To Calm My Unquieted Mind!

A must go to while in LA area is Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City… I drove cross country to go live in person to this “church”... the experience changed my life profoundly for the better… I’d recommend it highly to anyone!

The first & only time I was here – was in this photo. It reminded me a lot of the tatu / piercing joint (Saint Sabrina’s) by my house here in Minneapolis.

They have a “Tattoo Tuesday’s” – Show a tatu on Tuesday & get some sort of discount (10, 15, 20% – something like that)... there are manequins, pink flamingos, bold bright colours – all sorts of strange & interesting things that I never expected to find in Wilmington.

The food is “Mexican” – not authentic – but good food. They have vegetarian offerings (again, didn’t except a lot of that in Wilmington – shame on me)...

The employees were all the sorts I would expect to see in my neighborhood here at home – tatued, pierced, dressed in all sorts of interesting ways – again… not what I would have expected there…

So, I loved that I realized what a stereotypical view I had (to some extent) & that this place helped me break down any of those silly ideas… and helped me feel even more at home…

I took my first journey on Couchsurfing to Wilmington to visit a woman & her partner, Johnny, who I met through that site!

I was there 2 – 8 May 2006 at Beverly’s invite. They were the picture of southern hospitality with a flare of the dramatics & interesting charms. I loved every minute of it.

You ever thinking of visiting Wilmington – try Bskray on couchsurfing – she’s a hostess with the mostess!

First off – why is the main photo for Rwanda a friggin gorilla? That tweaks me!

Anyhow…

Rwanda may very well be the first country in the motherland that I (re)visit. I’ve met a woman through couchsurfing.com who is going back to visit in March of 07 & I may accompany her then.

Rwanda is very dear to me – as the whole of Afrika is also – but special because of the genocide, what her people have struggled through & still are resilient.

My dear friend, brother, is from Rwanda – he survived the genocide & the camps that followed. He’ll never go back – it would mean his life! As much empathy as I have I simply cannot imagine that reality.

I want to go to see Rwanda’s beauty that remains – to see & talk with those who are there… to hear their stories if they care to share – to simply listen…

I hope it to be some sort of healing of this terrible tragedy for me & perhaps for others in return…