The Hangout!

  “I want us to organize, to tell the personal stories that create empathy, which is the most revolutionary emotion.”  – Gloria Steinem

This past weekend, I attended an unbelievable party. There is much to say about this event so I’ll start simple, with the help of the trusty five elements of fiction that we mastered in the 6^th grade:

Character: brilliant, beautiful friends from a vibrant mezcla of culture, language and country.

Plot: above-said brilliant, beautiful people gather together to share stories, laughter, food, drink, futbol, and karaoke songs one rainy-and-then-sunny-Saturday in September.

 Setting:  Place - a picturesque family farm straight out of a fairy tale in Tocancipá, an hour outside of Bogotá, Colombia.

 Time – last weekend, 2011

Theme: Bridging cultures.  Empathy.  Openness.

Style: you know it.

How did each of these magnificent elements come together not in fiction, but in real life, you ask?  Well, let me tell you, ¡con mucho gusto! A few weeks ago, my friend, Juan gave me a call and described a vision that very closely matched the beautiful reality that occurred this past weekend.  “Hey Em, we are lucky to have many awesome friends from many cool countries,” he said (in so many words). “Why don’t we celebrate this diversity by hosting an international bbq on the other Juan’s farm (there are many Juans in this story, kind of like a Marquez novel – you’ll sort it out eventually) and share food and drink from all over the world?”  Of course, I was down with this phenomenal idea 100% and so began the momentum for an international bbq intended to celebrate diversity and bridge cultures – an event that we’ve affectionately come to refer to as The Hangout.

Pit stop for pan y tinto

Our diverse group convened bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 9:30 am at the Carulla plaza, international cuisine in hand, and hopped aboard a charter bus which swiftly changed our scenery from the pollution and traffic of Bogotá to the splendid countryside of Colombia. Of course, we made a pit stop for pan y tinto (bread and coffee) along the way before completing the final leg of our journey which led us to the fresh air, lush vegetation and open space of Juan Camilo’s family farm – the perfect setting for a perfect day.  We happily united with the others who had traveled by truck, car and motorbike and by noon, the farm was sprawling with citizens of Korea, Colombia, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, China, the United States, Russia and Australia.  

Katie (USA) pins the tail on Ligia (Brazil)

Other than a piñata, a game of pin the tail on the donkey (or, in our case, a glittery zebra) an abundance of RICO food, and music, we didn’t really have an agenda or plan.  We had faith that the equation of food, good people, music and fresh air would yield amazing results and we were not disappointed. 

There were countless shining moments throughout the day. 

la comida (photo by Ligia Aguiar)

A particularly shiny feature of this party was, of course, the food!  We indulged in a multi-course feast of deviled eggs (USA), Moon Cake (China), Picada, fruits, tofu, maiz (Colombia), carne picante from Korea (also known as 제육볶음 (jeyuk bokkum)) Cuzcuz Paulista (Brazil), cheese dip (Russia), brownies & Oreos (USA), French crepes, and an abundance of Poker and Aguila to wash it all down. Once we had eaten our hearts out and slipped into minor food comas, we relaxed under the shelter of a tent and played rounds of Uno. 

  

 At that point, Juan brought out a cake and we broke out in a melodious chorus of happy birthday for his lovely, youthful mom- first in English…then in Korean…then in Chinese…Portuguese…Spanish…German…French…Russian…American (just kidding, bad joke).

By FAR the best rendition of “happy birthday” I have ever heard in my life.

Celebrating our gooooooooooal!  while Carlos and Camilo look on :)

Eventually, someone decided it was time for an impromptu futbol (soccer) tournament. We went all out with co-ed teams and all nations represented. For the championship game, we ditched our zapatos (shoes), rolled up our pant legs and got dirty!  Mud, slipping and sliding, blood, sweat, tears, bruised shins, the whole bit.  My French friend, Josian and I even enjoyed a true world cup moment with the collision of our heads in mid-air (and we have the goose eggs to prove it if you’re interested).  

