IB Cultural Exchange
May 8, 2009
The benefits to teaching internationally are many: one can experience many new countries, cultures and gain valuable insight into people of all religions and races. This experience is priceless, especially as the world becomes smaller and smaller due to innovations like the internet: we are surely becoming a global, international community.
My first overseas teaching job was in Frankfurt, Germany where I learnt so much about European history, culture and languages. During my second year, I broke the news to students that I would be moving on to Kampala, Uganda and unfortunately, I then experienced many ignorant and insensitive comments from students. Most students expressed disbelief that I would want to live in Africa, where they alleged “you would live in mud-huts and have no running water or electricity”. My attempts to explain the many positives about Africa did little to penetrate the negative image that the students had, mostly due to the damaging image and negative press that Africa so often gets in the news.
It was during this time that I resolved to organize a cultural exchange program for IB students to help negate the many fallacies students had about Africa in general, and Uganda in particular. With support from KISU’s IB Coordinator, Marie Kamure, I was able to bring two IB1 students from Frankfurt over here to Uganda over the April break. These two brave students, Moritz Wollenhaupt and Inna Sarieva, came to Uganda for 12 nights to experience various activities that came under the heading of CAS: Creativity, Action, and Service for which they received credit towards their IB Diploma.
Students were exposed to Ugandan culture. We visited the Kasubi tombs and worked with a local artist using the indigenous material, bark cloth. Led by an NGO worker, students were also exposed to the realities of poverty in Africa when we visited a slum. Conversely, students were very impressed with KISU’s new campus and the many resources and technology our school has to offer.
KISU’s own IB students got involved, selling Candy-grams to raise money for a welcome barbque where students could meet and talk in a relaxed setting. The evening was a huge success with lots of food, music, and the highlight of the evening: a PowerPoint presentation on Uganda by students Ashaba and Hannah, and a presentation on Germany by Moritz and Inna. Students compared things nationally such as leaders, government, and more locally, talking about what their social life and academic life are like. This was a great chance for students to see how the exact same material is taught is another country.
The KISU IB students were also given the opportunity to join us in the various planned activities. David Wol and Nelson Ngot joined us for the two day Whitewater rafting trip where David and Moritz overcame their fears, bungee jumping into the Nile River below. After rafting, we enjoyed two-hours of quad biking along the Nile River with a beautiful African sunset. New friendships were formed, and stereotypes overcome and thus David remarked “I have a whole new perspective on Germans now”. These friendships will hopefully lead to many future opportunities for students; David and Nelson were invited to Germany by Moritz and Inna who are eager to show them around their country, promising to drive them to Munich or Berlin should they visit Frankfurt.
Students were given an opportunity to help the local community through service hours at Voice of Hope, a charity that gives street kids a place to live and a chance for a future. We were joined by KISU students Gil-Christ Akotegnon, and once gain David and Nelson. Students were treated to a dance show and shown the various methods for raising money. Special thanks go to CAS coordinator Anne Hecker for organizing this day. After so much service and action, students rested and ventured out of Kampala to Murchison National Park where they experienced some of the wildlife and nature that Uganda has to offer.
The trip was very successful, with the benefits to students more than worth the many hours of planning:
“Thank you sooo much for giving Moritz the opportunity of making so many excellent experiences and so great new impressions. He changed a lot and came back with so much new energy, such a positive attitude and filled with new ideas.” Heike Wollenhaupt
It was a sad goodbye on both sides, with students wishing they could stay longer, and Inna revealing “it was one of the best vacations I’ve ever had”. I was very impressed with both Inna and Moritz’s initiative, ability to adapt to new situations, and display of all the characteristics of the IB learner profile! They are planning to share their many insights with their peers back in Frankfurt and hopefully through such small steps, people can be educated and secondary ignorance eliminated.
A special thanks to all IB students who participated and made the visiting team feel welcome and to Catherine Meyer and Harriet Spry for their support in this endeavor. Thank you also goes to our CAS Coordinator Anne Hecker and IB Coordinator Marie Kamure.
Romy Friedman
Head of Science