Today was the last day of the five-day camp, and boy did we have fun! Unfortunately, the lesson on Avicenna was a bit overshadowed by the final activities and interviews with the Afghan kids. They were quite wound up from the non-stop excitement all week…but while the teacher was getting frustrated with their squirming and giggles, the principal told me afterwards how happy he was to see these kids breaking out of their shells and feeling so alive and free. He explained how hard they have to work every day…from waking up in cold mud-brick homes, to walking or riding their bikes down rocky roads (did you see the photo from yesterday??), to spending eight hours in a cold school learning their lessons…these kids work so hard to get even the most basic education. Something that is so easy for us to take for granted in America. He saw the spark that was lit within them as a result of this experience…and he wants to know when we can do it again!

Running this camp was a challenge for me as well. With no electricity in the school, I needed to rely on two laptops to bring the slideshows of your photos to the kids each day. The reason I needed two laptops is because the classroom is only about 40 degrees and each laptop running on battery power only lasts so long before it freezes up–literally. I often can’t get all the way to the end of the photos as one computer after another conks out.

Despite how hard getting an education is for these kids (BTW-in about a month, the temperature will drop to the 10s and 20s with snow on the ground), these kids never complain. They know they are the lucky ones. The vast majority of Afghan kids will grow up illiterate, with even less options for their futures. Only with education are the Afghan children ever truly able to defend themselves against the bad guys who prey upon them. If more of them were able to go to school there would be more Afghans able to help stop the war that is making the whole world unsafe.

Only $170 stands in the way of an Afghan child going to school at Marefat for a year. Can you calculate how many video games or CDs that would be?

I wish that we could have gotten more of your questions asked and answered today. We even met an extra half hour early to try to fit more in, but we just ran out of time. They would have happily spent three hours getting every question addressed, but the Afghan students needed to leave by 10:30 to take their exams.

As always, the students enjoyed your photos and reports today. They seem amazed at the experiential nature of how American children learn. From the beautiful mosaics that were made (so cool!), to all the imaginative and coloful things they saw in all of your classrooms, I think they are beginning to understand more of how Americans think, and what our freedom really looks like. Here there are no luxuries of colorful walls, guest speakers, arts and crafts, computers, SmartBoards, school buses, after-school sports programs, electricity or heat. All they have are simple notebooks and pens, and a burning desire to improve their lives.

What has happened to them this week is unprecedented in Afghanistan, and each of you American kids who have participated in this class have done something significant towards shaping the future between our countries. You have just become a part of something historic, and you should feel very proud.

The purpose of this camp was to give all of you students (in both the U.S. and Afghanistan) an opportunity to imagine new possibilities for your lives together, as friends, sisters and brothers. Together, you can make anything happen.

Thanks for being a part of this wonderful experience. Now go change the world!

Dina Fesler

Every day we start out by showing the Afghan students the photo gallery with all the newly submitted photos…and every day their eyes are glued to the computer screen. It seems as though they’re in a bit of disbelief that they could make so many American friends in such a short period of time! They are intrigued with the messages and information that accompany each photo, and go through each one carfeully, laughing and smiling every time they see themselves on your SmartBoard screens in the background.

After we go through the photos, we read the reports that are posted on the site from each of the schools. Afghan schools primarily teach by holding lectures for the students, so it is a new experience for them to be participating in discussions where we explore abstract ideas in this manner. They are ususally a little tentative in the beginning, but they soon warm up to these new ideas and really seem to respond positively.

Today, the Afghan students enjoyed their lesson on the Shrine Of Hazrat Ali; one of the most beautiful architectural wonders still standing in Afghanistan after more than 30 years of war and destruction. Once again, it was a wonderful sight to see these young students taking such pride in the history of their country. Being given the opportunity to learn alongside you kids is an experience they will never forget.

We also continued our discussion on Rumi’s influence in the world, and how his work as an artist helped his ideas on peace and tolerance transcend time and geographic boundaries. To view a Rumi poem in Persian check out: http://mowlavi.recent.ir/default.aspx?item=14307

We also discussed modern day artists with similar views to Rumi, and  introduced them to John Lennon. While none of them had ever heard of John Lennon before, they really enjoyed listening to “Imagine” played on my laptop…both the song and the idea of peace that inspired it.

