HECTOR PETERSON WELCOME TO SEATTLE

ONE BIG WARM AND LOVING WELCOME FROM THE BRIDGES FAMILY

On the of January 2008 six students were chosen in our school to attend the Seeds of Compassion Conference which will be held in hosted in Seattle which is America under a nonprofit organization that engages K-12 students worldwide in direct, interactive learning and storytelling to build cross-cultural understanding and it is called Bridges to Understanding.

Luckily I was chosen as one of the students that will be going to Seattle for the Seeds of Compassion Conference with the other students at my school namely :

1. Sesethu Goniwe(that is me of course)

2. Zama Vuntu

3. Phuthikhaya Mareseni

4. Caroline Dyantyi

5. Phumza Sdiki

6. Ntombizandile Mthiya

We are all from Hector Peterson FET(further education and training) which is in South Africa in Cape town.

We left South Africa on the 28th of March and on that day we all realised that a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step as it was the first time for all of us to travel with a plane and probably the first time coming to America.

On the 29 of March we landed in Seattle Tacoma Airport where we had a warm and loving welcome from the whole bridges family and our family hosts. At that time we were all excited and happy to even get the chance to sit down and get to know each other better but at least we got the chance to enjoy a warm welcome from the bridges family. To tell the Truth I have never seen such loving and kind people like the people that live in Seattle. So for me it was so amazing to see that not only your family and friends can love you but other people as well.

To all the students who were at the airport when we arrived and to all the students that we met and most of all to the families for hosting us in their home I thank you so much. I had a great time at the airport and looking forward to enjoying being in Seattle.

WHO AM I (sese's introduction)

WHO AM I ?

My name is Sesethu and my surname is Goniwe.
I was born in 1989 on the 21st of December in Cape Town.
I am holding 19 years and 4 months and hopefully by the end of this year I'll be a fully matured adult and ready to make my own decisions. I am doing grade 11 at a school called Hector Peterson FET which is situated in Cape Town in a small community in Kraaifontein called Wallacedene.

Now here's the best part that I like about me. I am a self motivated hyperactive person that never gets upset sad and angry. If it happens that I get sad or upset I normally find ways of dealing with it before it destroys my day. I am a kind and funny loving guy who is always ready to meet new people and share information with them regardless of who they are or what culture they belong to.
I almost forgot that some people believe that I have a good sense of humor and that is just one of the things I am good at: putting a smile on every new face that i come across with.

During my spare time I listen to house music which is better know as dance or electronic. I enjoy listening to house music because my second in hand goal is to become a DJ.
I also enjoy reading and writing, spending time with friends playing video game and soccer.
I enjoy watching movies a lot especially comedy and action movies.
My favourite movie is Click.

The biggest dream that I have is to become an engineering technician in the field of technology where I will be working with designs, sketches and inventing new products in the world of technology. This is because ever since I was a young boy I was inspired by technology and what it is capable of.

Introduction: K.T Lhamo

My name is K.T. Lhamo. I am the blogger of T.C.V.(Tibetan Children Village) School . I am about 14 years old. I study in the 9th grade. My favorite subject is English. I went to an English medium school for 5 years. In total I have studied in 6 different schools. I am fluent in Hindi, English and Tibetan. I can speak a little bit of Sanskrit, Korean, Chinese. Have been in a lot of place in India like Hyderabad, Goa, Bombay, Ladakh, Bangalore, Dalhousie, and then Dharamsala.

Out here it is completely different form the environment out there. In my host family there are 3 children and 2 parents. In my family there are also 3 children and 2 parents but we live with our grandmother and aunt. At T.C.V. we have a daily assembly when we sing the national anthems, both of India and Tibet. On Thursday our teacher checks our nails; it's like the cleanliness day. We learn everything from books out there.

At Lakeside, they don't have an assembly every day. Out here it is more modern from there as the students carry laptops in the classes, and cellphones in their lockers. In India it is really important to respect our elders. Here the students don't stand up while answering their teacher.

The world is full of different people so we can't expect everything to be the same as we have been used to. So, I think that I have got to see a lot more as you never know; LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES!

Lakeside School visit

Pictured here are Susethu and KT (Kalsang Tashi), our bloggers from South Africa and TCV respectively. We met today and discussed possible posts, and tomorrow you'll hear from them each in their own words!
Here's a quick snap I took in the Lakeside Upper School Auditorium, where the 6 South African students answered questions about their lives, schools, and families, and also asked the Seattle students questions as well. The Seattle students enjoyed learning what "netball" is, and the South African students were amazed to compare the cost of education in the US to what it costs in South Africa.

South African and Tibetan students arrive!

Hello all -

Signing in from Bridges: On Friday and Saturday, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was abuzz with students from Seattle schools holding signs for their partner schools in South Africa and India (at the Tibetan Children's Village). All groups arrived safe and sound, and everyone is thrilled to be meeting with their host families and attending school at Lakeside with their host sisters/brothers.

Tomorrow, you will hear from the students in their own words, but for now, we at Bridges wanted to share images from the happy events with anyone interested in this moving story of cultural exchange.

Cheers,
Cheryl and the Bridges team
www.bridgesweb.org