Pearson- Our District Project
This year I was lucky enough to host two students from Pearson College during their Winter Break. Abdullah from Iraq and Basil from Palestine. I say "lucky" because one of the things I got to do was read the essays they submitted for their university applications.
I found them so extraordinary I wanted to share them. At the same time, I want to honour their privacy. Abdullah and Basil are prepared to share these with Zontians. Click on their names below to open their essays. I've password protected the essays, and Zontians- if you haven't heard the passwords by the time you read this, feel free to contact me directly. My e-mail is at "telus.net" and I use "dmanita".
Enjoy!
Anita
 
Abdullah Basil
Photos by Charles LaVertu.
There are more photos by Charles at the link below from a dinner hosted by Kate and Charles for 12 of the students.
Night with Kate and Charles We advise you click the "slideshow" link on the right hand side.
Through these two young men, I have been lucky to meet over 20 other students. The year winds to a close and some of them are coming through to spend their last few days in Victoria - here with me. I recalled how I had been so worried that I wouldn't be able to offer "the right things" when I agreed to host students. I've since learned that what they need is really the same as what most of us need: their friends. In my house, they learned they could gather together, sing songs, play music, cook a meal or maybe just talk well into the wee hours. Quite a twist: all I could offer them was each other: it was enough for them, and, in return, all of them shared a little of themselves with me. Each of them touched me, and I'd be hard pressed to say which of them stands out- but certainly one thought I'll never forget is "this isn't a host family- this is home".
The connection hasn't been broken even now that these young men are at university. Both Basil and Abdullah have called me on the phone several times, just to chat. We catch up on what they're doing in their university lives and which students are now coming tov visit me. They're delighted that Oscar (Colombia) and Remco (Netherlands) have become part of my family this year, because they knew these guys well. Thanksgiving was a festive affair in my house, culminating in all of us kneeling on the floor near a world-map and sticking dots in the countries from which students have visited!
These students learned that I planned to visit Basil and Abdullah on one of their term breaks. We met in Chicago: the three of us and a few more students. Quickly, this year's students wrote some letters for Oscar to bring me to take to this reunion. Basil, in return, wrote 15 letters back to friends here. Meanwhile, I spent 5 days in Chicago laughing, chatting and just being together: what a delight! |
