Yesterday, we held our kickoff retreat for 26 high school students who will be participating in our Ambassadors of Caring Leadership program. Going into the event, I was nervous about everything going off as planned, I think I slept for about an hour on Saturday nightbefore leaving for Drexel University, our host site, at 7:00am. After a long and exhausting 12+ hours, at 9:30 last night, I could finally take a breath and smile, I could not have asked for a better day!
As the morning started off, I was a little bit concerned as I noticed a clear separation at the breakfast tables between the Main Line (aka mostly white) kids and the city (mostly black) girls. The morning started off with some ice breakers and team building activities, but everyone was still a little hesitant. Obviously, I wasn't having that. For lunch, I formed groups based on what candy bars the kids picked out a of a bag, and forced the Reeses's, Hersheys, Kit Kats, 3 Musketeers and Almond Joys to sit together and mix it up. I gave them the challenge of having to introduce a "new friend" from their table after lunch, and that challenge was met. Within an hour, these kids had really made an effort to get to know one another and were EXCITED about what they had learned.
The rest of the afternoon was amazing. It was a beautiful day, and we spent a long time outside just brainstorming and having an open conversation about the problems in their communities and ideas for projects to deal with these issues.
These kids are inspirational. They have big dreams and big hearts. At the end of the night, we had a candlelight ceremony where we reflected on the day. A few of the kids were moved to tears as they talked about how refreshing it was to meet other people their age who cared about the same things as them.
In Cape Town, Ma Afrika Tikkun ran a parallel retreat...We both videotaped greetings to send to one another...Can't wait to hear how it went on their end.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Brie on Education
So, a warning for those of you who only visited for my pretty pictures and tales of foreign lands -this is my first attempt at writing something on here that isn't just a travel diary or update....I hope no one minds my attempt to expand my horizons.
A few comments on Edwards plan (see my last post)....First, I just need to say that I'm a little nervous about the idea of "SWAT teams" to repair schools, a "West Point" for teachers...I think its just the language he uses, but its throwing me a little bit. I can't get past the military/police state vibe its giving off....Let's try to avoid that in the future Johnny boy.
Once I got over the idea of men in black riot gear invading our schools, Edwards made some good points about ensuring that all students are prepared when they get to school, through universal preschool and healthcare. But, more importantly than students arriving in Kindergarten with this preparation, I think we need to look more closely at how these basic needs are accounted for throughout the entire K-12 system. I think sometimes people tend to forget that teenagers need healthcare, food programs, etc to make sure that they too are "Ready when they get to school". Also, I fully support his idea of incentivizing teachers to stay in city schools, but I think that it should be more of a performance scale rather than an automatic $15,000 salary bump. Let’s get them to stay AND get them to perform. Here's the thing: Bush didn't say how to fund his reforms...Edwards isn't showing the money....I'm sensing a theme here...I'm all for ideas, but I want to know how its actually going to happen (and this is a criticism of the other candidates as well).
Disappointed with the lack of "groundbreaking" advice that Edwards has to offer, I look to Hillary....who wants to respect professionalism by only testing and evaluating new teachers and not veterans. Here's my question: WHAT????? Don't get me wrong: I have met some veteran teachers that are amazing, but I have also seen my fair share of teachers who have been around for a while and well, maybe shouldn't be around anymore. They are tired, apathetic, and unwilling to change. Experience counts for something, but so does quality of performance. So, you might want to rethink this one Mrs. Clinton.... Where I do agree with Hil is on eliminating vouchers....I think its a good idea in theory...letting low income parents with children in failing schools select another school for their child, and in turn, all schools will be forced to improve blah blah blah. The truth is that many low income parents who care do not have the time, energy, understanding, resources, etc to navigate this system. And, then there are the parents who just don't care....what happens to those kids? Moving kids around isn't solving anything. Also (wow, I agree with H on two points in a row? Her pantsuits must be distracting me) Hillary is the only one who I have seen addressing the physical state of our schools in her plan and talking about construction goals. I think all of the candidates should make a visit to the bathrooms at University City High School and think about this a little more. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time concentrating on taking a test in an overcrowded classroom with a rat running around in the corner.
