How I spent my Thanksgiving

November 27, 2008, Thanksgiving

“I had to repeat 8th grade and found out that I will not be able to afford high school so I have not been confident. Then I came to drama class and now I know I can have confidence.” This is what Idris, one of my students said to me today. We had a normal day with amazing kids. We continue to practice for tomorrow and I am excited to see how the kids do. I have seen such an improvement in their attitudes and confidence since the beginning of the week.
One girl, Sofi, told me that he mother used to sell drugs and was put in prison for 6 years. Now her mother is out of prison, but is very sick and cannot work.

I wish I could help these kids go to school. It doesn’t seem right that there are kids in America who take school for granted, and kids here who aren’t even given school as an option.

Today, Brenda told her story to the kids about how she was homeless and took care of her 6 siblings. It is amazing what people do to survive. She also said that we must not only plant the seed but provide the sun and the soil and the air to help it grow. I gave her money to buy Juliet and her family food. I hope to sponsor her or one of the other children.

Today, over 119 people were killed in Mumbai. There are also rebels in Bangkok. More people are still in hostage. I like watching Al Jazeera. I am not sure I would know this much about what was going on in the world if I was home. The news here cares about the whole world. I think that we are missing something by being so self-focused in the US. I love being an American. There is so much freedom and opportunity that comes from growing up in the US, and I have so much pride in our history. We have an incredible story to tell and a gift to share with the world because we are blessed. My problem is that we are so self-centered and self-focused that we are missing out on what may be a much greater opportunity than we could ever imagine.