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Important - Super Orientation is the first weekend in June and is for ALL AFS Miss Tennky students, Host Parents, Americans Abroad, and AA Parents. This orientation is mandatory (click for more information) for all Hosted Students and AAs. See our "2007-2008 Calendar" under the "Activities" link for details. More later.
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AFS-USA volunteers are developing the new AFSwiki web site to replace the "public" functions of AFSonline once the "confidential" functions of AFSonline are moved to GlobalLink (already used by many AFS partner countries). Check out information on the up-and-coming AFSwiki on our "Volunteers" page, which includes links to two tutorials. You will be ahead of the game when AFSonline goes away. If you would like to help develop and maintain AFSwiki, please let our Webmaster know!
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From Joyce Barrett of the Wilson County AFS Chapter--
AFS Booth at Armed Forces Day, May 17 at Charlie Daniels Park in Mt. Juliet, TN
What would really be fantastic would be to have more students there so they can meet people and persuade them to sign up to host students this fall. Hint, hint!
Helpers need to be there by 9:30AM to set up. We can do 2 shifts for anyone who can't stay the whole time. (Like 9:30AM to 12:30PM and 12:30PM until 3:30PM). It is actually not over until 4:00PM but at the Easter one people stopped coming before the time was up and so we cleaned up early.
Please let me (Joyce) know if you parents, volunteers, or any Student can help.
Thanks!
Joyce Barrett
615-754-1214
ohsec@comcast.net
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Want to do a bit for world peace? You can have a greater impact for good on international relations than you ever imagined.... (select for more). Or, just read the following essays written by AFS students. After you wipe away the tears, volunteer your family!!!
AFS-USA Selects Winners for AFS International's "My Different View" Essay Contest
9 July 2007
With the help of many dedicated judges, AFS-USA has selected a winner for AFS International's "My Different View" Essay Contest.
Out of 117 entries, the first place winner for the U.S. is Alexis Duecker of Malvern, Pennsylvania. Alexis was a Congress Bundestag participant in 2005. Her winning essay is below. We hope you take a moment to read this winning essay.
Second place for the U.S. goes to Elizabeth Schutze of Dallas, Texas, a returnee who went on the summer program to Argentina in 2005. Elizabeth's vivid essay is also below.
There is a tie for third place between Andrea Bolivar and Rebecca LaGrandeur. Andrea is from North Providence, Rhode Island and went on a Team Mission program to Ghana and Rebecca is from Salinas, California and also went on a Team Mission program to Ghana. Their essays are also below.
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1st Place Winner for AFS International's "My Different View" Essay Contest
Alexis Duecker – 2007 1st Place Winner
“Werde der, der du bist.”*
-Nietzsche
"Even I, who was hypersensitive to environmental and cultural idiosyncrasies, underestimated how different it would be. I expected Western Europe to be, in essence, quite similar to America, and in many ways it was. But seemingly minute details contributed to an extraordinary experience, the weight of which continues to become clear. The changes I underwent during my year in Germany were nuanced, as my realization of those changes has been since my return.
"No matter how much I read about Germany and its natives before I left for my first experience in Europe, nothing could have prepared me for their seemingly stoic honesty. An inescapable characteristic of their culture, candor “German-style” did not leave me unscathed. Coming from a culture wherein political correctness and ‘feelings’ generally take precedence, I received a shock in Germany. My American foibles were brought to unforgiving light. I spent many a thoughtful, often teary night rehashing not only my own, but my country’s alleged (perhaps legitimate) negative aspects.
"But when my German friends acknowledged that I spoke without a typically American accent, when my water polo coach praised my rapid skill acquisition, and when my host parents told me they loved me, I knew they spoke the unadulterated truth. When my host parents confided that they considered me their daughter, and when my area’s representative to the Bundestag exclaimed that my German pronunciation was the best he had heard from an American, I knew it was genuine.
"I used to be unflinchingly American, dogmatically patriotic. Before I left for Germany, like thousands of high school students nationwide I had begun to consider my college options. The years preceding and including my sophomore year, I was dedicated to obtaining acceptance into the United States Naval Academy – my father’s alma mater and a source of familial pride. Gradually and almost imperceptibly, though, my view of the world and America’s role in it adjusted to encompass my thoughts and feelings as a figurative dual resident of America and Europe. Seeing the depiction of America through the frank German media, discussing with my peers and adults the repercussions of the apparently ubiquitous American military presence, and rationalizing to myself the administrative policies of my two countries inevitably led to a broader worldview. Upon my return, I applied and was accepted into Barnard College in Manhattan – a cosmopolitan atmosphere which will nurture my fresh state of mind.
