This past week has been the quickest thus far. It was the last week of internship at the school and I've found myself feeling a little down. With everything starting to come to an end, in Spain, I am realizing that I have to head back to reality in a couple of weeks. Looking back, I was more intimidated than I had expected to be when I first came here. Traveling is my passion. I yearn to be able to travel freely. But, coming into this, I didn't feel that way. I can't really tell you why, I don't think there was much of a reason- other than it was my first time traveling without a family member or John. Typically when I travel I am meeting someone the other end that I know- family, friends, etc. This was the first time I was being greeted by strangers and going to live in a strangers home. Now, everything is completely safe because it was organized by Saint Joseph's College; however, strangers nonetheless and growing up all you hear about is "stranger danger."It took a little bit to adjust but after a while it has become a second home.
My internship was a little wary in the beginning allowing me to choose what I wanted to do within the San Rafael Hospital. With so many options it was hard to decide! I ended up choosing to work with the children at the school for special needs. This was the best place to be if you need to learn about yourself. In other words, I wasn't the one doing the teaching, I was the one learning. On a daily basis, I was learning what it meant to appreciate the little things in life. I was taught how to be patient. I was taught to forgive quickly, love without boarders, slow down, speak kindly, and that actions do speak louder than words.
Patience is a virtue that I believe is one of the most important in any relationship- with children, a significant other, parents, teachers, friends, siblings, even God. In today's society we expect everything to happen within an instant. Google didn't load fast enough? Try it again. Someone didn't respond to your message in a second? You get angry. The world isn't instant. It takes time and so do the people who inhabit it.
Forgiveness is a tough subject for many people. When something has done you wrong, it isn't easy to forgive the person/people who have hurt you. Why should you forgive an action that was done to hurt you? It was during my time at the school that the children taught me to forgive; not because anything was intentionally done, but because of how they interact with one another. If someone took another's ball on the playground, the student would invite them to play instead of getting angry. There was no name calling or crying, it just was. Some of you reading this may think that this isn't life- people get angry. In response to that I would say, "Where does that anger really come from?" Surely, that anger wasn't from someone cutting you off or taking the last doughnut at the coffee shop. Forgiveness is more powerful than one may think.
Loving without boarders is the real kind of love. When you accept every part of someone and overlook the imperfections. Love should have no boundries. I´m not a love expert and I won´t pretend to be, but I do love. People have imperfections whether you think they´re perfect or not. There is no perfect being. There are struggles, there are pasts, and there are ghosts which nobody wants to expose. The kids taught me that love isn´t about the superficial things that the eye can see, but about what´s in the heart. I have been a believer of love for as long as I can remember, but these kids really opened my heart. A smile, a game, a laugh, a story, not things; that was love. Time and compassion is what the human race is all about.
Who here runs from one place to the next like a chicken with their head cut off? Me. I remember a day when I was visiting my aunt in Arizona. She asked me that morning if I wanted to go to her yoga class she was teaching. Of course I said yes- who doesn´t like yoga? Well, the class was scheduled for 10:00am. It was 10:00am when we arrived, jumped out of the car, ran into the studio and began. That morning was crazy busy! Here she was teaching others to slow down and she was rushing. At the end of the class we ran to the car and continued our rushed day. My life in the United States is just like that. I work four jobs, fly, manage a growing fundraising organization, go to school, and try to find time for my family. It´s exhausting. These past few weeks with the kids was like a breath of fresh air. I was able to slow down, learn, and take a deep breath. I wasn´t in a hurry because they weren´t in a hurry. I did´t have to rush because we go at their pace. It was calming and inviting. People were genuinely happy. I was happy and at peace with what I was doing. For me, it is a rare occasion that I am able to appreciate what´s around me before moving to the next thing. I hope to be able to take this lifestyle with me to America when I leave.
In almost everything I did, I was able to learn a little more about how kind words and actions lead to positive response. I try to live an opptomistic life but often fall into a pesimistic tumble. I am thankful for my experiences at the school because everything that is done is done with love. Every action is done with peace and comfort in a way that each individual child will respond to. Unlike most schools, where the teacher teaches to many students, the lesson plan here was created for each individual student. There is nearly 1:1 ratios of students to teachers. The amount of work and selfless dedication that goes into each day is a lesson in itself. To live selfless and expect nothing in return is a beautiful thing.
My time at this beautiful school will not go unremembered. I will cherish these few weeks for the rest of my life. I am grateful for everything that I have been taught by the students and for what I was able to teach them. I hope this isn´t my last time here but that´s in the hands of God to where I go next.
