Laughing

Every day, I have a good laugh. Sometimes the laughter is joyful, other days I laugh out of desperation. Lately, I must admit, there has been some maniacal laughter coming from my room!

My life here is full of funny challenges. Take, for instance, my job. I am a teacher here on the Ranch. I work one on one with 4th and 6th graders who are having difficulties in school. Some of my kids probably have learning disabilities, others just need more time to grasp a concept, some have behavioral issues. I work with 10 students, meeting with them 3 times a week individually. The subjects I teach are Spanish (!) and Math. Those of you who know me, know how I am lacking in math skills, and all of you can figure out the hilarity (irony?) of me teaching Spanish in my own bad Spanish. I have no choice but to laugh. Most of the time, my kids are teaching me more about Math and Spanish than I am teaching them.

My days are long, my job is difficult. There are moments I want to give up and go home, moments I feel unappreciated, days I fail at everything. There are times when my kids are mean to me and each other, times with the kitchen is out of food and I am hungry, days when my Spanish just doesn´t seem to be working, days when there´s no electricity or water, moments in which I am invisible.

As I am ready to get out my luggage, something always stops me. A kid running up to me, grabbing my hand, and walking with me without caring where I am going. Or an impossibly faraway voice screaming, "¡Amelia! ¡Hola!". Or a letter in my mailbox from one of you. These things keep my clothes upacked and my heart laughing.