“Profesora Laura”

School's back in session! I woke up this morning at 5:15, hit snooze, and finally rolled out of bed at 5:25 and was in the kitchen fixing breakfast by 5:30! It’s only 11:30 right now and I have already taken a shower, fixed breakfast, attended morning devotional, ate breakfast, and taught one English class today. I actually enjoy my days more now that school is back in session. The busy schedule keeps me occupied, and I like it better this way.

I have been teaching the Kindergarten English class since the 15th of this month and I absolutely love it! I was really nervous about teaching at first and wondered if I would know enough Spanish to get by. However, with the help of my roommate, Hannah, I went into class the first day with my whole introduction written out. Ha. It was a little rough the first day with my Spanish, but after that it started getting a lot easier. I love hearing, “Profesora, profesora!” and then realizing they’re talking to me! I have to hand it to teachers… it’s not an easy job, that’s for sure. Maybe the hours are good, and only in the mornings, but I just teach one English class and then help out with other classes for about 2 hours after that, and by the end of the morning I am so exhausted! After having this opportunity, I am pretty sure that I want to change my major to Music Education – Keyboard emphasis. Exhausting days or not, teaching and music are my two passions, so why not put them together?

There are two brothers in the kindergarten class named Kevin and David. It is very obvious from the wear and tear and stains on their old uniforms that they come from a very poor family. The culture here does not involve much discipline either, so that doesn’t help much. I must have carried Kevin back to his chair about 10 times this morning . Then I realized he liked being carried so I tried the, “I don’t see you game” but that didn’t work either… ha. By that time the other professor saw him, and called him back to his seat, he listened to her and sort of mockingly smirked at me while walking back to his seat. Who knew kindergarteners could be so sly and mischievous!

I am going to miss it here so much. One of the teachers that I work with lived in Texas for 15 years. She is just here now because her mother is sick. We speak in English every morning and she always helps me out if I don’t know how to say something while teaching. This morning when I was about to leave the school, she stopped me and we talked for about 10 or so minutes about the kids, about her home in Texas, and just things like that. I told her when I was leaving for home and she told me that she would really miss me. I am really going to miss her too. Every morning when I’m getting ready to leave after teaching she stops me and tells me how much she appreciates my help. I teach one English class from 7:50 a.m.- 8:10 a.m. and then stay until the kids leave at 11 helping out with the other classes after mine. My mornings are long, but it is so nice to be appreciated and needed… that’s not something I absolutely need to be told, but it sure is nice…

It is so strange to think that I will be coming home in less than two months. I have such mixed feelings about the whole thing… I know that I won’t be able to stay away for too long. I know that I will be back to visit these kids because part of my heart is here, and there’s nothing I can do about that now. Yes, there are hard days when I do not want to be here, but I have grown so used to waking up here, going through my daily activities/duties that it will be so strange going back to the “American ways”. The whole pace of life is so much more relaxed here, and I’m going to miss that. Sure, there are things that I miss about the States… like my home, my family, and my friends… I miss American food, and I miss being at school. However, when I think about being anywhere else than here it just seems so strange. It’s definitely going to be hard to go through reversed culture shock when arriving back home… I will be very happy to see my friends and family, but I have a feeling that God has more traveling plans for me in my future… I’ve got the traveling bug now. I have such a desire to travel, to visit, to see, and to experience, that I just have to do something about it!

This summer I will be leaving for my Europe trip May 17th and will be going to Germany, France, Switzerland, and Scotland, and returning back to the states on June 9th. In the same month, I will leave to work at a summer camp in Alaska for a month and a half! I made a deal with God, and the deal went a little something like this, “as long as you keep opening the doors, I’ll keep walking through them…” I really didn’t think that I would be able to work at the summer camp this next summer, however, God had different plans for me, and I am so glad He did!

These past months have been so draining yet amazing… spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Draining in all ways possible, and amazing in how much I have grown and changed as a person, and in my relationship with God. I am nowhere near perfect, but I have been learning so much, and I’m so grateful for that.