When I was asked if id like to go to a place called Atlantis
to help facilitate a youth seminar. I jumped at the opportunity. I pictured an ocean paradise with waterfalls
and sailboats and good looking people in swimwear. So when they told me that id have to take a
30 minute train to catch a bus for a 2 hour I didn’t mind. As I was on the bus I began to realize that I was heading further
and further away from the coast and
further and further inland. It was only about a hour and a half into the
bus ride I realized I was not going to the beach. So I put my swim trunks and my life jacket
and arm floaties back into my bag and awaited for what the true Atlantis had
in stored for me.
I got off the bus and caught a taxi with my coworker to the
venue, I walked inside and there was thirty bright eyes and cheerful 13 and 14
year olds from all over the greater capetown area. I sat down in the circle and then the fun
began….
After some fun ice breakers we dove right into it breaking
up into small groups to discuss the theme of the workshop, what is culture and
what good can come from being able to develop a personal cultural identity
living in diverse and multicultural communities. They live in places where you might find two or three
different languages spoken regularly.
These teens together came upon some wonderful realizations
of how they must know themselves, and know where they come from and their
family and cultural histories in order to be able to cherish the differences
between the many cultural groups that share the same spaces as they do.
We sang together we danced together we shared lunch. The workshop
lasted all morning into later in the afternoon.
And when it was time to go, the teens that lived in Atlantis all
left. But there still was a large group
of kids who were going to a place called Langa, which was about 45 mins away.
Because the facilitators are responsible adult we had to make sure that these
teens got home all right. So we
organized to have a taxicab bus take these kids home. Well that taxi driver must have been really
unorganized because we had to wait around for him for an hour. We all pile into this cab that really
shouldn’t have let us all in and with the dance music blearing we take these
kids home. From there my two coworkers
and I needed to take another taxi to the train station, we do, and then get on
the train when I realize that I didn’t get a return ticket home so I jump off
the train to get one to find that there was no ticket window at that stop and then the train takes off without me. So there I am all alone forced to navigate my way back
home. Some how some way by the grace of
God I managed to find my way home after another hour walk and a final cab
ride.
Definitely not the original idea I had when I was asked if I
wanted to go to Atlantis J
but all’s well that ends well and it really was an amazing workshop, where a lot
of good work was done. Anywho here are
some photos! Enjoy!
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