So my last hope at some new ideas...my boy, Obama who, like Edwards, strongly supports teacher incentives. I think the key to his plan is in supporting local innovation. He wants to select 20 districts to get grants to work on innovation at the local level. Give teachers and communities ownership and resources, and let them figure it out! If they succeed, they are rewarded. Then, see what works and replicate and/or provide other districts with similar grants to do the same. For now, this is the only idea that I can really say that I strongly support. Local, local, local....
A final note....We all know how I feel about education, and the disgusting amount of money that I currently owe to the University of Pennsylvania is proof of that...but, making sure that kids are "meeting academic standards" (and I'm still not clear on what those are) is based on a lot of other factors being in place, ie healthcare, support for parents, job opportunities, funding for higher education, etc. While the focus right now seems to be on No Child Left Behind and the “to renew or not to renew” question, the bottom line is, a "new and improved" version of NCLB or another national education plan cannot be a band aid for all of our other problems. Schools won't succeed until children and their families are prepared to succeed.
A few comments on Edwards plan (see my last post)....First, I just need to say that I'm a little nervous about the idea of "SWAT teams" to repair schools, a "West Point" for teachers...I think its just the language he uses, but its throwing me a little bit. I can't get past the military/police state vibe its giving off....Let's try to avoid that in the future Johnny boy.
Once I got over the idea of men in black riot gear invading our schools, Edwards made some good points about ensuring that all students are prepared when they get to school, through universal preschool and healthcare. But, more importantly than students arriving in Kindergarten with this preparation, I think we need to look more closely at how these basic needs are accounted for throughout the entire K-12 system. I think sometimes people tend to forget that teenagers need healthcare, food programs, etc to make sure that they too are "Ready when they get to school". Also, I fully support his idea of incentivizing teachers to stay in city schools, but I think that it should be more of a performance scale rather than an automatic $15,000 salary bump. Let’s get them to stay AND get them to perform. Here's the thing: Bush didn't say how to fund his reforms...Edwards isn't showing the money....I'm sensing a theme here...I'm all for ideas, but I want to know how its actually going to happen (and this is a criticism of the other candidates as well).
Disappointed with the lack of "groundbreaking" advice that Edwards has to offer, I look to Hillary....who wants to respect professionalism by only testing and evaluating new teachers and not veterans. Here's my question: WHAT????? Don't get me wrong: I have met some veteran teachers that are amazing, but I have also seen my fair share of teachers who have been around for a while and well, maybe shouldn't be around anymore. They are tired, apathetic, and unwilling to change. Experience counts for something, but so does quality of performance. So, you might want to rethink this one Mrs. Clinton.... Where I do agree with Hil is on eliminating vouchers....I think its a good idea in theory...letting low income parents with children in failing schools select another school for their child, and in turn, all schools will be forced to improve blah blah blah. The truth is that many low income parents who care do not have the time, energy, understanding, resources, etc to navigate this system. And, then there are the parents who just don't care....what happens to those kids? Moving kids around isn't solving anything. Also (wow, I agree with H on two points in a row? Her pantsuits must be distracting me) Hillary is the only one who I have seen addressing the physical state of our schools in her plan and talking about construction goals. I think all of the candidates should make a visit to the bathrooms at University City High School and think about this a little more. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time concentrating on taking a test in an overcrowded classroom with a rat running around in the corner.
So my last hope at some new ideas...my boy, Obama who, like Edwards, strongly supports teacher incentives. I think the key to his plan is in supporting local innovation. He wants to select 20 districts to get grants to work on innovation at the local level. Give teachers and communities ownership and resources, and let them figure it out! If they succeed, they are rewarded. Then, see what works and replicate and/or provide other districts with similar grants to do the same. For now, this is the only idea that I can really say that I strongly support. Local, local, local....
A final note....We all know how I feel about education, and the disgusting amount of money that I currently owe to the University of Pennsylvania is proof of that...but, making sure that kids are "meeting academic standards" (and I'm still not clear on what those are) is based on a lot of other factors being in place, ie healthcare, support for parents, job opportunities, funding for higher education, etc. While the focus right now seems to be on No Child Left Behind and the “to renew or not to renew” question, the bottom line is, a "new and improved" version of NCLB or another national education plan cannot be a band aid for all of our other problems. Schools won't succeed until children and their families are prepared to succeed.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Edwards on Education
Education and Schools Are a Focus for Edwards
David Lienemann for The New York Times
By JULIE BOSMAN
Published: September 22, 2007
DES MOINES, Sept. 21 — The Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards laid out a proposal on Friday to overhaul the education system, saying that the current No Child Left Behind law was not working and that poor children were still being sent to schools that are “separate and unequal.”Speaking at Brody Middle School here, Mr. Edwards outlined a plan that he said would evaluate students more effectively, reduce class sizes and reward teachers who work in high-poverty schools with up to $15,000 in incentive pay, initiatives similar to those championed by education officials in New York City and elsewhere.
