Futures, Being Poor, and The Bus.

3 realizations this past week: 1) Teaching is definitely something I need and want to do in my future. 2) College is not the time to satisfy my shopping addiction. 3) It will be a miracle if I make it through the year without dying on the MetroTransit bus system.

I started volunteering this Monday at a local middle school for an after school program designed for students who don't speak English as a first language. It is for a few hours every Monday afternoon, and there are about twenty 6th-8th graders (most speak Spanish, a few speak Russian, and a few Somali) who get together with the school Spanish teacher, the Spanish interpreter, a Somali interpreter, and now me! to work on homework and speaking English in a comfortable environment. I spent the afternoon revisiting the Pythagorean (?) theorem and reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with a 6th grade boy who speaks very limited English. (It was actually quite surprising how little English some of these kids spoke, especially for living in a big American city.) We read for a while, then talked for a little bit in Spanish. I had only ever spoken it with my teachers or other classmates, so it was extremely cool to actually be having a conversation with a native speaker, especially a 12 year old boy. This experience I'm sure will only continue to motivate me more and more to become a Spanish teacher, it's like bridging a gap between languages! So cool...

Mall of America last week. Didn't NEED the boots, but now that I have them, I'm meant to own them. Of course I couldn't buy these amazing black heel boots without getting an outfit to perfectly coordinate, so 3 different shirts and a black skirt were also added to my wardrobe. (Oh-and a rockin' pair of earrings.) Even the bookstore. Did I NEED a baseball hat with an "M" on the front? No. But there was a sale and I don't have any hats that look good on me (I have a bad "hat head") and this one looked cute! The grocery store. Really Kayla, do you need Werther's Original Hard Candies? Yes...along with cheese in a can (it was on sale and it's fun to draw designs on the Ritz before you eat them) and chips & salsa, and Apple Jacks. (The Honey Bunches of Oats were too expensive...I was even being frugal.) I should start tapping on the streets for money.

I hate the bus. I don't think I will ever enjoy it nor understand it. I especially hate it when the crabby bus drivers are too preoccupied with themselves and getting done with their shift to help out a confused, panicked, blonde college student find the right bus stop. Is kindness that hard to show? Didn't think so. Long story short, en route to the middle school I kinda got lost in the middle of uptown Minneapolis and had a mini panic attack. I mean, I guess all's ell that ends well (meaning I didn't get kidnapped or mugged or murdered), but I'm not looking forward to trying to figure this out every Monday. I miss the Tahoe :(

This is the day...

Today is an amazing day!  The rescue is finally occurring for the 33 trapped Chilean miners.  I'm watching CNN as each miner is slowly pulled through the ground to the surface.  So far, 13 miners have been rescued. 

What has this to do with Kayla at college?  Not much, but, it's what I'm thinking about today as I write this.  I think it's interesting how to hear how, even though today is the 13th, the Chileans view today as a lucky day, because it's 10-13-10, and those numbers add up to 33. 

I love watching the families reunite, and hearing the miners talk about their faith and how they never lost hope.  Watching them drop to their knees when they reach the top and offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God makes me want to do the same.  What a wonderful day!

The most interesting interview was when one miner said, "I was with God, and I was with the devil, but God won." 

Anyhow, Kayla, even though you're in college and immersed in that life, just take a moment to think about this day and these people and the amazing things God can do.  Today is simply a good day to rejoice and thank God!