Today

So, this morning was pretty rough. I came to the realization of how broke I really am, and was really trying to come to terms with why I am here. Broke really isn't the correct term I am looking for. Completely unable to pay some important bills (i.e. tuition) and unable to buy food would be a better description of where I was at this morning. Thankfully the bus full of kids that I was supposed to teach today was about an hour late, leaving me time to come to terms with my current financial situation and make some decisions which included pulling all of my "savings" and look at finding additional work while living up here. I'm not looking for pity. But there is a point to this.

On the way to the bus, i was in a pretty bad spot... I never really thought of teaching kids as a future career and really hadn't made a true connection with it yet so was really having difficulties justifying being here. That, and i'm pretty sure if i did leave, I wouldn't have a job to go back to anyway, but that's something totally different.

Anyway, the bus of kids finally arrived and 11 kids hopped off the bus, and I was in charge of them for the next 4.5 hours. No pressure. What made this all a tad more difficult was that a few of the children required special needs, and I have ZERO training on how to do this. Wait, did I mention that I just learned how to do any of this three weeks ago? But here's the thing. It all worked. The kids were amazing. Some that started out shy in the beginning were singing and dancing with me by the end. A few of the kids that knew all the answers, were encouraging the younger and smaller kids to raise their hands and providing them with useful hints. And one of the children who is hearing impaired finally got out of his cocoon and would hear a bird or animal and correctly identify it without anyone else. We got to build mountains in the sand, run screaming through wood chips, sang about evaporation and I felt a level of trust from these 10 year olds I have never even felt from an adult. To say that it was magical only devalues the experience. I wasn't able to take as many photos as normal, but here are some photos from the day:

The running and screaming game.

the kids, their teachers & chaperones

teaching the kids about watersheds & how the slightest bit of pollution can effect everything

Nick giving instructions to the kids before releasing them to construct their mountains

So, to return to my original thoughts from the day. This is worth it. Seeing a child interact with the place around him and have it provide him with a sense of self is worth all of the money in the world.