Jet lag

Well, i have finally really landed! This return home was the worst jet lag i have ever experienced. Clara, my daughter, has been living and working in Burkino Faso as a young doctor. She wrote me an email saying she is now traveling again and how strange it felt ... as she had felt so part of the community in which she had been living not a visitor at all. This really struck a chord with me. Perhaps the reason why the jet lag was so difficult was because i, too, had felt part of the community there. I, too, had started to feel part of the world there. Both volunteering with Lady Volta and the bead Hunt had really given me a focus ... and had given me a way into a community in a real way.

Over the last few days i have been updating the funkyFrog.ca website. This has been a really good bridge to bring me all the way back home. I have been thinking about my trip from the perspective of being at home and telling people about it. This has really helped ground me.

I made a page each  for the two necklaces i made while sitting with Yaya and Rita beading.. I decided to call the necklaces by the name of the young ladies who modeled them for me.

Bernice's necklace  was the first one i made. I had already chosen the beads back in Montreal. It was a good ice breaker as i had something to do during that first stage when i am very shy !! Everyone was so welcoming that it didn't take me long to feel comfortable. Bernice was the one who showed Kathy and I around ... so i got to know her quite quickly.  http://www.funkyfrog.ca/html/bernice.html

Rita's necklace is made of the first beads i found on the beadHunt so it is very special to me.  Rita is also very special to me! She is so vital and full of life ... in the last week i was there she had done her hair 'au natural' ... a beautiful curly mass and she was wearing batik dresses ... she looked like the next Miss Africa!! truly a beautiful young lady!!


http://www.funkyfrog.ca/html/rita.html

I also did a small photo Essay of Lady Volta ... which i hope to add to as i go along.


http://www.funkyfrog.ca/html/ghanaBlurb.html


I have  started cataloguing the beads ... hopefully i will be able to start adding the beads to the site in the next while...

Also i had amazing news ... Pure Art which is a very cool organization  ...  a fair trade store and foundation doing wonderful work... has committed to being the distributor for Lady Volta's products here in Montreal and Hudson.. The products will go into the stores in early spring. Brigitte has asked me to do a talk as well on my experience with Lady Volta. I am really looking forward to doing this and helping to promote Lady Volta.  [http://pureart.ca/index.asp ]