Spark from the Fire.

"How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people -- first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving..." ~ Albert Einstein

I feel that my previous post only represents a part of what my reason in being here is. To some it may seem to be self-centered. It could appear as if my only reason for traveling is to find inner freedom and truth, without regarding the existence of others. The quote that preludes this post seems to sum up my interpretation of self-improvement, but also supplies an alternative interpretation of identity. Another quote I would like to use (since all my thoughts and ideas will and have always came from others) is: Love thy neighbor as thyself because you are your neighbor. It is an illusion that makes you think that your neighbor is someone other than yourself.

This quote is from Sarvepelli Radhakcance and I believe it sums up my existence. I feel that not only is it important to find inner truth, but in doing so one becomes capable of sharing it with others. Whether we want to believe it or not, our existence is completely dependent on every other person who exists, has existed, and will exist on this planet. Therefore, in my opinion I am not myself but a kaleidoscope of the various people who I have influenced me. I am who I am today thanks to my family, my friends, my teachers, and the people who preceded me and helped construct the world in which I live. Obviously, we do not live in a world without problems and probably never will, however, I believe that we can work together to create a more positive existence not only for today but for those who come along in the future.

My being apart of an organization such as the Colegio Miguel Angel Asturias helps me not only give some of myself to others, but also, helps me grow as a person by learning from those who surround me everyday. Although I am suppose to be the teacher I am very much still a student. Luckily the students still work with me. In the last few months I haven't been able to spend much time in the classroom. Primarily because two weeks of class were cancelled by the government due to swine flu, although I believe there were separate reasons behind this cancellation. Also, before these two weeks we had a medical delegation come and this week were I spent 40 hours giving eye exams and translating for medical professionals. What a week! Even though I wasn't teaching during the last two weeks, I was learning quite a bit. A few individuals with expertise in foreign language education were helping me plan and provided me with different techniques for teaching. This was quite helpful, and consequently, I was much more prepared to start teaching last week.

As for classes, they are going well. I really enjoy spending my whole morning with students between preschool and sixth grade. Having seven classes is a lot, and having somewhere around 100 students is a lot of work (still getting to know the names). Lately, I have been working on teaching the different body parts, and medical stuff (since this month's theme is health). Most of the students have been doing well learning and I am glad to have finally started getting into a routine. Anyway, although my teaching the students english is very important, I think education relates very much to the beginning of this post. I think it is great to be able to work together with the students not only to learn knowledge, but as well to acquire the skill to think more critically about ourselves. This second part I feel will come easier as the days go by and we feel more comfortable in the classroom.

Anyway, sorry I haven't updated for a while but I believe my life has slowed down a bit and I will have more time to spend uploading pictures and sharing more experiences. Hope all is well for those reading, and check the blog again soon!