Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Zazzin' Up for Zambia!

Hey everyone!

My name is Danica McLain and I will be traveling to Zambia for winter term. We head out Sunday evening, which seems so unreal to me. It's becoming more of a reality every day! I went to Zambia for winter term three years ago when I was working on my first major (Publication Writing and Design,) and never thought I would have the opportunity to go back. After graduating in 2011 and working as a photographer in Des Moines for a while, I decided to take a risk and register for spring semester the day before classes started. I was missing something, and I realized what it was after I had been out of college for a semester- the joy of teaching and caring for children. I had babysat for a wonderful family the last year of college, and we had 'Arts & Crafts with Ms. Danica' often. Suddenly, I didn't have that spunk and wonder of the two little artists around me, and I missed it every day. So, here I am back at Graceland pursuing a Studio Art major with a K-12 teaching endorsement!

Last time, I went as a member of the SIFE (currently Enactus) team. We had several goals, but our largest focus was on teaching caregivers how to be sustainable and support their families. I worked with both caregivers and children, teaching them how to make paper bead jewelry to sell in their towns. In addition to the jewelry project, I had 'art time' with all the children and instructed them to draw their families and what they saw in nature. By the time our village visits were over, I had a whole binder of drawings from children of all ages and skill levels. When we returned home, I created greeting cards using selected drawings. Credit was given to the artists, with their name, age, and town listed on the card. SIFE and HealthEd Connect sold the cards and send the proceeds back to the towns.

This time, I am going as an education student. Yes, I was teaching last time, but this time my focus will be solely on the community schools. I am excited about several things- to help the community teachers as much as I can, teach classes, and interact with the children are what come to mind the most. I can't wait to see how much the schools have changed and to see if I recognize any of the children and if they remember me. I never dreamed I'd be there again, so I am overjoyed to have a new experience there again.

4 more days!


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