Yours,

Sean Robinson

Ayaz and Saimon at the River

Imtiaz posing for the camera

Saeeda  after everyone else jumped into the water

Ayaz hard at work

This is, i believe, our first group shot. Taken just in front of Fadden’s Sugar House

A presentation by Mr. Fadden on how maple sap is taken from a tree.

This is it for now. Thanks!

I’ll close with a few pictures of my own, taken this last week or two. Plymouth is a very beautiful rural area. For visitors who are familiar with the congestion of cities and large towns it can be a bit shocking, but is a great place to relax and enjoy some peace and tranquility.

The building in the background (as John mentioned) is called Rounds Hall

Something to also note as you think about packing: New Hampshire weather can be unpredictable, where our it may be quite warm on some days, and quite cold on others. Participants in the past have suggested it is like summer one day and winter the next. Bringing a coat or a heavier piece of clothing (or two) may be a very good idea.

Our gardeners on campus are a really talented group of people.

This is not Plymouth, NH. It’s a small town a bit north of us. This river runs through Plymouth as well, and there are several places like this along the river. Great to sit and read a book, or take a meal.

Last picture! We’re in an area with mountains surrounding us. This is one of the local mountains.

That’s it for me for the moment. See you in a month!
Yours,

Sean Robinson

You can tell school is busy when I haven’t been checking the Blog. It is wonderful to meet everyone from the 2008 group. Likewise, the 2007 group is often in my thoughts.

My name is Sean Robinson and I will be one of the Community Advisors for the Institute. You will be seeing me often. I, and my counter-part Sarah will be living with you during your stay in the US to help assist you while you are here. Our positions are to help you get to know the US, find the resources you need while you’re here, and answer questions you may have. That, and we are a lot of fun.

Academically, I am completing my Bachelor’s Degree in English in one week and am looking forward to continuing my education. I enjoy reading, writing, traveling, and a variety of others things. I will also be teaching a course during your stay here.

Sean Robinson

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]]> http://pelinstitute.org/archives/170/feed 3 http://pelinstitute.org/archives/158 http://pelinstitute.org/archives/158#comments Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:33:04 +0000 Sean Robinson http://pelinstitute.org/archives/158 Hello everyone -

I saw Sarah’s post and realized that i had been lax about my own updates. School has been very busy as i am approaching graduation. In May i will be done my Undergraduate Degree (16 years of school). I am in the process of applying to new schools to continue on in hopes of getting a master’s degree (2 more years) and my phd (five years after that). I will be coming back, as Sarah said, for this summer’s institute. I’ll also be teaching a module (brief class, meeting perhaps for a week) for the 2008 group. Once i get a complete syllabus together i’ll post it for other people to comment on. We’ll be exploring a number of things including student-centered education methods (Modes of Transmission, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, and Feure’s work with language) and writing as a way to express one’s self. Equally, we will be discussing how through writing we may understand eachother better and promote social responsibility. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m also hoping that we can identify the research and learning interests of the 2008 participants and tailor some of our cousework to meet their needs.

If anyone has insight, please feel free to send it my way. I hope life is treating everyone very well.

Yours,
Sean

I am delighted that we’re good to go for another summer here at Plymouth State. I’m looking forward to working with our participants for next year, and to keep an on-going dialogue with everyone from the 2007 participants

To those of you who have e-mailed me, i apologize for not replying, this year of school has been particularly hectic with my various commitments — but i promise to work on it. I hope everyone’s jobs, schools, students, etc are going well.

I think of you all often.

Please keep us posted!

Yours,

Sean Robinson

Missing everyone as well, trying to get back into the swing of things. One thing that i’d like to see happen (now that everyone is back home — or making their way back home) is for people to talk a little bit about their projects — the groups that they come from, the initatives they’re putting in place. Give us some links if your school/organization/department has a website, and maybe talk about the things you’re doing. I didnt get to hear nearly enough about what you do, and this way it will do a number of things:

1. Others can see what projects you’re working on — both Alumni and people who view the blog.

2. Gives a little publicity for your projects

3. Perhaps network and find people who are doing similar things (or want to do similar things) in other parts of the country.

