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TEACHING ANGELS: A Service Learning Experience By: Moise Frantz 1 Miami, Florida ? April 23, 2002 I used to think that angels only live in heaven until I met some right here on earth at NANAY Community Center. I never used to view life in the way that I do right now until they showed me how. What have I learned from that experience? How hospitable people are, how interesting it is to listen to their stories, how to see myself as a young Haitian ? these are the best lessons that I have learned from them. First of all, their hospitality is the first thing that really touched my heart. At NANAY Community Center, no matter how difficult it is, the people always show me how happy they are to see me. In addition, just to show me their happiness, the elders are always eager and willing to show me the taste of their Philippine cuisine. Furthermore, to communicate with me, they are always glad to use the few words that they know in English. Second, I appreciate how interesting it is to listen to their stories. Sometimes when I sit down with them ? some of them like Elsa or Olga for example ? always share some of their stories with me. In those stories, they tell me how life used to be back in the 60?s and 70?s. They make me realize how fast the world has improved since then. Finally, by their stories and hospitality, I have learned how to view myself as the ?young Haitian?. I have learned that the way I respect myself is also the way that other people will respect me. In order to gain my respect in this world, I have to live in a respectable way. Just as the time will never go back, I will never gain my respect if I do not get it now. In conclusion, my experience with the elders has been a very interesting one. Beyond all the things that I?ve learned about service, their hospitality, their interesting stories, and the way they make me feel about myself, are the three main things that will always stay in my life as the best souvenir that I have from NANAY. I hope that every student will realize all the fun there is in service learning. I will never forget my learning experience from NANAY. ------------ 1 Moise Frantz is a student from Miami Dade Community College who spent his community service learning hours at NANAY Community Center. In addition to working closely with elders as an ESL tutor, Moise Frantz spearheaded the effort to organize and present the first Haitian Cultural Program at NANAY on April 13, 2002. Even after completing his service learning hours, he continues to be actively involves at NANAY as a member and an avid volunteer.
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