Written: Wednesday, May 28th 2014
Today marks the 12th night I will lay my head to rest in Grahamstown, South Africa. Over the last week and a half, I’ve been stretched mentally, emotionally and even physically (likely as a result of spinning one too many preschoolers around in circles). I received a warm introduction to South African nightlife, shared tears with learners I met only hours before, and have experienced the depths of the newly defined emotion: hanger (hunger + anger). In short, I don’t think it’d be a stretch to say I have witnessed, first-hand, some of the lowest and highest points of the human condition. Though my course’s framework is conceptually modeled after ideology, political economy and education, I have truly begun to see the world as my classroom. Although this means I am in some very long classes, this mindset also sets up the stage for invaluable learning experiences.
Over the last 12 days, I have laughed more consistently than I have over the last 12 months. Not only that, but I’ve also felt more chills than I can describe, and asked more questions that maybe only God can answer. As I unpack the trip so far, the major theme which shines through each day is the power of raw emotion, fueled by unconditional love for humankind. Some of my peers and I have expressed frustration with the slow start of our “community engagement” project deliverables – I just received the details on my agency’s needs today. However, a part of me is able to find comfort in these uncomfortable emotions. Despite the chaos and communication failures, I know our frustration comes from a good place. We all want to engage with the community and have a truly mutually beneficial relationship with the learners. At some points along the way, this aim is hard to see actually coming intro fruition – perhaps, for a variety of reasons that may or may not be out of our control.
Regardless, I’m powerfully struck by the exposure this trip has provided me on so many levels. I must admit, the people of South Africa were quite romanticized by the Americans I spoke to who had already visited the country. From my observations, this leads visiting Westerners to say comments like, “South Africans are so much richer than us in many ways,” often followed by, or implicitly stating, “even though they are poor.” Such romanticization can also lead to habits of thought which I find problematic. For example, declaring oneself as “colorblind” as a precursor to being offensive – which has happened with the group I am traveling with, but I digress. The main objective here is to recognize the assets everyone can bring to the table. Regardless of whether or not the above statements are true, the question I’ve began to ask myself and discuss with my classmates is: how we define assets, how we see the role of capacity-building in community development work, and how we understand the source of ideology that tells us which assets of are value and which are not.
Skillin' it 