2019 in Review

This post was originally published in Heaven on Earth in December 2019 and republished in June 2026.

Sunrise in Bubaque, Guinea-Bissau

I started 2019 in the idyllic island nation of Cape Verde in West Africa. Then something unthinkable happened in Senegal the next day; my cell phone was stolen in the Dakar Airport on January 2nd. Though cheaper versions of smartphones were available in West Africa, I opted not to buy a replacement phone there because of concerns about their quality. During the subsequent three months, I had to depend on an outdated Lonely Planet guidebook and verbal instructions of locals to make my way through West Africa.

My journey from Senegal to Ghana was nothing short of an adventure movie script. Many times, the scenery was so extraordinary. The sunsets and sunrises were phenomenal.

Sunset in Touba Kouta, Senegal

West Africans would often say to me, "Mama, Africa is suffering." I would just nod in agreement and reply, "I know, and I am suffering with Africa." Life is what you make out of it. The African children I met were full of joy. I met a number of them in Guinea and Ivory Coast. They are my inspirations.

At a catholic mass in Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast.

Just when I thought my journey would be less challenging when I reached Accra, Ghana at the end of February, I contracted a life-threatening bacterial infection in my right foot on March 8th. The prognosis was not good in the first week because the infection was spreading at an alarmingly fast rate. I thought I would die in a Ghanaian public hospital on March 13th after 32 hours of receiving no medication. But I survived! Subsequently I braved a 28-hour trip back to Vancouver on March 24th with a plane ticket that I purchased around Christmas 2018.

I was seen by several Infectious Diseases doctors at two different hospitals in Vancouver. They could not come up with a definite diagnosis. The treatments were trial and error. Fortunately, after a surgeon accidentally removed all the infected and scarred tissues on my calf during a biopsy, the debrided wound began to close. I think I contracted Necrotizing Fasciitis (flesh eating disease). Walking long distances for extended periods of time seemed impossible even at the end of July when I bought the plane ticket to go to Malta. The wound care nurses advised me that I should not walk than 10,000 steps a day until the wound is completely closed. I have allowed for extra time for each country on this journey to avoid complications.

Two days after the Federal election in Canada, I embarked on my "Around the Tropic of Cancer" journey. The first countries were relatively uneventful. Malta is very Baroque. Cyprus was a little more difficult to get around during the off season.

Valletta, the capital of Malta.

Before going to my next country, Lebanon at the end of November, I had alternative plans in case the demonstrations got out of control. I even had plans of spending Christmas in the Holy Land. In the end, I stayed in Lebanon for 32 days until I was due to fly out to Dubai. In the first week of my visit, I spoke to many young people in Beirut and asked them to act rationally, and to avoid another civil war in Lebanon.

On December 21st, after the visit to Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, I found myself stranded at the hilltop. The cable cars had stopped at 5 PM and there was no taxi. I made a conscious decision to walk all the way down to the highway to catch a bus ride back to Beirut. It was a 1.5 hour walk (25,000 steps) and for the most part no lighting on the road. It was very symbolic of what the Lebanese people are going through at the moment. The path was very dark. I pray that the Lebanese people would have the faith to rely on Divine Providence. They will overcome all the obstacles with God's help.

I am going to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks at Dubai Mall tomorrow to finish off an eventful year. May 2020 be more peaceful for all the people around the world.