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:
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.
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.
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 :)
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