I have the blood of patriots pulsing in my veins. I am an American. The echoes of Calvinism and Lutheranism still echo faintly in my brain. I am an American, raised in the hills of West Virginia and with the influence of the staid sermons of Appalachian born Church of Christ--sermons that warned me of The Devil and all his wiles. Dancing? Well...maybe Square Dancing ...maybe.
So, imagine my sensibilities on this most wonderful day when my colleagues and I were greeted with banner, welcoming us to the Bertha de Gideon school. Little children gave us roses and welcomed us in nearly perfect English. And then...the celebration of the high school students commenced.
As I understand it, the high school kids came of their own volition, even though school for them did not start until 1:00. And, one young woman stood before us, stating that she and her classmates would like to welcome us with a dance using music from OUR AMERICAN culture and then dance for us with music from Colombian culture.
So, the group of high school ladies danced for us an original composition to the rapper Khia's "My Neck, My Back," a song that really has nothing to do with the neck, at least as far as I could understand. I experienced another culture shock. We all smiled throughout the performance--and clapped... politely. Of all American songs to be exported!!!
The next dance was Mapale, a traditional African song and dance, originating as an erotic courtship invitation between two lovers that resembles the Mapale fish when it its out of the water. They danced flawlessly.
Did I mention that it was really hot in Colombia? So hot your blood feels like its boiling. I was was wearing a suit--because some email said I had to. Obviously, some kind of miscommunication occurred. And, the oppressive heat combined with my Puritan-American heritage really started getting to me. Not only was I in a bit of culture shock, but I was dehydrated, too.
A little while later, members of Alli's English club acted out skits designed to help us maneuver all the street vendors (the alternative economy) we would encounter, such as the women wanting to give massages, the coffee sellers, the hat vendors, etc. The performance actually proved helpful--as I learned to wag my finger with the "No gracias" phrase quite often.
As we departed for lunch, the high school students said goodbyes--gentlemen offering handshakes, and the girls hugging and kissing the left cheek with buckets of sweat gravitating downward from my drenched hair. I returned the hugs--but certainly not the kisses, until one student explained the proper gesture of hello and goodbye in Colombia, so I found myself, uncomfortable as I was, mirroring the kiss.
Project Based Learning at work!
Apparently, the school held a contest to see who could best re-purpose recycled materials. The students even put on a fashion show with outfits comprised of recycled materials. The students had a purpose for learning--and they designed a way to help save the natural environment--a win/win for the planet. And, Rosalia's class helped raise funds for an organization called TECHO, somewhat similar to Habitat for Humanity. The small plywood houses on stilts provided shelter for the society's most poverty-stricken members.
Afterwards, we spent time touring the wonderful school, meeting various faculty members and the principal, as well as catching some AC in the teachers' lounge. Looking outside the air conditioned faculty room, I could see kids out on the hot sidewalk looking in the window at us as we refreshed our brains. A part of me felt guilty--but the bigger part of me that needed the cool air could care less.
How...American of me.
So, imagine my sensibilities on this most wonderful day when my colleagues and I were greeted with banner, welcoming us to the Bertha de Gideon school. Little children gave us roses and welcomed us in nearly perfect English. And then...the celebration of the high school students commenced.
As I understand it, the high school kids came of their own volition, even though school for them did not start until 1:00. And, one young woman stood before us, stating that she and her classmates would like to welcome us with a dance using music from OUR AMERICAN culture and then dance for us with music from Colombian culture.
So, the group of high school ladies danced for us an original composition to the rapper Khia's "My Neck, My Back," a song that really has nothing to do with the neck, at least as far as I could understand. I experienced another culture shock. We all smiled throughout the performance--and clapped... politely. Of all American songs to be exported!!!
The next dance was Mapale, a traditional African song and dance, originating as an erotic courtship invitation between two lovers that resembles the Mapale fish when it its out of the water. They danced flawlessly.
Did I mention that it was really hot in Colombia? So hot your blood feels like its boiling. I was was wearing a suit--because some email said I had to. Obviously, some kind of miscommunication occurred. And, the oppressive heat combined with my Puritan-American heritage really started getting to me. Not only was I in a bit of culture shock, but I was dehydrated, too.
A little while later, members of Alli's English club acted out skits designed to help us maneuver all the street vendors (the alternative economy) we would encounter, such as the women wanting to give massages, the coffee sellers, the hat vendors, etc. The performance actually proved helpful--as I learned to wag my finger with the "No gracias" phrase quite often.
As we departed for lunch, the high school students said goodbyes--gentlemen offering handshakes, and the girls hugging and kissing the left cheek with buckets of sweat gravitating downward from my drenched hair. I returned the hugs--but certainly not the kisses, until one student explained the proper gesture of hello and goodbye in Colombia, so I found myself, uncomfortable as I was, mirroring the kiss.
Project Based Learning at work!
Apparently, the school held a contest to see who could best re-purpose recycled materials. The students even put on a fashion show with outfits comprised of recycled materials. The students had a purpose for learning--and they designed a way to help save the natural environment--a win/win for the planet. And, Rosalia's class helped raise funds for an organization called TECHO, somewhat similar to Habitat for Humanity. The small plywood houses on stilts provided shelter for the society's most poverty-stricken members.
Afterwards, we spent time touring the wonderful school, meeting various faculty members and the principal, as well as catching some AC in the teachers' lounge. Looking outside the air conditioned faculty room, I could see kids out on the hot sidewalk looking in the window at us as we refreshed our brains. A part of me felt guilty--but the bigger part of me that needed the cool air could care less.
How...American of me.