Down by the station, early in the morning

So today's been a pretty great day to end a pretty great week. My attitude is, of course, influenced by the fact that I'll be on break for the next five days, which means I'll get to escape my routine and get around a little more.
Today was activity day number two for me. We had a potluck meal to celebrate Thanksgiving, which may seem odd to you since it's September, but the Korean holiday that's giving me this vacation is their closest analogue to it. The food was great, and we made all of the kids little Indian headbands and had them color pilgrims while we talked about the first Thanksgiving. It's so fun and so wonderful [read in the fullest sense of the word] to see education from the other side. It amazes me each day as I go back and imagine my teachers being exactly where I am in so many ways. I thought they had so much figured out, and I never realized that there might've been days when we colored because the teacher was filling in for what was lacking. Teaching is really pretty hard, and it's so full of brick walls and students who you can't get through to one day and who amaze you the next. Today was a welcome reprieve from the anxiety that I've been feeling about whether or not I'm getting through. I got to simply spend time with the kids, speaking conversationally and trying to just relax with them. We sat down to watch Garfield after the meal and there was practically a dogpile of kids on me watching the movie. They're all pretty wonderful, and it's great to know that as frustrated as we get with one another, we can put it all to the side and just enjoy one another's company.