AWANO JHS: My Current Life Project

This week marked the end of my first academic year working at Awano JHS. It's hard to put into words how much I've enjoyed every second of this hands-on experience of interacting with real students (especially outside of the classroom). In many levels, there are days in which they remind me of the very committed and serious students I once worked with while in Beijing. Most days, however, they simply remind me of my campers at YMCA camp Elphinstone. The joy in each of their faces, their curiosity, their innocence, and the slow but very visible changes which take place in each and every one of them on a daily basis. It goes without saying that in many ways I've learned more from them than I think I have taught them. I suppose that's why teaching is such a rewarding "profession"; it works both ways. 

I'm sure it'll take me a few months to truly digest all I got to experience during the past few months. I'm amazed at how quickly it all came to an end, and I mean that in a positive way. I'm excited to have taken part (even if for an instant) in the lives of the 270 students who graduated today. In many ways, I think their letters of appreciation are worth more than any degree or diploma I could possibly be given. 

It is now time to turn yet another page in the story of my life, and begin a new one. After all, 

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." 

Being CANADIAN: My Greatest Privilege

I remember it as if it was yesterday - stepping out of the JAL airplane and walking into YVR for the first time when I was only 11. This was the first time my brother and I had flown without our parents, and it would be the first full month we would spend away from the safety net and cultural familiarity which we were accustomed to back in Mexico City.

Little did we know that the marvelous things we were seeing for the first time on that bus ride to Horseshoe Bay and the Ferry to the Sunshine Coast would not only eventually become familiar sights for us, but more importantly, a place we could call "home". Indeed, for me it was love at first sight: the mountains, the sea, the first glimpse of False Creek and the elegant glass buildings of Yaletown, the Stanley Park forest, our first crossing of Lions Gate Bridge, the ethnically diverse richness of Vancouver's population that was visible all throughout, and the warmth and welcoming spirit which we came to experience as soon as we finally reached our destination - YMCA Camp Elphinstone.

There was something about this place which made me feel so content on that very first day. Since then, this feeling has never hidden away from me. The month passed by in a flash, but so did the following nine months back in Mexico in which I anxiously awaited to return back to Elphinstone. Strangely enough, this time around, walking into YVR made me feel more at home than I had ever felt before,   and to my delight our parents would pay us a surprise visit at the end of that month which would eventually lead us into exploring the Rocky Mountains via RV for a period of two weeks.

One day before our flight back to Mexico, my parents asked my brother and I one simple question: How would you guys like to move to Vancouver in a year from now? There was no hesitation. As far as I was concerned, Vancouver was the place where I was meant to be along with my whole family. Despite the obstacles and fierce criticism from friends and relatives alike, nothing was able to deter us from abandoning our choice. Looking back, I cannot help but be aware of how well each of us knew that this decision would forever alter the landscape of the way our lives would unfold.

Thus, we gave up"security," embraced uncertainty, and boldly went where so many more citizens of the world before us had once chosen to go - the true North. After a few months, we successfully managed to adjust to our new setting and thus began writing a new chapter in the story of our lives. One thousand days later, we became CANADIAN and there is never a day that passes by in which I fail to be thankful for the honor and privilege of being able to call myself CANADIAN.

The past two weeks (but especially the last 24 hours) have been very emotional for me. One would naturally assume that this has mainly to do with the fact that I wasn't back in Vancouver in order to celebrate the Games along with family, friends, and the millions of people from all over the world that had come to be part of something much greater than themselves. Nevertheless, in as much as I would have LOVED to be there physically for the entirety of the Games, I had accepted and made peace with the possibility of not being able to be there exactly one year ahead of the Opening ceremony.

Consequently, I skipped out of a few of my last uni courses and headed up to Whistler and local mountains for my last chance to take in the beauty and the power of the landscapes which have shaped me into the man I am today. The ones which taught me to NEVER STOP EXPLORING and to walk confidently into the direction of my dreams. I find comfort in the power of my memory, for closing my eyes or looking at a picture of those magical places make me feel like I'm truly still there.

A wise man once said that "sometimes you have to go half-way across the world to come full circle". In this respect, I can certainly attest to what I think he might have meant by that. It's been interesting to get the chance to witness these Games from the 'sideline'. Not only have I learned about the way people see and think of Canada, but I've also come to understand more than ever before the very reasons why so many of us proudly wear Canada's flag on our backpacks.

Much more to come... for now all I can say is that for me, being CANADIAN is one of my greatest privileges. Indeed, it is an honor.