Sunday, September 30, 2012
Project Wonder - Day One
As part of my ongoing quest to more deeply appreciate and understand this universe, and considering how easily one can be distracted from conscious, energized living I've decided to challenge myself with a daily reflection on something beautiful, wonder-full, and gratitude inspiring.
Today's piece is something I can share with others, which I like. It comes from Toronto author Daniel Karasik in the form of a short story entitled "Mine". The CBC holds a contest annually for all Canadians, and Daniel's story was chosen "blindly" by a panel of distinguished writers as the winner.
It's well worth 10 minutes of your time, not that I know what your time is worth:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/2012/03/mine-by-daniel-karasik.html
Some kind of inspiration huh? What was particularly resonant for me was the idea that youth doesn't die. It just gets tired and goes to sleep.
Is it as passive a process as that? I mean, does one "grow up" passively? How much of our "youthfulness" is trained out of us?
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Waking Up in Africa
In case there are any readers out there who hadn't heard or weren't sure of the details, I've been living in Ghana for a month, teaching high school science at a private Canadian school in the capital city of Accra.
And that's about as much as I've been willing to say about my experience so far.
Prior to leaving Dundas I was determined to capture as much of my time here with the written word. And yet, since being here, I've been reluctant to commit any of my ideas to something as concrete as a complete sentence.
In truth, I've had a difficult time making sense of my experience so far. I've certainly been all over the emotional spectrum. Some days I feel capable and adventuresome, while others I am roaming, trying not to look lost. I'm sure my students have enjoyed this roller coaster.
Despite being existentially tormented on some days I'm deeply grateful for the richness of my experience. ALL of it. I'm looking forward to growing this year, and welcome all its pains.
And it is this complex tapestry of experience I'm afraid my words won't come close to weaving.
Here are some threads, however:
My home:
I live with Philip, the vice-principal of the school, and his wife, Comfort. For the past four weeks their "daughter"/niece, Jennifer, has also been staying with us to make sure we're well. She's been phenomenally kind to me, showing me how to navigate a route while riding trotros (cramped van-buses), taking me shopping at the market and showing me how to prepare traditional Ghanaian dishes. So far I'm an expert in frying plantain and cooking rice. Seriously. I'm good.
Home life has been pretty great, my surrogate family take great care of me.
School:
The Canadian Independent College of Ghana (CIC) has a very strong reputation here. Despite being such a small school, every taxi driver and shopkeeper seems to know about it. Unless they're pretending.
It has just under 40 students (aged 14 to 20) and 5 teachers, including the VP and the Principal. The school grounds are beautiful and all of the staff are so welcoming. I particularly enjoy saying good morning to the security guard who bumps my fist every day for inspiration.
The students are bright, and surprise me constantly with their wit and wisdom. It's wonder-full. I have one student who asks me to suggest a different topic every Friday, and comes into class on Monday with a poem on the topic. And insightful. I look forward to these poems at the start of every week.
Also, it's been fun to put Daily Creative Activity (DCA) into regular classroom practice. Every morning the students and I stretch our minds together and the results have been hilarious. Good material for building rapport.
I'm finding it quite challenging being able to identify, then meet the needs of each student. I suppose that's what being a new teacher is about. As long as I can admit that I'm learning, I think I'll be alright. Even better if I can learn to model the learning process for the students. Hmmm. Educators, more to follow on this subject.
Weather:
The African sun is hot. It's not dry, but it's not quite sticky either. It's definitely taken some getting used to. The breeze and I have become good friends.
The Beach:
Neither poetry nor pictures can capture the impeccable timing of my first trip to the beach. Being in the presence of water is so rejuvenating for me. I plan to visit again soon.
I also bore witness to a mini-migration of thousands of bats, who seemed to come from some infinitessimally small point on the horizon. It was absolutely mesmerizing, like staring into infinity. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera handy. Next time.
Other photos:
Other thoughts:
Often when I travel, I look forward to experiencing another culture. Culture is a mirror where we reflect upon each other a certain way of living. We want to be akin to others, and so we mimic each other, and we use the same structures of language, and we develop social contracts and morals. But we don't SEE the culture we're in. It's like the water in which fish spend their whole lives. We have nothing to compare it to, and no reason to notice it, until we experience some degree of difference. Since diving into this experience here I'm fondly reminded just how refreshing it can be to see yourself from a new angle.
