Marumofase High School Limpopo Reflection 9 - 17 - 14

Marumofase High School Limpopo Reflection 9 – 17 – 14

            On Wednesday, September 17, 2014 the AISJ students met during lunch to discuss the schedule of the Limpopo students arrival as well as possible methods to focus their short stories around. The meeting began at 12:40 p.m. with Maya Campbell, as the President, proposing a preliminary schedule of events for the two days that the Limpopo students will visit our campus. The remaining AISJ students concurred with the schedule layout and advised to print and email copies for each individual AISJ student. This will be our tool to being on task, productive, and organized during the Limpopo student’s short stay. Maya’s hard work will help all of us to work more efficiently and will help the project progress effectively. The schedule consisted of a basic outline of the two days: Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20.

First, on Friday, September 19, we would meet and greet the arriving Limpopo students and give them a tour of the AISJ. Next, we would ensure their dinner and movie was set up and ready before our departure home. Returning in the morning on Saturday, September 20, the AISJ students would start off with the writing workshops in which to revise and edit the Limpopo students ‘born-free generation’ short stories. The AISJ students were to be provided with a worksheet titled “Critical Features of Fiction, Story Helpers a la carte,” which will be our template in which to focus their stories. This template contains several essential features that must a short story must be centralized around to include content and include the reader: theme, purpose, main message, characters, narration, conflict, plot, plot development, setting, literary features, tools, and devices. At the conclusion of our writing workshops a pool party, service celebration, and braai are planned for the grand finale. In the end, this would be the conclusion of the AISJ students first meeting with the Limpopo students this year.

In the future, we are already planning the AISJ students visit to Limpopo sometime in the second semester to involve new students in our project. In the mean time, we are focusing on publishing these current stories to the public for awareness on the ‘born-free generation’.

This service project would not be possible without all the constructive collaboration, cooperation, and hard work from both the AISJ and Limpopo students. Areas of growth that had weakness were the time constraint in which the AISJ students had to organize this event. A new skill that I will continue to develop is patience with working with many students at one time.

            On a relatable basis I am prepared for the language and cultural differences between the AISJ and Limpopo students, as it is similar to when I went on a French trip last year to L’île de la Réunion. The food and the interaction and activities were foreign. Thus, I will be able to relate to the Limpopo students slight uncomfortable reaction to the new environment and new faces.