“Every day I live is a stroke of a brush painting a beautiful picture I won't understand until the very end and then I get to see my masterpiece and say "I'm proud of who I am." “Every day I live is a stroke of a brush painting a beautiful picture I won't understand until the very end and then I get to see my masterpiece and say "I'm proud of who I am."
I find myself opening my windows first thing in the morning as I get ready, waiting to hear the church bells & chanting that follows. It has become my morning ritual, as the bells are a gentle reminder to take a moment and be still, to just BE.
At breakfast some of the team looked more alert than others, but regardless of how tired members mayhave been, everyone was cheerful and eager to start the day. The morning classes went well for everyone. Jake and I spent the morning, along with several others, at the Leadership Institute -- our temporary classrooms for the day. We worked with our familiar four students and were given one new girl. Jake read a poem that he wrote for them -- one describing his feelings for his new friends. The girls sat on the edge of their seats, hanging on to his every word.
After class, all Gelato'ed up (since it was on our way back to the hotel!), we were approached by an older man who wanted to know if we were from London. He asked us if we were tourists and how much we paid for our hotel room. Or, at least I think that is what he asked. We had a difficult time understanding him. One thing I understood clearly was him asking me to dance with him on the sidewalk, to the music piped outside. I politely declined. The language was a barrier and I learned something from that encounter. If I don't understand the language or what the person is trying to say, them repeating it over and over, louder and louder isn't going to make me understand what they are saying. That holds true for us when teaching Conversational English.
The team went back to the church school in the evening and after the hour-and-half teaching session there was much excitement and lively conversation on our way back to the hotel, and during dinner. Everyone seemed mostly pleased with their experience with the students. Even though I didn't hear much in the way of specifics, what I enjoyed most was watching everyone sharing their stories and brainstorming with such energy and passion.
- Michelle
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