I was struck today by how few distractions I have in my life now. When I am at home, I have classes to teach, websites to run, friends to see, Meeting responsibilities, dance classes, a house to look after, and the list goes on and on. Here, my life is relatively simple: I go to Spanish class, do my homework and help with either making food, cleaning up, or spending time with the girls. There isn’t any TV to watch, not that we watch much at home either, and we limit our iPod and computer time. The result is, we have more time to spend together as a family. We cook together, clean together, walk down to the park together and we play together.
Tonight, while Andrew put Ostara to sleep, Arianna and I sat on the rooftop terrace searching for some Geminid meteors and just chatting. We talked about constellations and our favorite Mohawk stories about the stars and our favorite goddess stories about the moon. Arianna has an amazing memory for stories and recited several to me. Then we went downstairs and played a game of cards before she went to bed. So sweet, so simple, and yet something that is so difficult for me to do when I am at home.
In addition to more Spanish, I hope to take home a different way of life. One where I make more time to spend together as a family and nurture the special connections that I share with my husband and my children. The girls have grown up a lot during this trip and both have realized they have an inner strength and beauty that shines regardless of where they are or how many difficulties they are facing. I hope they always remember that. And I hope that no matter how old they get, they will continue to appreciate and honor the importance of family and friends.
When Ostara was having a difficult time during her first week of school, I made up a story to help bolster her confidence. It went something like this: Once upon a time, there was a family of dragons. There was a big mommy dragon, a big daddy dragon, a big sister dragon and a little girl dragon. The little girl dragon felt very small compared to the big dragons in her family. One day, the mommy and daddy dragon had to go to a special dragon school and the girl dragons had to go to a new school with lots of other little dragons that spoke different dragon languages. The little girl dragon was very nervous when she went to school by herself on the first day. But then she remembered what her mommy dragon told her, “You may be small, but inside of you, there is a fire that is as big and hot and bright as the fire from the biggest dragon. You don’t ever have to be afraid of anything because you are as strong as a big dragon.” The little girl dragon took a deep breath and started talking to another little dragon next to her. And before she knew it, they were playing together and having fun. When the little dragon came home, she told her mommy, “You were right! I was afraid to go to school at first, but I was brave and I made a new friend today.”
The story seemed to have an impact on Ostara. When she returned home from the first day of her second week, Ostara said, “Mommy, I didn’t cry in school at all today. I was very brave!” Her teacher reported that she was much happier and played with the other children that week. And it has been getting easier for her ever since.
Arianna didn’t cry in school but she did have to deal with a boy that was making fun of her because she couldn’t speak Spanish. He had to apologize to her in English, which he doesn’t speak very well. She has also been having a great time helping her teacher learn more English after she eats lunch. When Arianna wrote in her journal about how proud she was of how much English her teacher was learning and how much she looked up to her, her teacher wrote back “For me, it is very difficult to learn english, but for you, I’d like to know more.” I think we have all learned that you can still make connections with other people despite barriers of language and culture. And once you realize that, what can stop you?
This trip has been challenging and difficult but the most amazing thing that we are discovering is the value of being a citizen of the world. Here’s to celebrating the first of many stamps in the passport books of my dragon girls!