GINtalks #1: Emmanuel Jal talks about hope

As part of our GINtalks series, Emmanuel Jal has been invited as our first guest to come share his experience. Instead of making it a club event, we made a slight change after the westgate event and made it a whole school event. Mr. Blanchard and Mr. Baker, our high school and middle school principal were supportive in this decision, so we were able to invite the whole ISK community. I personally thought his talk was the perfect timing after all the traumatizing events because we encouraged everyone with his words and music. Everyone needed that moment of relief and I was so glad to have been part of the event. In a nutshell, Emmanuel Jal was a child soldier and he experienced extreme hunger that he reached a point when he tried eating his friend. He mentioned that that was the point when he reached the very bottom of his life and that this experience brought him here. He talked about hope and education for all. He was such a motivator and people were so energetic after the event, so I was also really happy. I thought that we should definitely have more GINtalks... can't wait!
P.S. I got a signature from him :)



Mrs. Lavender, Shea, me, and Ms. Houriez: GIN Leaders! :)



Westgate attacks and my interview!

On September 21st, 2013, a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya was attacked by a group of terrorists. A friend of mine from South Korea asked for a interview and here is my relfection on this terrible event:

1)     Do you go to Westgate often? How far away is it from your house?

Yes, I do go to Westgate often because it’s only 5 minutes away from my house. I used to go to Westgate to watch movies with friends, eat, and shop. It’s most shocking to see this happen where my family in general used to go so often.

2)     Where were you when you first heard about this shooting?

I first heard about this in school. Our school held a huge event on Saturday morning and a lot of parents attended this event. I am so thankful that we had this because if not, we would have probably lost so many more innocent lives from ISK.

3)     What was your reaction? How did you feel?

My initial reaction when I first heard about this on Saturday was light-hearted. At first, I had no idea it would be this serious because all I heard was that a robber intruded the shopping mall and two people were injured then moved to the hospital. I didn’t think there were dead bodies and people talked rumors about this so it was hard to believe what was on the news afterwards.

4)     What was everybody else doing/saying?

When my friends started talking about this terrorist attack on Saturday around 1:30pm (The attack started around 12pm to what I heard), my friends contacted their families to check if they’re safe and they asked details about what happened. One of my friend’s parents was inside the mall, hiding, when this attack bombarded and he looked extremely worried and confused. Still, at that moment, I had no clue things were going to get worse; I actually thought things were getting better. The weekend was, of course, unproductive and most people were watching the news or were on facebook to get the latest update. People even warned each other by sending instant messages.

5)     How do you feel about the shooting now, after it has all happened?

Most of all, I am extremely frustrated and angry at the terrorists because their action cannot be justified by any means. Killing tens of innocent people and injuring hundreds is undoubtedly immoral. It is hard to imagine what the people in the mall had to go through. Honestly, if I had been inside, I have no idea how I would have survived. I’m glad everything’s getting better but I also feel guilty for being alive and for not having lost any close friend/family. It is sad that I can’t sympathize as much to the people who lost someone. Besides, I’m really worried that this might not be the end of the horrifying events and anything worse can take place anytime, anywhere soon. This Westgate terrorism was so sudden and unexpected.

6)     What is the atmosphere of the school like right now?

On Monday morning, people were serious, depressed, and shocked. The atmosphere was really down and it felt like gravity was pulling me down 3 times more than usual. It was hard for me to breathe because this event literally took away all my energy to do anything. However, it was weird to see everyone look “happy” in the afternoon. Most people looked happier than in the morning and some people were even joking and laughing. Although everyone process their grieving differently, some peoples’ actions looked a bit rude for people who were having a really tough time. I even noticed some freshman kids acting foolishly and joking around when one of their fellow classmates died from the attack. Day after day, the terror decreased and people were also feeling better. I thought that people were feeling comfort in school, just by spending time with their friends. Personally, it was so depressing for me to stay home because I had the news on TV the whole day and I kept going on facebook to see if there was any good news, which was hard to find.

7)     How is everybody coping with the shooting?

Everyone is coping with this shooting differently. The freshmen and juniors seemed to have tougher times than sophomores and seniors. I felt like the seniors, as the relatively older students, had the duty to stay strong for younger students. A lot of people didn’t want to talk about this because they said talking about it just makes them feel more depressed. The fact that this happened where we live is shocking and stressful.

