I don't have much computer time. But, the days that I do have computer access, I want to write a small blurb each day about something. Anything rather ordinary yet meaningful that catches my attention, and deserves to be remembered and shared. Enjoy. :)
"The English teacher is in the bathroom stall next to you!" a small kid proclaimed to another kid in the bathroom today. I felt rather self-conscious about my large feet sticking out of the bottom of the bathroom stall. And then, they waited for me to come out afterwards, to see if it really was me.
"Hi teacher Osha," they walk by with beaming smiles.
A girl leans against the book shelf. She is singing the song that I've been sharing with them for the past few classes. Maybe this is only my third class with them? She sings it perfectly. I've taken the big-Washington-tree song from Orchard Hill Farm ("uma uma uma yay...") and added words to it adapted from a different African song, and then I fitted it to teaching basic English to small children. ("Hello, hello... how are you? Welcome to my village! Hello, welcome here! Welcome to my village! Welcome to our village!") Today, also taught "standing like a tree" (thanks Teaching Drum, Chelsea, Lety, and all the women of every women's circle I've ever been part of), including the dance... and "round and round we go" (thanks Teaching Drum again, and Two Coyotes and all my Connecticut and other connected families!) I am glad that my night-teaching classes are over. Now, kindergardeners are high energy, laugh a lot, and exude playful loving energy that just sends all the phlegm and cold autumn-transition sickness straight out of my system, and my cheeks are sore from smiles.
Am starting to tutor a little 6 year old who reminds me so sweetly of the Teaching Drum clan kids, and my small Coyotes from already a year ago. I miss my small coyotes... the little girl here started out very shy. Then when she opened up... it is like watching the first rays of morning sun hitting the baby leaves of the plant I just planted this morning. Exquisite, radiant, precious beauty, and miracle of life.
In Sunday Taichi, new friends have a baby named Agor. They want to move into the mountains and raise their child in a natural way and natural environment. They want him to build huts, play with other kids, make his own toys, and plant food and medicine.
Grateful for all my teachers, both academic and non-academic. I have all the best teachers in the world right now! Especial love and joy from past week to Tara, Ah Ji, Fa Ge, Ah Fu Ge, Ah Ge, Kider, my taiji teachers, 85 year old dancer choreographer and anthropologist Liu-Feng-Xue, my dance teacher Wang, dance teacher Zeng, dance teacher Wu, ceramics teacher, Tofu, Marina... big love, inspiration, support, and... grateful to have found all these lovely people. Hoping to wave fear away and deepen connections with all colors of rainbow beauty and ugliness: and that balance makes it all the more beautiful.
Today's was more than a small blurb! Tomorrow, I'll write much less. :)
