Albert Lawundeh, TSE photographer

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Preparing

I'm not sure exactly how to begin this blog, since for me, this journey is not really beginning. It's actually more of a continuation that began seven years ago when I agreed to become the chair of the education committee of the Child Rescue Centre Partnership without really knowing what that would mean, and how it would transform and enrich my life.

The Child Rescue Centre, for those of you who don't know of it, is a 70-child resident orphanage located in Bo, Sierra Leone. The CRC provides safety and nurturing to these children, and my role as the chair of education is to do my best to ensure that they receive the best education possible so that they can grow up and become the future leaders of their nation. You can find out more about the CRC here.

In less than two months, I will be making the journey back to Bo, the second largest "city" (I put "city" in quotes because by American standards, it would probably more accurately be described as "village" or "wide place in the road"). This will be my third trip to Bo, and my first as the leader of an 8 person team. It will also be the first time I'll get a chance to observe in the classrooms and schools attended by our resident orphans, and the first time I'll travel to Bo with a student of my own; a GMU senior earning three credit hours for her work with me in Bo and in the months leading up to and following our trip.

As my student's instructor, I'm charged with giving and grading assignments. One of the things I'm requiring of her is writing a regular blog about her experiences related to this trip. In the spirit of never asking a student to do something you're not willing to do yourself, I'm also planning to keep my own blog.

6 comments:

  1. Very cool Laura. I'm following your blog now so I'll watch for your updates. Hope you have a great trip.
    Kristy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kristy,
    Thanks for my first official comment! I'm excited about going back - and looking forward to this blogging experiment too. Thanks for checking it out!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I earned 3 credits through GMU for my trip to Bo! Great idea to keep a blog. Do you have a link to your students'?

    ReplyDelete
  4. What were you doing in Bo for GMU? I'd be very interested to hear more about that. I don't yet have a link to my student's blog as she's setting hers up, but hope to have it up and connected very soon. Thanks for reading - keep checking us out!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Laura:
    You are an amazing woman! I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with you in the 1990s. I will follow your blog journey!
    Libby

    ReplyDelete
  6. Libby - so glad you'll be along for the ride! When I get back, I'd love to see you for lunch and catch up.

    ReplyDelete