Wow. So I've been here for six days and I've learned so much. When we arrived last Thursday we met about 15 family members. Three speak English. There was a lot of hand motions and pointing happening. Then Friday we left for the village. Six hours up a mountain, winding streets, and a ton of Berber being spoken is not my idea of a "nice drive." We left the village on Saturday and went to the beach until today. I have learned so much and I've only been here for six days. There is no way I could tell you everything I've learned and experienced but I've listed some things below. Enjoy!
Sleeping on a plane is not fun, at all.
When you go to the village you are not supposed to wear a glitter shirt, a skirt, and rainbows.
My family is so welcoming. They are the nicest people I have ever met, hands down.
After a while, language isn't a barrier anymore.
Algerians are the worst drivers and they pay 300 to learn to drive like that. Seriously, I needed an air sick bag driving around Algiers today.
You think that's what you're eating for dinner, as it turns out more food is coming your way.
I will never, ever get used to the bathroom here, a.k.a. the hole in the ground.
I get my laugh from my Aunt Farida.
There is no A/C here. They own A/C units; but never turn them on.
Dessert is fruit, and it is awesome.
It sounds like everyone is yelling, but really they are just talking about the weather.
Everyday at 5:00 we drink coffee and eat cake.
There is a police checkpoint every three miles and they carry machine guns.
Everyone can tell we are Americans. Everyone.
Sahra can milk a cow. I can't.
Sometimes the electricity goes out, it happens.
I understand my dad a whole lot more now.
I will try to update more frequently but there is no telling what my family has planned for us.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
An American in Algiers
Wednesday I head to the third world, Algiers, Algeria for two weeks. Mixed emotions are definitely present. I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve asked about one million questions and I still don’t have a clear picture of what to expect.
It will be hot. No shorts. I will be sleeping with several female cousins, plus my sister, in the same bed. No air condition. There is a limited use of English. Breakfast is coffee, black. I can’t help in the store that my family owns; I’m a woman. There is some great shopping. Dad instructed me not to be so loud…yeah, right. We are visiting the Mediterranean. I will learn how to cook some traditional Arab food. The toilet is a hole in the ground.
I am filled with excitement, nervousness, anticipation and apprehension. I am a planner. I need to know what we are going to do each day. My dad: not so much. He is more of the “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of guy, never planning more than 30 minutes in advance. I will have to learn to surrender control and let my dad take over. I will do it, but it won’t be easy, at all. I know me. But putting that aside, I have longed to know my dad’s side of my heritage for so long and now it’s finally going to happen. Getting to know my dad’s culture will hopefully shed some light on why he thinks, behaves and reacts the way he does. Having the chance to travel to Algeria is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I will fully embrace all that Algeria has to offer. Please pray for safe travels, great bonding between my father, sister and I, and that I won’t end up in a terrorist video.
P.S. I will attempt to update you on my blog about my trip as much as possible.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Education 101
I’m not sure if anyone’s has been watching the latest in education coverage in the recent weeks. If not, here’s Education in America: The Latest 101. Newsweek, Time, The New York Times Magazine, and the current administration, have all been in a heated debate about education and how to reform the whole institution. The overwhelming and mind blowing solution is to fire bad teachers.
Yes, get rid of the bad teachers. The ill equipped teachers that teach because they don’t know what else to do with their degree. Get rid of the non-team players that don’t follow simple school procedures which in turn negatively affects their students. The teachers that have no idea what they’re in for and get in the classroom and either turn it into a zoo or a daycare. Dismiss the teachers who don’t really care about their students and attempt to make no connection with their audience. Yes, there are bad teachers, just like there are bad lawyers, bad accountants, and bad waiters. So what is normally done when someone is a bad employee? Fire them.
