What's So Funny 'Bout...

September 21st is the International Day of Peace, as designated by the United Nations General Assembly back in 1981. Never heard of it? Yeah, before this year, me neither. Seems like a bandwagon worth jumping on, though. 

Personally, I commemorated the day by listening to Elvis Costello's "Peace, Love, and Understanding", "Man in the Mirror", as well as Sisqo and Vitamin C's version of "September" (Do you remember? The 21st night of September?) I also ate an ice cream cone, two Snickers bars, and concluded the day with a viewing of Teen Witch. This may now become an annual Peace Day ritual (similar to the Teen Wolf Thanksgiving tradition introduced to me by my pal, Edwina). While these things certainly brought me inner peace, it's probably not exactly how Ban Ki-moon would encourage we spend the day.

So...in addition, my grade 11 classes studied about World Peace Day in a Report text. Then, they made posters answering what peace is in their daily life, focusing on home, school, and friends.

 
Peace is...

• for all and for making all people smile.
• all people always including one another. 
• having no enemy. 
• valuing friends. 
• to forgive. 
• we can respect and help each other. 
• not fighting with family because family is my heart. 
• when we always forgive the mistakes. 
• being kind with all people.
• if we can apologize each other.

For additional words from students, please check out the sites of these lovely ladies: Taylor and Nicole.

Ila and I have also been trying to spread our "Peace Pound and Pow" handshake. One of my PC goals was to have a kid in a far-off desa initiate a handshake with me that had been created and passed on by kids in my desa. A true example of the interconnectedness of us all. 

I've got less than nine months to go here, so please do what you can do to keep this rolling. 

In LES, the neighborhood kids made pinwheels (www.pinwheelsforpeace.com). Although, in the end, they were not necessarily peace-related. Turns out, peace vocab is a bit complicated. 

We stuck with learning the words: family, friends, share, kind, and help. Then the kids wrote these words along with things they like on the pinwheels they made.

 "I like cake." - Berta, class 3

Yep, that should about do it. Get ready for news of cease-fires across the world. 

You're welcome.

 

Note: (deep sigh) I, in no way, want to diminish the events of the last few weeks here. In truth, I have been completely obsessed and heartsick over them. Should you want to ngobrol (chat) about this for a good couple hours, feel free to give me a call. 

Things on all sides can get complicated real fast, so, for now, I'll focus on these simpler things close to home and the remarkably apropos lyrics of the Teen Witch rap: "Disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that...I wish that you would take a look and really stop that. Top that, stop that." Preach it, Polly.