Today I only had one period to teach because there was a school wide exam time slated for the period I would have had next. Just like you find in any school there were kids cramming for their Arabic class during the supposed PE time. So my already small class of 8th grade boys (usually 11) was down to four who were tired of their handbooks and wanted a little football in their day. In hindsight it is probably a good thing I did not attempt to teach them Frisbee today, because they were just looking for some time to relax and have fun. I can say I had fun. One thing I am learning here is flexibility. Not only physically when playing soccer in a cramped courtyard, but also with plans and time. No one told me that there would be only one period for me and I spent about half an hour just hanging around before I figured that one out. Luckily I ran in to my friend from last week during the break between classes. You see I come in to help with two periods and in between these periods is a 15 to 20 minute break built in for everybody's sanity. During this time most of the kids buy snacks and hangout in the courtyard. Today I spent my time out there rather than in the principal's office (good move I think). After the break all the kids go running upstairs to get to class, leaving behind wrappers and Coke cans (I was like this for a while too and still have to catch myself at times). It should be known that this is a small, low budget school and most of the people working there have more responsibility than their American counterparts at least in regard to daily duties. Still in ignorance to the fact that I only would have one period, I decided to pitch in and clean the courtyard up a bit. It's surprising how picking up just some colorful wrappers can really change the appearance of a place. Garbage is a funny thing.
Think about this, my professor said that archaeologists are prone to label ornate things as part of a cult. So with this idea of garbage being a funny thing what do you think future archaeologists will say about all the uncovered Barbies, diapers, Coke cans, People Magazines, "Green" Starbucks cups, and the list could go on on? Now I know that in all likely hood cultural mainstays will probably still be around (some I wish won't) and if not these hypothetical archaeologists will at least be able to quickly figure out what this find is. Which leads me to my final point. What do we want to be remembered for? What do I want my life to be synonymous with?
When these hypothetical archaeologists dig up my place of former residence I hope they find my journals. Its likely those will not survive the elements though. So maybe they'll find this computer and the hard drive still in tact. From there I hope they can read English. They'd find my papers, pictures, music, and my low win percentage on solitaire (I get impatient sometimes ok). I don't know what else could survive the elements. My guitar may survive, but they'd only have the music from my computer to guess at what it was that I might have played. You see it is hard to leave behind just material goods and expect a message to get across. Our best bet of getting a message to go from our generation to the next is by living our message and hoping the idea sinks in. A real message requires people really living out that message.
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