Note: This post is LONG but AMAZING and IMPORTANT. Read it ALL.
Today was one of the most powerful, eye-opening days of my life. We had a speaker named Kevin Chaplin, the head of The Amy Biehl Foundation, come in to give us an incredibly motivational speech about life, business, relationships, and of course, the foundation itself: what it does, what it stems from, and what it stands for. I would go ahead and try to explain Amy's story myself, but honestly, I could never do the story justice with just my words. If you have a little bit of time, read the article and watch these videos. They WILL change your life. This is the most important blog post I have done yet. I had tears and chills watching these videos and listening to the presentation. Please read and watch:
Today was one of the most powerful, eye-opening days of my life. We had a speaker named Kevin Chaplin, the head of The Amy Biehl Foundation, come in to give us an incredibly motivational speech about life, business, relationships, and of course, the foundation itself: what it does, what it stems from, and what it stands for. I would go ahead and try to explain Amy's story myself, but honestly, I could never do the story justice with just my words. If you have a little bit of time, read the article and watch these videos. They WILL change your life. This is the most important blog post I have done yet. I had tears and chills watching these videos and listening to the presentation. Please read and watch:
Let's recap. Amy Biehl was a 26 year-old girl from America who had graduated from Standford University studying South African politics. She developed a passionate interest in Apartheid and made a trip to South Africa to protest Apartheid and assist in preparations for the first democratic election in South Africa. Two days before she was to return home, she was stopped in her car by a mob of black people in a township in Cape Town and stoned and stabbed to death while they chanted at her. Four people were convicted for killing her. Her long-term boyfriend was going to ask her to marry him when she got back, and she was going to get her Doctorate Degree at Rutger's University. After a few years of imprisonment for her murderers, her parents supported granting the men amnesty and forgave them for what they had done. They blamed Apartheid and its impact on the men for the death of their daughter; blacks had always been taught that whites were the enemy and that they should fight back. Her parents established a foundation in her name to live out her dream since she could not. They traveled to South Africa and created a program that would help these people in the townships have the best lives they could in order to keep them from turning to violence. Two of Amy's killers work for this foundation today.
Hearing Amy's story brought tears to my eyes for SO many reasons. I had so many thoughts running through my head when I watched these videos. Here are a few...
1) How scary and sad. A young girl, just like me, whose life ended in such a violent way. When her boyfriend spoke, I was in tears {I couldn't find that video to post on this blog, but I was sobbing}.
2) What an amazing piece of history to be present for. I admire her passion for making a difference, prioritizing her education, and turning it into a passion.
3) How ironic that she went to help those people, and she was murdered by them. She literally died for her cause.
It's amazing to me that her parents responded to this tragic and traumatic event by finding some good out of this, and living her dreams because she couldn't. I could only hope that my parents would follow my dreams and adopt my passions as their own if, GOD forbid, anything ever happened to me. It's so incredibly difficult to imagine forgiving people who murdered your child, but it's brings a whole new level to the idea of "forgiveness." If Amy Biehl's parents can forgive the murderers of their daughter, I can surely forgive people for everyday petty things.
In one of the videos, you saw Kevin Chaplin speak. He was our guest speaker today in class. He took over the foundation when Amy's father died and the family lost all of their money. Originally, a black person took over the foundation, but because Africans were not really educated during Apartheid, this person wasn't competent enough to run a business. Kevin used his knowledge of business, finance, and life to help this organization be what it is today. The motivational speech he gave to our class was truly life-changing.
He explained to us, amongst other things, the importance of our attitude. Attitude is contagious -- is yours worth catching? Don't just get up in the morning. Get up in the morning and want to do something great. If you have a problem, address it. Be honest with others, and be honest with yourself. The only way to grow is to get rid of thoughts, habits, people, ANYTHING around you that is negative. Attitude is everything. If you harbor hatred, you carry your past into your future. You must forgive and move on.
He shared a word with us that he learned when he came to Cape Town. The word is "ubuntu," which is a universal concept that enhances the self-realization of others. The African phrase, "umuntu ngumuntu ngabanye abantu" means "people are people through other people" or "I am a person because of my people." Amy's story helped me to understand this concept and this phrase. We must learn to practice healing energy through combining independent hearts and spirits as a whole community in order to grow. How deep is that?
Today I went to the township where Amy was killed, and I visited two of the schools of The Amy Biehl Foundation. It was the most amazing thing ever. We actually saw the spot where Amy was murdered...it was chilling.
1) How scary and sad. A young girl, just like me, whose life ended in such a violent way. When her boyfriend spoke, I was in tears {I couldn't find that video to post on this blog, but I was sobbing}.
2) What an amazing piece of history to be present for. I admire her passion for making a difference, prioritizing her education, and turning it into a passion.
