So, after many months of hype and publicity, the time had finally come to make our way down to the Unravel the Mysteries Young Adult Forum, 2005 edition. Like several of my friends, it was my first time attending, so I didn't quite know what to expect. I hadn't been to a big youth conference in Ontario since the Kingston Youth Forum in 1999 - or was it 2000? Nevertheless, I took a rainy Friday off work, packed my bags, and packed myself into a car with an intrepid band of fellow conference-goers. Off to Mississauga!

The trip down to Toronto was a little over five hours. Before leaving the city, we said a prayer for a safe voyage -- very nice. Since everyone in the car (except me) was Persian, I asked everyone to teach me some Persian vocabulary. No, not the bad words.

Finally, after some brief quibbling consultation, we made our way to Highway 403 and found the exit to Hurontario St., where we quickly spied our destination.

There was little time to waste once people checked into their rooms. The program had already started, with a devotional program and addresses from members of various Baha'i institutions: the Spiritual Assembly of Mississauga, the Ontario Baha'i Council, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada, and Continental Counsellor Rebequa Murphy.

After the talk, there was a hefty period of socializing as long-lost friends greeted each other, and new friends networked and got to know one another. I didn't take a whole lot of pics here (don't worry, they're coming after). We all ended up in bed at around 2:30 AM (I think).

Saturday morning began with a calm, meditative, and unique devotional program using music and visual arts, and continued with a super uber awesome presentation on Mysticism by Ashkan Monfared. He drew from the Seven Valleys and described (in more or less detail) the stages a soul goes through in its journey towards God. Afterwards, several friends and I were treated to an excellent workshop by Hoda Ghadirian on "Growth through Suffering".

Hoda's talk was quite illuminating. I think it runs in the family. She related her experience of suffering to the writings of the Faith, and to her work with the Authenticity Project. All in all her presentation carried a lot of insight into how and why we suffer, and what we can learn from it.

After lunch, it was back to the hotel for another workshop, this time given by Tahirih Naylor - recently transplanted from Stratford(?) to Ottawa, to the delight of all of us. Tahirih's talk, "A Spiritual Impetus to Global Forces", touched on her experience working with the external affairs branch of the Canadian Baha'i community that deals with government, as well as giving an overview of Baha'i collaboration with the various institutions of civil society.

...aaaaand then there was more socializing.