Its amazing how quickly time flies. I seriously keep intending to post more often, but there just keep being things I would rather be doing with my time than sitting in my apartment staring at my computer screen. Last week I had my hard drive and the SIM card (part of my cell phone) crash at the same time. I then told people around me that from now on, immediate face to face communication was all I would engage . Okay, so it was a bit of an exaggeration, but a nice thought nonetheless.So, I went to Mbanjanda's wedding a few weeks back. I got a lift from my former principal
and had a really nice time. I got to see several old friends that I hadn't seen yet. Its amazing how old friends just keep popping up. Just when I think I've finally seen everyone, someone that I haven't seen since 2002 or 2001 pops up. Its pretty cool. Anyway, so here are some photos. Its so nice having a digital camera. It used to be that everyone would ask me to take their photo and it would make me angry. Now I can just click away at all these random drunk people and I know I can delete it later. So, in this first photo, I was trying to get a picture of Mbanjanda and me when I gave him my wedding present. But random drunk man with a large quantity of raw meat jumped in the picture. The next photo is of me and Mbanjanda dressed up for the occasion. Next, we have a random condom truck that was at the wedding. It made me laugh that someone drove a condom truck to the wedding, so I took a picture. Next, we have me and my principal. Mbanjanda told me that I only had to dress up on Saturday and that jeans would be fine on Sunday. Never ask a man such questions. Everyone was totally dressed up on
Sunday, and well, I looked like a tourist. The final photo is the closest I ever got to meeting the bride. That's her under all that white stuff. I introduced myself to her like that. Mbanjanda said that she remembers "meeting" me.So, it was an interesting semester. It was awesome not to have my former boss around. However, this semester the students were more challenging. They complained everytime things weren't to their liking. My favorite quote was one student compaining when the internet went down for a few days, "If I knew the internet here was unreliable, I never would have come on this program." Hmmm, nothing like getting out of your comfort zone.
So, I was stressed out a lot this semester, trying my derndest to make everything to their liking and getting almost no appreciation or recognition for my labors in the process. Finally, this past week, as the students were preparing to leave, I heard such things as, "Oh, my gosh, I had the most amazing time." "You all were amazing." "Thank you so much for everything, its been incredible." "I love you, you rock. " "When we were complaining, now I see that it really wasn't that big of a deal. Now that I can see everything in hindsight, it all makes sense and I'm glad everything worked out exactly as it did." "I'm going to miss you!" So, suddenly I'm feeling like
what felt pointless before actually bore fruit. Most of the students did actually get quite a lot out of the program, and I feel good. I think its just something I'm going to have to remind myself of next semester and let the complaints roll off my back a bit better.So, what is it the students got out of the semester? The last thing we assign for the students is something called "the integrative projects". With very few guidelines, using any creative media they chose (poetry, collage, short story, painting, photos, drama...) in small groups or singly, they put together something, which integrates the various themes they picked up on from all of their classes. Some of them were absolutely amazing. These kids were so creative, so talented, and found ways of expressing, what I have had the hardest time expressing in my blog. As I was grading them, I found myself giving really high scores to people whose project basically said, "I don't know. I'm confused. I now have more questions than answers, but I'm struggling to understand." A few people's projects said something more to the effect of, "I get it. Here's what you taught me, and now I'm repeating it back to you. This is what I learned." I tended to grade those much lower. The biggest thing I wanted the students to understand from the semester is that the world is complicated.
Don't spit back to me what I said to you. Digest it, mix it around with your life experiences, and then offer me something new that incorporates your life experiences. Let us both grow from our shared humanity, confusion, involvement on the planet, our desire to do something about the suffering on the planet, our ignorance about what to do.
Time for my shameless plug the night before the Indiana primaries. The more I thought about this, I realized, this is what I love about Obama. Most politicians and news networks want to help us understand the very complicated world we live in, by simplifying it. This is good, that is bad. That is why I, as a politician, support the good stuff, and will do all I can to get rid of the bad stuff. Its all quite simple actually.
But no, its not that simple. And that's what my students understand for the most part. They came here expecting to learn that apartheid was bad, independence is good. Yes, apartheid was bad, but by golly, it built the economy of these countries. Nujoma freed Namibia from the oppressors, but by golly he oppressed people in the mean time. Mugabe is a lunatic and needs to be removed. The US has said that if Tsvangirai is allowed to be president, and promotes free markets, they will reward him with large aid packages to help him rebuild the economy. Great! Free markets are great for everyone aren't they! It wouldn't happen to be US based neoliberal economic policies that got Mugabe into a position where he was unpopular in the first place and felt the need to redistribute farms to gain popularity? And the students met white Afrikaans speaking people, who benefited from apartheid, that they liked. What? Afrikaaners were all supposed to be evil, how could they like these individuals?
The world is complicated. If your news source gives you 10 second soundbites, you are not getting the whole story. If someone says, "God Damn America." Listen to the 10 minutes before and after that to understand that people of different races experience life in the United States very differently from other races. If listening to the entire speech makes you uncomfortable, welcome to the real world! The world of complexities that can't be boiled down to good and bad. The world that Obama recognizes is complex so he doesn't try to simplify matters. He's a man that can not be taken in 10 second soundbites. You need to listen to the entire speech. Just like Rev. Wright. Listen to all that he had to say and then walk a few miles in his shoes. The situation can only improve by listening to each other and trying to understand each other, recognizing that we will never really understand each other. But that by ignoring and pushing away people that make us uncomfortable, we will never learn and grow and come to a place of greater understanding and compassion. Silence will not solve any of the problems of the world. A true yearning for understanding, love, respect, even through our differences is the only real hope we have.
And, I think some of my students caught a glimpse of what I mean by that - and I feel good about that. They feel unsettled. As do I. As I believe we all should to some extent.
I'll get off my soap box now.