3) How ironic that she went to help those people, and she was murdered by them. She literally died for her cause.
It's amazing to me that her parents responded to this tragic and traumatic event by finding some good out of this, and living her dreams because she couldn't. I could only hope that my parents would follow my dreams and adopt my passions as their own if, GOD forbid, anything ever happened to me. It's so incredibly difficult to imagine forgiving people who murdered your child, but it's brings a whole new level to the idea of "forgiveness." If Amy Biehl's parents can forgive the murderers of their daughter, I can surely forgive people for everyday petty things.
In one of the videos, you saw Kevin Chaplin speak. He was our guest speaker today in class. He took over the foundation when Amy's father died and the family lost all of their money. Originally, a black person took over the foundation, but because Africans were not really educated during Apartheid, this person wasn't competent enough to run a business. Kevin used his knowledge of business, finance, and life to help this organization be what it is today. The motivational speech he gave to our class was truly life-changing.
He explained to us, amongst other things, the importance of our attitude. Attitude is contagious -- is yours worth catching? Don't just get up in the morning. Get up in the morning and want to do something great. If you have a problem, address it. Be honest with others, and be honest with yourself. The only way to grow is to get rid of thoughts, habits, people, ANYTHING around you that is negative. Attitude is everything. If you harbor hatred, you carry your past into your future. You must forgive and move on.
He shared a word with us that he learned when he came to Cape Town. The word is "ubuntu," which is a universal concept that enhances the self-realization of others. The African phrase, "umuntu ngumuntu ngabanye abantu" means "people are people through other people" or "I am a person because of my people." Amy's story helped me to understand this concept and this phrase. We must learn to practice healing energy through combining independent hearts and spirits as a whole community in order to grow. How deep is that?
Today I went to the township where Amy was killed, and I visited two of the schools of The Amy Biehl Foundation. It was the most amazing thing ever. We actually saw the spot where Amy was murdered...it was chilling.
I didn't bring my camera to the townships, but I did get a few pictures on the bus. I'm disappointed that I couldn't document what I saw, but I'm glad that it forced me to live in the moment and take it all in instead of living it through my camera lens. I've never seen such poverty in my life. Children, mothers, fathers, waving and blowing kisses at our bus, brothers and sisters playing in the streets with no shoes, skin-to-the-bone cows, goats, and stray dogs wandering everywhere, run-down houses covered in trash. It was just so sad, and I tried to imagine being Amy and LIVING this...not to mention, at the most dangerous time in the country's history.
When we went into the schools, it was amazing. I had tears in my eyes. The children were phenomenal at dancing, singing, and playing instruments. They played soccer with us, high-fived us, thanked us for coming...and most of all, they were just loving life despite their horrible living conditions. I am so in love with The Amy Biehl Foundation for supporting these children and people in all areas...academics, creative arts, nutrition, the list goes on. They need this. Without the program, they might have turned to violence or drugs because it's what they knew. This is why we help people. The history of a country teaches people to behave and think in certain ways, and it's up to people with a different grasp on the world to say, "listen, let me show you a way that I can bring out your talents, make you healthier, make you smarter, introduce you to people who can change your life and your family's lives in any way that you want to work on achieving so that we can reach your full potential and keep you safe." I've never really had an open-minded stance about helping out in foreign countries. I'd never participated in it. Until today.
When we went into the schools, it was amazing. I had tears in my eyes. The children were phenomenal at dancing, singing, and playing instruments. They played soccer with us, high-fived us, thanked us for coming...and most of all, they were just loving life despite their horrible living conditions. I am so in love with The Amy Biehl Foundation for supporting these children and people in all areas...academics, creative arts, nutrition, the list goes on. They need this. Without the program, they might have turned to violence or drugs because it's what they knew. This is why we help people. The history of a country teaches people to behave and think in certain ways, and it's up to people with a different grasp on the world to say, "listen, let me show you a way that I can bring out your talents, make you healthier, make you smarter, introduce you to people who can change your life and your family's lives in any way that you want to work on achieving so that we can reach your full potential and keep you safe." I've never really had an open-minded stance about helping out in foreign countries. I'd never participated in it. Until today.
