Last December/January 2011/2012, I
had the pleasure and privilege of travelling to Swaziland to participate in the
United World College Short Course “Together for Development.” When I was
informed by Pearson College that a Short Course was happening in Swaziland, I
was extremely excited as I had actually wanted to travel there for the past few
years and was eager to participate in a United World College program. For the
months leading up to my departure, I was anxious and looking forward to meeting
such a wide range of students from all over the planet and talking about the
broad and weighted term “development.” When I arrived at the college, it was
incredible and a bit surreal to meet all the people who I had been talking to
over Facebook before the course and get to know each other face-to-face.
At the Short Course, there were
around fifty participants (not including the awesome facilitators) from around
the world all there for the same reasons – to talk about development, be
immersed in other cultures, and connect/network with those around them. The
whole idea of being surrounded by “like-minded” people being such an enriching
and empowering experience definitely applied there, but of course with our
“like-mindedness” regarding an interest in humanity and development came a
multitude of perspectives and ideas about those topics. Hearing other student’s
viewpoints and backgrounds challenged me to try to keep an open mind and
consider not only the perspectives of other Canadians, as I often focused on
before, but the perspectives of citizens everywhere pertaining to global
development issues. The chance to embrace other people and their
knowledge/backgrounds in a diplomatic and respectful environment is an
opportunity that UWC provides students with, and it has been invaluable for all
of us.
My group project work was in
Bulembu, a small northwestern Swazi community where hundreds of child orphans
live and grow up in homes and orphanages run by several organizations. Visiting
Bulembu was an emotional experience for me as my close family friends adopted a
baby boy from there three years ago. I even talked to several children who
remember him and recall when he left for Canada, an important time for them.
Seeing where he was born and spent the first ten months of his life was so
powerful and means I can answer questions and show him pictures until he is old
enough to visit there himself. It was also interesting getting to see firsthand
how an organization runs their programs, the philosophies they have, and how
the kids feel living in a place like Bulembu. Of course, as with all
organizations, there were aspects which I admired and thought were successful
like their efforts to become sustainable and their housing program (where
children lived with a “mother” and five other kids), as well as parts which I
struggled to accept such as the religious nature of the programs. Although I
know Swaziland is a largely Protestant/Zionist/Catholic country, that aspect of
religion really struck a chord with me as well as many of the other
participants in my group. It was definitely a learning curve for me and a
lesson for if I ever start or dedicate myself to an organization, as I believe
it is important for me to agree with the fundamental aspects and goals of a group
before giving my support. I am grateful for my times in Bulembu, particularly
having the opportunity to speak to the kids who had been a part of the
orphanage program since they were babies. Their strength and optimism was
apparent and inspiring, and gave us all a lot of insight into how their life is
there. It was awesome coming back to Waterford Kamhlaba and hearing the other
groups’ stories from their projects – we all were able to benefit from the wide
range of volunteer activities.
I am so grateful for the
opportunities the Short Course has opened up for me even after returning from
Swaziland. In August I took a three week trip to Argentina/Uruguay to visit
three members from the Short Course and had an absolutely incredible time learning
about their culture and the rich history of Argentina. Having friends there
made me feel safe and comfortable and allowed me to experience the country both
through tourism and staying with them, learning their habits and routines. (I
don’t know if I could ever adjust to the late night dinners and even later
discos, sorry Cani, Juan, and Emi!) They were happy to answer my hundreds of
questions and made excellent hosts who I knew I could trust and rely on. Now I
am planning my next trip in the spring likely to visit Europe, and I intend to
visit many of the other members from the Short Course and learn more about
their communities and countries as well.
This year attending my first year
of post-secondary school, I am realizing more and more how much the Short
Course impacted me. It is incredible to sit in my cultural anthropology lecture
and understand concepts that before UWC were unclear to me such as the term
“cultural relativism” or the history and facts about the spread of HIV/Aids in
the world. Having insight into topics such as these from skilled, knowledgeable
people has been extremely beneficial for me and made me more confident in a
university setting. My time at Waterford Kamhlaba has also forced me to think
critically every day about development in all its connotations and challenges
me to analyze global and local issues in a more objective and critical way.
I can’t believe it was about nine
months since I arrived home, as I still hold my experience in Swaziland close
to my heart and all the things I learned are so relevant every day. The connections
we have all made will continue to benefit us for years to come and I would
definitely recommend anyone interested to participate in a Short Course!
Finally, I want to share the video
that my high school grad class created. It is a fairly new school tradition for the grad class to create a project that leaves a lasting impact on the school, community, and/or world. Our town has been affected by several
teen suicides over the past few years, and my grad class sadly lost two of our
well-loved and long-term friends to suicide. We made this video as an attempt to help the
students and families in our community cope with the recent suicides, as well
as provide new students at our school with a “handbook” for how to survive, and
even thrive in a sometimes stressful and intimidating high school setting. High
school can be an extremely challenging time for students and depression is an
often unspoken but prevalent issue. This video is meant to encourage people to reach out and
ask for help when they need it – as well as offer a helping hand or shoulder to
lean on for others who may be struggling. A lot of hard work fundraising and
organizing went into the project, but so far the response has been positive and
overwhelming J
HERE IS THE LINK!
-
Charlotte (British Columbia, Canada)
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