Today is the last day of the first week of school. I found myself this week comparing things to how I thought it might be in Haiti. It just makes your whole outlook seem different when you think like that. I have jokingly said that my motto this year is going to be:
"No matter what happens it's got to be better than what's going on in Haiti."
It hit me this week how much we complain about the little things. The air-conditioner has been broken in my classroom at one of my schools this week. It was hot but not as hot as it would be in Haiti. The pants I had on one day had small pockets so my phone wouldn't fit. There wasn't extra barbecue sauce at lunch one day. I even had to stand in line at lunch every day. And tonight takes the cake...the ATM wasn't letting me deposit but one check at a time...I had 4.
But really does any of this matter?
It does...but not enough...
I was worried that Becky wouldn't let me know if she needed something, but thankfully she's already sent me two different lists. The first list included some books, note pads, and a pillow.
A pillow. How basic, but yet so important to me. I have 5 on my bed right now. I take two when I go stay at camp or with friends. Every night this week, when I climbed in bed exhausted from teaching at 3 schools all day, I have thought about my attachment to a pillow, and just how many people in the world don't have one...but that could be said with a lot of things.
The second list had some more items: jug to mix Gatorade or lemonade in, binders for school, silverware, and a few other things. In America, we would usually just run to Walmart, or somewhere like that, and buy the items, along with many things not on our shopping list. Haiti is different.
Orientation for my school year was last week. Two days of meetings that include school policies, student confidentiality, and even a specialist about finances so we stay out of trouble with the auditors. My attention always wanders during these days, so I make origami out of candy wrappers...flying cranes to be specific. Sometimes I'm so bored I make a whole flock of cranes. This year, I only made one. Two days of meetings, one tiny paper crane. I just couldn't keep but thinking about what was going on in other parts of the world. I kept wondering if I really was making a difference.
All of that went away Monday morning when I arrived at school. Smiling faces, elementary students running up and latching on to me like they thought they would never see me again, record attendance in my after school choir, and parents telling me stories of their children practicing throughout the summer to be ready for Miss Sandy. Even though I'm not in a 3rd world country, I know I'm where I need to be, and I'm doing what I need to do.
One week down, a lifetime to go...
No comments:
Post a Comment