Tuesday, June 26 – So, yesterday we spent 24 hours flying thousands of miles above the great Atlantic Ocean. Thousands of miles in the air spent reading, writing, listening, watching, sleeping, and dreaming. Dreaming of when we would land, what we would do, what we would love and what we would hate. Ideas of life passing through our minds in a country so unknown. We were so curious, and we didn’t even know it. An entire other world to discover in only 2 ½ weeks. So far some of us were just hit with the fact that we are actually here. That we actually made it. That we actually traveled thousands of miles to help someone else. To make a difference. To positively impact someone’s future.
Today was the kind of day that I would describe as a “once in a lifetime opportunity!” and some described as “such an eye opener!” We visited a private school called David Kaunda today – a campus filled with “the brightest minds in Zambia.” Everyone was surprised by how similar the students were to us but how different their school was to ours. They had so many plants. It was like the whole thing was a private garden, but one for everyone to enjoy. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t exactly seen too many of those. Maybe that’s something we could bring back to our home schools. Maybe that’s something we could embrace.
When we were there, we also noticed that students wear uniforms, and their school life structure was completely different from back at home. We received firsthand insights about the school from our Zambian partners. Each of us was paired with one student from the school for the day. They showed us around their campus. At one point, we visited classes. When there was no teacher in the room, they didn’t have substitute teachers, but students were still focused and learning. Some students even volunteered to teach the class!
Between classes, the students were allowed to walk around campus and spend time with their friends. However, the rules restricted them from walking in certain areas like the fields. Some of the courses were so mixed, with every type of science mixed together. In one class, there was health and photosynthesis all on one test. Most of the time we didn’t really know the subject. I guess that’s because we also barely knew the school. However, even with all of these differences there were still many similarities.
Some of us like the same shows, some like the same animals, and others like the same everything. We were all so compatible that we meshed immediately. No one would even be able to tell there was a difference between us. My newest friend Muaga is only 13 and in the 9th grade. We talked about everything from our favorites to our futures. She told me that she wants to be a doctor when she’s older. She was so passionate about the entire subject. The idea of helping others, knowing everything there is to know about the human body, and being that person that helps other people no matter what! I told her I’m not sure what I want to do yet, and that I have absolutely no idea what field I want to go into. I think it’s incredible that we could just walk up to each other, talk for half an hour and seem like best friends. We took selfies. We learned that we both speak French and that we both love to sing. She’s someone I never want to forget.
So far, we have chosen to be open minded, helpful, and excited to understand more about a new culture. Tomorrow will be a longer day that will hopefully be hands-on and active at Chikumbuso and Grass Roots Soccer. Today I learned that the destination matters, but it’s what you do at your destination that makes it all worthwhile.
Celine A., Northwood High School
