I will Always Write Back (2)

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda-

Reviewed by R. Trant, A. Sandhu, C. Stipke, E. Velasquez, and O. Martinez

Retrieved from: http://www.iwillalwayswriteback.com/

Review:

Retrieved from: https://www.mnn.com

Throughout the art of storytelling, coming of age stories have developed characters who wrestle with creating lasting friendships because of the kind of pressures and changes that surround the age of adolescents.  The authors of the multicultural non-fiction young adult book, I Will Always Write Back: How one Letter Changed Two Lives, Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda and Liz Welch, tell the journey on how a pen-pal assignment in Caitlin’s seventh grade class opened her perspective on how a journey of letters to Zimbabwe could mean to the life of a boy named Martin. Cailtin Alifirenka is currently a nurse and lives in Philadelphia with her family while Martin Ganda lives in New York and accomplished degrees in mathematics, economics and finance when arriving to America and attending Villanova University. Liz Welch is a well- known award-winning journalist who has appeared in multiple life and culture-based magazines and newspapers such as Cosmopolitan and the New York Times. Cailtlin and Martin’s letters reveal the way friendship can overcome the adversity that seeks to separate individuals based on cultural differences.

Retrieved from: https://www.mnn.com

The book maneuvers from Caitlin’s white suburban life as a teenager to Martin’s endangered neighborhood in Zimbabwe. The letters from the beginning depict how Martin and Caitlin connect with their list of favorite things and especially their common taste for the Spice Girls. The book includes how the letters became less frequent as both Martin and Caitlin reached High School and this internalizes on the coming of age experience that they were both facing differently. There is a moment in the book where Martin opens up about living in poverty and trying to pursue an education and not knowing how to be honest with Caitlin about his living conditions (Alifirenka and Ganda, p.162-163).  It is interesting how Alifirenka and Ganda did not dismiss the reality and the oppositions that came forth during their individual sacrifices as teenagers. Even though they were culturally a part of different upbringings they found a way to understand and focus on building something special from this friendship rather than tackling with the innumerable world problems. Throughout their letters and as they become older not only are they physically coming of age, but their friendship is coming of age too because their conversations change from a favorite song to whether or not Martin feels safe in Zimbabwe. Their letters became the individual stories of two kids who did not question their friendship, but simply acted upon it.

Coming of age stories in any spectrum of literature always aim to

Retrieved from: https://www.mnn.com

teach a lesson to their reader and the book I Will Always Write Back: How one Letter Changed Two Lives reinvents how adolescents can be a Martin or a Caitlin and become that unexpected change in someone else’s life. This book dives into the way culture can misconstrued our views on individuals and this book treats these matters with an expansive openness on how our engagement and education on foreign countries can be a form of change.

Biography:

Biography of Caitlin Alifirenka

Retrieved from:
https://twitter.com/milamommy23

Caitlin Alifirenka is one of two authors contributing involved in the writing of young adult nonfiction book titled I will Always Write Back: How one Letter Changed Two Lives. Caitlin Alifirenka was born in 1985 in Chestnuthill, PA. When Caitlin was a teenager she began writing pen pal letters to Martin Ganda as part of a school assignment she selected Zimbabwe as the country to focus her attention on because she liked the way the word Zimbabwe sounded. Little did she know that it would turn into an amazing friendship and life changing experience for both of them. They hadn’t realized their story could touch so many lives until a publisher approached Martin about turning their past and their letters into a book. Luckily, Caitlin’s mother had saved the letters their letters over time. At the time that they were writing these letters it was the late 1990’s email was new, and technology was still developing. So, all of these letters were hand written. Caitlin soon realized how different their lives were at that time. When Martin couldn’t afford to attend school, Caitlin donated her babysitting money to Martin’s family. The book it’s self is a biography detailing the perception of this experience from both Martin and Caitlin.

