One
of the things I (usually) love about my life is the unpredictability of my
daily routine. Yes, I do teach in a school and have a fairly regular schedule,
but I still find myself here and there working on school projects, helping
families in situations that arise, and visiting my students.
There’s rarely a typical morning, so I hope it
suffices to explain one day this week. It started with a rooster crowing. When
I left for work I smelled this awful odor from outside my gate. I look around
the corner to see someone decided to tie up their bull to our wall. Since it
was not in my way, I continued on to school. Our dirt road was full of huge
machinery, thanks to the presidential elections. Every four years the town
receives new roads and free water as bribery, a small taste of the political
corruption. Yet, there are no complaints here as my small sedan drove smoothly
into town. I reached school and ran inside to make it to the morning meeting. I
then taught my 8th grade math class, followed by two elementary
music classes. The kids were antsy to go to recess so we tried to move around the
classroom the best we could. Lunch came and I ate with the preschoolers, a pile
of rice and a few beans. Some kids filled their plate two or three times as they likely
won’t have dinner. Then I headed back to my 8th grade classroom in
time to give some homework help. I’m thrilled that one student finally showed
up after much encouragement! After two more rambunctious classes, my school day
ended. I filled my car with teachers and students and drove towards the Ark (our
children’s home), dropping them off along the way, and gathered the middle
school girls and a house mom to go running. The Ark is beginning to be more
active, which is excellent! We spent an hour walking/running in the Dominican
mountains as we chatted about life. The streets were crowded with people and
loud music as normal. We returned in time for coffee which lasted so long, that
I ended up helping set for dinner and eating with the kids. Around 7:30 I made
it home to prepare for another day. My days are full here, but I wouldn’t
change much! I love getting to be a part of the transformations of the kids in
our program!
Warmly, Anna
If
you wish to join in my ministry, please visit: www.Kidsalive.org/AnnaLarson