He also called for universal preschool, the creation of a national university that would become a “West Point for teachers” and an initiative that uses what he described as “education SWAT teams” to sweep in and rebuild failing schools.
“First, every child should be prepared to succeed when they show up in the classroom,” Mr. Edwards said. “Second, every classroom should be led by an excellent teacher. And third, every teacher should work in an outstanding school. These three principles should guide our reform.”
He revived his campaign slogan of what he calls the “two Americas,” applying it to racial and economic disparities in education.
“More than a half-century after Brown v. Board of Education, we still have two school systems, separate and unequal,” Mr. Edwards said. “There are nearly 1,000 high schools where more than half of the students won’t graduate — they’re called ‘dropout factories.’ ”
Mr. Edwards later acknowledged that he had voted as a senator from North Carolina in 2001 for the No Child Left Behind Act, an overhaul of education policy championed by President Bush that increased standardized testing and held schools more accountable for performance. When asked if he regretted his vote, he answered that he could not have known how Mr. Bush would carry out the program.
“There was no way to know because he didn’t tell us the truth about whether he would fund it,” he said.
Mr. Edwards did not address how he would pay for his plan.
Many of his proposals track ideas advocated by Democrats in recent years.
In addition to calling for making preschool available to all children, starting with those in the poorest areas, Mr. Edwards said he would support local partnerships to promote better health care and child care for young children. He said the federal government should help states retain new teachers, many of whom leave the profession after a few years.
Addressing one of the most criticized aspects of the No Child Left Behind law, he said he would overhaul the approach to standardized testing as a means of tracking the progress of students and schools.
Rather than what his campaign called “cheap standardized tests,” Mr. Edwards’s plan would develop “higher-quality assessments that measure higher-order thinking skills, including open-ended essays, oral examinations, and projects and experiments.”
Mr. Edwards made his education proposal at the end of a week in which his campaign expressed frustration with the attention being paid to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s health care plan.
At a forum in Davenport, Iowa, on Thursday night, attended by five of the top Democratic candidates, Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Clinton both noted their health care plans, but Mr. Edwards fought to remind the audience that he introduced his own health care plan months ago.
In an e-mail message to reporters, Eric Schultz, a spokesman for Mr. Edwards, on Friday morning called Mrs. Clinton’s plan “strikingly similar” to the plan proposed by Mr. Edwards.
David Lienemann for The New York Times
By JULIE BOSMAN
Published: September 22, 2007
DES MOINES, Sept. 21 — The Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards laid out a proposal on Friday to overhaul the education system, saying that the current No Child Left Behind law was not working and that poor children were still being sent to schools that are “separate and unequal.”Speaking at Brody Middle School here, Mr. Edwards outlined a plan that he said would evaluate students more effectively, reduce class sizes and reward teachers who work in high-poverty schools with up to $15,000 in incentive pay, initiatives similar to those championed by education officials in New York City and elsewhere.
He also called for universal preschool, the creation of a national university that would become a “West Point for teachers” and an initiative that uses what he described as “education SWAT teams” to sweep in and rebuild failing schools.
“First, every child should be prepared to succeed when they show up in the classroom,” Mr. Edwards said. “Second, every classroom should be led by an excellent teacher. And third, every teacher should work in an outstanding school. These three principles should guide our reform.”
He revived his campaign slogan of what he calls the “two Americas,” applying it to racial and economic disparities in education.
“More than a half-century after Brown v. Board of Education, we still have two school systems, separate and unequal,” Mr. Edwards said. “There are nearly 1,000 high schools where more than half of the students won’t graduate — they’re called ‘dropout factories.’ ”
Mr. Edwards later acknowledged that he had voted as a senator from North Carolina in 2001 for the No Child Left Behind Act, an overhaul of education policy championed by President Bush that increased standardized testing and held schools more accountable for performance. When asked if he regretted his vote, he answered that he could not have known how Mr. Bush would carry out the program.