Biography of Martin Ganda

Retrieved from:
https://twitter.com/martinganda

Martin Ganda is an African focused Advisor and Investor as well as the second author of I Will Always Write Back where he retells and details his growing relationship with Caitlin Alifirenka (Stoicsitz). Martin Ganda was born in 1983 in Mutare, Zimbabwe and is the second oldest child of his family. Martin’s family lived in poverty with only his father working at a paper mill, while his mother tended to him and his siblings as a stay at home mother. Martin’s family always supported his pursuit of an education and put him through school where he first started conversing with Caitlin Stoicsitz in 1997 as part of a pen pal project. Martin is now a 2007 graduate of Villanova University in Pennsylvania with dual degrees in Mathematics and Economics. Martin also holds an MBA from Duke University School of Business where he was President of the Business in Africa Club. After graduating, Martin joined Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank in New York City and was able to support his family in Zimbabwe. Martin Ganda is the president and co-founder of the publicly supported, non-profit organization Seeds of Africa Fund which works to promote education among underprivileged members of society.

Biography of Liz Welch

Retrieved from:
http://lizwelch.com/

Liz Welch says, “I tell stories, big and small. Heroic and ordinary. Some have won awards, others have led to books. And I’m always looking for the next one” In fact she helped tell Caitlin and Martin’s story. Liz Welch interviewed both Caitlin & Martin. She then helped both of them turn their story into a narrative novel. Liz Welch is a National Magazine award winner journalist who has written for magazines such as Glamour, Real simple, and INC she has also written for the New York Times. Additionally, she is the co-author of another book titled The Kids Are All Right.

Instructional Resources: 

1. Google Maps

Use google maps to pinpoint Martin Ganda’s various locations to understand the distances he would travel and the difficulties he would overcome.

https://www.google.com/maps

2. Martin Ganda Interview

Interview with Martin Ganda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHd3I3ulBIw

3. Zimbabwe Info

Website providing background information about Zimbabwe and providing insight into the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.

http://www.our-africa.org/zimbabwe

4. Cultural Diversity

Highlights importance of cultural diversity.

https://www.springbreakwatches.com/blogs/dreamers/75931589-why-cultural-diversity-is-important-today

5. Culture of Zimbabwe

Website detailing the culture, history, other info of Zimbabwe.

http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Zimbabwe.html

6. Education in Zimbabwe

Website highlighting the importance of education in Zimbabwe.

http://www.thezimbabwean.co/2015/10/171416/

7. Poverty in Zimbabwe

Highlights the impact poverty has on Zimbabwe

https://borgenproject.org/10-facts-about-poverty-in-zimbabwe/

8. 9/11 and its Impact Around the World.

Details multiple ways in which the world changed after 9/11.

https://www.kqed.org/lowdown/14066/13-years-later-four-major-lasting-impacts-of-911

Instructional Activity: 

Differences and Similarities in the Lives of Martin and Caitlin

Preview:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.6

Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.7

Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.10

By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.D

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.8

Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9.B

Apply grades 9-10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning").

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.5

Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Resources and Preparation:

Shona Language:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8ZU8OzJHlo

“How to Greet People in Zimbabwe (Shona) According to Taku”. Youtube, Easy Languages, Solar Net Youth Peace Forum, 2 August 2010

Student Link to Venn diagram:

Venn diagram for students to use.
http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/venn_diagram2.doc

Relevant resources for instructional activity:

Website which can be used to find information on current exchange rates of currency.
https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=ZWD&To=USD

Conversion Rate between Zim Dollar and American Dollar:

To give students an idea of how much the money Caitlin sends him is worth and why some of the things Martin and his family buys sounds like a lot of money but when converting it to American Dollars it is not a lot.

https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=ZWD&To=USD

Martin’s School – Marist Brothers Nyanga High School

https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2014/02/20/a-level-top-100-schools?pg=1

Instructional Plan:

Pen-Pal Project

Purpose: Students will receive the opportunity to interact with another person outside of their country and learn about that other person’s perspective ultimately to find difference or similarity.