What can be done to ensure that there are competent people working in the teaching field? For starters, raise the pay. School districts would attract more people who have a genuine interest in teaching but don’t go into the field because they have a family and can’t swing getting paid in Cheerio’s and good feelings. Raising the pay would make the field more competitive and districts would be able to hire from a more select group. Step two: get rid of standardized tests. The pressures teachers face for their students to pass the End of Course tests, the writing test, and benchmarks is daunting. Then, add in the fact that you have to give one of these tests every two weeks. When is the teaching supposed to happen? When is the learning supposed to happen? Most of the time teachers are too time constrained to go in depth with the material and the students are presented with so much information at once that they don’t comprehend everything. The money it takes to print these tests can be used to raise teacher pay.
But are teachers 100% at fault? No. I can offer extra tutoring sessions, supplemental materials and a myriad of activities to help students prep for quizzes and tests, but I can’t go home with these kids. I can’t look over their shoulder and make sure they are studying for their vocabulary quizzes. I can’t make sure that Little Johnny is reading chapter four in The Great Gatsby. I can’t do it. But parents have the ability to do so. Parents should enforce and regulate homework time, even when their kid is in high school.
So why isn’t this happening? Why is there a systematic breakdown once the bell rings every day? Because parents can’t be the heavy all the time. All parents work. The majority of parents of students that I see everyday are parents that work two or three jobs. How can they be at home when Little Sally gets of the bus to make sure she studies when they are working second shift at a hospital, restaurant, or hotel? Sometimes a parent is so concerned with putting food on the table and making sure there is a roof over their children’s heads’ that they can’t be there to reinforce that their child has a test in U.S. History the following day.
Students control so much of their own fate in the classroom. If a student doesn’t want to get suspended, then the student will not get in a fight. If a student doesn’t want to go to lunch detention, then the student won’t be late to class. If a student doesn’t want to get a “D” in a class, then they will take every offering presented to them to succeed in the class. A student that comes into class everyday and sleeps still has to take the E.O.C. at the end of the semester. And that grade the student earns counts. Just like the “A” the boy sitting next to him earned on that very same test. In a district wide meeting when the school board members analyze the progress of each school, which grade do you think stands out more?
So who is to blame? The student? The teacher? The parent? The politicians? Society? I think a combination of all of these have led to the downward spiral that is education in America. The student for not taking initiative and not being the master of his or her fate. The lackadaisical teachers who are burned out, unqualified to teach, and ignorant about their students lives. The parents who are unaware of what their child should be doing in school and who are busy providing for their family. The politicians who don’t pay teachers enough and are too busy with implementing new programs without taking the time to fully understand just what they are proposing. Society for not knowing just how much of a negative influence it is having on education today. So really, no one specific is to blame. We all shoulder the blame. The solution: keep fighting for what is right and hopefully, education can be a number one priority again. But I can’t do it alone.
Yes, get rid of the bad teachers. The ill equipped teachers that teach because they don’t know what else to do with their degree. Get rid of the non-team players that don’t follow simple school procedures which in turn negatively affects their students. The teachers that have no idea what they’re in for and get in the classroom and either turn it into a zoo or a daycare. Dismiss the teachers who don’t really care about their students and attempt to make no connection with their audience. Yes, there are bad teachers, just like there are bad lawyers, bad accountants, and bad waiters. So what is normally done when someone is a bad employee? Fire them.
What can be done to ensure that there are competent people working in the teaching field? For starters, raise the pay. School districts would attract more people who have a genuine interest in teaching but don’t go into the field because they have a family and can’t swing getting paid in Cheerio’s and good feelings. Raising the pay would make the field more competitive and districts would be able to hire from a more select group. Step two: get rid of standardized tests. The pressures teachers face for their students to pass the End of Course tests, the writing test, and benchmarks is daunting. Then, add in the fact that you have to give one of these tests every two weeks. When is the teaching supposed to happen? When is the learning supposed to happen? Most of the time teachers are too time constrained to go in depth with the material and the students are presented with so much information at once that they don’t comprehend everything. The money it takes to print these tests can be used to raise teacher pay.
