Strangers

Lots of nerves this morning. Jen's entire family was crying when they dropped her. Another student couldn't stop throwing up. Dajeh hugged her neighbor and closed her eyes when the plane took off.

Now we're laid over in Dulles for 6 hours, and something magical just happened. We are joined by the Travel Club of the JMW Arts School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. EF Tours combined us because both schools are so small. Jen is our only white student. Nearly all the JMW Arts students are white.

In Boston, our students eyed one another across the gate. Once we found our gate at Dulles, I took the half of our group that wanted a Potbelly sandwich; the others waited for the Wendy's trip.

When my group returned 15 minutes later, students from both schools had stretched out on the floor of the gate, engaged in a massive game of Uno. Donovan coordinated several rounds of introductions around the circle.

I'm not sure how this will go. My desire for control initially made me very anxious about sharing a bus, an itinerary, and hotel rooms with strangers. Now I'm not so sure--getting to know kids from across the state border might really teach something.