Hope all is well, feel free to send me e-mails, sorry ive been lousy about returning them, getting back to a normal schedule has been an adventure.

Yours,

Sean Robinson

Over the successive days, i fell into a rythm of early mornings, meals and the sound of Urdu — foreign to my ears — became a constant from conversations in the dorm, to singing on the busses as we went places, to the air planes we boarded to the United States capitals. I will miss this rythem as the 2007 participants go their seperate ways.

3 Participants return to Kashmir, another group to the Punjab, and the Sindh. They take with them memories, educational tools, more pictures than anyone should <b>ever</b> take on a three week trip, and more handbags then anyone could ever want. I hope they also take with them a greater understanding of America and remember us here at Plymouth.

to Rehan and Yasir – talking into the early hours of the night and good humor about the crazyness that they enured. Mubasher for his wit. Zahoor and Raja for insight. Sadaf for endless humor, Saima and (little)Faiza for their honest friendship, Sarwat who took pictures everywhere and was terrified of the laundry mat. Afshan, Shanaz, Azmat– a finer chorus i have never heard. Abida and her warm smile, Samia for an hour-long lesson in english on a long bus ride, and to (big)Faiza – who has more grace than i have ever seen in another human being — thank you for coming, thank you for being open to the experiences at PSU, and for sharing with me (and us) a new view on the world far outside anything i have learned before.

To Team Pakistan – Blake for starting every morning with a “hey gang!” Lora who kept us all on track, Liane, Lisa and Tammy for doing back flips to keep everything organized and underbudget. Kim and John for a crazy, hectic, and hysterical time in D.C. and from the bottom of my heart Sarah — who let me go crazy, and shared this wonderful experience as well. Adam, a member of the team, even if he was spared the planning meetings (but not from being pulled from his cab and run around washington with us) he keeps us pushing forward to be bigger and better.

From the outside, this may seem more like a personal reflection — year book like notes, but it is representative of what has been developed here at Plymouth State. From organized chaos (because, really, 3 weeks and everything we’ve done in that time is crazy) has come a thing of beauty–an international community dedicated to the betterment of nations and people, and the promotion of a global understanding that goes beyond races or faiths. I well and truely believe that if every person participated in an event like this Institute — the world would be a better place.

But as they cant — i am confident that the fifteen participants from the Institute, and the horde that is Team Pakistan will take these experiences and make things better in everything we do.

T-minus 24 hours and counting. Boston here we come!

-Sean Robinson

Americans migt not blink at this — keeping in mind that the United States is renoun for a strong economy, and is what some people describe using the World Systems Theory as a Core country, while Pakistan might be considered closer to Semi-Periphery. What is most interesting to my mind — after realizing that 60 Rupees make up 1 dollar — is cost of living. American Minimum Wage is currently set at $5.15 per hour. Meaning the least anyone can be paid in the united states for a job is that amount. For a 40 hour work week (which isnt garunteed anywhere…but we’ll use it for sake of conversation) meaning $206 per week before taxes. Depending on a lot of things, i suppose (im not an economist, im guessing) about thirty dollars will be taken out for taxes leaving (for round numbers) say… $170 dollars. Or 10,200 rupees. The person making minimum wage for the fifty two weeks a year will make $8,840 before taxes or…. 530,400rupees Economists (and others) offer up a different number to go by — that of Living Wage .

For this area in Northern New Hampshire living wage is something to the tune of $14 per hour. Meaning (here comes the math again) $560 per week before taxes….$29,120 per year or…. 33,600 ruppees a month…1,747,200 rupees a year. At this point, most readers are probably saying, “okay – what’s your point?” and this is the highlight (and reasoning) of this post: cost of living and difference in economies. In Pakistan, im told, a well-paid person working in the public sector might make as much at $300 a month – or 18,000 rupees (i wont do the rest of the math out…but you follow the idea) and this is considered a very good salary.