“There was no way to know because he didn’t tell us the truth about whether he would fund it,” he said.
Mr. Edwards did not address how he would pay for his plan.
Many of his proposals track ideas advocated by Democrats in recent years.
In addition to calling for making preschool available to all children, starting with those in the poorest areas, Mr. Edwards said he would support local partnerships to promote better health care and child care for young children. He said the federal government should help states retain new teachers, many of whom leave the profession after a few years.
Addressing one of the most criticized aspects of the No Child Left Behind law, he said he would overhaul the approach to standardized testing as a means of tracking the progress of students and schools.
Rather than what his campaign called “cheap standardized tests,” Mr. Edwards’s plan would develop “higher-quality assessments that measure higher-order thinking skills, including open-ended essays, oral examinations, and projects and experiments.”
Mr. Edwards made his education proposal at the end of a week in which his campaign expressed frustration with the attention being paid to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s health care plan.
At a forum in Davenport, Iowa, on Thursday night, attended by five of the top Democratic candidates, Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Clinton both noted their health care plans, but Mr. Edwards fought to remind the audience that he introduced his own health care plan months ago.
In an e-mail message to reporters, Eric Schultz, a spokesman for Mr. Edwards, on Friday morning called Mrs. Clinton’s plan “strikingly similar” to the plan proposed by Mr. Edwards.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Fotos
Hey everyone
Just thought I'd also post my South African pictures on here for those of you who haven't seen them or might want to take another look.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/breezyt/sets/72157600871586958
I had the best surprise when I got home from work yesterday. One of the girls from my travel group made a video documenting our entire trip....from getting on the plane in NYC until we left Jo'burg. She added still pictures and music, and interviews with some of us. I never realized how many times I say "um" until I watched the video. It is the best gift and captures so much more than just the pictures. If I figure out a way to put it on here, I'll definitely share!
Just thought I'd also post my South African pictures on here for those of you who haven't seen them or might want to take another look.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/breezyt/sets/72157600871586958
I had the best surprise when I got home from work yesterday. One of the girls from my travel group made a video documenting our entire trip....from getting on the plane in NYC until we left Jo'burg. She added still pictures and music, and interviews with some of us. I never realized how many times I say "um" until I watched the video. It is the best gift and captures so much more than just the pictures. If I figure out a way to put it on here, I'll definitely share!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Adventure Continues
When I got back from this trip, I thought that my South African adventure was over. Little did I know it was really just the start of something bigger. What has happened in the past month has really solidified my belief that everything in life happens for a reason. It may sound idealistic, but despite my periodic fits of anxiety about what I'm doing with my life (I know, its hard to believe that I'm not always so composed), it seems that everything that has happened in the past few years, as much as I might not understand it at the time, has led me to exactly where I think I should be. While I will take credit for making some things happen, I think others are just pure luck and coincidence and having some great friends that have helped me to make connections, like my wonderful friend Naomi who I owe for my new job. For those of you who don't know, I just took a position as Executive Director of Champions of Caring, the organization I've been working with since around April.
Shortly after I came back from South Africa, my boss, Barbara, headed there on safari and what was meant to be a vacation. I have learned in my short time working for Barb that she is never on vacation...everywhere she goes and everyone she talks to, she brings her passion for our work and her mission along with her. Before she left, I set up a meeting for her with Bob in Kliptown. As soon as Barb arrived in Cape Town, a series of events began that led us to where we are now...to make a long story short, Barb somehow ended up giving a presentation to a group of 50 young black South African women who were touring the Holocaust Museum in CapeTown. The director of the museum heard her speak, and put her in contact with another Barbara, who is the director of an organization called Ma Afrika Tikkun. Tikkun is a Jewish term meaning, as I understand it "to fix" or "to repair"..so, Fix My Africa. Nelson Mandela is on their board, and they were founded by a very high profile, very wealthy group of philanthropists. Fast forward a few days and a few 4 hour dinner meetings, and Barbara 1 took representatives of Barbara 2's organization with her to meet Bob in Kliptown. As with my experience with Bob, they were all inspired. And so, Ma Afrika Tikkuns' Champions of Caring program was born.
