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Victoria Good News Choir Society 2008-2009 Season



Do you like to sing?
If you do we invite you to join our non audition community choir at any time during the 2008-2009 Season.

We are the Victoria Good News Choir Society, directed by Louise Rose. We rehearse each Tuesday at 7:00pm at Cordova Bay United Church, 813 Claremont Avenue.

We are a community choir in every sense of the word and we love to sing.
The Victoria Good News Choir Society is a place where friendships are made, develop and flourish. It is also a place where loving support is always available.

In addition to our concerts, those of us who are available, sing (Outreach) once a month at seniors centers and extended care facilities where Louise Rose accompanies us on the piano as we sing popular songs from the 1920’s to 2000+.

We feel very fortunate to have a Choir Director who arranges wonderful songs for us to sing. We love to sing and if you do too ... please come and join us.

Schedule for Public Performances for the 2008-9 Victoria Good New Choir Society Season:

Tuesday, December 16th at 7:00pm at Cordova Bay United Church we will be having an “Old Fashioned Carol Sing” to which family, friends and neighbours are invited. Admission will be by donation. Refreshments will be available during the intermission and Louise will be taking ‘requests’ for the second half of the evening and the choir will have a surprise or two in the ‘love em up’ category as is the choir’s tradition.

BANQUET OF LOVE: Saturday, February 14th 2009 University Centre Farquhar Auditorium. The British Columbia Black History Awareness Society presents The Victoria Good News Choir Society, One Human Family Gospel Choir, Victoria Soul Gospel Choir and the Victoria Children's Choir singing in a concert of gospel and gospel inspired choral music.

Saturday, June 6th 2009: Victoria Good News Choir Society presents 'THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING'

Outreach singing schedule:

2008
October 6th: Saanich Peninsula Hospital. 2:00pm - 3:00pm.
November 3rd: Jeskin Aerie, 817 Goldstream Avenue. 2:00pm – 3:00pm.
December 17th: Vancouver Island Cancer Lodge. 7:00pm - 8:00-pm.
December 19th: CFAX Radio Station
'Santa's Anonymous'Fundraiser. 6:00pm - 7:00pm
2009
February 2nd: The Glenshiel, 606 Douglas Street. 2:00pm – 3:00pm.
March 2nd: The Cridge Centre. 2:00pm – 3:00pm.
April 6th: Resthaven Lodge 2:30pm – 3:30pm.
May 4th: The Lodge at Broadmead. 2:00pm – 3:00pm.
June 1st: Berwick Royal Oak 2:30pm - 3:30pm (to be confirmed)


Sunday, November 2, 2008

Dear Friends,

Where, oh where does the time go? Here we are in November already. I have had a busy and interesting summer and autumn. I am keeping track of what is happening with some of you who so kindly stay in touch. I love hearing about everything.

I am looking forward to singing with you for some all–too-short rehearsals and outreaches during my visit home at the end of November. Thanks to Leonard Weaver, I will know the music. Leonard has been recording some of the choir rehearsals digitally and sending them to me via email. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate having the opportunity to “listen in” and sing along. Thank you Leonard! My heart is full. Louise, “The Breath of God” is lovely and very moving. The quality of the sound is even better now that I got myself some earphones. It’s like being right there with you. I am listening to it as I write and I can even recognize who is giggling at times.

Life here in Saudi carries on with its strange, sometimes wonderful and often aggravating ways. I never cease to be amazed at the ongoing challenges that women here face every day. I recently spent a couple hours in the souk wearing full hijab and veil. In 39 degree heat, it was stifling. I have a new appreciation for the challenges of trying to eat while keeping my face covered. The process includes trying to hold the veil out of the way from my fork, while attempting to get the food to my mouth without revealing any part of my face. The wearing of the hijab, veil and abeya are a choice for me (occasionally) but for Saudi women there is no choice.

Nonetheless, I have discovered a new use for the double veil with slits for eyes and another layer that covers the eye slits. It is great for peeling onions. Recently when I was cooking, my eyes were streaming from chopping onions. Since I didn’t have any goggles to protect my eyes I had an inspiration, and reached for the veil. Perfect!! I must remember to mention it to my Saudi friends.

Recently, I read in the local news about one woman accosted by the Mutawa or religious police, otherwise known as the “Commission” for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. These officially sanctioned bullies go about looking for instances of misbehaviour. They chase all the customers out and make sure that shops close during the five half-hour daily prayer times and the that men go to pray at the mosque. They run around shouting, “Saleh, Saleh!” which means, “prayer, prayer!” Their primary focus however, is on women, making sure that they conform to the Kingdom’s strict dress code or to catch them wearing make-up (most do anyway) and to ensure that sexes don’t mingle.

I digress. The woman was sitting outside beside her husband and children at a temporary table eating food from a kiosk during the time of Ramadan. A Commission member told her that she could not sit there and that she had to stand. She got so mad that she sprayed him with pepper and called them “terrorists”. She was one of the brave ones (perhaps she wasn’t Saudi). I think they arrested her.
In another instance, (from the Saudi Gazette), “Two members of the commission were attacked, cursed and sworn at by two women, who were blatantly dolled up,”
He said the commission’s officials stopped the women to give them advice and guidance after they noticed they were wearing makeup. “One of the women took out a black container and sprayed a substance at them while the other filmed what happened with her phone camera while making improper comments,” Al-Marshoud said.
He said commission members took control of the situation with help from security patrols.
Incidents where women fight back are rarely reported in the news but they always get arrested and usually punished with lashes, and maybe jail. There is a growing movement amongst younger women who are beginning to demand change and from society in general demanding accountability for some of this abysmal behaviour by the “Commission”. If you are interested in reading more about women in Saudi there are several books out that are very interesting. Jean Sasson is the author of several. Her books are available at Abebooks.com. Try “Princess” or “Daughters of Arabia” for a picture of the challenges even royalty experience if they are women.

A couple of recent treats were a visit to an Arabian Stud Farm and Camel racing at Taif. Both experiences were amazing. The camel races were hilarious. I hear that there are also camel wrestling matches. I wonder what that would be like. Rest assured that if there is an opportunity to go, I will take advantage of it.

The other day we had a little excitement when Lisa (one of our home health nurses) found a small falcon sheltered in a corner of the plaza in front of Home Health Care. It appeared ill or injured. On closer examination, we could see that it was blind in one eye, perhaps an old injury. Everyone around came to see it. One of the men who work in the supermarket managed to get it into a shopping cart and gave the bird some cat food (they don’t allow pets on the compound but there six shelves of pet food in our little supermarket). There was some conjecture as to whether someone poisoned it. Eventually someone took it home.

There are hundreds of stray cats here in the Middle East, and Jeddah is no exception. Our compound has around thirty or forty, no one is sure of the number. A group of cat lovers have been feeding and taming them. If they can catch them, they take them to a vet to be neutered. It does help control the cat population a little. Many of the cats look like the ancient Egyptian cat gods with the big ears. I have named my two favourites Ramses l and Ramses ll. They are twins, I think. I can’t tell them apart. They like to come to the swimming pool and sit on the sun beds or all over my lap. Pets are not common for Middle Eastern kids, but when the children saw me with one of the cats in my arms, they all came to pat it. In Islam, pets are considered unclean, so few people have one. In spite of that, one of our drivers, Essam, captures and sells exotic pets like lizards, iguanas. He calls himself “The Lizard Man” on his posters.

For the first time in a year, the weather forecast includes a few showers for Jeddah. I have my doubts, since it is still averaging about 37 degrees. Today there were lovely big grey billowy clouds and I am hopeful. We had a minor sandstorm the other day and so things are a bit gritty. The humidity is gone now and that makes it more comfortable. Our winter is approaching and the leaves on the tree outside my window are thinning and turning brown. I am not sure whether it is due to season or just lack of water. Winter here means that it might rain once or twice and that the temperature may cool to a more comfortable level, somewhere around thirty degrees instead of forty. That’s the time when we begin to see who really lives on the compound as people come out of hibernation from the heat to walk and to socialize outside a little.

I trust this finds each of you well and enjoying each day. See you soon,

Noreen



 
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