Journeyman Stories

After a long and busy week, I decided to take the week-end off. I am taking the credit but it's my wife's idea. I thought of a place we could go, and then I remembered visiting a resort not far from the city. Pinnacle 19 is the name of the place. His owner is a Canadian citizen who built the place over fourteen years ago. The place is a beauty. It's on the Lake, the owner has planted thousands of trees, the electricity is generated by a solar system that he put in place (there is no power shortage) and the rooms are not that expensive. Did I mention that there is a sauna, and if you want a massage, it's a done deal We got there at noon on Saturday and decided to go on the beach right away. After a few drinks, it started raining hard. Good timing to go to the sauna for some time followed by an hour long massage. Do you get the picture? I think I will think twice before coming back to Toronto (the paparazzi can wait lol) The rest of the schedule? You won't get the det...

You must be thinking that I lost my mind when I say that I met Gandhi. Don't worry. I am doing fine. I met him only in a story that I heard. Do you want to hear it? I know you do. So I will tell the story Long time ago, there was a lady in India whose son was eating too much sugar. She tried so many times in vain to ask him to stop eating sugar. After a while, she thought that Gandhi could help. She took her son to Gandhi and begged him to tell him to stop eating sugar. He carefully listen to the lady, and then went: “Please come back in two weeks, I will be able to help you” Two weeks later, the lady came back to see Gandhi. The Mahatma looked in the young boy's eyes and told him: “Please stop eating too much sugar”. That was it. The lady could not believe it. “Do you mean I had to wait two weeks for you to ask my son to stop eating sugar” she said. “Why couldn't tell him in the first place?” Then, Gandhi simply said: “You see madam. Two weeks ago, I was still eating sugar...

A friend of mine told me once that if you want to eat an elephant, the only way you can eat it all is one bit at time (of course if you are an elephant eater). That is how I see the project I am working on. Each and every day, my team is working tirelessly to make the project a success. Do you remember last week when I told you about a place called “The Tanganyika Blue Bay Resort”? I hope you did not forget about it. This time I went to see the opposite. A place they call “ku Mase” near Lake Tanganyika.This place has been polluted it is not even funny. The once upon a time blue water is now black. I won't describe it so much, maybe the documentary we are shooting will show it better than me. It's unbelievable. It has been a week of mixed emotions. I always do my best not to listen to the news (and I am a journalist. Go figure). It is a decision that I made over ten years ago, just to protect myself against any negative energy (have you heard how news are so negative?). I carefu...

For those of you who are NBA Basketball fans (and those of you who are not, what are you waiting for? Lol), you might remember Isiah Thomas words when the Pistons won their first championship (many of you were not born yet lol). He said “Heaven might be like this”. That's how I felt this Sunday when I arrived at Tanganyika Blue Bay Resort. This place is just heaven on earth(click here: www.tanganyikabluebay.com ) I had heard of this place, but it was my first visit there. I went there because I'd heard that the paparazi won't follow me there. Just kidding. It was a surprise to my wife that I secretly planed few days ago with my friend Adrian. My wife couldn't believe it. All the way from Bujumbura to Rumonge (where the resort is located), all she could say was singing Steven Sogo's song “Il est beau mon pays” (My country is beautiful). The funny thing is that she was singing about Burundi and she is from Rwanda. Go figure lol At her place, I would do the same....

Guess what! I am staying one more month in Burundi (I know you know that already, I just wanted to remind you). I also know that you are dying to know the reasons why I am staying. The news is for sale. I am going to give you my bank account for you to deposit the money if you want to know the information But before anything, a plug for my friends Freddy and Caitlin for their awesome wedding ceremony last Saturday. I heard their MC was like a Rock Star (I am wondering who he might be...) Coming back to me staying one more month (I wish it could be more than that), I will be working on a major fund raising campaign for a foundation named “Fondation Roi Mwezi Gisabo” (King Mwezi Gisabo Foundation) whose president is Ambassador Albert Mbonerane (he is the Martin Luther King of the environment here). What a blessing! Our goal? Saving Lake Tanganyika. For a long time considered as one of the best national touristic attractions, the Lake Tanganyika is not what it used to be. Not ...

Guess what! I am staying one more month in Burundi (sorry Toronto paparazi) Have you heard the phrase “be careful what you wish for because you may get it ”? It just happened to me. As you have all read in my last blog (and I know you have), I was talking about making a difference in Burundi. I guess somebody was listening (or reading). For one month, I will be working on a project that I cannot mention for now (the papers are not signed yet lol). But stay tune to your local TV station you are going to hear about it. I can't wait to start. It has been a wonderful experience down here at all levels (getting married being the best one). God has granted me (and I am saying this with all humility) the capacity to help people get or accomplish a dream. And once it happens, I cannot tell you the joy I feel to see somebody's dream come true. And for some reasons, those people seem to find me Just the other day, a good friend of mine came to see me asking for guidance. She kn...

As you are reading this blog, it's a national holiday in Burundi. Nobody went to work today. Do you know why? Because it is my birthday (and I am saying this modestly) This date also marks the anniversary of my third month in Burundi. I have enjoyed every moment of it (most often leading to going to bed at 3 AM). I have met longtime friends, I have made new ones, but most of all, it is the first time I am with all my brothers and my mom since 2002. What a joy for my mom to have his two sons getting married just one week apart! It is a month she will remember for a long time. While working on my wedding, I found time to meet business owners, government officials, superstars (at least one: Yvonne Chaka Chaka) and other service providers. Out of the blue, one prominent figure here in Burundi called me a few weeks ago and asked me if I could help his organization achieve one of its goals: financial autonomy. I was both honoured and pleased to give a hand. This last Friday...