Claire Binkowski of Aubrey, Texas owns the APHA stallion Never Compromise who was the 2011 APHA World Champion in the
Three Year-Old Western Pleasure and 2010 World Show Champion in the Two
Year-Old Western Pleasure slot class. Binkowski recently returned from Africa where she volunteered as a teacher for three weeks. The Wisconsin native has kindly shared her life-changing experience with GoHorseShow.
“I have been very blessed throughout my life, and I think that it is important to be try and give back,” says Binkowski, about why she decided to volunteer in Africa. “I had a break before I started summer school for my second masters degree, so, I thought it would be a unique way to see another part of the world while doing something worthwhile. The greatest gift we can give is our time, and I just wish I didn’t start classes again next week so I could have stayed longer!”
Read about her awe-inspiring journey below in her own words.
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In life, if you are lucky, you will have opportunities that will challenge you, inspire you and ultimately end up changing your life. When I first packed everything I would need into a small backpack and boarded a plane for Africa to spend three weeks volunteering as a teacher, I was excited for the adventure that lie ahead and eager to try and make a difference. Little did I know that the people of Jambiani would make a far greater impact on my life then I could have ever hoped to make in theirs.
After 28 hours of traveling, which included stops in Detroit, Amsterdam, Kilimanjaro, and an overnight layover in Dar Es Salaam, I finally arrived on Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania and in Jambiani, the peaceful, rural village that I would call home for the next three weeks; a place whose people would ultimately capture a piece of my heart and where I would be reminded of what is truly important in life.
The organization that I was volunteering with is called African Impact. Based in South Africa, they sponsor numerous projects throughout Africa aimed at providing education, improving healthcare, and promoting conservation. In Jambiani, the African Impact home base is located on the beach just a stones throw from the sparkling turquoise water of the Indian Ocean. Every morning I would get up and go for a run down the beach, timing it so that the sun would be rising just as I came back. Watching the African sunrise every morning was truly one of life’s simple pleasures.
Reminder #1: Take time to enjoy the little things in life.
Each morning following breakfast, the other volunteers and I would ride our bikes up to the north end of the village to the Jambiani Technical Training Institute (JTTI). Opened in 2007, JTTI is a vocational training school offering a free 2-year diploma in tourism and hospitality. Only 20 students who must be proficient in writing and speaking English are admitted into the program each year. Following a curriculum that moves students through 5 levels, African Impact provides free English lessons for prospective students. I was assigned to teaching group 3, where the focus is on improving grammar and writing skills. Teaching this group of men and women was one of the most rewarding and enjoyable parts of my time in Jambiani. The students were eager to learn, always asking questions, welcoming any homework that was given and seeking knowledge even after our time came to an end each day. For these students, learning English is a stepping-stone to improving their socioeconomic conditions and creating opportunities they would not have otherwise.
Reminder #2: Never settle for the circumstances that life hands you. We can always do more and do better.
During the second week of teaching, our assigned topic was the World map and geography. For a homework assignment my students were asked to write an essay on a country they would like to visit and why. The next day, they read their assignments to the class. All of the essays were well done, but there was one young man in particular whose essay stood out from the rest. He wrote of a dream to one day come to America because “America offers opportunities for all people.” After class this young man stopped me and asked me how much it would cost to travel to America. Even though he cannot afford to leave the island of Zanzibar and even visit mainland Tanzania, he believes that someday he will have a chance to visit America if he works hard enough. This young man’s dream is the reason he comes to class everyday and works harder than so many others. His dream may end up changing his life.
Reminder #3: No dream is too big.
After teaching at JTTI, the volunteers spend the remainder of the morning teaching at one of three area preschools. I was assigned to a junior level class (5 and 6 year olds) at Kikidini Primary School. My class of 30 students was packed into one small classroom. Each day we led the children in songs and worked on teaching them simple English words, such as parts of the body and numbers. Most days we would have the students complete a worksheet aimed at teaching them to spell and write an English word. As pencils and worksheets are handed out the children will almost lunge and grab things out of your hands. I later learned that this is because at home children often must fight amongst their siblings to just get something to eat for dinner. Grabbing a pencil from you is simply their way of ensuring that they don’t miss out. The children thrive on getting attention and some days it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by incessant calls of “Teacher.” If you tell one of them “Zuri sana” (“very good job”) the rest will quickly try and imitate what the first student did in order to receive the same recognition. The smiles that would spread across their faces when they received your time or praise made the long, exhausting days worthwhile.
Reminder #4: The greatest view of the world is the one that you can only see through the eyes of a child.
Jambiani is predominantly Muslim and most of the locals are devout. Each afternoon I taught English to a young woman who’s parents did not want her attending our morning classes at JTTI because of the chiefly male student body. After working with this young woman, I would join the rest of the volunteers for an informal hour of fun and games with the local children. Whether it was playing football, holding the younger children, watching them steal our sunglasses or taking pictures with our cell phones, there was never a shortage of smiling faces. I’m not sure who enjoys that time more, the children or the volunteers! Every Friday we would have a break from teaching and would spend our time doing community service projects such as planting trees, delivering donated clothing or picking up trash on the beach. After a long week of teaching, the service projects were a welcomed change of pace and gave us an immediate and tangible result.
To say Jambiani is beautiful in the traditional sense of the word would be incorrect. The only road through town is rocky and muddy. Most of the homes are small stone shacks and many do not have running water. Piles of seaweed can be seen strewn in front of houses, drying in the sun. Goats, cows and chickens roam freely and their waste is scattered throughout the village. And yet Jambiani is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Men and women gather in front of their homes and everywhere you go you are greeted with smiling faces and calls of “Jambo” which means “hello.” Children play in the street and as you bike past will run alongside you for as long as they can keep up. Each Wednesday we were welcomed into the home of a local teacher who had graciously prepared a feast for us. When the local football (soccer) tournament started, the entire village would show up to cheer on their favorite teams. These people may not have the luxuries that we are accustomed to in the States, and many of them struggle to sustain their families, but the people of Jambiani are rich with the things that money can’t buy.
Reminder #5: The happiest people aren’t the ones who have the best of everything but the ones who make the best of everything they have.
After spending several weeks in Jambiani, it was impossible not to fall in love this place, the people who live there and the wonder of Africa. On my last day, my preschooler’s sang me a goodbye song and my JTTI students thanked me for being their teacher. But the truth is, I was the one who should have been thanking them.
CLICK HERE to check out a slideshow from her amazing trip.