"The challenge of attempting to reconcile the difference in opinion between my natural and host families served as a crucible for many of the changes I underwent. Even as a reasonably well-adjusted young woman, it was difficult to bear the responsibility of justifying the actions of my country and my own actions, which were ultimately the product of my upbringing. My time in Germany taught me the value of asking questions, and of learning their true, if harsh, answers. Germany has changed, in my eyes, from a land of “Bier und Bratwurst” to one of sincere people, whose attitudes and perceptions reflect their history. Consequently, I now realize that every country on earth is undoubtedly worthy of exploration and understanding.
"Though my year abroad was spent in a wealthy, developed, progressive land, my ability to perceive and emotionally react to geopolitical distress has grown acute. My awareness of the existence of different cultures has expanded. I value the diversities, however slight, which account for a wide spectrum of personalities and populations. I am exponentially more appreciative of my natural family, my relatively privileged childhood, and the basically infinite opportunities available to me. I am conscious of the comparative global rarity of my situation; I am no longer naïve and do not believe if I do not see something, it does not exist.
"On my last day in Germany, I remember the poignant train ride through the countryside, poring over sentimental letters from friends and hand drawn cards from my younger host sister. My most vivid memory, though, is of a German customs official, as he stamped my passport and politely ignored the tears on my cheeks, telling me simply that he hoped it – the culmination of a year - was good. Despite the initial homesickness, frustration, and loneliness, I can now say that my experience was not only good, it was the impetus to my defining myself. For me, Germany was the question. The altered path of my life will attempt to answer that question – honestly."
*"Become who you are"
The first place winner for the U.S. is Alexis Duecker of Malvern, Pennsylvania. Alexis was a Congress Bundestag participant in 2005.
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2nd Place Winner for AFS International's "My Different View" Essay Contest
Elizabeth Schutze – 2007 2nd Place Winner
"I stepped off the bus and took a sharp breath of Argentine winter air. The other Americans who had traveled with me had already been engulfed in the huddled mass and whisked away by their host families. I hadn’t known what to expect coming to Argentina. Perhaps I was searching for a piece of myself buried within the softly rolling countryside, the chance to become intertwined with the locals, find the blood of another culture running through my veins. What I did not expect was to be standing alone at a foreign bus stop. The cold seeped through my parka like the fear that was slowly dissolving my independent teenager complex. My eyes darted around anxiously. I looked for something I could recognize, something familiar…anything. Without warning, I found my face buried in the front of a strangers coat. A button was pressing against my eye and the nylon material didn’t provide much air circulation. Although I should have been panicking, I was somehow comforted as the person began to rock me back and forth. I raised my head to meet a woman’s warm face; darkened skin, slightly crinkled, peppered hair and a crooked smile that made me feel at peace. This was Inés, my Argentine host mother.
When Inés smiles there are two gummy holes where the teeth her husband knocked out used to be. She often ran her fingers along the wide spaces and smiled despite the memories they must have evoked. After a while she would turn to me, shrug, and say somos mujeres fuertes (we are strong women), Graciela, then smile even wider, displaying the rest of her gleaming, untarnished teeth.
"Forty, divorced, and mother of three kids, Inés works two jobs to keep her family afloat. She lost faith in the Catholic Church because of her ex-husband’s infidelity and instead devotes herself to raising her children. In the midst of all the confusion and struggle in her life, Inés was prepared to take on more, an exchange student. I was a complete stranger, and another strain on the family’s resources. Yet Inés opened her three roomed house to me. Initially, she believed that I would provide a new experience for her kids, open their horizons. But my stay had the complete opposite effect; she was the one who changed me.
"Inés’ home was in a small agricultural community called Pocito, or “little hole”. The majority of our neighbors worked to produce the wine the small village in the Cordillera was known for. One day after school, Inés and I took our usual walk, but instead of heading towards the market, we walked to the edge of the shriveled vineyard close by. There, stooped amongst the frail branches was a girl about my age. She was clothed in tattered rags and shivering visibly. As we watched her pruning the frigid plants, Inés explained that this was her motivation to work. Argentina’s economy was so bad that a vast majority of its people were forced to keep such jobs and often had no opportunity to progress in society. Although Inés was not well off, she was determined never to see her children working in the fields.