Right now, we are working on developing a pilot program that will match 30 South African students with 30 of our students. We will provide curriculum, training and support and they will run a parallel program to our Ambassadors of Caring Leadership Program. Students in Cape Town and eventually Johannesburg and Kliptown and students here in Philly will share their work on service projects through email, video conferences and letters. We want them to think about this in terms of a cultural experience, but also in looking at the universality of many of the problems that they face in their communities. While I feel that working locally is important, I also think that our kids need a global perspective and an awareness of what is going on outside of their Philadelphia block or Main Line bubble. For the South African students, I think its important for them to understand that while their problems might be more severe, they aren't alone.
Right now, unfortunately, Bob and SKY do not have the resources to get our programs up and running. To give an update, it has become increasingly difficult to get funds and ship items to Kliptown, so Bob has been very nervous about the future of the organization. We haven't forgotten about him and will continue to support him and keep SKY involved any way we can, but for now Ma Afrika Tikkun is jumping on the chance to work with us. Our hope is that they will be able to provide support on the ground in South Africa for Bob once they establish the program, more effectively than we can from here. Also, we may be able to ship things directly to Ma Afrika Tikkun and have them deliver them for us.
A sidenote to all of this which puts an exciting (and maybe somewhat selfish) spin on the project: Barb has had a book proposal in the works for years. I have my own vision for a book geared more towards kids. Our hope is to compile the correspondence between the students and their experiences into a documentary or book. Think Freedom Writers....any suggestions for who would I want to play me in the movie? Julia Roberts is my obvious choice, but may be getting a little too old:) We want to show the positive work that our kids are doing in Philly and around the world.
So, that is the evolution of my South African adventure up until this point. Now, what exactly is my motivation for returning to my blogging career? Part of it is a selfish way for me to keep a record of what I'm doing and reflect on it. Part of it is getting over my hestitation to share my work, my ideas and my writing. And, I will admit that part of the reason for this blog is that I find it really hard to explain what it is that I do for work sometimes, and I think we all know that I have a tendency to downplay things that I am involved in. So, if you are ever wondering what exactly it is that I'm doing (sometimes I'm not even so sure!), here it is. Also, I never want to push my family and friends to get involved, but well, that just might happen on here also...so you are warned. From time to time I may also just go off on random rants or post articles that I think are interesting.
Also, I really want to invite everyone to post their ideas, comments, and things they might be involved in! I know a lot of my friends are involved in really cool and inspiring work, and I want to share that as well.
If you want to know more about the organizations involved in this new project:
My organization: http://www.championsofcaring.org/ (its under construction)
Ma Afrika Tikkun: http://www.maafrikatikkun.org.za/
SKY: http://www.sky-foundation.org/
I hope you all enjoy and share your thoughts and ideas!
Brie
Shortly after I came back from South Africa, my boss, Barbara, headed there on safari and what was meant to be a vacation. I have learned in my short time working for Barb that she is never on vacation...everywhere she goes and everyone she talks to, she brings her passion for our work and her mission along with her. Before she left, I set up a meeting for her with Bob in Kliptown. As soon as Barb arrived in Cape Town, a series of events began that led us to where we are now...to make a long story short, Barb somehow ended up giving a presentation to a group of 50 young black South African women who were touring the Holocaust Museum in CapeTown. The director of the museum heard her speak, and put her in contact with another Barbara, who is the director of an organization called Ma Afrika Tikkun. Tikkun is a Jewish term meaning, as I understand it "to fix" or "to repair"..so, Fix My Africa. Nelson Mandela is on their board, and they were founded by a very high profile, very wealthy group of philanthropists. Fast forward a few days and a few 4 hour dinner meetings, and Barbara 1 took representatives of Barbara 2's organization with her to meet Bob in Kliptown. As with my experience with Bob, they were all inspired. And so, Ma Afrika Tikkuns' Champions of Caring program was born.
Right now, we are working on developing a pilot program that will match 30 South African students with 30 of our students. We will provide curriculum, training and support and they will run a parallel program to our Ambassadors of Caring Leadership Program. Students in Cape Town and eventually Johannesburg and Kliptown and students here in Philly will share their work on service projects through email, video conferences and letters. We want them to think about this in terms of a cultural experience, but also in looking at the universality of many of the problems that they face in their communities. While I feel that working locally is important, I also think that our kids need a global perspective and an awareness of what is going on outside of their Philadelphia block or Main Line bubble. For the South African students, I think its important for them to understand that while their problems might be more severe, they aren't alone.