Visual 1.2

Somewhere in the mix, in true Colombian fashion, the aguardiente started to flow generously, served by our in-house Criollo, Juan, complete with mask and poncho (note visual 1.2).  We all became warmer and jollier and eventually moseyed on over to the karaoke machine for even more chistes (jokes, laughs) that lasted into the night. 

Cross-cultural psychology tells us that the smiles and laughter are universally recognized as signals of happiness and joy.  We certainly took full advantage of this universal language in abundance on Saturday! These people are just TOO much fun for words.  I would add two more commonalities that also seem universal among this group of people I’ve come to know as friends: openness and empathy. I’m not convinced we are born with these 2 characteristics.  If we are born this way, these attributes sure do get stamped out quickly and replaced with self-preservation, survival, competition and an “in-group/out-group”, “us vs. them” mentality (if you need further evidence of this type of socialization, go observe kids – as young as kindergarten - on a playground at recess). 

I LIKE empathy (and Juan's hat) a lot

 Ligia (Brazil), Salena (China), Camilo (Brazil),
Majang (Korea)

I believe that openness and empathy are actually the primary reasons that I travel; it seems that exchanging my own story and listening to the stories of others is one of the most profound ways, if not the only way to become a more open and empathetic human. It’s a tall order - it takes courage after all to perceive the world with empathy and openness because it is almost guaranteed that the truth of your own reality will be challenged along the way.  I had the honor of hearing Gloria Steinem speak on a panel in February and I have not forgotten her powerful words, “empathy is the most revolutionary emotion.”   My courageous friends that I’ve met in Colombia are people who have empathy and openness very much intact in their lives.  It is no wonder that this weekend’s party was pure magic given the company we are fortunate enough to keep!

We anticipate that The Hangout will evolve into a consistent space that allows people from all countries, languages and backgrounds to meet, enjoy each other and exchange stories.  We’ve got ideas for benefit concerts, open mic nights, art projects and charity events.   If you live in Colombia or will be visiting Colombia, expect an invite for the next Hangout and also let me know your brilliant thoughts for ways in which we can celebrate our stories together.  If you don’t live in Colombia and can’t come Hangout with us, find ways to celebrate stories where you are!   Also, please do my friends at LARGE minority/More Local a favor and give their fan page a "like" on Facebook. Please help them reach their goal of 1,000 LIKES -  the relevancy of many businesses are often judged by the number of Facebook 'likes' these days, so a little 'like' goes a long way! 

Until next time, peace, empathy and openness…

Melissa (USA), Ligia (Brazil), Salena (China), me!

The closing of a TFA chapter

Today signifies the closing of a big chapter for me.  Today is officially my last day on staff with Teach For America.  It’s an understatement to say I owe a lot to this organization, and more importantly to the people I have encountered through this organization, so I can’t let this day end without sharing some reflections and expressing my gratitude. 

First year at LMS

It is a rare occasion to be able to say with conviction, “_____(fill in the blank) changed my life” but I can sincerely say this about TFA.  As an idealistic and restless senior in college, my future felt open to just about anything, from joining the Peace Corps to going to law school to becoming vegan and living in a commune.  But a k-12 teacher?  Not so much.  I literally have a visual of myself riding along on the “bike path of my future” or as a passenger on the “train of life” (really, any moving vehicle will accomplish the metaphor – you get the point) and then TFA comes into the picture, switches up the course and I pull a complete 180. And what do you know?  I love teaching.  Through TFA, I have learned some indispensable lessons, at least 3 of which will have a lasting impact on my life:  1.  I love students, I love to teach and I get extra fired up for the special needs population.  2.  Educational inequity is the greatest injustice that exists in the United States.  3.  I’m going to be involved in education reform for the long haul. 

