Because art is such a profound reflection of culture and because we have Rachel, our very own artist, traveling with us, we decided to dedicate today to exploring art in Africa. We had no idea that we were in for such a fantastic learning experience and that we would meet so many brilliant and creative artists. The day began with a trip out to the gallery and home of Maria Naita, a local artist and friend of Alexis and Agnes. Her art stunned us by its size and magnificence. Maria sculpts large, sometimes giant, subjects and she also paints. Her images of African women and children are particularly moving. We all loved her series focused on "Blind Faith" as well as her paintings of dancing, celebratory women and children. We loved her work but it was actually the work of one of her art students which we purchased for the walls of Ursuline. Maria has a student named Harriet who is a teacher and her colorful, cheerful painting of African women under a purple sky seemed the perfect choice for us. It was very exciting because Maria called Harriet and she came running over with excitement because this was her first art sale! As she is a teacher, it thrilled her to know that her work will be displayed in a school. Harriet is the woman jumping fr joy in pink in the photos above - she was delightful and Maria was equally happy for her success!
In the afternoon, we met even more artists at the National Theatre Market where there are many little shops with countless treasures. The artists have a corner where they display their work and it reminded me a bit of the Hippie Fair in Rio. I wish that I could tell you that we purchased everything that we loved today but sadly, neither our budgets nor our suitcases could handle that impact. Nevertheless, we purchased quite a lot and we learned even more about Africa through these talented and creative people.
Well, tomorrow is our last day in Uganda and we will soon be headed home with our memories, our treasures and our ideas for bringing Africa to Ursuline and vice-versa. All the words on this blog are too few to fully express the life-changing experience that we have had. We are so grateful to precious Agnes and the staff of Empower African Children for all that they have done to host and take care of us every step of the way - none of this adventure would have been possible without them! And to my fellow travelers, well, you have delighted and impressed me every day with your kindness and your openness both with each other and with the people of Africa - what stellar role models you are for our students and what a privilege to share this experience with you!!
Finally, to Alexis, the kindest, bravest and most compassionate person I know... You are a gift to the universe and to the children of Africa in particular. We love you and we love your shoes (you know the ones). I stand in amazement at all that you have accomplished and will continue to accomplish - what a blessing for all of us to share this time with you!! Waybale from the bottom of our hearts!
One more glorious day in Africa (will try for one last post before we leave) and then we'll be on our way home...
Our third stop traveling through South America was an Ursuline Global Conference on "Fraternity and Life on the Planet." We were the very honored international guests at this fantastic meeting of Ursuline educators from all over Brazil. The conference was held at the very beautiful Ursuline school in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, in the state of Sao Paulo. The conference participants were full of enthusiasm for Ursuline education, Saint Angela and global friendships. We also had the great joy of reuiting with many of our friends from our sister school in Bahia, Nossa Senhora da Piedade, who were also in attendance at the conference. The best news from the conference is that we at Ursuline Dallas have been asked to collaborate on an Ursuline Global Youth Conference to be held in Septemebr 2012 in Brazil. We hope that Ursuline students from all over the world will attend! More on this event will be coming soon! In the meantime, we treasure our wonderful experience in Ribeirao Preto and we look forward to gathering together with our students in 2012!!
Greetings from Chile where Ms. Bourgeois and I (Ms. Nipp) have spent the weekend. We had a wonderful time at our sister school in Lima, Peru last week and now we are here in Santiago, Chile preparing to visit our Chilean sister school. Yesterday was really cold and rainy (it was 37 degrees - 70 degrees colder than Dallas!). However, today was clear and cold and crisp - and completely beautiful! The Andes, which surround Santiago, are snow-covered and have offered us spectacular views all day - what a magnificent surprise! Our dear friends from Colegio Santa Ursula, Andrea Raczinski and Soledad Villarreal, accompanied us today as we attended Mass at the Ursuline school and then toured a bit of the city. It was a grand day and we can't wait to visit our sister school as well as the Ursuline school in Maipu tomorrow!
On our second full day in Peru, we visited the Ursuline School, Colegio San Jose, in the Miramar district of Lima (the school is generally known as Colegio Miramar). This school is in a very humble area of Lima so the Ursuline school provides not only a wonderful education for the children but also a sanctuary away from the difficulties of life outside the walls of the school. In fact, the sisters are very important to the life of the entire Miramar community as everyone knows them and is so grateful for the help and education that they provide. The children eat very well at school because the Sisters know that sometimes they lack food at home.
Well, exams and end-of-year celebrations are now over and the Summer adventures have begun! We currently have one group in Honduras and one group in Peru. I am posting some of the photos from our welcome to Colegio Santa Ursula in Lima where we arrived yesterday with 12 students. Today was a busy and intense day which included a welcome ceremony with the whole school, a school tour and a visit to an ancient Incan ceremonial center and burial ground which is literally around the corner from the Ursuline school. It's only been 24 hours and we already have lots of stories and adventures to share!!