--
So, that's a TON of pent up verbiage. There's still so much I could write about. I'll try to be more frequent with reflections.
Thank you for joining me on the journey.
Brandon
And that's about as much as I've been willing to say about my experience so far.
Prior to leaving Dundas I was determined to capture as much of my time here with the written word. And yet, since being here, I've been reluctant to commit any of my ideas to something as concrete as a complete sentence.
In truth, I've had a difficult time making sense of my experience so far. I've certainly been all over the emotional spectrum. Some days I feel capable and adventuresome, while others I am roaming, trying not to look lost. I'm sure my students have enjoyed this roller coaster.
Despite being existentially tormented on some days I'm deeply grateful for the richness of my experience. ALL of it. I'm looking forward to growing this year, and welcome all its pains.
And it is this complex tapestry of experience I'm afraid my words won't come close to weaving.
Here are some threads, however:
My home:
I live with Philip, the vice-principal of the school, and his wife, Comfort. For the past four weeks their "daughter"/niece, Jennifer, has also been staying with us to make sure we're well. She's been phenomenally kind to me, showing me how to navigate a route while riding trotros (cramped van-buses), taking me shopping at the market and showing me how to prepare traditional Ghanaian dishes. So far I'm an expert in frying plantain and cooking rice. Seriously. I'm good.
Home life has been pretty great, my surrogate family take great care of me.
School:
The Canadian Independent College of Ghana (CIC) has a very strong reputation here. Despite being such a small school, every taxi driver and shopkeeper seems to know about it. Unless they're pretending.
It has just under 40 students (aged 14 to 20) and 5 teachers, including the VP and the Principal. The school grounds are beautiful and all of the staff are so welcoming. I particularly enjoy saying good morning to the security guard who bumps my fist every day for inspiration.
The students are bright, and surprise me constantly with their wit and wisdom. It's wonder-full. I have one student who asks me to suggest a different topic every Friday, and comes into class on Monday with a poem on the topic. And insightful. I look forward to these poems at the start of every week.
Also, it's been fun to put Daily Creative Activity (DCA) into regular classroom practice. Every morning the students and I stretch our minds together and the results have been hilarious. Good material for building rapport.
I'm finding it quite challenging being able to identify, then meet the needs of each student. I suppose that's what being a new teacher is about. As long as I can admit that I'm learning, I think I'll be alright. Even better if I can learn to model the learning process for the students. Hmmm. Educators, more to follow on this subject.
Weather:
The African sun is hot. It's not dry, but it's not quite sticky either. It's definitely taken some getting used to. The breeze and I have become good friends.
The Beach:
Neither poetry nor pictures can capture the impeccable timing of my first trip to the beach. Being in the presence of water is so rejuvenating for me. I plan to visit again soon.
Magic:
Magic is a very real part of people's stories here. The idea of "Real Magic" seems to make spines tingle, and perhaps rightfully so. There are many stories of people using magic and witchcraft for evil. So most of the tricks I share are quite light-hearted. I tried a little mindreading with a friend and she ran out of the room, genuinely terrified. So most of the tricks I share are quite light-hearted.
Flora and Fauna:
I make regular acquaintance with geckos, and other types of lizards. I saw one nearly a foot long, and got the impression from my housemates that these lizards are similar in both frequency and nuisancey to Ontario raccoons.
 |
| The empty shell that was once a gecko, being marked for reclamation by some ants. |
Other photos:
 |
| Approaching Accra Mall on foot. |
Other thoughts:
Often when I travel, I look forward to experiencing another culture. Culture is a mirror where we reflect upon each other a certain way of living. We want to be akin to others, and so we mimic each other, and we use the same structures of language, and we develop social contracts and morals. But we don't SEE the culture we're in. It's like the water in which fish spend their whole lives. We have nothing to compare it to, and no reason to notice it, until we experience some degree of difference. Since diving into this experience here I'm fondly reminded just how refreshing it can be to see yourself from a new angle.
--
So, that's a TON of pent up verbiage. There's still so much I could write about. I'll try to be more frequent with reflections.
Thank you for joining me on the journey.
Brandon
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