The second major difference (or perhaps difference in this area of the country rather than others) is manual labor. For people in this area–labor isnt cheap. Construction workers are paid well, given benefits, and it’s not a bad kind of job. Human labor in Pakistan is a different reality. From what ive been told, Maids, Cooks, Drivers, etc are common place. Some of the wealthier families might have had families serve them for generations. The going rate? 2,000 rupees a month or – $33 a month… To put things in some more perspective for me (and perhaps for the reader as well)…my job as a Community Advisor to the Pakistanis Educational Leadership Institute might be somewhere in the nighborhood of what said Maid makes in six years.

There is, of course, the difference in cost of items — things in Pakistan are cheaper than they are here — goods are significantly cheaper, and socially things are very different, but today – as i spent a fair amount by even American standards…i stop and think about the rest of the world.

Sincerely,

Sean

p.s. if somewhere along the lines ive missed something: miscalculated, misheard or understood — leave me a comment. This post is not intended to act as any sort of judgement of any political system or economic system so much as to show the perspective between the two and another revelation ive seen since joining the team.

From my experiences around the school, i knew a number of the people there, talked about the time i’ve spent with the group thus far. I told them everything i mentioned in my last post–since none of it has changed and for most, went a step further, suggesting they should come visit us here in Hall and see the community that has been built here on the third floor.

Many replied with a mumble and a head shake, suggesting neither and both. I think there is a certain mystique around our visitors for some people — the remnants of a western fascination with all things oriental. While i dont think Pakistan would count for oriental, i think many people see the Middle East as a vauge place on a map and a handful of vauge recollections from things they have seen and heard: Shaharrazzad, Arabian Nights…and more recently the Red Mosque, Al-Quada, and War on Terror.

For geography’s sake – i linked a map of the Indian Sub-Continent

Three of the countries you see here – India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh were all one country until the middle of the 20th Century until they recieved British Independance. The diverse population in the region began to move — most of the Hindu population moving into present-day India, while a large portion of the Muslim population moved into present-day Pakistan.

I’ve digressed a bit from my point i think. The other-ness (to use an phrase picked up in an English class) of our fifteen guests is a result of lack of understanding, i think. This week, interacting with them, ive begun to learn how much alike we are. We have friends we care about, jobs we look to excel in. The price of an iPod is the same in Pakistan as it is here, while it’s cheaper-by far-to get a CD in Lahore than it is in Plymouth, NH. Both cultures love music, burst into song, or dance, at the drop of a hat, and perhaps even more importantly–both cultures work to be the best they can be.

All of our participants show a dedication that is staggering–they work to improve the educational systems in Pakistan, collecting data about schools, participating in outreach–spreading the word on student-centered learning and creating programs to help train people to succeed in their positions in education and beyond.

I hope people stop by, for tea, for a beginning session in Urdu, or to play a round of pool in the Recreation Lounge in Hall. An hour spent with this group of fifteen people is like spending days in a classroom, but where in a classroom so many times we learn second hand about a place or a people, there is a real, live education happening here at Plymouth State

Signing off for the evening,

Sean Robinson

Before i get to much farther – my name is Sean Robinson – and i am not a participant in the institute. I’m working in our Residence Hall as a Community Advisor for this year’s Institute. My counterpart Sarah and I live and work in the buildings, helping answer questions as simple as “How do i make a collect phone call” to things more serious if they arise (which – with luck-they wont).

I cannot describe the experience ive had so far and do it any justice. In five days, i have met all the participants, and learned a little bit about each one – from the places they’ve come from, the jobs (both private and public) that they hold, their families and both the hopes and fears they have as they’ve left Pakistan behind and come to the United States.

In future postings, i’ll describe the experiences thus far: from lost baggage, to our first trip to Wal*Mart, and will hopefully have some pictures to share.  Until then, i look forward to my time with our guests and working with both them and the rest of our “Team Pakistan” to gain every ounce of experience and insight (and laughs!) that i can.

Sincerely

- Sean