Diary - Tuesday, September 27, 2005 

My name is Barb Hunter and I am currently writing from the loft of the Jambiani guest house. As I sit here my soul is soothed by the sound of the rolling waves as the ocean breeze swirls through the house... yes this is the life indeed. I arrived on the beautiful Island of Zanzibar September 6th from Dar es Salaam after spending 5 amazing days in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I have now been here for three weeks and I feel incredibly blessed by my experience.

In the short time of being here I have worked with a diverse group of people in my clinical practice ranging from young to old and I have found great satisfaction in being a positive part of their day. It is a real pleasure connecting with the people and having the ability to offer them good energy and a nurturing touch. Being able to evoke a shift in the energy of a person whether it is awakening a sense of hope for continued wellness, pain relief or just a greater sense of peace through hands on therapy and homecare instructions is truly an amazing thing and I am so happy to have a place in this process.

I am fortunate as well to have been of some help outside of the clinic. In Stone Town Pat and I gave some good homecare instructions and perspective to an elderly women with arthritis and were able to organize a walker for her which will be of great help to her and her family and just recently I made a house visit with Alastair and friend Max to see a woman who in the last year experienced a stroke. It was heart warming to see how welcomed Alastair and Max were by the family and the patient, I could tell that their weekly visits have made a tremendous difference to all those concerned. My last and latest projects have included teaching massage to some local budding massage practitioners and offering some spa consultation and training to the massage practitioner at the Serena Inn in Stone Town. All these extra things have been a lot of fun and have contributed to a fun and fulfilling adventure.

Of course all of this would be difficult without communication and for that I am grateful to the people who taught me the bits of Swahili I now know but mostly I thank god for our interpreter Chai, body language and the English speaking people of Zanzibar!

Alastair and Pat have been wonderful hosts and have each contributed their personal touches to my experience here. It has been great to work with Alastair in the clinic as his enthusiasm and sense of humour bring life and magic to the centre and on a personal note - his fruit salads in the morning and guitar sessions have been a real treat.

Pat has given her time to many causes during my stay and her perseverance is definitely an asset in terms of getting the job done. I have benefited from the strong social connections that she has established in Stone Town and Jambiani as she has been very generous with including me in some of the social events which have included handing out a donation of food to small school children and attending some Rotary functions.

So now I have three days before heading back towards Canada and have a full appreciation for the expression that has been said many times before "Once Africa gets into your heart it will be there forever".

Barb Hunter

Thank you Barb for those very touching and heartfelt words. It has been a pleasure having you with us and your very positive way of being has served all of us well. In your short time here you have indeed made a huge difference in the lives of those folks you were able to touch and on behalf of Pat and I, the Hands Across Borders Society and all the people of Jambiani, thank you so much for choosing to be here and to offer your heart and hands to those in need. Tunashukuru sana na keribu tena.

Today was officially our last day in the centre as we will take the next two days to prepare for our Friday departure. It's been a fabulous year with lots of challenges for us to manage but as our friend and former volunteer, Kathleen Leachman likes to say, "It's all good." What a wonder-full attitude and way of seeing in this world. It is all good!!!

As I mentioned previously, we will be closing the Centre during the time that we are away, however if all unfolds according to plan, this will be the last time we will have to do this. To provide a continual service to the people here has been one of our goals since we started this project and it looks like that will become a reality by mid January next year. So we are really excited about that. In addition, we only have about four spaces left for volunteers up until the end of 2007 so we are so grateful for the tremendous support we are getting from professionals world wide. It has all been pretty much word of mouth so we know that those who find their way here are having a positive and life enhancing experience and are telling their friends and colleagues.

One of Pat's latest accomplishments along with the help of Max, Rasmus, Pernille, Ann and Caitlin was the recent graduation of six students from their typing and keyboarding class. This was the first class to graduate and I think we were all very proud of them. Congratulations everyone. :-)

Also you may have noticed that we have a fund raiser organized for October 29th at the Six Mile Pub in Colwood, BC's oldest pub. Our dear friends Owen and Doris Seeton have gone to great efforts to put this together on their own with of course the total co-operation and support of David Wong and the management and staff of this wonderful venue. If you are going to be in Victoria, please join us for what is promising to be a really fun evening. Thank you so much Owen and Doris. What amazing examples of humanity you are and what tremendous models you are for all of us.

We will continue to post updates during our time in Canada, to keep you informed of events and any new developments that might warrant your attention.

Pat and I hope that if you are reading this now, that your journey is going smoothly and that those challenges that invariably come your way are able to be managed with heart and wisdom and with strength. We can all make a difference in this world as we continue to offer our love and support to those who are most in need. It's a good thing we are doing and it will contribute to a better tomorrow for us and for those who follow in our path.

So for now, much love to you in all-ways and until the next time, peace be with you.

Alastair and Pat