If you've been keeping up with my blog then you know the ups and downs that we've had with Mauritius thus far. Initially we were meant to spend a whole day in the small island. Then, due to the mean cyclone and Mr. Poseidon, we had to change our path and reduce our speeds, causing us to not get to Mauritius until over 12 hours later than planned. Therefore, we were going to just stop for re-fueling and get back on our way. Well, after a lot of hard work from some really awesome people, we were given from 8am to 12pm to see as much of the island as humanly possible in 4 short hours.
On Tuesday evening we had our usual mandatory pre-port that we have before arriving in every country. This one was a bit abbreviated since we have such an abbreviated time there, but it was full of more appreciation, spirit and laughter than any other previous pre-port. I went up to the observation deck around 10pm to see us pull into port. It was an interesting change from the usual morning arrival. Yesterday, Wednesday morning I awoke at 5:30 am and ran up to the top deck to watch the sunrise. The island reminded me a bit of Dominica, it is a volcanic island with absolutely beautiful beaches and mountains protruding behind them. I watched the sun come up over a mountain called the "thumb". This is a popular hike, a hike I had originally thought about doing when we were scheduled to have the whole day out there. The general consensus from the student body about what to do was to go to a beach about 20 minutes away from where the ship was docked. At the pre-port we were warned against the use of alcohol as it was clear that many planned on get off the ship and start drinking.
While excessive drinking and laying on a beach at 9am do sound ever-so enticing, I chose to forgo the chance for alcoholism and did something else. That morning after watching the sun-rise, I had breakfast and waited for the ever-so-loved announcement we all wait to hear in the morning of every port...you know the we've cleared immigrations and the gangway is now open one!? Well, this time it happened earlier than anticipated, and we were luckily off the ship by 7:30 am!
Myself, a friend named Rheanna, and Brandon jumped on a water-ferry that picked us up right at the port and headed into town. Rheanna is junior studying in California but originally from Trinidad, and Brandon is a really awesome gap-year student from Minnesota that's headed to Stanford next semester. We planned ambitiously for our 4 and a half hours. We started out by heading to the market. The market had lots of awesome fresh-produce and smells. In Mauritius they speak mainly French and Creole. I joked that I should have known that I would be in Mauritius one day for 4 hours and would need French so I should have known to take French instead of Spanish in middle-school. I learned some basic phrases and was sure to use them on anyone who was patient enough to listen. On the way into the market we saw a bunch of students in uniform headed to school. I asked them what the name of their school was. When we got into the market I was sure to follow up on it and ask some of the vendors. The people in the market were different from previous countries…they aren't so used to foreigners there, so they didn't look at us as an immediate source of income, instead they asked us what we were doing there and were happy to help with directions and advice. The three of us all either work with kids at home or plan to work with kids in the future, so the idea of going to a school sounded awesome.
We left the market and walked in the direction we were told to go in. After walking for about 10 minutes we stumbled on a mosque. We saw lots of people going in and out. We stood outside for a few moments just peering in, not sure if we should enter or not. Then, a clearly Muslim man waved us in with a smile. Rheanna and I took out our scarves, covered our shoulders, took off our shoes and entered. We spoke with a man named Joseph for a while, he told us that the mosque was 160 years old. This place was really beautiful, the area for washing was covered only by a huge tree that was older than the mosque itself. We weren't allowed into the actual prayer rooms but we did get to peer inside and observe from a distance. Joseph then called out the President of the mosque.
Out came an older man called Nassarah. This man was SO excited to see foreigners that were interested in his religion. He told us that he had been going to the mosque since he was 5 years old, and has been the president for 7 years now. We hadn't planned on staying there long, but Nassarah had so much to say, and none of us had the heart, or really the desire to cut him off. He explained that the culture of Islam gets so mis-represented in places now-days. So, he showed us a few books and lines from the Quran that acknowledge familiar prophets like Jesus, Abraham, and Moses, as well as lines that condemn violence and wrong-doing. He did not know what types of faith we all had…nor did it matter to him, he wanted to talk about his, and we were eager to learn. At one point he talked about those Muslims that misrepresent his people. He followed up by saying that instead of dropping physical bombs they show drop bombs of love. We all laughed, smiled, and agreed. At one point we asked him what he saw as the most important thing in life. He explained that we are all born the same…humans, and as humans we should try to live our lives to the best of our abilities while being the best that we can be. He said one thing that I really liked, he explained that "we should live our lives with love and sincerity".
