Hi!
I am April Watson.
Between 2002 - 2012 I traveled and taught.
From 2012 - 2022, I've worked as an in-home caregiver / Certified Nurse Assistant specializing in memory care and end-of-life care in SC, TN and Hong Kong.
Now, I pack boxes at an Amazon warehouse in GA, living with my dad.
This is an homage to my first adventures,
those I encountered,
and that which I learned from them.
E: [email protected]
Between 2002 - 2012 I traveled and taught.
From 2012 - 2022, I've worked as an in-home caregiver / Certified Nurse Assistant specializing in memory care and end-of-life care in SC, TN and Hong Kong.
Now, I pack boxes at an Amazon warehouse in GA, living with my dad.
This is an homage to my first adventures,
those I encountered,
and that which I learned from them.
E: [email protected]
Peace Corps Service, Tonga (2002 - 2004)
Its Beauty:'Esia,
One of the most beautiful features on the Polynesian Islands, to me, is the music and dance. Tongan tunes are smooth as a well-oiled oar. Slow and graceful, female dancers gently sway with the peacefulness of a wisp of ocean breeze. Sudden and sharp, male dancers stab their surroundings with whirls of wood and fire, reminiscent of a Tongan storm. Here, a youth from a neighboring village performs during the grand opening of the island's first youth center, the result of the hard work of a generation of young people and the aid of several Peace Corps volunteers.
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My Steps:My primary responsibility as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niuafo'ou was to incorporate a functional English library into the government high school there. In the picture above, I worked with the high school's eleventh grade students. Those that passed a standardized exam would then leave to finish their education elsewhere in Tonga. I worked often with this class in particular, helping them become more familiar with the library's resources as well as supporting them as they prepared for their trip to the capital to complete their studies. Many of these students were key to the library's development. Pictures of the outside world were rare throughout the island, so the library's resources were popular with all the islanders. I very much appreciated the students' assistance in developing and maintaining the Niuafo'ou High School library. Today these kids are spread across the islands of Tonga. Some have even traveled abroad. I am honored to continue communicate with a collection of these through social media.
Churches, schools and individuals overseas drew interest in our affairs, and collected supplies and funds to enhance our community resources. When ships arrived, folks on the island were often delighted to discover the gifts and correspondence of strangers, which were funneled into the island's many programs and projects. Above, the Catholic kindergarten children show how a Sunday School class in America's gifts were utilized. Below, the island's medical center used fund donations to purchase needed supplies.
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University of Texas' ACE Program, Austin, Texas (2004 - 2005)
It's Beauty:Here I stood at Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple, just south of Austin, one of the largest Hindu temples in the US. Austin has an ecliptic mix of cultures and religions, so many of the highlights of my experience there involved insights into these. One Muslim students' dad invited me to observe sacred customs with his extended family. I was honored, and deeply touched by the family's openness, friendliness and pride in their traditions. Downtown Austin contained a Buddhist "Zen Center" in which I experienced guided meditation for the first time. The ACE program leader introduced me to the Society of Friends, or Quakers, which was the faith of my great-grandmother. I didn't expect to have such a wide variety of cultural experiences when traveling to Austin. Each religious culture was deep, inclusive and inspirational. I cherish these memories and try to incorporate lessons learned from each friend among them.
At the Austin Zen Center, we meditated by counting to ten and then counting to ten and then counting to ten, all the while looking at a small place on the wall during the seemingly eternal space of time between dongs.
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My Steps:My primary responsibility as an AmeriCorps ACEE was to tutor kindergarten and first grade students emergent literacy skills. I learned the magic of pairing sound and meaning to unique squiggly lines. But the real joy was in the friendships I accumulated with members of this small, quick-thinking and adorable subset of humans: young children. From Marquel's belief that butterflies could understand conversations to Nichelle's gifts of erasers, rubbed to look like creek stone hearts, these children stamped a magical imprint on my heart and remain in my thoughts to this day.
Our work in AmeriCorps ACE did not end with school bells. After the formal school hours were over, creative, fun after-school activities begun. I co-taught this class of artistic ladies as well as led an aspiring theater troupe to a unique portrayal of the spell-binding "Tale of Despereaux."
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Chung Dahm Academy, Bundang, South Korea (2008 - 2012)
It's Beauty:I lived in the district of "Bundang-gu," one of the wealthiest suburbs of Seoul. Bundang's communities were planned and laid out during the 1990's over scarce farms which existed for generations, mixing busy commerce with tranquil parks. Technology is everywhere, and yet firmly rooted traditions still flourish in its midst. |
My Steps:Learning is not exclusively about drawing in the lines, although lines bear intense importance in Asia. In Korea, merciless pressure to follow directions result in dire consequences way too often. The country is experiencing a suicide epidemic, having one of the highest rates among school aged children on the globe. Although the majority of classes at our academy focused on crucial standardized tests, our school also developed a character-building, literature-focused class program named "Vision 2020". I was one of its first teachers. "Where do you want to be in 2020? What path will you take?" Here is my introductory lecture presentation for my first class. In "Vision 2020", learning was about discovering who you are, the world around you, and what kind of impact you plan to leave upon it.
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