2015 Co-educators

2015 Co-educators
2015 UConn Co-educators Begin Their Cape Town Adventures

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG

As anyone who has participated in UConn's Education Abroad in Cape Town will tell you, there are no words to adequately explain the depth of the experiences, no illustrations to sufficiently describe the hospitality of the people, and no pictures to begin to capture the exquisite scenery. Therefore this blog is only intended to provide an unfolding story of the those co-educators who are traveling together as companions on this amazing journey.

As Resident Director of this program since 2008 it is once again my privilege and honor to accompany another group of students to this place I have come to know and love.

In peace, with hope,
Marita McComiskey, PhD
(marita4peace@gmail.com)

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Sam appreciated learning through getting to know & share with peers

The past week definitely had its ups and downs! I was really sick for more than half of the week but by the weekend I was definitely starting to feel better! Being sick made me really worn out and down, and almost feeling as if I just needed a break from being away but obviously now that I’m feeling better I am back to the simple happiness of being here.

We just got back from Human Rights Weekend. Overall, human rights weekend was definitely very insightful. To be completely honest, before the weekend my definitions regarding human rights, civil rights, political rights, socio economical rights, etc… were all not quite accurate. I am definitely glad that I now have a secure definition of these and can therefore actually apply what I know about them to real life now. Before this weekend, everything regarding human rights for me was just so vague and I definitely didn’t feel confident in my knowledge, so how could I feel confident in acting on what I think?

The weekend started off right when we got on the bus, and all of us sat in the back and didn’t even really acknowledge when the other people of the group got on the bus. However, the cohesion that our group formed by the end of the group was noticeable when on the bus on the way home we were all spread out throughout the bus and intermixed.
           
I really enjoyed getting to know the people from other parts of Africa because they were similar to our age, but have completely different lives. They have all seen or experienced human rights violations, whereas I could barely define that concept.  It also helped to get to know people a little deeper when we were divided into our groups that we would be working closely with throughout the weekend.
           
I think the assignment in which we had to present our chosen country and the history and current conditions was really helpful to grasp the concept of human rights because we had to explore all aspects of the country and really prove that our country needs help. Acting out the aspects of society and making ourselves personal with the country and its issues really forced us to open our eyes and realize that even though we are just acting it out, it is actually occurring.
           
I also really appreciated how sharing people were. We met these people this weekend and they were all so willing to share their knowledge and their experiences. When we were talking about refugees and individuals told their stories I really was taken aback. Somebody also mentioned how you never think its going to happen to you, but before you know it you are being violated in all sorts of ways and have no choice. It is so sad that so many people are forced to leave their own country because of violations of human rights.
           
All of the activities that we did taught us something and made us look at things in a new way, and I’m very glad that I can now look at real life situations with these insights.
                 
I am very much looking forward to going back to Christel House tomorrow for internship!! I have seriously missed the amazing kids so much in just a week! This week Molly and I are also going to get started with our activist project which I am really excited about!!

Molly and I are planning to teach a dance class in Mannenburg at the people’s center. We both have vast dance experience and are very excited to share our passion for dance with other individuals. 
           
We are targeting Mannenburg because we know that there is a lot of gangsterism that occurs and we want to provide kids with alternatives.  We also know that they have a perfect facility for our dance class! Dancing for both Molly and I has always been a great hobby and escape, and we want other children to find that. We want kids to find a passion and an alternative than staying on the streets and being more prone to gangsterism. If children find a new hobby in dance, it gives them something to work at and want to be better at.
           
I also think dance will be a good hobby for them because I personally know that dance is such a good escape and relief from any stress.  I think that these kids go through so much and are exposed to so much that they shouldn’t be and having a special hobby especially one that is being active and allows for creativity would be perfect.
           
Molly and I will have to assess the specifics of our dance class once we see what kids show up and what different levels they are capable of, but we plan to have Molly do most of the technical teaching and I will do the choreography. We are also having our parents send over dance clothes and speakers to make use of during our classes.
           

We are so excited to share our passion with these kids and hopefully have them enjoy it and motivate them to work at it and show them that there are alternatives. 

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