What do you guys think? Grow it long again? Maybe a pony-tail?

Dorchester Beavers

Our schools Mascot is the Beaver. I really never understood why the teachers and principle wouldn't allow the students to have a "Beaver day", or "Beaver Newspaper", or "Beaver Stock"...but...now...I'm really beginning to understand...and you are all SICK MINDED PEOPLE!

Bloggs...

Very Interesting to see these soo called "Blogs" get soo popular...I never really heard of it till my brother told me about it. To be quite frank...I thought it sounded quite funny at first...but I think they can be kinda cool!! So...I decided to create my OWN BLOG!!! MWAHAHA.
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