"Lying in bed that night, I knew that something inside me had shifted. My perception of the entire world seemed skewed and I felt ignorant for not realizing the extent of Inés’ success. I live a privileged life. I drive my own car, attend an elite private school, and hire someone else to prune my hedges. However, Inés shattered this limited perspective. Rocking back and forth in her arms that first day at the bus stop, I experienced the tender embrace of Argentina. Attending classes with children whose fingers were mangled from working the vines after school, witnessing the repercussions of spousal abuse, and becoming immersed in a culture with which I formed a passionate love affair caused my life to switch directions. Instead of heading straight ahead in the typical path set before me, I now take time to stop and take note of life’s details that would have previously been lost in my peripheral vision. Inés showed me things so that I could feel the Argentineans’ strife, their intensity and optimism. Inés allowed me to taste life – cruel, bitter, sweet, passionate – life, for the first time."
Second place for the U.S. goes to Elizabeth Schutze of Dallas, Texas, a returnee who went on the summer program to Argentina in 2005.
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3rd Place Winner for AFS International's "My Different View" Essay Contest
Andrea Bolivar
"Biribi Wo Soro"
“O Binka Bi” means unity. However, it refers to a unity that exists only in Africa. I somehow knew that this unity existed, and I knew that experiencing it would change my life. Therefore, when everybody doubted that I, a child of struggling immigrants, wanted nothing more than to volunteer in an orphanage in Ghana, I had no choice but to prove them wrong. After working tirelessly at a minimum wage job, fund raising outside of super markets, and applying for every possible scholarship, I found myself, almost suddenly, surrounded by beauty and strength. This was possible because of the DeWitt Scholarship.
It began each morning when I stepped out of my humble host home and into the sweltering sun. The neighborhood children would be screaming, dancing, and singing, “Obroni, Obroni!” They were laughing hysterically at the sight of me. Coffee colored skin and long curly hair; I must have been quite a sight to see. “Obroni” means “white”. It is funny how I am light in Africa, but dark in America. In Africa I am a rich white girl, but in America I am a lower class minority. I greeted the children with equal excitement, joined in the dancing, passed out candy, and touched each of their perfectly round, smiling faces. Each morning it was the same. They never got sick of it…neither did I.
There are some things that words cannot do justice to. My experience at the orphanage is one of those things. I experienced many amazing things in Ghana. I walked on rope bridges over the rain forest. I jammed with Rastafarians. I was exorcised by my extremely religious host parents. I visited the slave dungeons. But the exact moment that changed my life, was when I first stood up in front of 75 orphans, all of whom were
starving in more ways than one. We built the children a bathroom that was very much needed, and we taught them basic English and math.
Although I was the one standing in front of the class, I was the real student and they were the teachers. The children taught me more about life than most full grown Americans will even learn. Kofi is five years old and he wanted to know why all the things the Americans brought said “Made in China”. Kofi will never be able to use his intelligence. At the age of 14 all of the children become servants. They cannot save up for an education, because they work for food and shelter. They are the lucky ones. Many are forced into thievery and prostitution. I have a new appreciation for my education in America. However, not even this is the most important thing that I learned. The children were always smiling, big, bright, honest, whole hearted smiles. I often asked myself, “Why?” and more importantly, “How?” I am nothing compared to Kofi, or Kwame, or Jessica. The little children with swollen bellies and big bleeding hearts are so much greater than I!
When I tell people that I lived in West Africa, they often assume that it was hard. Water shortages? Cockroaches? Malaria? Ha! The hardest part was leaving. I had to explain to the children, that I, like everybody else in their little lives, would be leaving them. I knew that in America there would be no dancing in the streets. In America, heterosexual men do not walk hand in hand. It is funny how the culture shock was greater coming back to America than it was first arriving in Ghana. Although I am incredibly thankful to have running water that I can actually drink, Africa has something so much greater that America does not have. “Biribi Wo Soro” means hope. The average Ghanaian makes $420 a year. Yet even the poorest of poor will dance to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I find that in America there is an invisible wall that exists between strangers. In most African countries, there are no walls that separate brother from brother and sister from sister. The bond as human beings is naturally acknowledged. Even I, a Colombian American, was accepted into the culture as “Sista Efia.”
