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the places: out of africa part two

htrainor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:14:16 +0000

I now know how Hannah Montana feels. The screaming. The crowding. The pushing. The clamoring. The kids. All. Over. You.

I was ready to jump on a cement block and try my best rendition of “Party in the USA” (yes, I had to google that, lest you judge me).

The moment the Africa team walked onto campus we were accosted by kids. Like little ants in blue sweaters, they crawled up and over one another, posturing for the camera, touching my hair, shouting questions, comments, asking our names, asking about America, staring and giggling like we were aliens that had just disembarked from a spaceship.

From culture to culture, some things never change. The high schoolers, too cool to show their curiosity, stand aloof, seemingly uncaring, wanting to be won over. Kid’s throwing spitballs behind the teachers back. Notes being passed stealthily from one hand to another. Chattering, disinterest, teacher’s pets and side conversations, it was just like home.

Yet so different.

The school is in the poorest of the poor neighborhoods in Addis Abba. Most of the children who attend are sponsored by someone from America. The walls are bare. The air is thick with chalk dust. The rooms are packed, rows jammed with three children each, 70-80 students filling the room to the brim. They each have one notebook and a pencil. Concrete, dirt, one lone basketball “court” on rocks. We walk into a classroom and immediately the students stand out of respect. The teachers shake our hands in deference to us –their colleagues. “Discipline” dressed in a suit, walks around the campus, carrying a long whip.

We went in bringing new teaching methods and supplies and we left being humbled, grateful for all that we have, shamed about all that we complain about and all that we waste and resolved to change ourselves and our attitudes. Africa will always have a piece of my heart.

Too many pictures to post. So here is a slideshow of ALL the photos from our trip!

the places: three from africa

htrainor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:08:38 +0000

We left the school a bit dejected on Monday, wondering if anything we said had fallen on open ears. The methodology we presented was extremely different from what they had ever seen. As we prepped for today’s inservice, one of the teachers came running to us saying, “I practice! I practice!” and asking us to come to his room. There, instead of the students all in rows, three to a bench, facing forward, listening to a teacher, we found students collaborating, working together and sharing knowledge. Victory!

This picture pretty much made us all ecstatic.

the places: two from africa

htrainor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:58:25 +0000

A massive throng of 30+ blue sweaters swarmed toward me en masse, peppering me with questions and clamoring for a position in front of my camera. “You Chinese?” “Whose the president of China?” “Mrs. Trainor, take picture of me!” “You’re Chinese and American?” “What is your name?” “Do you know Barack Obama?” “Me! Me! Take picture!” “What do you like to eat?” “Where you from?”"Take picture!” “Take picture!”

Today was our first day at the Akaki Hale Heywet School in Addis Ababa. We observed in the classrooms and held our first inservice session for the teachers.

The kids were fascinated by my long, straight, black hair — many little hands grabbed the strands, pushing and clowning in the hopes that I might point my camera in their direction. We were mobbed as soon as the bell rang for break and many kids stayed out of class to speak with us about capitalism and democracy. I was struck by their intelligence and their beauty. I can’t wait for tomorrow when I visit the little little kids in Preschool and Kindergarten.

More to come…