Medium/Catalyst: This will function primarily through e-mail the website that will be used is (http://www.penpalworld.com/) Subject to change at the teacher’s discretion. and computers will either be provided by the library or by any other computer resource which is provided to the specific school, i.e. chrome-books.

Process:

1       After beginning “I Will Always Write Back” students will choose a pen-pal in any region of the world that is outside of the United States (This means that it is okay to choose someone in Canada or Mexico, as other regions in North America are fine.)

2.     Once the partner is chosen, students will keep a regular connection with their pen-pal sending at least one e-mail every two weeks minimum. The student may send more but the minimum is at least every two weeks, and in-class time will be given to send these emails.

3.       At the end of the semester students will be assigned a presentation assignment to talk about their pen-pal and their experience. How they may have learned something new or learned something that is in common between the both. Simply to discuss their relationship with their pen-pal. Focus on the reflection process and find differences and/or similarities

4.       Lastly students will be encouraged to keep their pen-pal or even create new pen-pals to learn more about the world.

Rubric for Final Presentation:

Fundamental Components	Student exemplifies deep understanding of pen-pal, showing many unique aspects of their pen-pal and reflective on their own lives.	Student shows many different unique elements of pen-pal’s life but lacking on reflection.	Student has average if any representation of pen-pal’s lifestyle. No reflection.
Presentation Aesthetics	Presentation has many attractive qualities such as images and short bullets.	Lacks many useful images, or blocks of text but still expansive material.	No images, or blocks of text are rambling.
Speech	Engaging audience and interacting with presentation materials as well.	Engaging with audience, but materials not cohesive to presentation.	Not engaging but materials are

Common Core State Standards: Grade 9-10 Speaking and Linguistics standards.

5.       Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically (using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation) such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose (e.g., argument, narrative, informative, response to literature presentations), audience, and task. CA

a.       Plan and deliver an informative/explanatory presentation that: presents evidence in support of a thesis, conveys information from primary and secondary sources coherently, uses domain-specific vocabulary, and provides a conclusion that summarizes the main points. (9th or 10th grade) CA b.

b.       Plan, memorize, and present a recitation (e.g., poem, selection from a speech or dramatic soliloquy) that: conveys the meaning of the selection and includes appropriate performance techniques (e.g., tone, rate, voice modulation) to achieve the desired aesthetic effect (9^th or 10^th grade) CA

6.       Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

7.       Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9–10 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)

Post References/Additional References:

Ganda, Martin “Who.” Martin Ganda, martinganda.com/about/. Accessed May 12, 2018

Publishers Weekly “PW KidsCast: A Conversation with Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda.” PublishersWeekly.com, www.publishersweekly.com/pw/podcasts/index.html?channel=5&podcast=359. Accessed May 08, 2018

Seeds of Africa Fund. “Meet the Founders - Martin Ganda.” Seeds of Africa Fund, www.seedsofafrica.com/our-story/index.html. Accessed May 10, 2018

 Seeds of Africa Fund “Mission Statement & Overview.” Seeds of Africa Fund, www.seedsofafrica.com/mission-statement-overview/index.html. Accessed May 10, 2018

Welch, Liz “About.” Lizwelch.com, lizwelch.com/. accessed May 02, 2018

“Cash for Zimdollar notes, says RBZ”. The Herald. 4 Jude 2015, https://www.herald.co.zw/cash- for-zimdollar-notes-says-rbz/

 “How to Great People in Zimbabwe (Shona) According to Taku”. YouTube, Easy Languages,     Solar Net Youth Peace Forum, 2 August 2010.             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8ZU8OzJHlo

Tafirenyik, Mugove. “ ‘A’ Level Top 100 Schools”. Dailynews Live, 20 February 2014,             https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2014/02/20/a-level-top-100-schools?pg=1

“Two-Circle Venn Diagram Template”. Education World: Connecting Educators to What             Works. 16 May 2018.   http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/venn_diagram2.doc

“XE Currency Converter. ZWD to USD”. The World’s Trusted Currency Authority.             https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=ZWD&To=USD