Everyday I think about the children. I have a great appreciation for West African culture, and I sometimes find that I am disgusted by the way some Americans live. My hope is that the children will remember what I taught them about verbs and addition. I hope that one day the money that America donates to AIDS victims will actually get to the AIDS victims. I also hope that I can make a difference in more people’s lives."
There was a tie for third place between Andrea Bolivar and Rebecca LaGrandeur. Andrea is from North Providence, Rhode Island and went on a Team Mission program to Ghana.
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3rd Place Winner for AFS International's "My Different View" Essay Contest
Rebecca LaGrandeur
"My Different View"
"I lay in the blackness with the heat and humidity pressing down on me. My eyes fixated on the only picture in my windowless room – one of a polar bear, the irony made me smile. I was silently striving to put the pieces of the puzzle that was my life in Ghana together. I had come to Accra on the AFS Team Mission program to help at an orphanage and live with a host family. Accra is just one developing city of thousands worldwide that you can smell before you can see because of burning garbage and car exhaust, where you have to step over open sewers with fish parts and human feces, and abandoned children roam the streets. It was for these children that I came to Ghana…or so I thought. I was expecting to fall in love with the orphans, the hope of a continent gushing from their smiles, and that I did.
"I felt I was accomplishing things at the orphanage; we had attached new mosquito nets, renovated and planted a garden, worked in the classrooms teaching English and math, and just hugged the kids. But something deeper was bothering me. When I was with my host family, they constantly questioned my ability to have the facts right. Whether we were discussing the fact that all races indeed had equal voting rights in America or that learning to speak Japanese in school had value, they constantly doubted and questioned me. I couldn’t figure it out, but one evening I experienced an epiphany while watching Shrek. (Not the usual setting for an epiphany…) We normally watched Nigerian movies so that night’s film was special. My 20-year-old sisters, Rita and Eva, sat on the couch with me. I enjoyed their lighthearted humor, such as when the power went out (as it did daily in Accra), and they joked that I glowed in the dark like an alien because of my light skin. However, during Shrek they felt compelled to quietly explain the plot to me. When I laughed at one of subtle references to American pop culture, they corrected me and said, “No, Becky, that is not funny”. I didn’t try to explain how the monster chasing a crowd out of one Starbucks across the street to another Starbucks was humorous. But at that moment the pieces fell together. Over the month or so that I had lived with them, they had evaluated me and decided subconsciously that I was the one who needed help. In their minds how could a normal seventeen-year-old not know how to pound cassava root into paste with a long stick, or know how to wash their clothes in one bucket, or believe in voodoo as was reported on the nightly news. Their frame of reference was such that the things I knew and valued were suspect or insignificant because they were so different from their reality.
"The next day I found myself in a different state of mind. I no longer looked into the eyes of these orphans and thought, “Oh, I want to save all the children”. Instead I thought, “How are we as peers of this generation going to solve our world problems when the very reality which we live and our perceptions of the world are so completely different?” As the weeks went on I realized more and more that even the word “perspective” was not an adequate word, for the views run in a swift, silent current deeper than material, traditional, and even cultural differences.
"Before I went to Ghana I knew that there were huge world problems requiring international cooperation – malaria, AIDS, equitable land use, and global warming to name a few. However, my experience in Ghana helped me grasp that solutions will not come just with money and the desire to help. There must also be awareness that one’s perspective and values are a part of their culture and integrally embedded in them. I realized that night while watching Shrek, that the definition of the helper and helpee can become quite blurred. There are many people who want to help, but how do we start when such basic issues as what’s important in this world are defined so differently? To me this is a daunting question. I returned home with more than just the expected love for the orphans, but with this question that runs itself through my mind every day. My youthful idealism of “helping” has been tempered with adult realism. No matter how overwhelming the world’s problems, I still do believe in the ripple effect and hopefully last summer I was able to throw a few pebbles by broadening perspectives, but when I return to Africa I want to have the answers to some of my questions and be able to throw boulders."
There was a tie for third place between Andrea Bolivar and Rebecca LaGrandeur. Rebecca is from Salinas, California and also went on a Team Mission program to Ghana.
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