Grateful Again
I've never been on stage so many times in one year as I have here at UPEACE. And here's the crazy thing - my community keeps letting me do it! Not only do the students and faculty let me get on stage to rant, dance and even sing; they also encourage and support me! It's really amazing. I wonder how this will play out in the real world. I now enjoy coming up with acts to perform and am currently writing a skit for our graduation festival. How will I be received at local coffee shops and poetry slams when I get the urge; out there?
Yes, I said it: GRADUATION. This Friday is our graduation ceremony. Granted, I don't actually get a degree yet. I still have to finish my thesis; but this Friday we'll have all of the pomp and circumstance. Myself and my friend/classmate Blessing will be representing Peace Education for our speech and after all of the formalities and brunch, students will have a chance to perform one last time in our informal graduation festival. Peace Education will have a skit and then some friends and I are rewriting the song "I'm Getting on a Jet Plane" to sing. The plan is to project the words and have a sing along. It's going to be great, even with me singing every note flat.
As this year surreally comes to an end, I am realizing how much I enjoy being a student. Yes, I complain about the extensive reading that keeps me up at night but more and more often I find myself really enjoying the process. I feel unbelievably lucky. The more I read about the rising cost of school tuition and how difficult it is for people to get through undergraduate programs, the more grateful I become. It is such a luxury to immerse oneself in education. I have the privilege to engage myself in education for the greater good. That's what this is about. I have plans for when I leave here. What I have learned through schooling and experience I hope to spread far and wide and make a positive impact somehow, somewhere. This sentiment is born from privilege. How else can I explain it? I am in a position to recognize the injustices of the world, be overcome with compassion and as a result be moved into action. This is an action. What you have read here all year is one small contribution that I am trying to make to give insight into another place, share my education and hopefully provide some food for thought. In my current and last class (sniff) we are learning that dialoguing is an action. Never stay silent! Awareness raising is the first step for change.
During these last two weeks we are all busy having lunch and dinner together as much as possible and celebrating each other and our collective growth. Tonight I had dinner with many friends and my friends parents from India. We ate the most delicious home cooked Indian food and watched videos of us from the beginning of the year. We had lovely conversations laced with some kind of new knowledge and shared memories of a full year. So much has happened. It's been a rich and unbelievable experience.
Last night was our third and final open mic. Open mic is truly special here at this campus. Students and faculty get together to entertain each other. It's extremely intimate since most of us are not used to performing, we just do it for each other. Here is my latest piece. It's a poem that I wrote. Someday I'd like to make it into a spoken word with a musical background. Reflecting on it now, it's strong but it is supposed to be. Take what you want from it and put the rest away for another day.
Yes, I said it: GRADUATION. This Friday is our graduation ceremony. Granted, I don't actually get a degree yet. I still have to finish my thesis; but this Friday we'll have all of the pomp and circumstance. Myself and my friend/classmate Blessing will be representing Peace Education for our speech and after all of the formalities and brunch, students will have a chance to perform one last time in our informal graduation festival. Peace Education will have a skit and then some friends and I are rewriting the song "I'm Getting on a Jet Plane" to sing. The plan is to project the words and have a sing along. It's going to be great, even with me singing every note flat.
As this year surreally comes to an end, I am realizing how much I enjoy being a student. Yes, I complain about the extensive reading that keeps me up at night but more and more often I find myself really enjoying the process. I feel unbelievably lucky. The more I read about the rising cost of school tuition and how difficult it is for people to get through undergraduate programs, the more grateful I become. It is such a luxury to immerse oneself in education. I have the privilege to engage myself in education for the greater good. That's what this is about. I have plans for when I leave here. What I have learned through schooling and experience I hope to spread far and wide and make a positive impact somehow, somewhere. This sentiment is born from privilege. How else can I explain it? I am in a position to recognize the injustices of the world, be overcome with compassion and as a result be moved into action. This is an action. What you have read here all year is one small contribution that I am trying to make to give insight into another place, share my education and hopefully provide some food for thought. In my current and last class (sniff) we are learning that dialoguing is an action. Never stay silent! Awareness raising is the first step for change.
During these last two weeks we are all busy having lunch and dinner together as much as possible and celebrating each other and our collective growth. Tonight I had dinner with many friends and my friends parents from India. We ate the most delicious home cooked Indian food and watched videos of us from the beginning of the year. We had lovely conversations laced with some kind of new knowledge and shared memories of a full year. So much has happened. It's been a rich and unbelievable experience.
Last night was our third and final open mic. Open mic is truly special here at this campus. Students and faculty get together to entertain each other. It's extremely intimate since most of us are not used to performing, we just do it for each other. Here is my latest piece. It's a poem that I wrote. Someday I'd like to make it into a spoken word with a musical background. Reflecting on it now, it's strong but it is supposed to be. Take what you want from it and put the rest away for another day.
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