Connection

Last night I had dinner somewhere between Australia and New Zealand and directly across from the Netherlands just to the left of Germany.  Before you question my sense of geography, which is questionable at times, I must explain that I had dinner with new friends and my actual physical location was Athens, Ohio.  Our school has an amazing opportunity to begin to send some adventurous student teachers overseas for their residency experiences.  This past week I traveled with my Director to meet the people involved in this endeavor from sending and receiving sites and to learn more about the places where our students may be placed all over the world.  To say I am excited about this for our students is beyond an understatement.  What an incredible experience awaits those who choose this path.  

While reflecting upon my week I was struck by how quickly we all became friends.  By last night's dinner, a mere three days in, we were all sharing jokes and laughing as if we'd known each other forever.  We talked of our families, shared stories that brought both tears of empathy as well as tears of hilarity, and shared a variety of cultural traditions.  "Ringing someone up" is not what you do at a cash register in Australia- it is making a phone call.  When I go to visit Hans in Holland I am going to enjoy something that sounds like an "oily ball" and it is described as what I can only imagine is deep fried Heaven.  We discussed our differences but eventually always came back to our similarities.  At the very heart of it all we are humans with blood traveling through our veins and air filling our lungs and people filling our hearts and souls.  I experienced human connection at its finest.  We departed with hugs, handshakes and kisses on both cheeks.  We departed companions joined in a common goal to erase the boundaries between us and to allow our students the opportunity to have these same types of experiences.  

It's often said that the root of hate is fear.  I think we do fear the unknown.  Hate is easy until it has a face and a name and is seated beside you.  When hate becomes human and acts much like you it just doesn't make sense any longer, at least it shouldn't.  Perhaps it is a bit Pollyanna of me but I believe our students will benefit from experiencing the unknown and new and we will be able to then send more teachers into classrooms that encourage others to look through new eyes upon new encounters. Waves start as ripples, right?  Can our need for human connection supersede our fears and replace hate?  I would like to think we are doing our part to encourage just that and that excites me.

I have amassed many writing topics this past week that will fill a journal in future days.  My first writing piece so far has been to compile a list of all the new places I want to visit and explore. It's a long list but I'm looking forward to the hoping and dreaming of conquering it one day and of all the new connections I will make along the way.