It's All Coming to an End

Next week is the week I have been dreading the most.  It is the week that I have to say all of my goodbyes.  I have to say goodbye to my friends, neighbors, favorite waiters/waitresses, co-workers and finally, my students.

The entrance to my school

It's amazing how many connections you can make in just eight months. I can say that I definitely made at least 60 really important connections in my school.  It's been such a great year getting to know all of these students and helping them improve their level in English.  In the beginning, I wasn't so sure about working with young teenagers, but they have completely changed my opinion.  Of course there have been days where I wanted to walk out of the classroom because they had all frustrated me to the point of wanting to leave, but then there have been those days where I just wanted to high five them all for making an important progression or hug them because they had said something that was absolutely precious.

For the last eight months I have walked into work every day looking forward to saying good morning to them or having them excitedly say, "HELLO AMANDA!" when I walk into the classroom.  I loved when I would talk to them in small groups during the breaks and watch them put their thoughts together and build up the courage to say or ask something to me in English.  It was so great to be able to go on a couple of trips with them and help them in a real life setting.  It was always fun when I got to carry out a game or activity that I had planned and I see them genuinely enjoying it and having a great time.  I have had so many good memories with them and I just want to pack them all up in my suitcases and bring them home with me, but unfortunately that can't happen.

They have all definitely made an impression on me and I really hope that I have made an impression on them.  I hope that even if they didn't talk a lot in class, that I had sparked some kind of interest for them to study another language, get to know another culture or consider going to another country to experience something outside of what they are comfortable with.  I hope that I have helped at least a few of them build up their confidence in speaking in English and feel better about their pronunciation.  I just hope that I made some kind of positive impression on all 60 of them, because they have all definitely affected me in one way or another.

Me with my students on the Gibraltar trip

Here's to the memories that we have made and the moments we will never forget.  It has been a special year that I will never forget!