Day Two in Beja

Feeling more familiar with our school, we started our second day. Now they are ready for us, and we are ready for them. Funny how much they are like our students at home. The smile, the laugh, and so open to anything—that distracts them from their regular day! Nothing like having someone new in your class.

I feel humble when I realize these children know more English than I know Portuguese. I’m not sure who is going to grow the greatest from this experience—the children or me! After lunch we had our library time—thinking that it might be a bit lonely. That didn’t last. Before we know it we were surrounded with students eager to talk, listen and help us with our visitor’s map. We let them circle anything of interest as long as they talked to us. Needles to say, we have a map filled with a lot of circled museums, churches, etc.

Each day has been a bit like unwrapping a surprising package. We ask ourselves will today’s present be a treasured gift or unsatisfactory?

WORDS OF THE DAY: Anna Paula (teacher at Santa Maria) “How wonderful it is to be a teacher and to share knowledge and tenderness.”