This is my life.

There´s a mountain. And then there´s this sky...the most amazing color of blue that your mind can capture. It´s rich...like it´s never going to end...and it´s clear, like it could break if I threw something at it....it´s brilliant...like something perfect froze in time....

And then there´s this water. It´s crystal-esque....something like a sheet of glass with minor infractions called boats or trees raising above the line that I can see. It´s magnificient. And the sound. Listen with your ears...the sound. It hits the black rocks that flank the banks. It pounds with a resounding crash...and rolls away, back into the mixture of blue and green. It begs to be touched...it impedes me to run into its arms....and stay there....be soaked and know the freedom of being completely washed over.

It´s like that on rainy days for me, too. I love to listen to the sound of the pattering drops...to hear the freedom that falls with every tiny splatter of water. It´s something like spontanaeity (spelling?)....with this perfect rhythm.

And then there are the smiles of the little people. These huge souls packed into tiny corpses....their smiles light up my life. Today, Christian was miming something so I could tell him what it meant...and I couldn´t help but cracking up in the middle because of the joy that exudes from that kid. And then there´s Memo....I wish I could scoop up a piece of his charisma and put it inside of my heart. He´s got so much life that teems from him...in English class and in Spanish. There´s Karen. She´s so quiet and so timid...but I can tell that she´s got something inside of her that will be released...and it will be spectacular. There´s Victor. He´s the kid that most teachers hate because he´s forever dawdling. He´s forever glancing at the ceiling, throwing (or losing...) his pencil, shrugging his shoulders when asked for homework, asking "Que quieres, Maestra?" when the entire rest of the class has carried out the orders they were given...the one that has the look of guilt always on his face...but it´s mostly just because he doesn´t have a clue what´s going on...and yes, in fact, he probably DID commit the crime. There´s Victor. But when that kid comes to school in the morning and hugs me...and says "Gut marnink, Miss KA"....it´s worth living for.

And there´s Alex Manuel. Precious. Absoltely precious. The heart of a warrior, that kid...and servant all packed into one little boy frame. He´s kind. And caring. And he tries so hard. He comes up with some hilarious concoctions of the English language, but he´s a delight. There´s Roberto. He´s a lot like Victor, except his major problem is that he just really doesn´t understand a word that is coming out of my mouth....but he looks up, smiles...and says¨"Es que...no entendi..." And then I hug him...and say, "OK, Mijo....tu vas a...." And he shrugs his shoulders, wrinkles his nose....and sometimes doesn´t do a single thing that he´s supposed to...but I can see the wheels turning (in Spanish)...and days like today...where I didn´t have to spend any individual time with him for him to get what he was supposed to do...and then having him elaborate intensely on his weather forecast...wow! Those moments thrill my soul all the way down to my toenails.

Yeah...and Janet (that´s pronounce YAnet)...she´s the tiniest thing I´ve ever seen. I could put twelve of her in my purse...but oh my gosh. SHe´s so cute. She greets me, explains to me that she didn´t understand...and then sits in her cute little desk and tunes out most of what´s going on. But she´s so cute that it really doesn´t matter. And then Adolfo with his mountain of curls....he´s the heart-breaker to be of the group. He writes the most amazing stories of his own creation. I dazzle at the words...and the drawings...and he has three clocks on his desk everyday. So he and Tory are the time keepers...and they let me know when we were late for something 10 minutes ago! :) Martin and Juan Jose are brothers...each in my different classes. And then don´t get much of English...but they have colored eyes that sparkle...and they get in trouble ALL THE TIME for talking across the room...but they try. And they write sentences that make little sense...but they try...and they talk...and they try. And they capture my heart every day.

Carlos is precious. Just his smile (because he doesn´t say much) lights up his half of the room. He doesn´t get much English...but what he does get, he USES...on paper. I´ve heard him speak like 4 words since I{ve known him....but he just looks at me and smiles....and life is good. There´s Sara and Karla...they´re twins. I have another set in my other class as well. They want to be cheerleaders...and for some reason, I must look like the cheerleader type...so they solicit my assistance EVERY day during recess. I´m really bad at cheerleading...but it´s fun to watch them be little girls. I never wanted little girl stuff growing up....so it´s fun to see that side of girliness. Precious. All of them..I could go on and on. I have 50....and could talk in great length about every single one. They enchant me. They delight me. They spill over with the same life that the rain gives....that the water reflects...that the sky captures.

This is my life. It´s Mexico. Wow. I am in awe.