Elisa Kenton-Howells tells us about how her perceptions of Pakistan were challenged and changed by her visit to her partner school
I will be completely honest and say that going to Pakistan was a huge thing for me. Not only did I face the disapproval of my parents, but I also had my own and other people's misconceptions to deal with.
These misconceptions came from various sources: British media, students whose parents were born in Pakistan, and the views of Pakistani colleagues born in Britain. The views were negative, to say the least, and reinforced by the British Council risk assessment sent me the week before my departure. I was wondering right up to the night before I left whether I was naive for going.
After my visit to Pakistan, having spent an absolutely wonderful time with friends, working at the school and visiting the area of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, I felt guilty for the fears that had experienced. I found the most hospitable, kind, ordinary people going about their lives with the same hopes, fears and needs as all of us. I found a country proud of its history, heritage, cultures and rich traditions.
I also found a people whose international public image desperately needs to be challenged. Yes, there are good and bad in every society; there is corruption within a minority, yet there is also never-ending kindness and generosity from the majority. This is what it means to be human - to only accept one view presented through propaganda and misunderstanding is always wrong. I learned to see through the images that presented to me by others and my appeal is let’s always find out things for ourselves.
Without wishing to sound over dramatic, my visit proved to be life-changing in many different ways. I have come back to my school and students with a renewed sense of what it means to be human and how, through exploring our own and other traditions, cultures and beliefs, we can enhance our understanding of the world and our place in it.
I have shared my experiences with my students and many have already asked if they can visit Pakistan and Roots School for themselves. They have had their eyes opened to a world different to their own and, as well as experiencing and embracing difference, they have noticed the shared experiences and mundane issues which affect all of us in the twenty first century.
We will use this enthusiasm to widen and deepen our work with our partner school with children of both schools sharing joint learning experiences and projects. We will also look into how to undertake student exchanges
I am eternally grateful to all those who made my trip so inspiring and I will do all I can to pass on what I have learned to the staff and pupils in my own school, and any one else who is interested.