Today is Ascension Day, and a national holiday here in Burundi. Most have the day off and many go to church in the morning. We worked anyway, at least til mid afternoon. The streets were very quiet, little traffic, either on foot or wheels. The whole situation is very peaceful, idyllic even, almost surrealistically so. At a dinner I attended yesterday evening, a prayer was given asking that God would continue to protect the country during the election campaign. Everyone, I think must be feeling this. It would surely be a major turning point if things could remain as they are throughout the next 3 months.