Right now, unfortunately, Bob and SKY do not have the resources to get our programs up and running. To give an update, it has become increasingly difficult to get funds and ship items to Kliptown, so Bob has been very nervous about the future of the organization. We haven't forgotten about him and will continue to support him and keep SKY involved any way we can, but for now Ma Afrika Tikkun is jumping on the chance to work with us. Our hope is that they will be able to provide support on the ground in South Africa for Bob once they establish the program, more effectively than we can from here. Also, we may be able to ship things directly to Ma Afrika Tikkun and have them deliver them for us.
A sidenote to all of this which puts an exciting (and maybe somewhat selfish) spin on the project: Barb has had a book proposal in the works for years. I have my own vision for a book geared more towards kids. Our hope is to compile the correspondence between the students and their experiences into a documentary or book. Think Freedom Writers....any suggestions for who would I want to play me in the movie? Julia Roberts is my obvious choice, but may be getting a little too old:) We want to show the positive work that our kids are doing in Philly and around the world.
So, that is the evolution of my South African adventure up until this point. Now, what exactly is my motivation for returning to my blogging career? Part of it is a selfish way for me to keep a record of what I'm doing and reflect on it. Part of it is getting over my hestitation to share my work, my ideas and my writing. And, I will admit that part of the reason for this blog is that I find it really hard to explain what it is that I do for work sometimes, and I think we all know that I have a tendency to downplay things that I am involved in. So, if you are ever wondering what exactly it is that I'm doing (sometimes I'm not even so sure!), here it is. Also, I never want to push my family and friends to get involved, but well, that just might happen on here also...so you are warned. From time to time I may also just go off on random rants or post articles that I think are interesting.
Also, I really want to invite everyone to post their ideas, comments, and things they might be involved in! I know a lot of my friends are involved in really cool and inspiring work, and I want to share that as well.
If you want to know more about the organizations involved in this new project:
My organization: http://www.championsofcaring.org/ (its under construction)
Ma Afrika Tikkun: http://www.maafrikatikkun.org.za/
SKY: http://www.sky-foundation.org/
I hope you all enjoy and share your thoughts and ideas!
Brie
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Appreciation
So this is my last post from South Africa! I can't believe how fast this trip has gone by, but at the same time, I feel like I've been away from home forever. The past two days have definitely been the most emotionally draining of the trip, and I am still processing the experiences that I've had.
I don't know if I can put my reactions to our visit to Kliptown into words. Bob (the guy from the CNN video and our host in Kliptown) is by far the most inspirational person and beautiful human being I have ever encountered in my life. He has sacrificed his entire life to stay in this community and live among the people he wants to help. I think that just about every other sentence out of his mouth was quote worthy. One of the things that he told us as soon as we got there is that feeling guilty for what we had in our lives would do no one any good...what he wanted us to do was appreciate what we had and to appreciate other human beings. He was very clear that while he appreciated our donations and charity, he wants to teach the children of Kliptown dignity and to earn what they get. As Bob said...."Sometimes things are too big...we are small people".
As soon as we got to Kliptown, we were welcomed with open arms...we had to cross train tracks to get into the community, which is basically just a bunch of tin shacks other then two community buildings that serve as a recreation center and cafeteria for the SKY program that Bob runs. We immediately had a following of small children. With huge smiles on their faces, they would just walk up to us, take our hands and say "shoot me, shoot me", meaning take my picture. Many of the kids had never seen their own picture, so with the beauty of digital cameras, we were able to show them their own smiles :). The older children and teenagers from Bob's group performed for us, singing and dancing. The afternoon ended with a lunch that they prepared for us, and about 50 members of the community walking us back to our bus. Even though Kliptown is probably the poorest and most dangerous place to live, there is a spirit of community that is inspiring.
Through dinner last night, we all talked about ways that we want to continue to help Kliptown, but more importantly, to make sure we are doing more at home as well. We are already planning a group reunion, both to socialize and to organize some projects.
Today, we visited Nelson Mandela's house and went to an open air African market. Tonight is our farewell dinner, and we are headed to a traditional African restaurant that is open only to our group....I made a pact that I would try a local delicacy, which is a dried, salted worm....we'll see how this goes!
