Observations | SPECIAL "THANKSGIVING" EDITION

MY APARTMENT – Right now, my parents are probably on a mountain in Colorado, skiing down without me.

I should be sad. To counter, I’ll just go with “Nanny nanny boo boo, I’m in AFRICA.”

It’s a kinda somber Thanksgiving, really. I know what home is up to. I know the scene at the houses of my friends. I know what the weather looks like, what the leaves look like, how cold it is. But here I am, across the ocean, far away from all of them.

I especially miss the ski trip that has really become one of the staples in our family. They’re staying in the same place, renting equipment from the same place, hitting a few of the same runs (and some new ones I want to try), and the worst part is I can see it. I know exactly where they are… but for the next year, all I can do is picture it.

So in an effort to drown out the memories and thoughts of what I’m missing, I will now systematically eat through a box of cookies and a jar of Nutella.

Three thankful Observations:

1. I’m thankful I’m not sick anymore. About 6pm yesterday, the most horrible fever and achy-body came over me… and fast. I sat at the boys’ dean’s desk, a puddle of my normal self, begging to go to bed… and I still had 5 hours to work! I was a complete mess.

Please note that I’m not a big “sick” person. I don’t remember the last time – from college to academy to middle school – I missed a day because I was sick. The bug can never really gets the best of me, I usually avoid it or shake it off and move on. But from where I was on Wednesday night, I thought that my streak would come to a sudden halt.

It wasn’t any better the following morning, when I awoke to find 3 guys needed to be put on sick list. After being tempted to report myself as the 4^th that was to miss all appointments for the day, I struggled throughout the rest of the morning. I went back to bed and napped, took some medicine, and got in a shower to scrape off the nasty off me.

Strangely enough, I actually felt decent by lunchtime. By 3pm, after another nap, I felt ok, like I could finish out the day. By Thanksgiving dinner at 6pm, being sick seemed like a far off memory. In 24 hours I’d gotten nailed with a nasty virus that I thought would sideline me for days, and I’d also gotten over it, just like that.

2. I’m thankful for government… or at least that we have to teach it. I just picked up my books for teaching the class 2^nd semester. My attitude from this has changed from “Boy, I wanna do this” to “Boy, it’d be cool, but not possible” to “Awesome, it is possible” to “Oh my, it’s gonna happen” to “Oh, ok, well that woulda been fun” and back to “Oh, it is going to happen!” And I say the last one in a very scared way.

Next week, I’ll have to spend some time setting up a class calendar, a syllabus, a classroom policy, lesson plans, and my class final, a “Write-your-own-constitution” final project. Exhausting! But super-exciting too. Before I came here, I prayed I’d have the opportunity to teach a class – my own class. I had a nice little tease in early October, when I got to substitute for Mrs. Rusunescu in English. But that wasn’t my classroom. Now, I’ll have that. Cool.

3. I’m thankful for what I have here. This afternoon, I carried on with my Thursday afternoon tradition of helping out at the elementary school, where I teach hang out with my favorite kids in the world. From there I went up to the cafeteria to help, along with some other staff, with the Thanksgiving dinner preparations. When all was set, I sat with a few of my favorite high school students and some fellow staff members and enjoyed a great little meal.

I thought about that later and really came to the realization of what’s happened. I have been here 106 days, and I hardly think about home. I don’t spend a lot of time wondering what my friends are doing at UC without me. I don’t analyze what I need to do when I get back.

Right now, I’m adjusted. I’m happy here. I know how it works and I’ve gotten everything down. Every day, I’m making a point of living for that day and that day alone. I wake up in the morning, still, and once or twice a day say “damn… I’m in Africa.” I take more chances, do more when I get the opportunity, get to know people more often, all of that. I’m flourishing here, and I thank God that this opportunity has came. It’s something that will forever impact my life.

Happy Thanksgiving, guys. Save me some turkey.

-cw