When I read Anna’s email this morning about the 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, I was stunned. It was the last day of classes for me at UC Davis. I had some language games planned. How can one worry about language-learning and games at a time like this, when people don’t know if friends and families are okay?
A baby comes in handy. According to prior plan, Eleni & Emmy Amtraked up here in the morning. In class, more than once Emmy turned tears into calm. I doubt I was supposed to bring her to class, but I did. To compensate, I tried to use her as a language lesson: describe this baby.
[Remember I told you about my more challenging students. That’s one. I like her.]
Needless to say, my supervisor appeared in my classroom when Emmy was performing midair, shrieking with laughter and making my students do the same.
One of my students is Saudi — the one for whom it would really suck if she didn’t have stunning eyes since that’s all we ever see. At first there were only four of us in the room, and Emmy was tugging at Rawan’s veil. Oooh, be careful! I warned. I turned away, and when I turned back, there was the real Rawan’s face, which I’d never seen. She’s a gorgeous young woman, and I couldn’t help but comment. Oh, my gosh. You’re so beautiful! Apparently it’s okay to show her face with other women.
It was a long day, trying to figure out how to occupy my students with activities that were neither vacuous nor demanding. Even without the earthquake, the mood would have been delicate, on their last day with new friends in the US. Yet they all were good sports. In one class I got a group to make up a tableau.
Eleni observed my final class.
I was surprised at how comfortable you seemed. Because you ‘re my mom I could see it was exceedingly difficult for you. But they didn’t notice. You seemed incredibly competent, as if you’d been doing it for ages.
And then came graduation. The best part of teaching here is that you feel like a celebrity on this day. The students take literally hundreds of pictures, making Dad and me seem like photo-phobes. Oh, teacher! Teacher! Would you take one picture with me? Times 100, with everything from iPhones to pink, massive-lensed SLRs.
On other news, I’ve got a last batch of pellets baking in the oven — freshly produced by local owls — on this, my last night in Davis. Eleni is here overnight with the baby. Tomorrow we go rent the moving truck. How the two of us (plus Molly I hope) will load this heavy furniture remains a mystery.
Oh wow. I LOVE this post, every last bit of it.*
(* Except for the fact that you’re leaving Davis. Did I SAY you could do that? I don’t think so.)
I think having an Ember along is a great way to make the class more cheerful for everyone. Babies (especially our baby) should be required classroom materials. It’s cool that your Saudi lady has a face.