Shine. She is my reason for being in this town, on this continent and even anywhere near this hemisphere. She was my reason for traveling 22 hours on a plane to South Africa, and she’s the main reason I don’t want to get back on a flight going the opposite direction. She has literally meant the world to me.
You have all been incredibly welcoming to me, allowing me such responsibility in the organization that I know has a place in all of your hearts. There is something so warm and hopeful in a Shine Centre room – something that gives you an active peace. In a world that too often makes us want to throw up our hands in resignation, Shine gives anyone and everyone an outlet for their desires to make a difference.
I have been wondering why we sometimes forget what it is like to be a child. I have only seen 23 summers, and I can sometimes feel my sense of awe fading. A night sky, waves on the beach or even a simple note saying that they did something well that day, can cause children’s eyes to glow. When do we lose that sensitivity to life’s wonders? Well, at Shine I think we don’t. We thrive on seeing how beautiful (and resilient) the lenses of a child can be, and we absorb it until it changes our own perspectives of life.
I thank you all for the vision you’ve given me in my own life. I am leaving Cape Town with a sense of purpose that was nonexistent when I arrived. I plan to work in a similar capacity at a school in California for a year before getting my master’s degree in developmental psychology. Well, for now, that’s the plan. But really the only plan that I know will stick is the commitment to seeing through childlike eyes and envisioning the learners at Shine when my lenses fog. And that means anything, including a permanent return to your amazing city, is possible.
Thank you all so much for the opportunity to be a part of what I have come to believe is the key to building bridges and closing achievement gaps between communities in South Africa. I will always smile nostalgically thinking of the learners and learning partners at Shine.
It has been an absolute joy.
Much love, Amy
3 comments:
Hi Amy, Your beautiful piece on the blog has brought tears to my eyes! You are an outstanding young woman and I know your future is BRIGHT. Thank you for all you have done for the children of Observatory Primary and for being such a warm welcoming link for all of us volunteers. You will be missed by everyone. Odette
Amy, what wisdom from such a young soul. Thank you for your courage to come so far and give so much of yourself. Something so many people could never even think of doing. You have touched a lot of hearts.
Amy, thank you for your courage to come so far and give so much of yourself. You have such wisdom and strength for such a young soul. You were there for us in a huge time of need.
Post a Comment