What To Do....

Today was one of those days.  It started great and actually it ended great too, it was just the middle that drives me crazy. 

Today was our meeting day. I had a pretty big group of teens, things were going well as we sang and enjoyed each other company.  Until the heckling started.  There was a group of young people, from the same ethnic background as my teens, who were in the compound.   Its a long story I won't go into online, but this group of young people basically kept teasing and yelling pretty much the dirtiest slur you can yell at people here- all directed at my teens.  We don't have a direct translation in English, well we have a direct translation for the word but not for the weight that word carries.

I've got to hand it to my teens.  They were angry. I was angry.  I said "well if they think its funny that we are singing (they were calling the others inside a building to come to listen to us and join the heckling) why don't we give them a good concert!"  I've never heard my teens sing with such enthusiasm!   And considering my teens tend to be a "fight first ask questions later" group, I was amazed that there wasn't a brawl.  Seriously.  The teens were able to pull it together and we continued on with the lesson. 

We dealt with the problem, but it still galls me.  My teens take flack from people all over the city- in school, on the bus, in the market, on the street- simply because of their ethnic origins.  They are the minority and they are judged for all the things people from their home country have done.  Then they go home and take flack from some of their families, friends and neighbors because of life choices they have made.  I can't do much about all those other people but they WON'T be treated like this when we come to meet!  I won't stand for it!   And thankfully, neither will my coworkers. 

But then I have to set a good example (which is probably a good thing- having to be a good example kept ME from starting a brawl today!)  I want to teach them to stand up for themselves, they don't have to take this abuse from people.  But also, there are times, when you have to be the bigger person and let the insults (as horrid as they are) pass.