The Voice, Masterchef, The Block, Celebrity Apprentice, House Rules...
Was watching Masterchef - thinking that it's turning into 'one of those' reality TV shows. Wondering why 'reality television' is so annoying to watch while you're watching it (dramatic intensifying of situation / 'face-palm' jokes / "coming up after the break" previews) yet people can't seem to tear their eyes away.
What's reality?
The past semester when I was still teaching English at the Centre of Hope, I was allocated two out of four hours to teach the most advanced classes. All the other times I'd only been teaching the most beginner students, so it was a nice change to have meaningful conversations with a few of my students this time and to ask their opinion on debatable topics ^_^"
The reality is that they could tell me in English what was probably true for most of the students. They tell me which country/region they're from. Place names which mean much more than a dot on the map. Areas which have military coups and civil wars and border conflicts and genocides and humanitarian emergencies written into their history. They try to explain the social and political situation there. They tell me the family they've left behind: husbands, wives, sons, daughters. They tell of meetings at the OPM to determine their asylum-seeker status. They share their hopes of returning home once it's safe, or of bringing their family to live in Kampala, or of waiting and waiting for a nation's embassy to approve their visa so they can be reunited with family abroad...
The reality is that I've seen friendships form between Eritrean and Ethiopian students, Somali and Somalilander students, Northern/Southern/Western Sudanese students.
The reality is I hold a passport issued by a socially and politically stable (snigger all you like - I'm being relative) nation, and a boarding pass to get me there. Fare thee well and off I soar...
The reality is that a refugee student from the Centre of Hope was involved in an accident over the long weekend - leaving behind three young children. She's now HOME.
The reality is I hold a passport issued by a socially and politically stable (snigger all you like - I'm being relative) nation, and a boarding pass to get me there. Fare thee well and off I soar...
The reality is that a refugee student from the Centre of Hope was involved in an accident over the long weekend - leaving behind three young children. She's now HOME.
'cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven't heard
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The Walk for Refugees / Lantern Parade / performance at South Bank tonight was awesome. I wish I'd brought a camera with me - not just a lagging phone...
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| assembling to walk |
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| love it! I asked my R&H students what their favourite animal was, and 'camel' was by far the most popular |
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