Seeing this picture and reading the posts truly make me smile and almost make up for the fact that I cannot contact my sister for the better part of a month. Reading about the experiences gives the sense of compassion and cooperation, of an education that is neither for the people, nor for the students, but an experience that shapes both. As Paulo Freire stated, “True generosity lies in striving so that these hands–whether of individuals or entire peoples–need be extended less and less in supplication, so that more and more they become human hands which work and, working, transform the world.” Reading this blog gives the impression of true generosity, not of a group of students simply wishing to impose their beliefs, nor that of a people simply waiting for the world to unburden them of their troubles, rather it gives the glimpse of a group of individuals eager to work together and use their knowledge to overcome their limiting situations. Constanza, I constantly think of you and wish you were here so I could tell you about my Hamlet epic, my journey towards running the craziest race, my anticipation for graduation, but it would almost be a crime to let you pass up on this amazing investment, an investment which will never give you a set dividend, an investment that will never put you in a lower tax bracket, an investment that will not earn you the prestige of the industry; no, this is the most important type of investment, an investment not only in yours, but in the hopes and goals of others. A leap of faith.
Dear Leadership Class:
Let me tell you a story………..a story about connection.
Not a long time ago, I was fortunate enough of reading a unique document about leadership (splendid work, crafted by true leaders). It was late night and as I kept reading it, the more I wanted to know. When I finished, I thought to myself: “If I was to keep one chapter, which one should I keep? and after a few minutes I came into a conclusion: “I would take the one about passion and vision”. It’s now several weeks since I read it and not until I saw the leadership class picture from Lauren, it all came together at once in my mind…….a true epiphany !!
I know that you -as Constanza did- experienced “those powerful emotions that drive enthusiasm” and the “mental images produced by imagination about the future” in preparation to Zambezi and the leadership curriculum, but that passion and vision that you carefully crafted in Spokane (with the invaluable mentorship of Mr. Armstrong) meant nothing if it was not to be shared…..just like knowledge.
I could go, on and on and on, but since I can’t just let me tell you that I wish I could share the classroom with your students, to you learn from each other as you had but most of all to have the chance of being contagious with your passion and inspired with your vision of a better world! We couldn’t be prouder.
Even though I’m not there, I feel connected!
Please keep us posted.
Chindele Papa-Eric
Let me tell you another brief story:
(I know Constanza will be thinking at this point like “OMG, please Dad, stop it!” but I won’t). This one is about a little girl on her 5th or 6th birthday who invited friends to her party and end up teaching them in the lawn some concepts that I couldn’t understand. Probably she was sharing her vision of Zambezi as every kid was mesmerized listening to her!
Seeing this picture and reading the posts truly make me smile and almost make up for the fact that I cannot contact my sister for the better part of a month. Reading about the experiences gives the sense of compassion and cooperation, of an education that is neither for the people, nor for the students, but an experience that shapes both. As Paulo Freire stated, “True generosity lies in striving so that these hands–whether of individuals or entire peoples–need be extended less and less in supplication, so that more and more they become human hands which work and, working, transform the world.” Reading this blog gives the impression of true generosity, not of a group of students simply wishing to impose their beliefs, nor that of a people simply waiting for the world to unburden them of their troubles, rather it gives the glimpse of a group of individuals eager to work together and use their knowledge to overcome their limiting situations. Constanza, I constantly think of you and wish you were here so I could tell you about my Hamlet epic, my journey towards running the craziest race, my anticipation for graduation, but it would almost be a crime to let you pass up on this amazing investment, an investment which will never give you a set dividend, an investment that will never put you in a lower tax bracket, an investment that will not earn you the prestige of the industry; no, this is the most important type of investment, an investment not only in yours, but in the hopes and goals of others. A leap of faith.
Dear Leadership Class:
Let me tell you a story………..a story about connection.
Not a long time ago, I was fortunate enough of reading a unique document about leadership (splendid work, crafted by true leaders). It was late night and as I kept reading it, the more I wanted to know. When I finished, I thought to myself: “If I was to keep one chapter, which one should I keep? and after a few minutes I came into a conclusion: “I would take the one about passion and vision”. It’s now several weeks since I read it and not until I saw the leadership class picture from Lauren, it all came together at once in my mind…….a true epiphany !!
I know that you -as Constanza did- experienced “those powerful emotions that drive enthusiasm” and the “mental images produced by imagination about the future” in preparation to Zambezi and the leadership curriculum, but that passion and vision that you carefully crafted in Spokane (with the invaluable mentorship of Mr. Armstrong) meant nothing if it was not to be shared…..just like knowledge.
I could go, on and on and on, but since I can’t just let me tell you that I wish I could share the classroom with your students, to you learn from each other as you had but most of all to have the chance of being contagious with your passion and inspired with your vision of a better world! We couldn’t be prouder.
Even though I’m not there, I feel connected!
Please keep us posted.
Chindele Papa-Eric
Let me tell you another brief story:
(I know Constanza will be thinking at this point like “OMG, please Dad, stop it!” but I won’t). This one is about a little girl on her 5th or 6th birthday who invited friends to her party and end up teaching them in the lawn some concepts that I couldn’t understand. Probably she was sharing her vision of Zambezi as every kid was mesmerized listening to her!
Te quiero mucho Bu!
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