But are teachers 100% at fault? No. I can offer extra tutoring sessions, supplemental materials and a myriad of activities to help students prep for quizzes and tests, but I can’t go home with these kids. I can’t look over their shoulder and make sure they are studying for their vocabulary quizzes. I can’t make sure that Little Johnny is reading chapter four in The Great Gatsby. I can’t do it. But parents have the ability to do so. Parents should enforce and regulate homework time, even when their kid is in high school.
So why isn’t this happening? Why is there a systematic breakdown once the bell rings every day? Because parents can’t be the heavy all the time. All parents work. The majority of parents of students that I see everyday are parents that work two or three jobs. How can they be at home when Little Sally gets of the bus to make sure she studies when they are working second shift at a hospital, restaurant, or hotel? Sometimes a parent is so concerned with putting food on the table and making sure there is a roof over their children’s heads’ that they can’t be there to reinforce that their child has a test in U.S. History the following day.
Students control so much of their own fate in the classroom. If a student doesn’t want to get suspended, then the student will not get in a fight. If a student doesn’t want to go to lunch detention, then the student won’t be late to class. If a student doesn’t want to get a “D” in a class, then they will take every offering presented to them to succeed in the class. A student that comes into class everyday and sleeps still has to take the E.O.C. at the end of the semester. And that grade the student earns counts. Just like the “A” the boy sitting next to him earned on that very same test. In a district wide meeting when the school board members analyze the progress of each school, which grade do you think stands out more?
So who is to blame? The student? The teacher? The parent? The politicians? Society? I think a combination of all of these have led to the downward spiral that is education in America. The student for not taking initiative and not being the master of his or her fate. The lackadaisical teachers who are burned out, unqualified to teach, and ignorant about their students lives. The parents who are unaware of what their child should be doing in school and who are busy providing for their family. The politicians who don’t pay teachers enough and are too busy with implementing new programs without taking the time to fully understand just what they are proposing. Society for not knowing just how much of a negative influence it is having on education today. So really, no one specific is to blame. We all shoulder the blame. The solution: keep fighting for what is right and hopefully, education can be a number one priority again. But I can’t do it alone.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Life at Random
I’ve been gone…now I’m back. Life just grabs a hold of you and it doesn’t seem to let go. I don’t release my grip on Life either because I don’t want to miss what he has in store for me. I’ve just been consumed with some pretty overwhelming things lately and I’m so mentally exhausted from all of that so I’m going to just list a few significant, some mundane, and mostly arbitrary thoughts. I’ve done the list thing a few times now and I’m doing it again. It’s my blog; I’ll do what I want.
God is love.
Photography is my new favorite hobby.
I really need to build my IKEA bookcase.
New York and Company would go out of business if I didn’t shop there.
My sister Sahra is perfect.
Twenty-three has been a great year.
No, there is no Mr. Darcy, but there is probably someone better right around the corner.
I’m going to Algeria this summer.
Editing is one of my favorite things.
Celebrities are people too. They have problems like the rest of us.
There isn’t enough time for me to read all the books piled up in my room.
My mom is more than amazing, she is astonishing.
I am trying to figure out my love language.
My aloe plant refuses to grow anymore.
Johnna, Ashley D., and Travis are just a few of the best people in my life.
Being a high school LifeGroup leader fills me up.
Friends are family.
I want to share my story.
My brother Malik is so brave.
John Mayer has a messy personal life, but musically, he is a genius.
Crosspointe is a source of inspiration, motivation, and influence.
Tears are great.
Saying” I love shoes” is an understatement.
My dad is an honorable man.
I still laugh every day.
God is love.
Photography is my new favorite hobby.
I really need to build my IKEA bookcase.
New York and Company would go out of business if I didn’t shop there.
My sister Sahra is perfect.
Twenty-three has been a great year.
No, there is no Mr. Darcy, but there is probably someone better right around the corner.
I’m going to Algeria this summer.
Editing is one of my favorite things.
Celebrities are people too. They have problems like the rest of us.