During our time in the mosque, I had a moment that I kept to myself, but felt very strongly. I have grown up in a Jewish house-hold with strong Israeli connections. During the second intifada every day I was told about x-amount of new bombings and killings as we held our breath and waited to make sure loved ones were okay. The time I spent in Israel I made lots of friends that were born and raised there and I learned quickly that death was not a foreign subject to them, at all…they all know people, friends, loved-ones that have passed away either defending their country from it's many oppressors or just on a routine trip to the grocery store where an extremist pressed a button and in seconds changed the lives of many forever. I read a book recently on the ship about a woman from a Palestinian village in the West Bank that was a victim of an honor killing. This means that she had done something wrong in her culture (in her case she fell in love with a man and spent time with him outside of wed-lock) so her family made a collective decision to kill her as an "honor-killing". This is a terrifying custom that occurs much more than any of us can imagine. Luckily this woman, Souad, survived the attack and was rescued by a humanitarian worker that brought her to Europe. Souad explained in her book that after 30 years of living in Europe and learning a completely new way of life, she still carries some things with her that she wishes she wouldn't. For example, she explained that her whole life she was taught to hate Jews and to be afraid of them. She then talks about a Jewish butcher on her block (in Europe) that is the best butcher in town, she knows this and acknowledges it, but she won't go there alone because she still carries with her some of that fear that was so much ingrained in her. Her shear honesty throughout the book was admirable and relatable. She acknowledged that she knows there's no reason to be afraid, and some things are just hard to let go of. I have been raised to accept all other people in the world…but without knowing, I developed a secret bias against Muslims due to the things I'd seen my whole life. When on my gap-year in Israel I realized my problem and tried to combat it. This man really reminded me just how much a few bad people can misrepresent a people as a whole…This is one of the reasons I strive to make a good impression on people in these countries, because as an American, I am representing Americans as a whole. Nassarah reminded me of the good people around the world. Like Souad, some things have been accidentally learned, and it's hard to let go, but Nassarah really helped me to do so. By just looking at Nassarah you could tell how much love and passion he had for his life-style. He even mentioned that he was late for his job, but the opportunity to share his faith and values with people like us was more important than a few extra dollars he could have been making at the time.
We exchanged contact information and told him that we would definitely be in touch. Then, after asking him about the school we'd heard about, he told us he'd walk us there. Well, is it on the way for you? The answer to that question was clearly no, but he wouldn't take no for an answer…he was going to walk his guests to their next destination. When we got to the school we shook hands, bid-farewell and thanked him for all his time and the knowledge he so graciously shared.
We arrived to a place called "London College". This was a secondary school (middle school) not a college. It was built in a "C" shape, with the classrooms located right there on the outside. We walked in and some guards asked us what we were doing, we told them we wished to go to the office and speak to the administration. So, they directed us in the right direction. We went upstairs and got to the non-air conditioned office with our bags, cameras, and sweaty selves. One of the administrators sat us down and asked us lots of questions. What are you doing here? Where are you from? What do you want to do here? How did you hear about our school? What can we do for you? After a lot of explaining, we got the point across that we were all University students from different countries and states in the US studying in different Universities, traveling around the world by ship that happened to stop in Mauritius for 4 hours…and that the three of us wanted to come see a school during our time there…I mean come on it's NOT that hard! We laughed at how odd a concept it must have sounded to them, but they tried their hardest to understand. After 10 minutes of answering questions, we were told that the Principal would be willing to see us.
Ironically, the principal was retired and unfortunately ill, so he didn't usually spend his days at the school in his office any longer. But, on this day, he happened to be in the office for only a few hours, and those hours turned out to be while we were there! So, we walked into a larger, air-conditioned room where an older man named Harold Chan Lam sat at a desk that seemed larger than him. The room had tons of pictures and certifications hung up all over the place. We sat down in front of him and more-or-less went through the same questioning that we'd just had. We answered. When he realized that we were all University students from the US that were genuinely interested in the education system in Mauritius, he smiled and welcomed us. He explained that he loves the US, his two sons did University in NY and his daughter decided to forgo her full scholarship to Columbia in order to go to the London School of Economics. Harold told us that he was 73 and started the school when he was 27 years old. He told us all about his father, and even got choked up at a point as he explained I am what I am today because of my father. He said that he had always wanted to open a school, and it started out as a small building with 20 students, which today flourished as a four floor building with 1400 students. Harold explained his love for education, and what he does. He gave us each a "45th anniversary" edition of the Souvenir magazine for London College. In the book there are letters from all sorts of important, influential people, even the President of the Republic of Mauritius is quoted saying "The college has asserted itself as a reputable one, whilst gaining the confidence to staff, parents, and students." And "I would like to convey my best wishes of success to one and all at the London College." (*reminder: college is secondary school (middle school) in Mauritius)
As I read the letter in the book from the Principal, Harold Chan Lam, I read some words that he had told us in person earlier that day:
"I want my 'children' to achieve the vision to which I have dedicated my life: 'aim towards excellence not only in your studies but in whatever projects or activities in which you are involved.' Do not let our present achievements stop you from stiving harder. Together we shall continue to move forward. Long life to London College"
Harold told us that guests were very rare and he appreciated our interest and concern with his school. He even called in all of his main administrators to take a formal picture with us so that it may be featured in the next "souvenir magazine".
After about 30 minutes of talking with Harold, learning about his life and gaining lessons and knowledge from him, we asked if we could see a class. He said of course! We all decided to go to separate classrooms. Rheanna went into an accounting class, Brandon went into an economics class. I saw chemistry on the chalkboards of one classroom and excitedly asked the woman escorting us if I could go into that one. The teacher smiled and said that the class was taking an assessment and that she was sorry. Instead, I ended up in an art class!