Tomorrow is our final university visit in the morning, and then its off to the airport and back to reality. My pictures will all be posted soon....and as for the trip as a whole, I guess that all I can say is that I have a lot of appreciation for my experiences here...both the beauty that I've had an opportunity to see, and an appreciation for the people that I met in Kliptown and throughout my time here. Now its back to reality :)
I don't know if I can put my reactions to our visit to Kliptown into words. Bob (the guy from the CNN video and our host in Kliptown) is by far the most inspirational person and beautiful human being I have ever encountered in my life. He has sacrificed his entire life to stay in this community and live among the people he wants to help. I think that just about every other sentence out of his mouth was quote worthy. One of the things that he told us as soon as we got there is that feeling guilty for what we had in our lives would do no one any good...what he wanted us to do was appreciate what we had and to appreciate other human beings. He was very clear that while he appreciated our donations and charity, he wants to teach the children of Kliptown dignity and to earn what they get. As Bob said...."Sometimes things are too big...we are small people".
As soon as we got to Kliptown, we were welcomed with open arms...we had to cross train tracks to get into the community, which is basically just a bunch of tin shacks other then two community buildings that serve as a recreation center and cafeteria for the SKY program that Bob runs. We immediately had a following of small children. With huge smiles on their faces, they would just walk up to us, take our hands and say "shoot me, shoot me", meaning take my picture. Many of the kids had never seen their own picture, so with the beauty of digital cameras, we were able to show them their own smiles :). The older children and teenagers from Bob's group performed for us, singing and dancing. The afternoon ended with a lunch that they prepared for us, and about 50 members of the community walking us back to our bus. Even though Kliptown is probably the poorest and most dangerous place to live, there is a spirit of community that is inspiring.
Through dinner last night, we all talked about ways that we want to continue to help Kliptown, but more importantly, to make sure we are doing more at home as well. We are already planning a group reunion, both to socialize and to organize some projects.
Today, we visited Nelson Mandela's house and went to an open air African market. Tonight is our farewell dinner, and we are headed to a traditional African restaurant that is open only to our group....I made a pact that I would try a local delicacy, which is a dried, salted worm....we'll see how this goes!
Tomorrow is our final university visit in the morning, and then its off to the airport and back to reality. My pictures will all be posted soon....and as for the trip as a whole, I guess that all I can say is that I have a lot of appreciation for my experiences here...both the beauty that I've had an opportunity to see, and an appreciation for the people that I met in Kliptown and throughout my time here. Now its back to reality :)
Friday, July 13, 2007
Wild Things
After whirlwind trip through Pilanesburg, I'm in Johannesburg (also known as J'burg or Josie, so I'm told). I guess I should backtrack a bit since its been over 24 hours since my last post, and things happen in rapid time on this trip!
The Kurdish dinner was delicious. I did not get an opportunity to test out my belly dancing skills, but many of my group members did!...and there may or may not have been a Madonna dance party at the hotel after the dinner. I also made up for skipping the wine tasting with plenty of Pinotage, the local wine, at dinner.
The next morning was a 5 am wake up call to head to the airport...my roomate, Lezlie, has been using her cell phone as a back up alarm even though we get a hotel wakeup call...but its still on American time...so picture a panicked Brie waking up at 11pm American time according to the phone, and in a sleepy, still Pinotag-ed stupor, standing up and saying "Oh my God, Lez, its 7am, we missed the ride to the airport". To all the math wizzes in the group reading this, 11 + 6 (the time difference from US time) is 5am, not 7. It took her about 5 minutes to catch on as well, so I don't feel so bad. We made it downstairs and to the airport safely, and arrived in Jo'burg after lots of turbulence.
From our flight to Jo'burg, we took a 2 hour bus to Pilanesburg, where we stayed in the amazing Backabung lodge....I mean, there were baboons on our porches and zebras and elephants about 50 yards away while we ate lunch. We took an evening game drive (safari) and saw tons of animals...and for those of you who were worried, I did not try to pet them even though they looked cuddly! From the 3 hour game drive, we headed out to the Boma Braai, which was a barbeque out in the animal reserve...basically just a fence separating us from "nature". It was beautiful and very peaceful.....
This morning we went on another game drive, which was just as eventful. I think the best part was seeing 5 lions and some South African animals that our safari guide, Peter (who we all loved!) says he hasn't seen in over a year! It was so quiet and simple out there, definitely a wonderful experience.
