July 29-30, 2017- досвидания
From Mr. Binder:
We started with a Russian greeting, and now end with their farewell, pronounced das*vee*don*yah
Let's be honest. If you are an older person reading this, one of the horrible consequences of getting older is an increase in cynicism. You can't help it. That doesn't mean you are a cynic, or even an overly negative person... but I feel that maybe people can hide it under a justification that they are just wiser and having a sense of realism. Sometimes this 'realism' comes at the expense of future generations. As a teacher, this drives me crazy. I'll hear "this generation doesn't do this", or "the kids these days don't appreciate that". As a teacher, it's my job to work and communicate with the younger generations, and I wish others could share the opportunity to meet the young people I work with every day. In my conversations with the Iceberg TV advisor, I learned she sees the same things.
I traveled half way around the world with 4 American teenagers, to meet a group of Russian teenagers, to advocate for inclusion. As I said before we arrived, they did it with a sense of purpose. They did it with, what many older people would say, an unrealistic idea that they can change the world.
So, let me summarize just a small portion of what I saw:
*I saw a proud city just like I do in many at home
*I saw the same pride of accomplishment in winning a national blind soccer championship that I see at the end of the World Series
*I met a quite a few people who left their comfort zone and selflessly quit their jobs because they needed to "do something" to bring people with all abilities together
*I visited a camp where an autistic man took great pride in his work, just like the people I work with
*I saw a news program as part of a therapy group that was the same as the ones I watch throughout STN
*I met future fellow student journalists who made my group feel literally like rock stars for an hour
*I saw a boy who spoke little English, yet begged not to go home so he could spend five more hours with his "American Brothers"
*I saw teenagers acting like teenagers together...
...and I saw the longest good-bye hug I've ever witnessed.
You don't need to speak American or Russian to understand that meaning.
We can group people according to race, or generations, or culture, or ability, but in the end it's as simple as this... people are people.
So I say досвидания with the reminder that maybe letting go to at least a little of that sense of realism is a good thing. Changing the world does not have to come in the big steps I talked about on the first day... but it can be a bunch of little, common steps forward that becomes something bigger than itself.
An older person with that realism will read this blog entry and say "that's so cliche". And I concede it might SOUND cliche, but my job on this trip was to observe and relate to an audience what I saw. I will challenge anyone in my shoes who witnessed that hug to tell me that they wouldn't feel and understand that message within their hearts. The message was way too easy and clear that right in front of me;
the world changed.
We started with a Russian greeting, and now end with their farewell, pronounced das*vee*don*yah
Let's be honest. If you are an older person reading this, one of the horrible consequences of getting older is an increase in cynicism. You can't help it. That doesn't mean you are a cynic, or even an overly negative person... but I feel that maybe people can hide it under a justification that they are just wiser and having a sense of realism. Sometimes this 'realism' comes at the expense of future generations. As a teacher, this drives me crazy. I'll hear "this generation doesn't do this", or "the kids these days don't appreciate that". As a teacher, it's my job to work and communicate with the younger generations, and I wish others could share the opportunity to meet the young people I work with every day. In my conversations with the Iceberg TV advisor, I learned she sees the same things.
I traveled half way around the world with 4 American teenagers, to meet a group of Russian teenagers, to advocate for inclusion. As I said before we arrived, they did it with a sense of purpose. They did it with, what many older people would say, an unrealistic idea that they can change the world.
So, let me summarize just a small portion of what I saw:
*I saw a proud city just like I do in many at home
*I saw the same pride of accomplishment in winning a national blind soccer championship that I see at the end of the World Series
*I met a quite a few people who left their comfort zone and selflessly quit their jobs because they needed to "do something" to bring people with all abilities together
*I visited a camp where an autistic man took great pride in his work, just like the people I work with
*I saw a news program as part of a therapy group that was the same as the ones I watch throughout STN
*I met future fellow student journalists who made my group feel literally like rock stars for an hour
*I saw a boy who spoke little English, yet begged not to go home so he could spend five more hours with his "American Brothers"
*I saw teenagers acting like teenagers together...
...and I saw the longest good-bye hug I've ever witnessed.
You don't need to speak American or Russian to understand that meaning.
