Saturday, July 07, 2007

Flea market and meeting on 8th July

Last week was a quiet meeting but we had a couple of visitors from India.







I saw Ilari and Ildi off at the station in Oulu last Sunday night. They were on their way to their wedding in Hungary.



Ilari's mom and dad were there to send them on their way.



Ildiko and Ilari were married yesterday (Friday) in Budapest. The wedding was well attended, but unfortunately, Annikki and I could not go due to circumstances beyond our control.

Many CHAFF Participants were present - Kerstin, Andreana, Benjamin, Gisela, Barbel, Mona.

Barbel organised a small gift from CHAFF Participants and other friends of Ildi and Ilari where some of us wrote a page each about a Recipe for a Happy Wedded Life, which Barbel is putting together as a small book.

I am sure each and every one of you at CHAFF wish them a wonderful life of wedded bliss.

The National Bahá'í Summer School had well over 200 participants. I had a chance to meet the key speaker, Mr. Ian Semple (Great Britain - "Mankind at the threshold of maturity".

He is such an illuminating personality and is one of the cornerstones of the Bahá'í Movement. He told me he had visited Finland once before, way back in 1961.

The entire summer school was beautifully and most professionally organised. Kudos to the organisers.

I met several participants at the Oulu Walking Street Rotuari International Music Festival on last Monday afternoon where several CHAFF Participants performed and were greatly appreciated.

The Pohjois-Suomen Thai Seura ry, (the Thai Association for Northern Finland) has been officially founded. Annikki and I are their first 10 year (Life) members. A large number of members have joined already (one year membership costs only € 10). They are organising Thai Language Classes, Thai Fruit and Vegetable Carving Classes, Thai Dance Classes, Thai Cooking Classes and English Classes for Thais.

They are organising a Thai Cultural event as part of Oulu days on 1st September at the Oulu Market Place. The Thai Consul and the Thai Monk from the Buddhist Temple in Helsinki will attend. The Thai Tourism Board representatives from Stockholm will also be present.

The Association has been designing their web pages and they are really great as Secretary Rachaya is a competent web page designer. The web pages are in Thai, Finnish and English.

The Sunday Flea Market outside the Pailin Restaurant, Kenttätie 9, this week will have great stuff, as an almost new sofa set at a throw-away price. The Open Air Summer Flea Market will be between 12 noon and 16:00 hours. Bring your friends along, and if you have stuff to sell, please feel free to do so as there is no table charge!

The CHAFF Meeting will take place on Sunday as usual between 14:00 and 16:00 hours at the same location.

Most people are away for summer, so we will be just a few of us, but you are welcome.