Yesterday, I didn't blog. We spent the class focusing on different models of leadership and their components. In closing, we did an activity that required each of us to select something we're passionate about and develop a model for change for that passion of ours. Automatically, I didn't think of anything "political;" I thought of my desire to keep arts programs a priority in schools and to ensure that enough funding is provided so that children can learn proper techniques of all art forms -- keeping their minds creative and innovative, allowing them to explore within themselves and their potential as opposed to putting so much pressure on their math and science skills {which are obviously also important}. Specifically, I'm referring to dance because I was a dancer all my life. I completed two dance-related internships my senior year of high school that taught me so much about the importance of dance {and arts} education and what it can do for a person. I kind of felt stupid and weird for not thinking of a political issue like everyone else did. I was also surprised because I am usually a very political person, but still, this is what came to mind. I feel like this thought of mine happened for a reason: it ties into what I learned from The Amy Biehl Foundation. When I saw the slideshow that listed all of the areas that the foundation helps children, creative arts was one of them. I would absolutely LOVE to volunteer and teach the children about dance. I've retired from being a full-on class-only dancer, and I feel like this might be why. I love teaching. It's a way for me to combine passions and help other people grow. I just feel like it's my time to teach someone all that I know. I'm overwhelmed at the connections that I'm making here with Global LEAD. It's amazing.
If you want to learn more about The Amy Biehl Foundation, click on the link below. I've also posted a picture of my bracelet...these are one of the ways that people support the foundation and its funding, but also support what it stands for. The "R" stands for respect, responsibility, relationships, and reliability. To me, this bracelet represents everything that Kevin Chaplin taught us about life: find yourself through listening to your callings and doing the best you can, and everything that Amy Biehl taught us about death: there are times when people die for their cause an surprisingly open a door of good things. It's a really meaningful bracelet and a great way to give back. I saw firsthand what it supports when I went to the townships. Let me tell you...this program is molding these children into commendable, respectable, amazing people. Donate :)
If you want to learn more about The Amy Biehl Foundation, click on the link below. I've also posted a picture of my bracelet...these are one of the ways that people support the foundation and its funding, but also support what it stands for. The "R" stands for respect, responsibility, relationships, and reliability. To me, this bracelet represents everything that Kevin Chaplin taught us about life: find yourself through listening to your callings and doing the best you can, and everything that Amy Biehl taught us about death: there are times when people die for their cause an surprisingly open a door of good things. It's a really meaningful bracelet and a great way to give back. I saw firsthand what it supports when I went to the townships. Let me tell you...this program is molding these children into commendable, respectable, amazing people. Donate :)
Yesterday, after class, we went to the Green Market. It was a traditional African marketplace in the middle of the city. We all bought jerseys {"jersey" is actually the word for "sweatshirt" here...but we bought actual jerseys} to wear to the rugby game this weekend. I also bought a pretty sweet pair of African pants. There were an overwhelming number of people trying to get coins and money from us. The city itself makes me a little bit nervous, actually. I told my friends that I feel more safe in New York City all by myself at night time than I do in a group of people in Cape Town in the day. Seriously. {Very fortunate that I'm not used to all of these homeless people}. Either way, I'm glad we experienced the market to just check it off of our list.
We went to dinner at a restaurant called Bombay Bicycle Club. It was so hipster and the vibe was REALLY cool. There were actually swings as chairs at some of the tables. The house wine was great, and so was my calamari appetizer. I actually ate it so fast that I cleared my plate before I realized that I didn't take a picture! The sides that my meal came with were broccoli, sweet potatoes, and some amazing potato concoction that was some really awesome cheesy unknown goodness. If we go back to the restaurant, I will probably order something different as my main course, though. I ordered the chocolate steak, which was recommended by both personal friends and the restaurant. A little too eclectic for me. I really enjoy a hearty, classic steak. Still a cool place, though.
There's a really bad storm tonight and we didn't go out to dinner...so I had my first South African McDonald's! It tastes different...the fries are cooked in a different oil, the menu wasn't as big, and my McFlurry was more of a cool whip taste and consistency. Still just what I needed, but interesting how such a large company is different from place to place. I love making those little observations.
One of the interns, Chris, just came in here and gave us the most inspirational talk. We just poured out our life stories to each other and talked about how we feel about Global LEAD and South Africa and just life and the world. If you know me...you know that this is my kind of conversation. I am in love with everything about this intellectual trip.
Y'all probably won't hear from me tomorrow. With the storm, I don't think I'll be doing anything exciting after class...just laundry and homework! If the class is really great, or if something comes up, I will certainly be online to tell y'all about it :)
Have a great night you guys...
Ubuntu.
xoxo,
Anna
One of the interns, Chris, just came in here and gave us the most inspirational talk. We just poured out our life stories to each other and talked about how we feel about Global LEAD and South Africa and just life and the world. If you know me...you know that this is my kind of conversation. I am in love with everything about this intellectual trip.
Y'all probably won't hear from me tomorrow. With the storm, I don't think I'll be doing anything exciting after class...just laundry and homework! If the class is really great, or if something comes up, I will certainly be online to tell y'all about it :)
Have a great night you guys...
Ubuntu.
xoxo,
Anna
RSS Feed
