It's the Little Things

It's hard to believe I've already been here for over 5 weeks.  Time has absolutely flown by and I find myself learning and growing more and more with each passing week.  I've now finished teaching my first unit with the grade 8s, 9s, and 10s, and will be moving into our month long poetry unit starting on Tuesday!

Poetry month is something I've been looking forward to since I first arrived.  I would not by any means consider myself a poet or even a writer of any type, but I have experienced first hand how therapeutic and cleansing the process of writing and sharing poetry can be.  To say I'm excited to share this experience with the students would be an absolute understatement.  Whether it's in class writings, reading journals, or personal work the students share with me, I'm continually impressed by how they express themselves using such thoughtful and articulate words.  This has been my inspiration and motivation to practice what I preach and use writing as a more creative outlet throughout my time here.

One of the many reasons I'm so excited for poetry month is because of the mentality of the students at Imagine Scholar.  Among other qualities, I've been both impressed and humbled by the student's abilities to appreciate the little things in life. As cliche as I know this sounds, Imagine Scholar has brought new meaning to this phrase for me.  I've spent a lot of time thinking about why this may be the case.  Why are these students able to be so much more appreciative than I was at their age? Why is it that they are able to see the larger scope of life and put things into perspective, when my peers and I were unable to do the same? I do not have the answers to these questions, but it's something I will continue to ponder.  I am however, appreciative that this mindset has worn off on me more and more throughout my time here.

Whether it's the daily hugs and smiles that I will never get tired of, making it through the day without losing power, or a cool and crisp morning (those don't happen very often here), I find that everyone is focused on the positives of life, no matter how simple and despite all the tragedy that occurs in this community.

Excited about our new brick walkway!

One thing I have really come to appreciate since being here is how much all of the people I'm surrounded by everyday are beginning to feel like a family.  Imagine Scholar is such a unique work environment where we not only work together but also live together.  In addition to the group of facilitators that live at Imagine Scholar, we also have a group of four charismatic, bright young ladies who are the Imagine Scholar graduate interns.  The girls come into the education center every morning and are a huge part of what makes this such a special place.  Add the roughly 50 students who are in and out everyday and I've gained one, big support network here.  Leaving everyone back home was by far the hardest part of embarking on this adventure, but each and every one of these people has reassured me in their own ways that coming here was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I want to take this opportunity to challenge anyone who is reading this.  At some point during the day, appreciate something little that you would normally glaze over.  Take the time to recognize that you are lucky to have all that you have in your life, whether it be your morning coffee, a stranger smiling and saying hello, or even just your electricity and running water, something many people around the world are not so fortunate to have.  Today, I'm feeling grateful for my fan that is helping me combat the uncomfortable heat that is telling me summer in the Nkomazi is just around the corner.  So what is it that you are going to stop and feel grateful for today?

Until next time, Sala Kahle!