back to school

last monday was the first day of school after a 3 week long holiday break. it was nice to have that time to get settled into our new home, but i was glad see all the smiling faces at school on monday morning. the principal and i wasted no time making plans for the next few weeks, indeed i feel like i’ve set off running. within a few days, we had already solidified plans for a school emblem design contest and presented it to staff and students. with the upcoming 10-year anniversary of our school, it’s time to rejuvenate school spirit. besides, the old emblem was kinda wacky, and no one really knows where it came from or what, exactly, it symbolizes.

i’m certain that there’s a person, and a dove, and possibly a bible or two, but what the dove is doing to the person, i’m not quite sure. and why all the expletives?
with all the contest rules laid out and fliers distributed, we embarked on a bigger journey: beginning to train the 2 newest teachers on staff. this week i had the opportunity to substitute in ms. mindy and mr. g’s classrooms while they spent time observing language arts in an experienced teacher’s class. i got to share some wonderful books with the children (are you my mother? polar bear, polar bear, what do you hear? and charlie and the chocolate factory) and had some priceless exchanges with students.
part of being a peace corps volunteer is the almost overwhelming attainment of celebrity status in the village. if i told you i didn’t love this, i would certainly be lying, but it does make life quite amusing at times.
during break, a standard III student (4th grade) walked up to me, cradling my cell phone in her hands.
“ms. melissa,” she asked, “ is this your phone?”
“yes, “ i replied.
“it’s pretty,” she sighed admiringly.
now, our cell phone is anything but pretty. functional, yes. durable, indeed. but pretty is not an adjective that comes to mind. just to be sure we’re on the same page, cell phones are rampant in our village. Everyone has at least one. so it’s not like this is the first cell phone she has seen. it’s just that it’s mine. and because i am a celebrity, everything i do and have is pretty by default.
man i love my job.