Today I spoke to seven high school social studies classes and one Fellowship of Christian Athletes group. The best part was the kinds of questions American youth have about Namibian youth.
- Is it like you see on charity commercials, where all Africans are skinny and starving?
- Do teenagers go to shopping malls or have brand-name clothes like Aeropostale?
- How do they treat foreigners?
- Are there zoos in Africa?
- What do they eat?
- What classes do they take at school?
- Is Namibia a peaceful country or are there wars?
- What is practicing religion like there?
- Have you ever been attacked by a student/animal/stranger?
- How well do you know the local language?
- How do they celebrate Christmas?
- What does the interior of their houses look like?
- Was your brother mean to you, growing up?
(That last one was because my brother is their history teacher, and it was his classes that I took over for the day. It is neat to see the rapport he has with them.)
One similarity I see between the students I teach abroad and the ones he teaches over here is that they all have inquisitive minds. I like that about this age bracket. I like that they are curious about things and I hope they keep that even as they become adults.
I wish I could have got to see you while you were in AK. I would still like to visit with you. Email me.
At least some of your brother(s) was/were mean.
Why am I not on this list?
Hey Sarah, When will you be back in the US? I’ve been thinking about our US-2 retreat and when we might want to plan that… I have loved reading your blog these past years! Love, Meg