Human connections and more acculturation ...

Last week and this weekend, I had the chance to catch up with some friends (Walter, Sylvio, Diane, Clay and Chris) back in Seattle and it was great to reconnect with them! I love having those deep conversations with you guys (Chris and Clay) !


I also had the chance to talk with the person who has been my mentor the longest in Seattle. As usual his advices and wisdom have really helped me to see more clearly and feeling better about what direction to take (transferring or not to a different University) as well as prioritizing my studies. He is the reason why I got a master in social work when I first arrived in Seattle in 98. He has been my boss, professor and mentor since 1998 and has been and continues to be an amazing support in my professional and academic life. His encouragements helped me to have faith in applying to a PhD program. I feel grateful to have such a wonderful connection with him! Thank you Jon!!


This shift in my life, doing a PhD in Montreal, is huge and sometimes I have this brief realization of how overwhelming it is ... I can only let myself be in that state for a brief moment otherwise sadness and anxiety may paralyze me and I could not accomplish the demands of my life as a student. It's hard to not feel overwhelmed and anxious when everything is so new, uncertain and when the ones who know you the best and believe in you are so far away. I guess it has been exactly 2 months since I arrived in Montreal and I'm hitting another phase of my acculturation process .... It will pass and I'll find the strength to move forward with a positive and strong attitude.

First outing outside Montreal!

Last Sunday was my first escapade outside Montreal! It was great to leave the big city and discover the country side. I went with Isabelle and her sister Marie-Odile to St. Sauveur to discover the colors of fall in Quebec. Isabelle as a "décapotable", it was great to admire the sceenery without a roof above our head.











I've met Isabelle in New York, 10 years ago, through my very good friend, Karine. She has a wonderful spirit and I truly enjoy hanging out with her.




The little church in St. Sauveur/L'église de Saint Sauveur with a beautiful blue sky. Very cute village but a bit too snobby.

Shake Hands With The Devil

Few days ago, I watched the movie and my reactions were, as expected, very strong.

Here is a summary of the movie for those who haven't seen it. I highly recommended it!

At the bottom of the page, I added, in French, how I felt about it. (It's a good sign, I'm embracing my mother tongue again! ;))

SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL
The Journey of Roméo Dallaire

In 100 days - between April 6 and July 16, 1994 - an estimated 800,000 men, women and children were brutally killed in the obscure African country of Rwanda. The victims - many horrifically hacked to death with machetes - were Tutsi, and moderate Hutus who supported them.

One man was tasked by the United Nations with ensuring that peace was maintained in Rwanda - Canadian Lieutenant General Roméo Dallaire. But unsupported by U.N. headquarters and its Security Council far away in New York, Dallaire and his handful of soldiers were incapable of stopping the genocide.

After ten years of mental torture, reliving the horrors daily and more than once attempting suicide, Roméo Dallaire has poured out his soul in an extraordinary book. Shake Hands With The Devil is a cri de coeur. The General pulls no punches in his condemnation of top UN officials, expedient Belgian policy makers and senior members of the Clinton administration who chose to do nothing as Dallaire pleaded for reinforcements and revised rules of engagement.

Dallaire is convinced that, with a few thousand more troops and a mandate to act pre-emptively, he could have stopped the killings. His impotence, at a time of extreme crisis, preys on his conscience still.

The experienced Canadian documentary production company, White Pine Pictures, secured the documentary rights to General Dallaire’s book and exclusive access to follow him during his first return trip to Rwanda, in April 2004 - the 10th anniversary of the genocide. We were there as he revisited the killing fields that haunt him.

Shake Hands With The Devil is the most powerful documentary produced about the Rwandan genocide. Unflinching. Gut-wrenching. Challenging. Hard-hitting. This is appointment television for viewers throughout the world who care about human rights and international justice.

http://www.whitepinepictures.com/dallairesite/


Une injustice sans nom ...

Indignation de ce que l’être humain est capable de faire à des fins politiques et économiques.

La valeur de l’autre s’en trouve annihilé, plus rien ne devient important, même pas la vie de milliers d’êtres humains. Le prix d’une vie, de centaines ou de milliers de personnes ne compte pas.

Comment garder la foi en nos gouvernements, en la nature humaine lorsque l’horreur aurait pu être arrêtée !

Qui peut-on croire, à qui peut-on faire confiance lorsque, trop souvent, l’être humain n’est motivé que par le pouvoir, l ‘argent et le contrôle.

De nature innocente, confiante et optimiste envers l‘autre ou la relation égalitaire, de partage et d’entraide prévaut, qu’elle est donc ma place dans ce monde aussi hostile et lointain de mes valeurs ?

Abomination et indignation envers cette soif de pouvoir qui a perpétrée la trahison, l’abandon, et contribué au génocide…