Once upon a Time
Her parents didn’t have enough money to go with her, so they put her on a plane and off she went to a foreign land.
The girl arrived to the foreign land. Everything was new. The more steps she took into the new world the smaller she felt. She couldn’t understand what people said. She didn’t understand the system. She didn’t even know what to ask. She felt alone, helpless and soon enough, pretty stupid.
Soon enough she faced lots of challenges and problems. The reality of living in a foreign land began to sink in. She didn’t have enough money to call home so she wrote. She wrote a lot of letters, knowing she would not hear back from the people she was writing to for at least a month or two. But she kept writing, if anything, to give herself comfort.
She would read letters friends and family had sent her over and over again. She would gaze upon the stars and wonder what they were doing. She was beginning to wonder who she was and why she was really here.
But during these alone times, in the quietness, she meets God in a real way and she is reminded that she is loved. She is someone. She matters. She is not invisible. She knows she is not alone even though she feels lonely. She remembers her mother’s words - she must carry on.
So the girl grew and matured. She faced challenges. She made a million and more mistakes. She failed often but she chose to learn even if that meant embarrassing herself. She sat with kids that spoke English in her school during lunch time. She signed up to go on activities with the ‘locals’. She asked questions. And she learned to have a sense of humour - to laugh at herself.
She seemed so strong on the outside, but at night, in her room...she struggled. This journey seemed to hard - she was tired. She prayed for strength and determination. She prayed for friends. And she cried a lot, missing home and wondering what “home” really meant. But her mother’s words and God’s words reminded her of her purpose in life and the hope she has.
Every now and then she would get side tracked and distracted. She would start comparing with others and feel pity and shame. But there were always people around to remind her of her fatih, of her anchor and of her purpose in life. Most of these people were strangers who showed her care and love; they made the journey worth-while - joy despite the pain, a strange concept to grasp.
A few years later, this young girl goes to college, and then finds a job and then applies to become a resident because she has grown in love with her host country and the people in it. This was home because her old home was not home anymore. She realizes home is where your heart is and she decides to make this foreign land foreign no more.
And then she applies to sponsor her family - the family that had been sacrificially providing for her and praying for her. She meets a boy that loves her and respects her and they eventually marry and have kids.
Where is this girl now? She is standing in front of you.
I am sharing this with you because I want to remind you that YOU have a similar story. You have dreams like me. You have fears like me. You have felt stupid and embarrassed like me. But our stories are also unique; each one is special in its way, each one carries its own pain, tears, laughters and joys. It’s yours...and no one can take that away.
You have overcome a lot. I’m blessed to have you in my class. So many of you I see and respect. No one is forcing you to come; you wake up and come every day because you want to. You put yourself out there and try to learn this crazy foreign language and culture; and even though I know there are times you are frustrated and discouraged, I want you to know this: remember all you have done in the past and all the people you have met and use that to fuel you to move forward.
Be kind, like August taught us. Be courageous like him. Share your life; there is always someone who is struggling more than you. Don’t give up learning. Keep asking. Make mistakes. And choose to see the blessings we have.
I pray for you - whether you have faith or not.
So,
To you, who have come to class every day even when you were too tired from work, or too tired because of worries in your life, be proud of yourself for doing coming. Not everyone has the strength to do that.
To you, who I see every day helping new classmates even though no one asks you to, keep doing it. You might be the only sunshine for that classmate that day. Your kindness is noticed.
To you, who takes the courage to ask me questions even when there is a risk I might correct you; keep asking. I’ve seen you improve so much more because of it.
To you, who go to places I suggest to you, or try new things you’ve never tried before, you bring so much joy to me. Seeing you break out from your security I know you will discover a new world out there.
To all of you, who daily open up part of you to me, thank you for letting me be your teacher this year. Never forget how far you have come. I know I will see some of you in the summer or in September, and some of you I might not see again, but no matter what, remember your teacher will always be cheering you. I believe in you. I believe in this country. And I truly believe the world is a better place if we all share. I’m rooting for you and I know you will make it if you set your heart in making this your home.
It’s been an amazing year for me - you have changed me. I have learned so much from you. You have taught me about appreciating my parents. You have taught me about pushing myself to learn more so I can teach better. You have reminded me to be compassionate towards newcommers. You have taught me so much about loving your culture. And you have taught me to learn to listen to people.
Have a wonderful summer if I don’t see you in the summer. Remember to count your blessings. Remember to be adventerous and try new things. Remember to practice English. Learn to laugh. Remember your teacher is still rooting for you. And remember, it’s not about how fast you get there; it is about the journey, the climb :D
(I wrote and shared this with my adult ESL classes at the end of term)
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