Good people

You know teaching internationally comes with its fair share of ups and downs, pros and cons. One of the pros that I have been highly aware of lately is the opportunity to meet good people and get to know good people. Of course, I'm not saying that you wouldn't meet good people if you stayed in one place your whole life, but I would say that you meet a wider range of people teaching internationally.

Last week when I sent out the email letting friends and family know that Joel and I had made our decision about Angola, I included a couple of moms of students I had in China on the list. I did this because these were women that in the years I knew them were friendly and warm, understanding and supportive, interesting and interested.

It was great to hear back from two of them. They were so happy to hear from me, and happy to share about where their families are now (neither in Shanghai anymore). I think it is really amazing to meet people who come from all over in one place, and then keep in touch as I and they move around the world even more. I just think it's cool!

In Latvia I have also met a lot of good people. Of course, what is kind of funny here is that with a lot of the good people, you already have connections, but you don't know about it. My first year teaching in Riga, I had a little boy in my class who I'll call R. I knew that R's parents came from Venezuela, but that was it. Well, in the space of the year, it came to pass that R's godfather came to visit, not from Venezuela, but from Indianapolis, where he lives. (For those of you who don't know, I was born and lived until the age of 6 in Indianapolis.) So turns out that R's godfather is a known and important figure amongst Indianapolis Latvians, and someone I have also known since I was little!

Not that I had a bad rapport with R's parents before this (THEY are good people!), but after finding this out, I certainly felt more connected to them, and I think the same could be said for them.

What is great is that now, every time R's godfather comes to visit, he visits the school and says hi, and then we usually end up meeting later on for dinner or drinks or something.

Tonight was one such night. DS (who also knows this man) and I met R's parents and godfather for a few drinks. It was such a lovely night! For me the idea of plans on a school night is sometimes overwhelming, because, let's face it, I need my chill time and my sleep. I knew that this was the only chance to meet up with all these guys, so I agreed to go tonight, but lets say I wasn't over the top enthused about it. We ended up sitting for hours talking and laughing and just having a GREAT time. I tend to get a little sentimental, but there was a moment during the night when I just sat back, and thought to myself, "What an odd group of us, but look at what a great time it is! How lucky I am to have these people in my life."

R's parents are certainly not the only good people I have met in Latvia. There are plenty of other families at my school that I class amongst the "good" and whose email addresses I hope to add to my long list of people to stay in touch with. Then of course there are friends (new and old), and of course, Joel and his family.

(Speaking of small worlds and good people being connected...I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I even have a connection to Joel's sister in law, an Australian Latvian, through her godmother, a long time friend of my mother's who lives in Kalamazoo! Good people are connected. And if they're not, then it's worth getting and staying that way. :) )

So, I am thankful for the good people I have met. For the ones I met in China- especially all my good friends from there, who now stay connected from Seattle, Madison, Hong Kong and well, some still from Shanghai. And for the others that I have met here, whose everyday interactions keep me aware of so much good in the world. I look forward to keeping in touch with all of the good people in Riga, from Angola to here or where ever they go. I also look forward to all the good people still in my future...so far, this international teaching thing has brought me lots of good people, and I'm thinking, there is more to come.