REFLECTIONS UPON MY RETURN
Now that I’m back, I have many questions, thoughts and memories, swirling in my head.
Some of the questions I had before leaving were:
What difference would teaching ballet for three weeks make for these children? How could this possibly be of value to them? Teach them and then leave? What would a ballet class in Kiryabicooli look like? What are they expecting?
How would this trip impact on me when I returned home?
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I am still trying to find the words to express the answers to these questions.
Often, after trips like this, people say, “I came home appreciating what I have so much more”. “Kids should do trips like this so they have a better appreciation for what they have”.
Somehow that’s not my sentiment.
I think those thoughts would come from me looking at the people in Kiryabicooli and comparing them to how I’m living my life here. Asking questions like: How can they live without a car? (comparing it to my having more than one car in my driveway) How can they live in those homes? (comparing them to my home with hot water, electricity, washing machine, stove, refrigerator, shower) How can they eat that food? (as they eat the food they grow and harvest and I eat pizza, go to restaurants with friends, have coffee dates at Starbuck’s), etc.
Transportation: Boda Boda
Home up the road from the school
Kitchen with items used to pound
ground nuts
Lunch: Irish potato, matoke, cabbage, beans, pineapple
Bathing at 6:00 AM
Cleaning ballet slippers.
Rather than seeing the community and people I had the honor of living with and teaching as lacking, I saw a group of people with a generous spirit and a way of living where: the teachers want the absolute best for their students, where the parents want their children to have an education and will do whatever it takes to make that happen, where women meet (under the mango tree) to learn about micro financing and starting their own businesses so they can provide more for their families, where the mothers want their families to be healthy and they will walk miles to have their babies inoculated or to attend a clinic to be educated about a disease (AIDS/HIV) which is a total mystery to them, and a killer in their community, and where the children aspire to be something more and bigger than they are now.
A woman raising 5 children on her own offers me 4 eggs after a visit
Some of Deirdre Ann Academy's amazing teachers
Microfinance meeting for Women
Walking to Free Innoculation Day at Em's Clinic
Day one of HIV/AIDS education clinic with Emily Rymland
WHAT DO I WANT TO BE:
Edward -- Driver
Angella -- Doctor
JohnPaul -- Doctor for children
Bony -- Driver
Immaculate -- Nurse
Christine -- Sister
Joan -- Nurse
Noah -- Car Mechanic
Richard -- Driver for BCDC
Vincent -- Teacher
I saw children spontaneously taking care of each other, helping and including all ages in activities, doing chores in their homes and on the school grounds. They were aware of me and what I was doing and graciously offered to help and care for me whenever they saw a need.
I saw teachers beam and thank me “for noticing”, when I complimented them on the wonderful way they are teaching their pupils. I saw teachers raising, taking in, and adopting children who were not theirs but rather children of relatives and friends, or children in dire circumstances, so that they could be cared for and receive a good education.
I saw a community of people working together, living together, smiling together, singing together, dancing together – striving together to make their world and the children around them healthy and successful.
I want the same for my daughters, Sarah B. and Marianne and my students.
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Helping the preschoolers down the slope to the preschool classrooms.
Washing dishes after lunch.
VERY quickly helping a teacher save his crop of groundnuts before the rain came.
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Walking home from school together.
Hanging out together after school.
Grace and Moreen preparing potatoes.
Silly good bye with Teacher Grace.
Dancing together.
The teachers were actively involved in the ballet classes – doing the exercises with their students. It was wonderful and the students loved watching their teachers learning a new form of dance alongside them.
One of the preschool teachers, Muhamed, was deeply moved by ballet – through participating and watching. It was very important to him to have his “staff class”, and he participated full out with his preschool classes as well.
When Marianne performed her Giselle variation, he could not contain himself – he began moving his arms as she did and then just moved into the “stage” area and danced with her – copying her movements. He was entranced. It was beautiful watching him be transported into the world of ballet with such delight and abandon—and the children LOVED it!
Muhamed and students -- "Surprise!"
AnnaMarie and students -- Reaching 5th high
Elephant Marching
Faculty class -- Stretch!
Teddy -- stretching! OUCH!
Marianne and Muhamed at end of "Giselle"
Farewell Reverance
Before I left, the pupils presented a Farewell Ceremony (singing traditional songs, drumming, traditional dancing and then speaking to us individually on behalf of the group). Their words are still with me -- we will never forget you, we will pray for you everyday, we cannot think of a way to thank you enough and
YOU MADE US FEEL IMPORTANT. (yes, I was in tears).
YEP, THEY MADE ME CRY
SO -- DID 3 WEEKS OF BALLET MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
I walked away from Kiryabicooli with a keen sense of the impact "feeling important" can have on an individual, a group and an entire village. And, 3 weeks of ballet did that.
What a gift I received from them -- the knowledge that just by being me I have the ability to make people feel important. What better gift could I have been given?
So please know, each of you who donated items, money, offered me encouragement, advice, tips, etc. -- you played a part in these generous and beautiful people feeling important – they know that people in America were and are thinking about them and care about them.
Look at these faces and know, YOU made them feel important!
Thank you!!!!
A FUN ANECDOTE
Before I left there was much discussion about whether or not to compete in the mandatory sports competition against 7 other schools. If the school did not compete they would have to pay a fine. The pupils did not have uniforms and didn't feel prepared to compete. Before I left there had not been a final decision about whether or not to go to the competition.
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When I returned from the safari I received this e-mail from Madrine:
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"The good news is that DAA went for football and netball and the girls won all the teams!!! Teddy (PE teacher/coach) told me they played in their ballet shoes and leotards. The kids looked so unique and very smart"
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Here are the Girls' Champions with Coach Teddy:
