Join us! on September 2, 2010 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Quigley Pastoral Center 835 North Rush Street Chicago, IL

Reception for Fr. Wilfred Odo, JCD  Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, Nigeria  Bishop Francis Okobo  In Partnership with The Office of Catholic Schools  Archdiocese of Chicago   RSVP mbermudez@archchicago.org  or 312-534-5242

Fr. Odo will be happy to greet his many friends and companions in Chicagoland who support the Catholic educational planning in Nsukka, Nigeria. We invite you to join him and the Nsukka Planning Committee to enjoy conversation, learn the latest in the educational planning process and celebrate the hopes and dreams of the  2020 Vision for Nsukka Catholic Schools!  There will be food and refreshments, informational materials and a brief presentation at 7:00 p.m.

 

Sometimes I feel like I'm not very grateful for what I have... I believe that working on this blog, has made me a bit of a better person, and also got me thinking about how little Nigeria has, but what joyous spirits all the children have. We complain that we don't ever get what we want, when it really matters about what we need. For example, here in schools, we have books that will help us understand what the teacher is talking about or even books that teach us the concept of the subject: math books, science books, social studies books, etc., etc. In Nigeria, children don't have the books we use. If they even have any school books, they are VERY, VERY outdated. The books are so old, they might even have wrinkles!
Another example is that the children don't have lunch at school. Here, kids whine about not having a long lunch/recess, or that we don't have enough time to talk to each other. Children in Nigeria are there to LEARN, if they choose to interact with each other, it's outside, not during class. Maybe we should get some teachers from Nigeria to come here to our schools and teach us a lesson... WHACK! There goes that stick again!
Now as I finish this post, I really think that I should go to Nigeria soon (and this time, i'm not figuratively speaking...). As I write more for this blog, I feel attached to helping Nigeria. Now is the time for you to start helping too...OR THE STICKS WILL FIND YOU!!!!! (Please do not feel intimidated, it really doesn't hurt that much!)

If you get into a small space, maybe even with many people, do you get claustrophobic? Let me tell you this, if you DON'T, then you're lucky you don't know how uncomfortable the feeling is... The classrooms in Nigeria are SUPER DUPER small and they hold over 60 children! Maybe you older readers can think back in the days when you were in school and had that many kids in your class. In the classrooms in Nigeria, there's a long narrow desk along with a long narrow bench or multiple chairs next to each other. Even though they may be cramped together, the children still listen to the directions given by the teacher. If not, then WHACK!!! The teacher pulls out her stick and spanks the children! No wonder the children are so obedient (at least most of them)! The ones that don't, well they know what's coming for them... All we have is the "book of responsibility," detention, demerits, or a "conduct book." Keep in mind that here, if a student has to go to detention or write in "the book," that's not painful! Unless of course, you got into some kind of fight and you got a nose bleed, but let's not go THERE. Who ever knew a stick could be so violent?!?!?! Ouch!

Uniforms. Yuck.

Uniforms... The one thing that most students who wear them, dislike about school. If you ask a student that wears a uniform to school, how they feel about wearing one everyday, they will most likely say that they wish they didn't have one or they wish they could wear their own clothes. I must say that I am one of those students... Fortunately, there are kids that don't complain about wearing a uniform and they have it hot everyday of the year! Nigeria, Africa is hot everyday of the year, and for kids there, it's a requirement to wear uniforms in all the schools. Kids go to school on a scooter or by foot in the scorching sun wearing uniforms! Here, we don't even think about walking more than a mile to school, where in Nigeria that's what children do. Also, most schools here have 1 or 2 colors to their uniforms. In Nigeria, every single school has a different uniform, having all different colors! Just imagine, if you line up children from each school in Nigeria next to each other, the line may end up looking like a rainbow! How pretty and awesome would that be?! TOTALLY AWESOME! We complain about wearing uniforms to school, but we don't have to walk to school for miles in the sun everyday. Also, the children in Nigeria have such a good spirit. Their smile just warms your heart... I'm actually jealous of the children in Nigeria for their colorful and beautiful uniforms! Maybe I can order one...?

My summer in Nigeria... figuratively speaking.

Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you were born in another country? I know, difficult to imagine, right? This summer I have an opportunity to find out and so do you. Let's start with why I'm doing this. I'm getting confirmed next year and I needed a service project during the summer. With the help of my lovely neighbor, I've decided to contribute my new knowledge of Nigeria and it's schools to this blog. I may just be an 8th grader, (as my fellow blogger said below) but I have a lot to say about what's happening in a country I've never been to... Also, a big part of why I became a blogger is because a few people have these papers and reports they have to write that are apparently more important than blogging. What's up with that? It's hard to believe, but don't worry, Marta has come to the rescue!

Marta begins serving up information on our project

Today starts Marta's first day of blogging for our website. Marta will be an 8th grader at St. Josaphat School this fall. This spring, Marta has spent time with a number of the principals who went to Nigeria in March. Her interview questions were generated by students and teachers at St. Josaphat. Utilizing the stories of her interviewees and their pictures, you, dear reader, will be kept informed on our growing partnership.

Please feel free to post your questions or topics for Marta to discuss! We look forward to an interactive volley of ideas!

Sr. Solina Hicks, RSM is honored by the Archdiocese

Sr. Solina Hicks, RSM has created the series of paintings entitled "Seeing the Kingdom of God in Nigerian Women." There are 22 paintings in this series that Sr. Solina painted in her 95th year in order to support the Nsukka Project and her cousin Esther Hicks who has spear-headed this project for the Archdiocese. In 2008, the Archdiocese celebrated Sr. Solina's contribution and the partnership between the Catholic schools of Nsukka and the Catholic schools of the Archdioces of Chicago.

Currently, some of these paintings are on exhibit with numerous other works this month at St. Xavier University. The show "Sister Solina Hicks, A Retrospective" is on exhibit at St. Xavier Galler, 3700 West 103rd Street, Chicago, IL 60655 until April 8, 2010. A conversation with the artist and reception will take place on Wednesday, March 31st at 3:30. If you can't make the reception, please call the Gallery for hours or further information: 773-298-3081.