1. Audrey Novak<br />February 2011<br />GCW<br />Casting Partnerships<br />For my Global Citizenship Week I attended Casting Partnerships in Wax. I had taken jewelry before and found it fun so I picked this course as my first whereas most people in the course choose it as their fifth choice or where just placed in it. I was lucky to attend the class with two Thai speakers that were my friends.<br />Monday was a clash of culture and languages, awkward meetings and struggled speech. During this week we had to focus on creating friendships with the visiting Thai students, most didn’t speak any English and most of the ISB students didn’t speak much Thai. For my two partners, Maem and May, and I it was a slow day. We didn’t talk much besides our awkward hellos; we mostly listened to direction and drew our ideas out on paper. As the day progressed they moved toward their friends and I toward mine.<br />Tuesday we went to a factory and were shown around, actually able to go in and watch as the people worked. This day left no time for bonding with our partners, we rushed about while time slipped away and we showed up to our next destination late due to traffic. Once there it was amazing to watch the students work, drawing and carving. It was interesting to see our visiting Thai students take in the experience, knowing one day it could be them happily working on those benches.Wednesday was the day my partners and I moved away from our friends and sat together. We worked mostly in silence, me talking to a few ISB students near me that i had gotten to know over being trapped in traffic on Tuesday. Wednesday was slow going for me as I struggled to think of a design, my inspiration failed me while my partners had quickly come up with a design and were feverishly working away to bring it to life in their hands.<br />Thursday I still struggled even as my partners finished working on their first piece and began to draw the next piece they might do. It wasn’t until the end of the day I thought of what I really wanted to do which a quick stretch I began. We still didn’t talk much since I didn’t know enough Thai and wasn’t near my Thai speaking friends and they didn’t understand enough English to really communicate, we talked through body movement and smiles of approve when regarding each other’s work. It was amazing to see how they enjoyed the work they did while I was just seeing it as another week of school activities I had to get through, though I truly did have a lot of fun on this trip.Friday was our final day working with the Thai students, I knew I’d most likely never see these two girls again, maybe we’d email, maybe not. It wasn’t the type of friendship I’d expected to form, this was a silent one, we didn’t have to really talk or know what each other were thinking but we respected each other and each other’s hard work. We each completed our work and handed it all it to be casted then headed to lunch were, with the help of my Thai friends we spoke to each other for the first time really.<br />This was a great experience, I see how the average Thai student is much more respectful, thanks everyone for everything they are given, it was so different from being around ISB students all the time who just take what they are given and don’t pay it any mind like it doesn’t really matter when it does. Along with befriending two girls I share nothing with besides this experience I also gained new friends at ISB. We see each other in the hall, smile or wave if we don’t have time for actual hellos, we may not be the best of friends but we are now aware that each other exists in the school as well as we are that out partners exist in the same country. During this trip they were our guests at our school but truly we are guest in their country and should respect that fact as much as we all respected each other’s talents.<br />