For those of you who don’t know, I was lucky enough to stay on as part-time staff with TFA working from Colombia.  Back in April or so, as my d-day for moving to Colombia drew nearer, I started wondering what Teach For America really meant when they said “location flexible” in the description of my role. Does that mean I could work from the moon?  How about Colombia?  YES! Great idea, and you know what? It was a success!  Despite a few webmail outages, pesky Mac/PC incompatibilities and a couple of dropped skype calls, I was able to stay onboard very part-time, working very remotely from Colombia! 

We're so LA.

I’ve been extremely thankful for this work the past couple of months.  My teachforamerica.org email account has strangely become a sort of security blanket, a familiar tie back the US.  Through this account I have not only been able to continue to do meaningful work and stay in touch with my superb team, I also got to keep doing all these fantastic “American/TFA things” - such as yammer and feedback cycles, and tracking changes on those feedback cycles, and “checking in” and action-planning and prioritizing and google sites and vimeo and opening emails with phrases like, “I just wanted to touch base…”, and giving ‘shout-outs’ and aligning objectives and acronymizing EVERYTHING… (and making up new words, apparently) :)

In all seriousness, what I will hands-down miss the most are the many people I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years who have challenged me, inspired me, encouraged me, mentored me, laughed with me, and befriended me. I haven’t yet figured out if it’s a good idea to give personalized “shout-outs” on the worldwide web via a blog, but you know who you are and I hope you’re reading.  I cannot thank you enough for being my friend and partner in this important work.

Dhouse!  2009

I’ve had a lot of “TFA goodbyes” over the past 4 years: sad but relieved goodbyes to my 2007 Los Angeles Institute friends (or perhaps more accurately, my lifelines) at the end of the most rugged 6 weeks of any of our lives. Tearful goodbyes to my students after 2 remarkable years of teaching.  Hugs and heartfelt farewells on the steps of LMU to my fearless 2009 corps members at the close of my LA Institute experience as a Corps Member Advisor. I sent out the “farewell-and-thanks-for-the-honor-of-working-with-you” email to the spectacular Los Angeles program team when I transitioned to a new role and moved to Phoenix.  And another farewell email to the Phoenix team at the end of last year.  But there was always an ellipsis hanging over these goodbyes; “I’m still on staff, I’m still with TFA, I’ll still be around, I’ll see you at conferences, etc.”  I feel there still exists an ellipsis of sorts (still part of the movement, still involved in education) but it is different this time because I honestly don’t know what the future holds for me after this year in Colombia. 

Studying and doing research in Colombia has already opened up a world of new thoughts, insights and knowledge regarding my understanding of both educational inequality and the powerful role of education in any society. This will likely shock precisely none of you, but educational injustice exists here in Colombia as well. There are two types of schools here – public and private- and the estrato in which a student lives (basically Colombia’s equivalent to zip code) largely determines which type of school he or she will attend.  Tuition at private schools in Colombia can be more expensive than most universities in the US but offer a world-class education to kids whose families can pay a pretty penny. Everybody else attends public school, where the quality of education varies immensely. When you consider the fact that the average monthly salary in Colombia is about $250 USD, you start to get a picture of the gaping class divisions in this country.  Bogotá is divided according to a six-level index (known as estratos), which indicates the socioeconomic status of the residents in any given area.  Estrato 1 is the lowest and therefore covers areas excluded from urban planning norms with restricted access to public services.  Two-thirds of students living in the lowest 2 estratos attend public schools whereas only 37% of students attending private schools live in the lowest two estratos – many of whom were granted a spot in a private school on a voucher (source!).  Just as is the case in the US, access to high quality education for all is a far cry from reality in Colombia.  Therefore, it does not seem much of a coincidence that Colombia recently joined the growing Teach For All network and this year marks the debut of Enseña por Colombia (Teach For Colombia).  Needless to say, there is much to be learned and many already existing networks to partner with while I’m here and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have this opportunity.

While I do feel sad to be saying this farewell, I am also extremely excited to be 100% present in my life here.  So Colombia: I’m all in.  I’m yours.  Let’s do this.  And America: If I didn’t bleed red, white and blue before joining TFA, I do now on behalf of the kids whose futures are getting short-changed every day on account of our failing education system. My email may no longer end in teachforamerica.org and my business cards may now only be good for games of paper football, but you better believe I’m still part of the movement of ‘One day’...