There isn’t enough time for me to read all the books piled up in my room.
My mom is more than amazing, she is astonishing.
I am trying to figure out my love language.
My aloe plant refuses to grow anymore.
Johnna, Ashley D., and Travis are just a few of the best people in my life.
Being a high school LifeGroup leader fills me up.
Friends are family.
I want to share my story.
My brother Malik is so brave.
John Mayer has a messy personal life, but musically, he is a genius.
Crosspointe is a source of inspiration, motivation, and influence.
Tears are great.
Saying” I love shoes” is an understatement.
My dad is an honorable man.
I still laugh every day.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Next Play
My life can be summed up in a word. Changing. Everything I do, places I live, people I love; all of that changes. That is only natural. Of course I change my routine. Yes, I have moved. And I just add to the list of people I love. But these changes are not always positive. There is always a challenge. Always some strife. It’s like you are playing offense against a very large, stronger version of your insecurities and you have to figure out if you’re just going to pass the ball and wait for the next play, or if you’re going to charge and attempt to make the basket.
I use to wait for the next play. Watching as moments pass me by and waiting for newer, sometimes easier, opportunities to arrive. That is changing as well. I am not waiting anymore. I am not just watching things pass me by. I am taking a carpe diem approach to life now. Take hold of every opportunity that comes my way. Change has come in many forms in the past few months.
I use to wait for the next play. Watching as moments pass me by and waiting for newer, sometimes easier, opportunities to arrive. That is changing as well. I am not waiting anymore. I am not just watching things pass me by. I am taking a carpe diem approach to life now. Take hold of every opportunity that comes my way. Change has come in many forms in the past few months.
Change in my faith and practices. Change in my home. Change in my relationship with my family. Change in my relationship with my friends. Change in my teaching practices. Some positive, filled with love and grace. Some not so positive, filled with hurt feelings and extra work. But I am trying. I am accepting. I am looking for the silver lining, and normally finding it. Change is hard and messy, often full of emotion (both good and bad). I’m not on the sidelines anymore, but in the thick of this game called change. Only now, I must follow through and charge.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Little Epiphanies
I’ve been gone awhile. Life happened.
This past month has been full of incredible experiences, growing, and reflecting. I have learned more about myself in the past month than I have in 23 years of life. So want to know the things I’ve learned? Well, here goes nothing.
This past month has been full of incredible experiences, growing, and reflecting. I have learned more about myself in the past month than I have in 23 years of life. So want to know the things I’ve learned? Well, here goes nothing.
I trust Him.
I have learned the true meaning of “Patience is a virtue.”
Paying bills really isn’t fun.
It really doesn’t matter what I wear.
Living is way more important, and fun, than surviving.
If it doesn’t get done, then it doesn’t get done.
Writing is more than a hobby, it’s an obsession.
The way to my heart, food…and Nine West shoes.
Love happens.
DeVondre is actually really funny.
I can see Forever the Sickest Kids in Greensboro, get to bed at 1:30 a.m., get up at 5:00 a.m. to teach and not experience one ounce of exhaustion.
My age does not indicate anything about my maturity level.
Christmas music before Thanksgiving is incredibly annoying.
Being rewarded for being a teacher comes in more forms than just a paycheck.
People can surprise you, and sometimes, you don’t like the surprise.
I could have been a graphic designer.
Letting go is so hard.
I wish I was back in school.
I need to read more.
Music takes me to a place I can’t even describe.
My family will love me, no matter what.
I have a really hard time being open with people, still.
Friends are the greatest gift in my life.
I like my handwriting.
I still laugh every day.
Talking is one of my many talents.
I have perfected the art of running and reading at the same time.
Time is the best gift.
The ugly stuff is good to share, and then it’s not so ugly anymore.
Just a few of the little epiphanies I had this month. Hopefully you won’t have to wait another month to read something else from me.
I have learned the true meaning of “Patience is a virtue.”
Paying bills really isn’t fun.
