I Am From...

Aida, Ethiopian by birth, is forced to become an enemyslave in the royal household of the Egyptian king. She is utterly alone, forced to stay in Egypt without her kin. Throughout the opera, Aida longs for her homeland, a place where she can be her truest self. What is a homeland, and why might it be meaningful to us? Is a homeland a physical place or an identity? Can someone’s idea of their “homeland” change over time? Ask students to complete the “I am from …” poem template included with this guide, based on George Ella Lyon’s poem “Where I’m From,” to learn more about themselves and their memories of home. Encourage students to save their poems and use them as touchstones when they want to connect with what is fundamentally important to them.