Watch the video and see what happens next.

(There is a lot more interview footage with the kids that is being edited and will be shared tomorrow for the last day of the camp. Stay tuned!)

Today was another fun day where students learned all about the famous Afghan poet Rumi. It turns out that not only did the Afghan students already know quite a bit about Rumi, but many were able to recite some of his most famous poems! We will be sending the video of this in tomorrow’s post since we’ve already posted two this afternoon.

For now, above you can enjoy the answers to your questions from today’s posts in the video…

…and below are some more letters!

Hello Pranav (Prairie School), I am Ehsanullah. I am 15 years old. I am in 7th grade and I am in Marefat High School. My favorite subject is English and math. I like playing football (soccer) and tennis. I have two sisters and three brothers. My favorite meal is steak and rice. Marefat is in western Kabul. Our school is very good and famous.

Hi Olivia (Prairie School), my name is Abuzar. I’m a student at Marefat High School. I’m fourteen years old and I’m in 7th grade. I have three brothers and two sisters. My favorite food is rice, steak and hanburgers and my favorite sport is football, baseball and tennis.

Dear Ting (Telluride), I am Farkhana. I am in 8th grade in Marefat High School. I am 14 years old. I have three sisters and one brother. Black is my favorite color. I like cats, and dogs and small sheep. I like to travel very much. We have uniforms in school that are blue and white and our shoes are black. We girls have to wear a scarf. Dear Ting, I love you and I want to say your hair is beautiful. I wish I could see you more!

Hi my dear friend Bethany (Cannon Falls), My name is Fahina and I am so happy that I saw your picture. My favorite sport is tennis and I have a good family, a good country. I hope that you are always my friend, and that I have a friend like you. I hope you are successful in your life. Good luck! Your friend Fahina.

Hi dear Thomas (Telluride), I am Zahra. I am 13 years old and one of the students at Marefat. I saw your photo and now I am writing a letter for you. You asked me about our climate in Afghanistan and it is very cold and snowy in the winter and very hot in summer.

Hi Carson (Cannon Falls), I am Fatima and I am an Afghan girl. I am happy to know you and glad you are interested in Afghanistan culture. If you don’t mind I would like to ask you some questions. My favorite color is purple. What’s yours? My hobby is shopping. What’s yours? I have four sisters and three brothers. I know we are a big family. How many brothers and sisters do you have? I like funny movies. What kind of movies do you like?  Anyway, I have a weblog at www.sibesabzeman.blogspot.com (note: you will need Persian font on your computer to see this). Let me know if you have any suggestions about it. I wish you all the best. Fatima

After reading the posts from the American schools that taught about the cultural diversity in the U.S., we had some wonderful discussions with the Afghan students. We also talked about the fact that from the Silk Road times to the Mughal Empire to this week’s Afghan Cultural History Camp, every time two cultures come in contact with one another …the world changes a little bit!

We also had the kids participate in a fun little activity that shows how cultural similarities can be found in more ways than people expect. Watch the video and you’ll see!

Today was an exciting day at Marefat High School…not just because the Afghan students got to learn all about the Mughal Empire, but because they got to finally meet some of their American friends! Their eyes were absolutely glued to the computer screen when we showed them a slideshow of photos from three of the four participating schools and read their messages aloud.

Equally exciting is that a local news photographer in Kabul heard about our project at Marefat and came to take pictures for a story. You are all doing something so extraordinary together….it looks like you’re going to be famous in Afghanistan because of this camp! Wow!

The kids enjoyed hearing about what you all learned in your lessons on the Silk Road. It was obvious how proud they felt that you all are taking such an interest in their culture and learning about what goes on in their world other than war. We also had a very cool discussion about how the Internet is the new Silk Road of our time. Just like the Silk Road, the Internet allows different cultures to come in contact with one another, to exchange ideas, information, and even buy and sell products. It’s because of the Internet that you are all able to participate in this camp…and you don’t need a camel to travel.

