December 17, 2016 - 01:09
Dear Anne,
Changing our environment, altering our identities! I was so excited when I was allocated this class for my Emily Balch seminar. I didn’t know what it entailed nor who my colleagues would be but still, I was so happy that my family members didn’t have peace that day because of me, who apparently was trying to explain to them so that we could share in the joy. Looking at things right now, I must say that deep down I am happy even more than I was back then. Happy because of this journey we partook together which I believe has been key to my final academic path in life and more so, because of the memories; good or bad that I will forever carry with me.
It has been quite a long one though. Embracing the characteristics of a real journey; tiresome, despair yet educational. I have learnt a lot from You and all my fellow classmates. The different yet diverse opinions and views from everyone and close to a million readings to do. Albeit I wasn’t outspoken, this class has increased my level of confidence when it comes to speaking to a multitude of people. My writing has greatly improved and I cannot compare where I am now with the time I joined the class. The class became very interesting to me when we started dissecting environmental issues on our planet. Seeing and listening the eternal debate on whether we should we should stop pollution or not was very informative.
Also, I garnered a lot from my six-week project. It was informative to learn about the history of African-American students at Bryn Mawr. It also provided me the arena to interact with a few distinguished members of the College’s fraternity. It was a medium of interaction with the African student community too. However, I must admit vent that I was disappointed. When I came up with this project, I hoped that I would acquire a lot of information about one of the minority groups I happen to identify with. I found little or no information about my intended goal and I ended up changing my whole project. It also made me question the College’s appreciation for the African community despite the dark history. Depending on oral histories for information yet you would easily find records of maintenance or whatever you think of was astonishing. How safe are we-the African students-here?
This class has equipped with skills: interpersonal and critical thinking which I believe will be of use in my college life. I remember how I had grown wary in the beginning of the semester because of the racist issue at the airport. Discussing this in class helped me recover very well because of the stories some classmates shared especially Princess and Tony. You also came in handy and hitherto, you have been a great pillar in my life here at Bryn Mawr. Your continued support and encouragement that things are going to get better; I don’t take that for granted at all. I wish the course went on and on but it’s sad that we had to leave each other for the better good of the society. I will forever remain indebted to You and my classmates.
Sincerely,
Morine Kimani.