Diaries-2: A childlike Turkish but English teacher in Mayan Guatemala
Fotoğraflar: Natalie, Meryem Ana gibi başını eğmiş, telefonu ile uğraşıyor; İngilizce dersinde kelimeleri doğru telaffuz edip iletişim kurabilen çocukların kartlarını imzalıyorum
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First of all, thanks to my mother, who assisted me to come here, supported me, wondered about me every day, awaited my telephone calls impatiently like anticipated old people during festivals, at least a message, my beloved sister who never shows her age like Elves. And to my father, the world’s most open minded person, who is secretly walking up towards the Buddha grade curiously, “mil gracias”! I’m so happy that you exist in my life, I missed you! I wish you were here, so that I can explain my excitement to you in a long conversation with a beer or preferably rum; during this time, I’ll see your face, the most precious smile of the Earth throughout my life, coming to my mind over and over again, that’ll be told to my grandsons; and I’ll just write long novels about your smile! On the Earth, which car, house, vacation, food, matter can be more precious than that? Even Mona Lisa’s simple smile is considered priceless that it’s displayed in a museum…
What a day it was! I guess I’ll use this phrase countless times during my Latin America adventure. But now, I only want to focus on this memory of mine, the photos I captured, the time I spent with the experience I had in the taste of chocolate.
I’ve met Natalie in the school I went to improve my Spanish, who’s working as a volunteer missionary for the church. She’s also working as a volunteer English teacher in a nearby town’s school. As soon as I’ve heard this, my curiosity to meet locals, their daily life, see their cultures, going on adventures even in Guatemala, my open soul to taste new experiences, jumped on Natalie and found myself swimming in new seas after a week
While looking at the photos, the glance of the student on the leftmost takes my attraction. A very attentive, pure, curious student; and a photo that captures the moment. Sometimes I say, I hope I could stop the time, so that children never grow… Children never grow… I think I need to write an another journal about my thoughts on this topic. I love children. I don’t need to explain, how much my soul is childlike 🙂 Pikachu, I choose you 😀
However, don’t be fooled, that I say I’m childlike. Sometimes, I lose myself in mad courage with flames (or lose myself to Dark Side, as said in Star Wars literature), and can rush on burgler in a house with the sword of grand-grandfathers, to tear him into pieces.
Yes, my school experience was very unusual. I entered to the lessons of high school students with Natalie. Is it expected from them to learn English with only 1 hour of lesson a week, or is it added to syllabus just to add an English lesson? It’s needed to be more creative. Children want to learn this language in their homes, streets, outside the school. For example, I tell to intern teacher Natalie, “We need to organize entertaining English movie nights for children. Or other things… I need to think…”. How did we learn? In school? Not at all. Video games, Harry Potter, movies… Children are needed to be directed to things they enjoy and take their attraction. Even you were a child, a student once upon a time. How did you forget it easily, became a stranger to the past, act like never lived it?
Some kids especially arouse my attention. They talk to me in English, with desire, silence and calmness. Even though I change the language to Spanish, they insistently continue in English. The ones, who are gonna be future’s keen researches, show themselves up from nowadays, I say to myself. I guess, I’m gonna surprise them with chocolates and candies, next time I come here. But girls are more talented and hardworking, just like in Turkey. Unfortunately, also in here, they become housewife, don’t work, can’t change the future, stay in home, despite their bright talents 🙁
Thank you Natalie! A thousand thanks to you father and mother. Grandma, grandpa, wipe away your tears. I’ll come back to you one day, with tens of thousands of joy… And to the precious people, who has read this up to this point; “Value is the moment of sharing”, I’m glad you’re in my life; greetings to you with Sun’s warm, sincere, yellow, beach and sea ambient, with the scent of olive trees among the salty sea, and with the greetings of the white pigeon that sits on them; you’re the one that warm me up 🙂 You’re my olive branch!
And like all of my personal posts, this journal was followed by my emotional and spiritual teardrops. Yet I know that, they’re like seeds from the trees of my mother and father, that’ll repeat itself, develop and become a more supreme tree.
Maybe… If I write a book one day, it’s name will be, “Value is the moment of sharing”…
