This is my second year teaching in the English programme. It has been a wonderful experience meeting young women and men from mainly Africa and the West Indies. I feel a very real kinship with these students because we have such "pluri-cultural" backgrounds.
We are often British born colonials, with indigenous passports; or we've married into another culture and are naturalised 'something else'. We had early British education, but later American, German, Dutch or another academic experience. We speak at least two languages, usually more and we love to explore the world around us.
This background makes for lively class room discussions! For all we share, we can be very different. A Nigerian, whilst sharing a pan-African sentiment is still Nigerian, not Ghanaian, Kenyan or South African. And, as I am learning, African men and women, like all men and women, think differently. We are united by many things, yet appreciate our uniqueness.
My students want to get the best education possible and return home to rebuild or direct the building of their countries. Some have now emigrated to the Netherlands and work within their own ethnic communities. Some are looking ahead to other fields of endeavour, both geographically and educationally. They continue to evolve.
I am proud of them. And proud, that in some small way, I am helping them toward their goal.
They're a fine looking group, too!
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