the small things

I feel like a lot of my experience is made up of small moments of success/happiness. I am not saying that the rest of the time is bad because I am definitely enjoying my time here, but there are moments when I feel really happy for one reason or another. Examples:

* Last week I connected with one of the students at the European school who had left the school for a year and was feeling a little lost upon returning (I could relate after leaving Linfield for a year). I spent over an hour listening to her and it was nice because I think she just needed someone to listen to her express herself.

* Yesterday I drove for the second time here (with someone else in the car, not alone...maybe someday?) and during rush hour! It was great! :)

* A few days ago I was at the athletic club I joined and was waiting for my cousin to pick me up. I looked out the window and saw a car that kind of looked like his, so I went outside. Once I opened the door I realized it wasn't his car, but I decided not to go back inside because it was SO nice and cool outside. I sat on the steps and decided to take out my journal, I was SO happy to be outside by myself. A few minutes later a woman from the club opened the door and asked me to come inside. I got up a little confused and walked to the door, she said I should sit inside, I asked her why and she said that it was the club's policy that I wait inside. I was bummed, but I went back inside.

* At the new school I am teaching at (I will talk more about it later) a girl came up to me after the first class and said she was so happy to hear me speak english because she had been living for the past 7 years in Sweden (she is about 11 years old) and misses talking in english (she speaks english, swedish and arabic!). She was telling how hard adjusting to life here has been for her and she started to cry. She had to go to class but I told her we could talk more later in the day if she had a break. She found me during her lunch break and I listened to her for about an hour, she cried the entire time. I felt so bad for her and didn't feel like I could do anything but validate her feelings. I couldn't say things will get better because it's the culture here and it's not going to change...hopefully it will just get better. She is such an intelligent young girl and cares so much about others and knows what's going on in the world (something that can probably be attributed to her education in Sweden and her parents). It made me reflect on the 16/17 year olds I deal with at the European school and I really think this 11 year-old is wiser than any of them. I could say so much more about her...she came to conclusions and realizations that some adults don't even come to in a lifetime. She told me she wants to do something big for her country and I think she will. :)

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My dad left about a week ago, so now the "real" work starts (as I can't rely on my dad to translate for me). I feel like I am understanding more Arabic now and if I don't understand something my family is usually able to use different vocabulary that they know I do understand. Sometimes I still won't understand it, but that's okay. Speaking...I have learned new words, but putting sentences together will still take some time.

As I mentioned earlier, I started teaching english conversation classes at a Libyan school. I teach 2 days a week and the other 3 days I am at the European school. It's a lot different than the European school, but similar in some ways. The way children are raised here somehow creates incredibly disrespectful students (at least when they are younger, the older ones are better). I went into a couple classes with 6/7 year-olds and WITH the teacher in the room they were yelling, running around, hitting each other, pulling hair...meanwhile the teacher is yelling at them to be quiet, taking a ruler to some of them and the kids don't listen nor care. I enjoy working with the older students (11-15 yrs) because they are more eager to listen to me and can actually understand me (most of the time) when I speak in English...the younger ones bascially know "Hi, how are you? I am fine, thank you", colors and numbers, so it makes it really difficult for me to control the classroom and I am not really fond of yelling all day and will not use a ruler (side note: in the 6/7 yr old classroom one of the students broke a stick of wood off her desk to give to me to use...there were nails sticking out of it, I had to hold onto it the entire day until I could properly dispose of it because I knew a student would take it and start hitting someone with it). I honestly don't know how they learn anything. The poor 11 year-old I mentioned earlier has been having a hard time dealing with all the noise at school, she said that swedish students are so calm and listen and respect their teachers...she isn't used to being yelled at all day and threatened.

Anyway, despite all that I am enjoying teaching at the school...it's good practice for me. :)

I feel like there was something else I wanted to write about, but it has slipped my mind. I hope everyone is doing well! :)