As we highlighted in our previous quarterly report to donors, there are a lot of challenges to being a "Third-Culture Kid" (watch this short, excellent video by Adrian Bautista about TCK's for understanding this designation--previously posted on Three-Worlds)...
Our kids are new to these challenges, and they're adjusting marvelously. Changing schools (twice in the past year for Grace and Titus); making not only new friends, but new friends from a variety of cultures; being exposed to new languages within this new culture and from these new friends; trying to learn and navigate the new cultural norms that can be quite different from those they grew up with in the States; and so many more.
Despite these unique challenges, there are also several distinct opportunities that they also can now access. In fact, several of those challenges above can also be an opportunity.
Among these opportunities are travel and seeing/experiencing the world. Grace and Titus have already been traveling to places that we have not yet seen ourselves. Shortly after our arrival in 2012, Grace went on a class retreat into the Sinai peninsula; last fall, Titus went to Luxor on a class trip for a few days to learn that history among the antiquities there.
Tonight, Grace leaves on such an opportunity. Each year, her school (Cairo American College) offers a Week Without Walls to give their students the opportunity to learn and experience the world through cultural, service, and/or adventure trips.
There is quite an elaborate process that allows students to rank their top 12 choices, which are submitted into a lottery process that gives everyone equal chance of attaining one of their top picks as there are only 20 available spots per trip. Keli participated in the selection process this year and was impressed by their efficiency and fairness in the placement of all these students.
The trips themselves are simply amazing opportunities. One of the new families we hosted this past summer in a welcome to Cairo mixer had both of their sons get their top choice--to be assigned into a team of ten students who will spend a week on racing sailboats to learn how to work as a team and compete off the coast of the United Kingdom! I spoke with the father and one of the sons today about just how unique and exciting such a rare opportunity is in life.
Some students will travel to Vietnam and built stilt houses in the jungles there for families in need of this peculiar shelter. Some will travel to study the art and art history in Vienna, Austria; others will travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg to discover some of the architectural and historical elements of those cities. Another group will even travel to work on a Panda conservatory in China--we're told they will hold and feed baby pandas while learning about the challenges to their habitat and species.
What's Grace going to be doing? Well, she actually "won" her first choice and will be the first among our family to head south of the Equator, but not too far south...
Grace will be going to Tanzania. Here's the description of the trip for which she signed up:
OBJECTIVES:
We're proud of Grace's choice, happy for her that she got her first choice as a freshman, and we pray that this trip will be a special blessing in her life as she also is offered an opportunity to be a blessing to students in Tanzania.
As I mentioned in our previous post, it just so happens that two of the other families who attended our new to Cairo mixer, and the wives/mother with whom Keli has been meeting regularly, have daughters who are also on this trip. It's another unique connection among our families.
Traveling into Tanzania brings its own share of health warnings and even more vaccines that she had to receive. Pray that she stays healthy, free from injury (as well as her whole group), makes some stronger friendships & wonderful memories, and is able to hear the still, small voice of God and know His presence.
Our kids are new to these challenges, and they're adjusting marvelously. Changing schools (twice in the past year for Grace and Titus); making not only new friends, but new friends from a variety of cultures; being exposed to new languages within this new culture and from these new friends; trying to learn and navigate the new cultural norms that can be quite different from those they grew up with in the States; and so many more.
Despite these unique challenges, there are also several distinct opportunities that they also can now access. In fact, several of those challenges above can also be an opportunity.
Among these opportunities are travel and seeing/experiencing the world. Grace and Titus have already been traveling to places that we have not yet seen ourselves. Shortly after our arrival in 2012, Grace went on a class retreat into the Sinai peninsula; last fall, Titus went to Luxor on a class trip for a few days to learn that history among the antiquities there.
Tonight, Grace leaves on such an opportunity. Each year, her school (Cairo American College) offers a Week Without Walls to give their students the opportunity to learn and experience the world through cultural, service, and/or adventure trips.
There is quite an elaborate process that allows students to rank their top 12 choices, which are submitted into a lottery process that gives everyone equal chance of attaining one of their top picks as there are only 20 available spots per trip. Keli participated in the selection process this year and was impressed by their efficiency and fairness in the placement of all these students.
The trips themselves are simply amazing opportunities. One of the new families we hosted this past summer in a welcome to Cairo mixer had both of their sons get their top choice--to be assigned into a team of ten students who will spend a week on racing sailboats to learn how to work as a team and compete off the coast of the United Kingdom! I spoke with the father and one of the sons today about just how unique and exciting such a rare opportunity is in life.
Some students will travel to Vietnam and built stilt houses in the jungles there for families in need of this peculiar shelter. Some will travel to study the art and art history in Vienna, Austria; others will travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg to discover some of the architectural and historical elements of those cities. Another group will even travel to work on a Panda conservatory in China--we're told they will hold and feed baby pandas while learning about the challenges to their habitat and species.
What's Grace going to be doing? Well, she actually "won" her first choice and will be the first among our family to head south of the Equator, but not too far south...Grace will be going to Tanzania. Here's the description of the trip for which she signed up:
This is a service learning course that aims to provide students with the opportunity to work with Tanzanian students at a local organization called Second Chance Education Centre. Set up by Lucy Renju and her husband, it gives a second chance at education to students who were unable to finish school due to difficult family situations or extreme poverty. Students will stay at Honey Badger Lodge which is adjacent to the Second Chance school. The accommodation will be basic but there will be hot water, clean shared rooms and plentiful local food. Students will do a variety of different work, that could include physical labour, developing and running language games, teaching computer skills. Students will also have the opportunity to interact socially with the students at Second Chance, playing football, talking together etc. CAC and Second Chance students will spend one day on safari together at a local game park. We encourage students who are willing to make a commitment to service learning, who wish to have an interesting cultural experience and who are willing to take initiative and reach out to others.
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| Grace will have a similar view of Mt. Kilimanjaro daily |
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We're proud of Grace's choice, happy for her that she got her first choice as a freshman, and we pray that this trip will be a special blessing in her life as she also is offered an opportunity to be a blessing to students in Tanzania.
As I mentioned in our previous post, it just so happens that two of the other families who attended our new to Cairo mixer, and the wives/mother with whom Keli has been meeting regularly, have daughters who are also on this trip. It's another unique connection among our families.
Traveling into Tanzania brings its own share of health warnings and even more vaccines that she had to receive. Pray that she stays healthy, free from injury (as well as her whole group), makes some stronger friendships & wonderful memories, and is able to hear the still, small voice of God and know His presence.
Cheering for Grace! Sub-Saharan Africa is awesome. Don't make hippos angry.
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