After we read each message aloud, we asked for volunteers in the class that would like to write a reply message. Originally, I was going to collect all the messages to post in this report, however, most kids wanted to take their letters home to work on overnight. Only four students turned their messages in today and here they are:

Dear Liam (Cannon Falls), This is Awaz Ali, 8th grade student. I have red hair, just as you do. I love to meet people and characters who are just like me. I don’t have any pets. I pass my time with computer games. I love eating qabuli (a rice dish). In the future i want to be a journalist. By the way, how come your hair color is red? Do you color it or is it natural? Hope you respond to me. i will enjoy it. Love, Awaz Ali

Hello Antonio (Telluride), I’m Ali Yaser. I’m a student at Marefat High School. It’s located in Kabul. Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan. I’m in 7th grade. I like football (soccer). My favorite lesson is math. I have 32 classmates in my class. My favorite food is beans and rice. If I have extra time I watch TV and I play football with my friends. I have one brother and three sisters. I don’t have any pets. I like oranges, bananas and apples. I’m 14. I’m in the first position in my class. Thanks!

Hello Pranav (Prairie School), I am Mohammad Tahir. I am 14 years old and I am in 7th grade. I am happy to see your picture and get some information about your life. I would like to give some information about myself and introduce myself. I like to play football and my favorite subjects are math and geography. I have three brothers and four sisters. My favorite foods are potatoes and rice. I hope to hear from you. Wish you all the best.

Hi Dear Robbie (Prairie School), I am “Yasameen” and I have two brother and one nice sister. I don’t have any pets in my house. I have a lot of wishes so if someone asked me what my three wishes are, my first wish will be for three more wishes. Yasameen

We were originally planning to post a video of the kids doing an activity about the Mughal Empire, but they were so eager to respond to you guys that instead we filmed them all leaving short messages. We’ll send the other video tomorrow.

Enjoy!

In these videos you’ll meet boys: Ali Yasser and Mohammad Tahir, and girls: Farkhonda, and the team of Zahra and Simir! (Note: You’ll notice that they all start their presentations by saying “In the name of Allah,” which is a cultural sign of respect.)

(Click here to see Day One-Part I)

Our classes are held in the school conference room; a simple room with only a table, chairs and a whiteboard, but decorated with student-made paintings of great world leaders and thinkers like Da Vinci, Lincoln, Einstein, and Rosa Parks. One of the Marefat teachers is leading the lessons this week, and today he gave an energetic lesson about the history of the Silk Road and its influence on Afghanistan. The students were all very enthusiastic about the class and it is evident how privileged they feel to be able to attend school…especially the girls. During the class, they all asked a lot of questions and were very eager to learn as much as possible.

After the lesson concluded, they were really excited to know when they could talk on camera to the American kids. I was worried that they might be a little nervous and shy but that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, most of them wanted to practice speaking in English as well! In the video above you’ll meet Fahina, Ewazali, Fatima and Yasamin.

Enjoy!

Notes while viewing:

-Ewazali, the boy, has red hair because it is henna dye, a somewhat popular fashion trend.

-Fatima, the tall girl, is saying that she is a Hazara (her ethnic group) and that she has little contact with Pashtuns or Uzbeks (other Afghan ethnic groups).

-Yasamin told us that she and her friends like to reseach jokes on the Internet, so we asked her to tell us one!

• Watch the video of the day.

Above this text is a video of an interview at Aschiana, a school for street kids in Kabul, Afghanistan, taken by our team last year. You can watch the video now. (Note: This video is posted on YouTube. Other video thumbnails that appear at the end of the viewing are not CCC videos.)

• Post your questions.

Use the response form that appears below to post questions or comments. Please use your school name as your “Name” when using this form.

• Upload two or three photos of your class to the photo gallery.

Instructions and login information for uploading photos to the gallery will be e-mailed to you. Click on the Gallery link at the top of this page to visit the Gallery and get started.