From Pilanesburg (which we were all very sad to leave and wished we had more time!), we headed into Jo'burg...on the way, we went Curio Shopping (which is basically lots of crafts and knicknacks...don't worry, I bought lots of fun gifts!). Our tour guide described our group as being on a "feeding frenzy" because we bought so much in such a short time, and I think that was pretty accurate!
We arrived at our hotel, the Michaelangelo at about 8, and I can honestly say it is probably the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. I think it is going to be very difficult going into Kliptown tomorrow morning knowing that we are coming back to stay here tomorrow night. The hotel is right on Nelson Mandela Square, surrounded by restaurants and shopping. My friends Lezlie, Anita, Kristen, Rodney and I had a great Thai dinner and hung out at the hotel bar (which is surrounded by a Koi fish pond!) with the rest of the group, and now it is about time for bed!
Like I said, tomorrow is Kliptown and the SKY center that I posted about earlier. I think tomorrow is the day that I am most excited for, to actually be out in a community with the people, but I also think that being with the kids will be extremely difficult for me to leave. Up until this point, I feel like I've been in a fairly privileged, tourist bubble which has been wonderful but also brings about a lot of guilt and sadness when driving past poorer areas. Tomorrow will probably be a big change.
Hope all is well at home, more from Josie later!
Love,
Brie
The Kurdish dinner was delicious. I did not get an opportunity to test out my belly dancing skills, but many of my group members did!...and there may or may not have been a Madonna dance party at the hotel after the dinner. I also made up for skipping the wine tasting with plenty of Pinotage, the local wine, at dinner.
The next morning was a 5 am wake up call to head to the airport...my roomate, Lezlie, has been using her cell phone as a back up alarm even though we get a hotel wakeup call...but its still on American time...so picture a panicked Brie waking up at 11pm American time according to the phone, and in a sleepy, still Pinotag-ed stupor, standing up and saying "Oh my God, Lez, its 7am, we missed the ride to the airport". To all the math wizzes in the group reading this, 11 + 6 (the time difference from US time) is 5am, not 7. It took her about 5 minutes to catch on as well, so I don't feel so bad. We made it downstairs and to the airport safely, and arrived in Jo'burg after lots of turbulence.
From our flight to Jo'burg, we took a 2 hour bus to Pilanesburg, where we stayed in the amazing Backabung lodge....I mean, there were baboons on our porches and zebras and elephants about 50 yards away while we ate lunch. We took an evening game drive (safari) and saw tons of animals...and for those of you who were worried, I did not try to pet them even though they looked cuddly! From the 3 hour game drive, we headed out to the Boma Braai, which was a barbeque out in the animal reserve...basically just a fence separating us from "nature". It was beautiful and very peaceful.....
This morning we went on another game drive, which was just as eventful. I think the best part was seeing 5 lions and some South African animals that our safari guide, Peter (who we all loved!) says he hasn't seen in over a year! It was so quiet and simple out there, definitely a wonderful experience.
From Pilanesburg (which we were all very sad to leave and wished we had more time!), we headed into Jo'burg...on the way, we went Curio Shopping (which is basically lots of crafts and knicknacks...don't worry, I bought lots of fun gifts!). Our tour guide described our group as being on a "feeding frenzy" because we bought so much in such a short time, and I think that was pretty accurate!
We arrived at our hotel, the Michaelangelo at about 8, and I can honestly say it is probably the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. I think it is going to be very difficult going into Kliptown tomorrow morning knowing that we are coming back to stay here tomorrow night. The hotel is right on Nelson Mandela Square, surrounded by restaurants and shopping. My friends Lezlie, Anita, Kristen, Rodney and I had a great Thai dinner and hung out at the hotel bar (which is surrounded by a Koi fish pond!) with the rest of the group, and now it is about time for bed!
Like I said, tomorrow is Kliptown and the SKY center that I posted about earlier. I think tomorrow is the day that I am most excited for, to actually be out in a community with the people, but I also think that being with the kids will be extremely difficult for me to leave. Up until this point, I feel like I've been in a fairly privileged, tourist bubble which has been wonderful but also brings about a lot of guilt and sadness when driving past poorer areas. Tomorrow will probably be a big change.
Hope all is well at home, more from Josie later!
Love,
Brie
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