My gorgeous kids enjoying a day at Knottsberry Farm

Dorsey!  LA Institute 2009

Christmas 2007

A really precious math equation

A tangible way to give Light & Life to the kids at the Hogar

our diligent & happy photography students

I have been humbled by the generous reactions of empathy, love and support from those who have read about my experience serving at the Hogar.  Many of you have asked how you can help and get involved.  Let me be the first to state the obvious that the Hogar and the partnering school are always in need of volunteers with big hearts and willing spirits to come serve, so please reach out if you have interest in traveling to Bogotá to come to the source!  Also, be sure to check out this video that perfectly documents the pure love from which all of Sister Valeriana’s actions stem from.   Secondly, the visionary thinking of my dear friend Susan, who traveled with the team from Los Angeles to serve at the Hogar, has provided us all with a tangible way to support the mission of the Hogar.  I’d like to share her vision with you.

First, the details:

From Susan’s Facebook post:

We went to help at an orphanage for kids with disabilities this summer in Bogotá Colombia, and fell in love! We wish we could invite all the kids to visit Los Angeles and experience Disneyland, but that is not possible.

What is possible, with your help, is to provide this opportunity for 4 kids & a chaperone. We asked the orphanage and have been given the enthusiastic green light. We just don't have the money to pay for the passports and visas and plane fares. Any amount would help!! If you live in Los Angeles, we'd love to invite you to join us and meet the kids when they come!

Would you help us raise the money? Please. We are posting the address of The Light and Life Foundation where you can send your donation, and receive a tax deduction. In the memo line please note "TRIP TO LOS ANGELES".

Light and Life Foundation
PO Box 356
Fairfield, CT
06824

NOTE: Susan is in the process of setting up a paypal account to expedite donations, but in the meantime, don’t be shy – dust off those stamps you know you have somewhere and go snail mail! 

The back-story:

Susan & Nixa creating art together

All of our lives were deeply touched by our week at the Hogar in July.  One lovely girl in particular, Nixa had an especially profound impact on Susan’s heart.  Susan undertook the gargantuan task of painting 3 murals on the walls of the Hogar (which she pulled off with admirable enthusiasm and grace).  During her painting project, she recruited the help of the Hogar kids, one of whom was Nixa – a girl with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare tissue disease that makes the skin extremely fragile and results in blisters and mucous membranes on the body.  Nixa as a result does not have fingers, but that sure didn’t stop her from painting the mural! 

As Susan was preparing to return to LA and saying her goodbyes, Nixa asked her, "Can you take me home with you?" This frank and sincere question planted the idea in Susan’s head.  When Susan got home she began to meditate on the idea of an “orphans holiday” at her place in Los Angeles.  She figured, she doesn’t live far from Disneyland and she's already got an “in” with Disney (thanks to our Imagineer, Dolce!).  Plus, the kids clearly have a fascination with Disney, as evidenced by their constant request that we sing Disney songs in English! Susan got in touch with Sister Valeriana who responded with an enthusiastic green light as well as the names of four kids from the Hogar who she has selected to participate.  The actualization of this trip will be a mutual dream come true for both the kids who get to travel to California and for the LA folks whose lives have been forever impressed by these kids. 

I personally was tickled pink to learn that my little amiga, Heidy is one of the four to be going on the trip!  It makes me smile every time I think about her tearing it up at Disneyland and splashing around in the Pacific ocean. :)  Sadly, Nixa (the inspiration behind this idea) will not be able to come.  Along with severe health issues being too much of an obstacle, she can’t apply for a passport because fingerprints are a required part of the application.

Susan and friends are still fleshing out the details, and we'll keep you updated as things progress.  In the meantime, please consider supporting the mission of Luz y Vida (light and life) in this meaningful way.  Thank you! 

Susan gets by with a little help from her friends!

Nixa, la artista