We can group people according to race, or generations, or culture, or ability, but in the end it's as simple as this... people are people.
So I say досвидания with the reminder that maybe letting go to at least a little of that sense of realism is a good thing. Changing the world does not have to come in the big steps I talked about on the first day... but it can be a bunch of little, common steps forward that becomes something bigger than itself.
An older person with that realism will read this blog entry and say "that's so cliche". And I concede it might SOUND cliche, but my job on this trip was to observe and relate to an audience what I saw. I will challenge anyone in my shoes who witnessed that hug to tell me that they wouldn't feel and understand that message within their hearts. The message was way too easy and clear that right in front of me;
the world changed.
Jack: Seeing as we are getting deep and philosophical it is appropriate to say that the world is a big place and we are small people. At age 17 I have had the chance to travel to a few countries, and all across America, but nothing compared to Russia. Over the course of the trip I did not meet a single person that did not leave a lasting memory or an impactful message on my mind. In previous blogs I spoke about how kind and loving the Russian people have been to us thought the entire course of our trip and today as we said goodbye to our new friends I couldn't help but smile. Not because I was happy to be leaving (because I was not) but because I could meet these people, bond with these people, laugh and cry with these people. They are like us in so many ways, just an average group of teenagers that truly believe that can have a lasting impact on our world. DPTV is in our hands now, two separate groups from across the world have formed into one platform built on trust, friendship, communications and the love for others and our world. I am excited for the future that this platform holds and I can proudly say, that I am ready for this challenge.
Joel: As I was preparing to leave and come on this trip to Russia, my parents and everyone I spoke to, spoke to with great concern and caution regarding my travels. I think the main concern was my safety in a country that many Americans believe is dangerous. I myself even expected to need to be extra careful while in Russia. I expected to be resented in this country. When I arrived, I arrived to a completely different world. In America, I think we strive to be welcoming and inviting in our communities. That's just hospitality. Well in Russia, we received the same hospitality in every location we went. The people wanted to get to know us and spend time with us. They were invested in who we were. It is for this reason that my view and frame of mind has been forever changed. As we worked on disability related topics and their connection to media, we encountered relationships with so many different people. But these relationships were not scary or dangerous or concerning in any manner. Even people as simple as our taxi/van drivers were genuinely kind, generous, and outstanding people. All of this leaves me with the certainty that people from all over the world are more similar than we can imagine, and I am forever humbled by that.
Kayleigh: This opportunity that we have been given is one of the greatest that I think I will experience in my entire life. Having the chance to go to another country to create partnerships with students who have the same interests and drive as we do is a truly rare experience. Even though we had trouble communicating with words at times, we were able to connect to these students in other ways, including our shared passion for film and journalism. Going into this trip, I did not think it would leave such a positive impact on me, and I didn't think I would gain so many new friends in the process. Through the three days we got to spend with Iceberg TV, our Russian partners in this project, I had the chance to speak with these like-minded students and realized that they are the same as us. Despite speaking different languages and living so far away from each other, we are really not that different. Having to say goodbye to them today was much more difficult than I had ever imagined but we took some solace in knowing that we may see them when they visit America in a few weeks. I know I will be counting down the days until we see them again.
Bailey: It's unreal to have been able to participate in a journey of this magnitude. No matter how many videos or pictures we took, it cannot be expressed how wonderful the experience was. Although it was very confusing at times, and we were pretty much helpless without our guide to translate, it still feels like I knew exactly what was happening. We communicated without words. We spoke through dancing, smiling, laughing, sharing, and sometimes a lot of pointing. It's sad to leave, but I can only be grateful for having this time to learn the truth for myself. Russia is a place, not an enemy. The people are people. They face hardships, they love, they push on, they feel, they breathe, they aren't different.
Thank you for reading our blog... why not check out some of our student videos, posted on our two YouTube Channels? Hempfield Happenings is a half-hour news magazine program, created by the students of Hempfield High School since 1995. HSDTV7 is an assortment of videos created by our students throughout the year... including Hempfield Weekly. Hey... you might even want to hire them to help you with media projects! Then, check out the Hempfield Production Company. Thanks for your interest!
LINKS: