Glass Half Full

This week has been one of perspective and choice. I think it being the third week gone had something to do with it; but I also received the email from Teach For America saying that I would not be joining the corps this year.
I firmly believe that the days leading up to hearing this news had been full of preparation for hearing it. I have been learning to look at the positive when things seem frustrating. For example, bug bites. What could be more annoying than the constant itching and ever-present fear of tiny little insects? Well, I've discovered that these bug bites all seem to go away within about 3 days provided I don't touch them. This was probably common knowledge for most people but I was still rather pleased to make this little discovery. Also, children with special needs can be so frustrating because nothing seems to get through sometimes. But on the positive side, kids I've never even spoken with come up and take my hand smiling, and kids that I have been able to work with these past few weeks smile when they see me and wave me over to sit with them, greeting me with sign for "bonjou" I didn't think they understood. If I have helped them with their abc's perhaps I will never know, but to spread a little joy in other people's lives has become my life goal and all that I hope to pursue. There are many other positive sides to life too: toilet paper and indoor plumbing, clean water and food every day. A fan to sleep in front of and music-- something I've come to appreciate more spending so much time around deaf people.

Nevertheless, despite my days of thinking positive, hearing about TFA did make me feel fairly incompetent. I was hoping to have some sort of pity party after work yesterday but before I could make the suggestion, PePe and Patrick invited me to church. Can't really suggest going to a bar after that! (Just kidding parents!)

So, last night another 3 hours of church. I understood more and more and could ask appropriate questions afterwards, though I was very brain-tired. The best part of the evening however was not my growing understanding of Creole but the fact that Jeanette came with me. Apparently she hasn't been going since she moved from her home in the mountains to Jacmel to work in this house. On our walk home Patrick was joking with her and saying that now she has to come all of the time. This made me so incredibly happy to think that even though I won't be here for very much longer, Jeanette can now feel comfortable and go as often as she wants. It's a small thing really, but it's the whole concept of long-term positive actions that makes me most happy. and filled with joy.

Just this morning Jeanette and I walked to the market where in search of a new skirt I purchased a dress and a bathing suit instead. Jeanette stretched her money quite a bit further coming home with a bag full of food AND a new skirt. I still have so much to learn, but this is ALWAYS something I consider to be on the positive side of life!

True, I was disappointed about Teach For America and didn't want to write any sort of blog about it due to embarrassment and feeling downhearted, but life is too good to worry about things like rejection from organizations when I can always make new friends. Friends last longer than jobs anyway! So thanks for being a friend!

For those of you who are interested, Bob Welch wrote a wonderful column about Haiti. It appeared in Sunday's Register Guard and can be found via the link below:
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/25775939-46/haiti-carr-says-fans-earthquake.csp