Community Engagement Celebration @ Isilimela and Quotes

It was beautiful. 48 students from three worlds (Roosevelt HS from Seattle, Isilimela HS from Langa township, and Bellville HS from an Afrikaner neighborhood) in one gymnasium, sharing their poetry, drama, and photos with each other and their audience. It was a powerful performance. The students had two weeks to get to know one another in a global cultural exchange through friendships, and today was also their goodbyes to each other as Roosevelt flies back to Seattle tomorrow. They had tears of joy and sadness. We had tears of relief and realizing how much hard work we've put into this global exchange project. Seeing all the photos the students took really tugged at my heart today, knowing it's finally done and realizing the depth that high schoolers have. No more working towards the means anymore. Life moves on.

Life moves on to two papers I need to finish by the weekend. It will be the end of my academic journey as an undergraduate. Woohoo! Then our class will be going on a retreat to a remote area called The Baths three hours away from here. We'll have open mic and play charades. I think that's the majority of our agenda for the three days and two nights out there. Oh, and dip into some hot springs and take some hikes. Maybe I can even climb some rocks. Gawd, I'm looking forward to being done with "school" out here. The last couple of weeks are intense dude.

Another touching moment at Isilimela today was when one of my students, Joe, in the Grade 12 Arts and Culture class recognized me after school. He goes "who's going to teach us now?" since Mimi, their regular art teacher, basically let Jen and I take over the art history course while we've been here. There are only six students in this class, so we've really bonded with all of them. I'm not sure if they've learned more from us, or if we've learned more from them. The coolest thing was when Joe pointed out a painting he hunge up on the gymnasium wall, and after seeing it, it literally took my breath away. It was amazing! I now have a picture of it, with Joe and I standing underneath it. I'll post it online. Someday soon! It's too bad Isilimela doesn't get enough funds to frame their student artwork like Bellville hs does. (Bellville hs looks like a private college in my book). There's so much hidden talent at that school. We may only see our class one more time formally before we're finished, so Jen and I plan to have a party and bring some treats for the class. It'd be nice to keep in touch and see where they will be going a few years down the road.

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Some random quotes from the people I've met here:

• "What do people think about South Africans from where you're from?...I've never even seen an African animal before!" - A somewhat ditzy, but really sweet 15 year-old Afrikaner girl
• "I've never used a disposable camera before" - From over half (8+) of the Isilimela (Langa Black township) Hands for a Bridge after school group
• "Do you do yoga? Because you're sitting cross-legged, and I saw a Chinese person who did yoga on TV" - From an 18 year-old, very bright Xhosa boy with perfect English who says Oprah inspires him everyday. Funny thing is that my white roommate was sitting in the same manner as me, but he didn't notice her.
• "Is it true that Chinese people marry their brothers and sisters? And that's why you all look alike? I saw it on TV." - From one of the Isilimela after school students, sincerely asking me. It was one of those moments where I could've totally made something up and they would've believed me that yes, THAT is why we all look alike!
• "Boerewors curtain is kind of a joke. It means you need a passport to enter our side of the world"- From Nestus, Jen and I's 21 year-old Afrikaner rock climbing instructor, talking about Afrikaner neighborhoods still being a different world from the mixed neighborhoods like ours. But, he says, an Afrikaner like himself would never need a passport to come to the English-speaking, Coloured, or Black sides of the world. The boerewors is a sausage used for braais (bbq), and symbolically using the other side of the curtain, kinda like how we use "the other side of the railroad tracks". Ask me to pronounce boerewors with an Afrikaans accent when you see me. It's fun.
• "I've never been to this side of the world before" - Some old Afrikaner dude with his friend visiting Obz, our neighborhood. He truly looked astonished in his foreign surroundings when he could've lived less than 20 minutes away. I should've asked how it was for him, just to see his reaction to a Chinese-lookin' girl speaking American to him!
• "What kind of sauce would you like?" - A Chip 'n Dip worker at a casino/entertainment world mall Jen and I visited to go ice skating. This place had fries in a cone, covered in any sauce you want, from honey mustard to chocolate sauce. I had sour cream and onion. Wasn't bad.
• "Can we keep you?" - Mimi, the Isilimela Arts and Culture teacher I've bonded with.
• "I will miss you." - Various students I've bonded with too.