Hola Todos!
I have spent the last few weeks helping my 16 year old daughter, Sophie, prepare for her trip to Guatemala! She got on the plane two hours ago (whew!) and I am relieved, apprehensive, nervous and sooooo jealous! Sophie is a terrific photographer in her own right, and speaks excellent Spanish. She carried with her Nancy's new Marantz audio recorder, lots of Valentine candies for the Fotokids and Cindy's family, and a big package from Melanie's class at Salmon Bay Middle School. Melanie's class made amazing Cultural Self Portraits, Valentine cards, and maps of their school and of Seattle. They sent boxes of those Valentine candies with the little messages on them in Spanish (Besame!), and postcards with the sweetest messages: :Thank you so much for your beautiful photographs and artwork! We are so excited to learn about your lives on the side of that huge lake! Thank you for taking the time to work with us....
Our relationships with the Guatemalan students is growing stronger all the time. Soon these two groups of students, with such different lives, will be calculating their carbon footprints, comparing them and posting their thoughts on the Bridges forum. They will be exchanging pictures and ideas about how climate change effects them personally, and how they can address the myriad issues related to the global problem. I am hoping that Megan, Sophie and the students will return to San Juan to learn more about how that town is working together to save the lake environment, preserve medicinal plants, and promote the use of traditional ways that actually build sustainable futures. In this way, students in both Guatemala and Seattle will come to understand their interconnectedness, the knowledge that already exists for living in synch with the environment, and that they have AGENCY just in the choices they make everyday. And, they have the tools of photography and digital storytelling to send their learning worldwide. Perhaps we can learn a few things from them too. New digital stories are forthcoming!
I will keep you all posted here, but don't hesitate to email jennifer@bridgesweb.org for more info. Sophie is also travelling to Yepocapa to launch another partnership between students at Colegio de San Pedro and Seattle Girls School! She will also travel with Probigua's Book Mobile to some of the smaller towns that Cindy's family's non-profit library serves. There is a story in that adventure that I am sure she will love to share.
In addition to this exciting news, Nancy and Megan will be coming to Seattle with four of the Fotokids in April. Th students will do homestays with families at the Seattle Girls School, they will meet Bridges students from South Africa, Tibetan Children's Village and Seattle Bridges schools as well. AND, they will get to meet the Dalai Lama at the Seeds of Compassion Event April 1-15......it just gets better and better. Our Bridges students from all over the world will have a photography exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum from may 8 to April 12 in the main lobby of the museum. The theme is "What does compassion look like". Our photographers are becoming experts. You can get more information on all these events on our website www.bridgesweb.org.
So, I have'nt written much 'cause I've been saving up.... Abazotes to all of you! Jennifer
Here's a few sides of Sophie.... 
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