8)     What are the losses that are being experienced at ISK?

ISK has lost three lives, and teachers, students, and families are all still in shock. A lot of people are recovering from this traumatic event, but we can’t deny that we still fear what is going on in the Kenyan community. We have been missing classes and most teachers are flexible with their schedules because they are going through the same situation.

9)     What are your thoughts and hopes for the future of this attack?

I desperately hope that everyone affected by this horrible event recovers quickly. Although this event will probably be remembered by all, I hope that this event won’t bring more tragedies to people. We must protect our people and hope for the best.

10) How do you see this from a Korean’s point of view? (a Korean was also shot during this incident) How does Kenya differ from Korea in this aspect?

As a Korean, I found this attack to be ridiculous. It is not only wrong but also inhumane to kill so many innocent lives. At one point, I heard that Al-Shabaab used their religion (Muslim) as a weapon to distinguish who lives and not. This is just unreasonable and outrageous. I also feel shame for the security guards of the mall for not checking such terrorists carrying weapons. Terrorist attacks like this hardly occurs, or hasn’t happened for years in Korea. Weapons should not be abused by any means and creating such catastrophe to the community for absurd reasons is definitely unacceptable. I felt like Al-Shabaab is similar to North Korea in that they’re using threats to get attention. Hungry people want attention, not the full ones. This has to stop.

GIN: PTO Picnic!

Today, we partnered with the organization called “Me To We.” Because GIN club has been maintaining a strong relationship with this organization since, we were able to bring them to the PTO Picnic. They came with their theme of water issues and it pit perfectly well with what we were doing in GIN. They set up and explained the water issues in Kenya and sold bracelets in order to donate the profit to people who really need them. As for GIN, we planned to do a “Water Walk,” which is an activity where people actually experience what the women have to go through everyday for water. We made pathways in school so that people can try walking with the water. This activity was unique and successful because many adult and students wanted to try. Honestly, I had never thought the water containers were THAT heavy! It was probably the heaviest thing I have carried for months that it gave me muscle aches L We also carried empty water bottles and asked for donations from parents who came to the picnic. We informed them of why we are receiving donations and where the money will go. WE MADE 20,000 KSH!

GIN: Personal water consumption

After Mr. Lavender’s presentation, I asked everyone to think about their water consumptions. Everyday, we use water to clean, drink, and cook for various reasons. During the week, I reflected on how much water I “wasted,” and I realized that I need to save water by not using it when I don’t have to. I planned to use less water when I’m taking a shower by turning the water off when I don’t need it. David and Shea made a presentation about water, and it was shocking to know that as little as $20 can save a person’s life forever. Water is essential for every living thing, and it is so unfortunate that not everyone has access to it. Some water facts include:

1. More than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world.
2. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills children at a rate equivalent of a jumbo jet crashing every four hours. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Of the 60 million people added to the world's towns and cities every year, most move to informal settlements (i.e. slums) with no sanitation facilities. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. 780 million people lack access to an improved water source; approximately one in nine people. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. "[The water and sanitation] crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country slum uses for an entire day. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Over 2.5X more people lack water than live in the United States. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. More people have a mobile phone than a toilet.2,4,5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GIN: Water Issues!

WATER ISSUES IN KENYA

Dirty Water that Kenyans who do not have access to clean water drink

To start off this year with a strong topic relating to Kenya specifically, we have chosen to do “Water issues.” Water is one of the most basic needs for human survival, but water is significantly limited in many parts of Africa. Clean water, in specific, is desperate for people. People drink dirty water and are not aware of the diseases they can get from dirty water. In one of the documentaries that I have watched, I learnt that in dirty water, larvae dwells, and when these enter human body through drinking, they grow inside the body and penetrates through the person’s feet. This is easily treated but the spreading rate is extreme, considering that the infected river water is drank by the whole community.

Mr. Lavender, a Geography teacher at ISK, came to our meeting to talk about water issues in Kenya. His presentation was really an eye-opener for all of us because many of us were probably unaware of all the things he talked about. It was surprising to know how extreme the consequences of not drinking water, or clean water in general, was. He also provided us with a video which was about a lady talking about her experience in Africa. She looked really thankful to have been part of the project. I knew how proud achieving something is, so I really hoped that GIN club could do something for water issues.

Women walk miles and miles to get water. They even walk this long multiple times.