It really doesn’t matter what I wear.
Living is way more important, and fun, than surviving.
If it doesn’t get done, then it doesn’t get done.
Writing is more than a hobby, it’s an obsession.
The way to my heart, food…and Nine West shoes.
Love happens.
DeVondre is actually really funny.
I can see Forever the Sickest Kids in Greensboro, get to bed at 1:30 a.m., get up at 5:00 a.m. to teach and not experience one ounce of exhaustion.
My age does not indicate anything about my maturity level.
Christmas music before Thanksgiving is incredibly annoying.
Being rewarded for being a teacher comes in more forms than just a paycheck.
People can surprise you, and sometimes, you don’t like the surprise.
I could have been a graphic designer.
Letting go is so hard.
I wish I was back in school.
I need to read more.
Music takes me to a place I can’t even describe.
My family will love me, no matter what.
I have a really hard time being open with people, still.
Friends are the greatest gift in my life.
I like my handwriting.
I still laugh every day.
Talking is one of my many talents.
I have perfected the art of running and reading at the same time.
Time is the best gift.
The ugly stuff is good to share, and then it’s not so ugly anymore.
Just a few of the little epiphanies I had this month. Hopefully you won’t have to wait another month to read something else from me.
Friday, October 2, 2009
All Because of You
U2. Indescribable. Their show was one of the most breathtakingly, artistically progressive, astonishing show I have ever seen. I have seen so many musicians perform and been moved by several of them, The Rolling Stones, Fall Out Boy, Civil Twilight, Goo Goo Dolls. However, after last night’s performance none of them come close to that performance.
U2 has been my favorite band since I was 12 years old when my mom gave me her album The Joshua Tree and told me to listen to it. I fell in love with their sound, their lyrics, and them then. I even thought Bono was cute, and I still strongly believe that today. Since then I have bought or downloaded everything U2. I joined the ONE campaign three years ago because of Bono. I bought their book two years ago. I have their music video DVD. I respect U2 as a band not only for their musical genius but for their philanthropic work as well.
For the past few years I kept telling myself that if U2 comes to town then I would go to their show. When I found out they were coming to Raleigh I checked out the tickets, but realized that I couldn’t afford $250 to see my favorite band. They are worth it, but I have to pay my rent too. When Pam offered me a ticket to see my favorite band I knew my dream was going to come true. It was a dream that I was fulfilled last night. You know when you see a really great band live and they inspire you, give you hope? U2 does that for me every time I listen to them but last night watching them I was in awe. It was almost as if I was having an out of body experience throughout the entire show, like I was looking down at myself and just repeating, “I am at a U2 concert.” I know I have no musical talent, but I can admire it and understand its influence on a person’s life. U2 has influenced me. I can’t believe I saw U2 last night.
U2 has been my favorite band since I was 12 years old when my mom gave me her album The Joshua Tree and told me to listen to it. I fell in love with their sound, their lyrics, and them then. I even thought Bono was cute, and I still strongly believe that today. Since then I have bought or downloaded everything U2. I joined the ONE campaign three years ago because of Bono. I bought their book two years ago. I have their music video DVD. I respect U2 as a band not only for their musical genius but for their philanthropic work as well.
For the past few years I kept telling myself that if U2 comes to town then I would go to their show. When I found out they were coming to Raleigh I checked out the tickets, but realized that I couldn’t afford $250 to see my favorite band. They are worth it, but I have to pay my rent too. When Pam offered me a ticket to see my favorite band I knew my dream was going to come true. It was a dream that I was fulfilled last night. You know when you see a really great band live and they inspire you, give you hope? U2 does that for me every time I listen to them but last night watching them I was in awe. It was almost as if I was having an out of body experience throughout the entire show, like I was looking down at myself and just repeating, “I am at a U2 concert.” I know I have no musical talent, but I can admire it and understand its influence on a person’s life. U2 has influenced me. I can’t believe I saw U2 last night.
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