When I entered the classroom, all of the students stood up and spoke together as they said "welcome". I introduced myself to the teacher and the class. I told the teacher I didn't want to disturb her lesson so I sat down next to a girl named Monique and listened to the lesson. Harold had told us how rare it was to have visitors, especially American…I really believed this when one of the administrators came into the classroom and took pictures of me interacting with the kids. In the previous countries we were always the one's taking the pictures, so it was an interesting role-reversal to be the one being photographed.
Their teacher, Josi, switched back and forth between English and French and explained how to make their drawings appear 3-Dimensional. I looked around at the students and was SO much reminded of myself during middle-school. I remember sitting in art class, having little interest, wanting to talk to my friends around me, but trying my hardest to pay attention and be respectful. The atmosphere in the classroom was one of clear mutual respect. The students were quiet and paid attention, but were clearly comfortable with their teacher as there was constant smiling, jokes made, and laughter heard on my part. At one point Josi gave them time to work on their drawings. I used that time to walk around the classroom and talked to different students. After some time it sort of turned into a question and answer session where the class asked about me and I answered. They wanted to know how old I was, what the US was like, what I was doing in Mauritius, what I was studying. The students told me that they had never met anyone from the US before, so naturally they asked me for my full name so that they may add me on facebook. I figured I had nothing to lose and gave it to them. Then, after quickly asking Josi first, I asked if they would like to have "pen-pals" in the US. They all nearly jumped out of their seats in excitement. I told them that I would try very hard to arrange that for them when I got home so that they may have more than one friend in the US. One very ambitious young lady asked me if she could have a boy pen pal that was 14 and not 13 (her current age). I laughed and told her I would try.
I spent some time talking with Josi. She told me that she had been teaching art at the London College for 35 years. I asked her a question with an obvious answer, but I wanted to see her reaction and response. I asked her do you love what you do? She didn't even have to say anything as I could see the look in her face explained it all. She responded by saying 35 years! I couldn't do this for 35 years if it weren't what I loved to do. I felt like I was listening to Golda from Fiddler on the Roof answer to Tevya's question of "do you love me" with "for 25 years I've washed your clothes, raised your kids, cooked your food." It was the same idea, and it's true, no one could do that kind of work, whether it's taking care of someone or teaching a bunch of 13 year olds for that long, if they didn't love it. I looked at my watch and realized that it was already 11:00 and we needed to be back on the ship by 12. We had walked quite a lot and taken a water taxi to get to where we were, so I knew we should head back. I said good-bye to the class, hugged Josi and told them I would be in touch.
I got back down to the office. I told one of the administrators that we'd been with earlier that I was going to go get my friends from their classes because we needed to get going. She looked at my like I was silly and said well, of-course we're giving you a ride back to your ship! The way she said it almost made me feel dumb for thinking for a second that they'd just let us walk right out. Rheanna and Brandon met me shortly, and we were greeted with juice boxes and snacks from the office. We all stood around for a few more moments, exchanged emails and information, and said our final thank-you's and goodbye's. This was a place where for one of the first times I felt like my presence was just as valued as was my appreciation for being able to be there. I kept thinking what would happen if 3 foreigners showed up to a middle-school in the US unannounced? Well, they would probably immediately be considered creeps, be thrown out and told to try and make an appointment. Here, we were welcomed with wide open arms!
Saying good-bye was truly difficult. I imaged, wow, if we were here for another week I would come back here everyday. If we were here even for a few more hours I'd have the opportunity to stay longer, learn more. But, I was so grateful for the time we had. I have no idea what the future holds for me, but if it involves a visit to the London College in Mauritius at any point in my life I would be very pleased. If not, I know that thanks to modern technology, and the long list of email addresses I was given, I will be able to stay in touch.
Mauritius was the least anticipated port for me. Most everyone I talked to from past voyages told me that it was a place to see beautiful beaches and have a couple drinks. Especially with only 4 hours I didn't really expect much. So, it's safe to say that I was blown away by the experience I did have. The impression that was left on me was surprising and will always be cherished.
I mentioned in my previous blog that at every port we have an optional reflection session and in the beginning we start by going around and saying our names and a word that sums up your feelings of your experience. Well, I've narrowed it down to two words. Sincerity- Every single person I talked to, even those we asked for quick directions on the street from, were so sincere in their answers and genuinely happy to help. Welcoming- From people in the market, to Nassarah, to Harold, to Josi and the kids, these people did not question our intentions once…they brought us into their lives, for the short amount of time we had, with such excitement and eagerness and they left such an incredible impression on us. It was so clear after only 4 hours that the people of Mauritius are good people that just want to see good things happen. Honestly, oasis got a whole new meaning in my mind as it went from just an image of palm trees, beaches and coconuts, to a place with all those things but more importantly good people that are excited about their country, however small it may be.
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