Week 24: Days 162-167
I. Love. Sri. Lanka. And I love being a Fulbright ETA. Ohhhhh
Sri Lanka. What a wonderful five days we had together! Although the purpose of
our trip to Sri Lanka was to convene with other South/Central Asia English
Teaching Assistants (ETAs), the trip turned out to be not only professionally
beneficial, but it was also personally uplifting.
Before I get into the details of the conference, let me just
say that Sri Lanka is an absolutely beautiful place!!! With its breezy island
feel, I allowed myself to relax and rejuvenate. My favorite part of Sri Lanka –
the Indian Ocean, duh! Anyone who knows me knows that I love me some water, and
boy oh boy did Sri Lanka have water for me! I spent every possible moment (including
10-15 minute breaks during the conference) outside and it was indeed good for
my soul. Aside from the ambiance, I also loved my time in Sri Lanka because of
the people I had the chance to meet there. Not only were we reunited with the
Calcutta ETAs (whom we miss so very much), but we also met the ETAs from other countries
in our region and I truly enjoyed getting to know them.
Okay, now to the important part – the ETA conference! It was
an absolute pleasure meeting the other ETAs and they reminded me that my time
in Delhi, teaching English, is part of something greater. We are working to
fulfill the Fulbright mission of promoting mutual understanding among and
across cultures. It was comforting to know that we face similar challenges relating
to language barriers, discipline in the classroom and simply trying to find our
way in our new communities.
In Sri Lanka, we came together, shared our war stories (lol)
and our triumphs, big and small, and by the end of the week, in some way, each
of us were renewed. Speaking for myself, I can say that I felt refreshed and
ready to give my students my everything for the rest of my time in Delhi. I walked
away with fresh ideas and a feeling that I was indeed making an impact – no matter
how small – on my students. You know, it’s easy to get bogged down in the everyday
stress/craziness of it all, but this conference reminded me to always see the
forest while taking very good care of the trees :-)
One of the best things about the conference was that it
served as a reminder of how important it is to take a step back and gather with
your colleagues – from all over the place. There’s something special that
happens when people, who share a common purpose, come together, share their
experiences and work towards making improvements. It’s almost like a revival .
. . your faith in your work is strengthened and you are certain that you’re in
the right place, even with the day-to-day craziness and all the while recognizing
that there is always more work to be done.
As I reflect on the ETA conference, I couldn’t help but
think of the Teach for America 20th Year Anniversary Summit which
took place in February of 2011. I remember vividly how emotional I got during the
opening ceremony as tears came to my eyes while standing in a room of thousands
of people who all believe that all children in the United States of America
deserve access to QUALITY education – regardless of race, socioeconomic status
or any of the other stuff America puts in the way of students. I am honored and
humbled to be a part of the TFA 2012 Houston Corps and I cannot wait to meet my
students and get my hands dirty while trying to improve the U.S. education
system.
The ETA conference reminded me that I have some serious
work to do and God has deemed it necessary for me to join in the fight for quality
and accessible education for all. . . . Man, it’s a good feeling to know that I
am walking in my purpose. My time in Sri Lanka reminded me of that and I am so
grateful to the Fulbright for such a wonderful opportunity. So, I’ll say it
again – ohhhhhh Sri Lanka, I love you. And I promise to come back soon :-)
