The wait is over...I am finally back to blogging! I invited some of my friends to share their input of the Governor's School experience. We have ten days left and the only way I can describe GSE is that it's the "escape from the chaos of everyday life." They treat us like adults- we're not spoon fed or talked down to. We are allowed to formulate our on ideas...the speakers just present us with the information.
Lauren Mayfield, Dance
"Whenever I talk about GSE to my friends, I can't find words to describe it. It's unlike anything else I've experience- it's beyond words. I had no clue that there were this many people with such amazing qualities, that were intelligent. We can have intellectual conversations and yet still be witty and funny! I'm so honored to a part of such an amazing experience. They're [dance] is focused more on your well-being. It's focused on taking care of your body and doing movements that are good for you. The creativity of my teacher just inspires me. Doing the best you can do, where you're the most comfortable without stress....being the best dancer you can be in that present moment."
Neha Garg, French
"It's different because I'm attending classes I'm actually interested in. And the main class is the one we're required to attend...so we're obviously in love with it. The other classes pertain to real life like ethics and philospophy. Very intellectually stimulating- everyone around you is interested in the same thing and there's never that one person- bored or uninterested...because we're all here for the same reason. We enjoy and love learning. Every single person in my French class is awesome, they're taking it for enjoyment not for credit."
Mary Sketch, French
"Basically outside of the classroom, they're a ton of opportunities to take advantage of. It''s more uncommon for people to get excited about class electives back home. I wouldn't have described myself as a nerd before I came here...maybe sort of a Geek. If you same something stupid here- you're the outcast. It's like breaking binaries, being smart to get the guy. A lot of speakers here offer such a variety. No matter what they say everyone is so respectful. It's worth it because we have responsibilities."
Last night, Darryl Hunt was our convocation speaker. He was the young, black male in Winston Salem that was falsely accused of murdering and raping Deborah Sykes, a white woman who was a newspaper editor. The overall message or theme is to give a voice to people who don't have a voice. "The golden rule is so important and also not pre-judging people and looking at the hearts intent. Look to help someone else." Darryl Hunt. Hunt's concept of forgiveness is "If you have an issue with me and you have a stomachache, a headache, you can't get any of your homework done. While, i go home and go to sleep- not knowing you are even angry with me. Who does it hurt? Turn anger another way- release that burden." I thought that was an interesting way to define forgiveness. I totally agree with it. The lingering question in my mind is why do bad things happen to good people? An age old question that had no answer. We watched a documentary that just described the situation as the archetypal image of southern injustice, the "system using a scapegoat because they didn't do their homework." The fact of the matter is, "Racism is more powerful than facts. It's illogical, it's emotional." It was described as being, "not physically lunched but traditionally lynched...it's an old story." The one quote that really stood out to me from my presentation was that really stood out to me from the entire presentation was, "It's a little old man trying to move a mountain with a shovel. I'm a flawed individual but I have conscious. You can't give up- you have to fight."
Chelsea Gardner
