As I thought on things that had a pretty big impact on my childhood, I couldn't help but think of the sand box. Everyday checking up on my my sand homes for the citizens of my town, making sure the the nights dew hadn't done too much damage. From deep holes passed the sand into the dirt, to towers that would barely stand. Our supply teacher Mrs. Taylor was talking about how many of our answers were so culture dependent, it's crazy to think about not having a sand box as much as the sand box was just a sand box. I think at that age, kids minds need that and it greatly affects their rapidly adapting minds. I think it's probably why I'm the super smart individual I am :S . Another part of my child hood that has proven to have affected me time with my family at the cottage we have in Kincardine. The time there was such great bonding time, it was a place where as much as I wanted to always fight and be the annoying youngest brother we had great times and got passed the brother immaturity that still and probably will always haunt us. Times like that with my family wont ever be forgotten, and I hope will have great impact on the words I use and how I go about breaking up fights between my sons in the future. There are many other things obviously that impacted me as a child, but I'm going to focus for a little on things that have impacted my life as a whole. As soon as I started to brain storm for something, I couldn't help but think of the trip I was a part of in the summer of 2009 and how much I really have to say about it. In my free writing I kind of got locked into the whole I remember pattern and once yeah start it's hard to stop. Here are some of the things I remember.
I remember waking up the day our flight departed from Toronto, at 5 am and sitting in my bed hidden under my covers. Thinking about all the things that needed to happen and getting so caught up in all the details and at around 5:30 it kind of set in, that this has purpose and that this is going to happen weather I stress about all the details or not. So right then and there I decided to take it all in and experience it all, without holding back.
I remember waking up soaked in my own sweat and I remember wanting to run to the washroom (as disgusting as the washroom was, it was what we had hah) and puke my guts out, accept my good friend Jem had already beaten me to it. I remember trying to talk myself out of puking all over my bed and wanting to get up and at least go outside. I remember the distinct change that seemed to have happened over night, I went to bed feeling sick and awoke feeling more then ready to face a day in this foreign new adventure. I remember the Joy that over flowed from pretty much everyone we met and talked with, I remember it fueling me, giving me the passion and motivation to move on even though it felt uncomfortable and new. I remember getting to the school in Kenya and the principle sending all all the teachers home, and telling us we will be teaching for the 2 weeks. Again I remember the unsure kind of sick feeling creeping in and becoming uncomfortable with the idea of teaching a class of 20 ish grade 6 kids English as a second language alone. I remember getting in front of them and all the nerves dissipating as I heard the Andrew and Jem(Andrew Doherty, Jem Mcwhirter) teaching the kids never going to give you up by Rick Astley (also known as rick rolling). The school was not built very well and there was a space between the roof and the wall, which aloud for me to hear what Andrew and Jem where doing and kind of try and make something fun for the kids. But I Finally I remember packing and dreading the farewell. I remember the look on there faces, when I became just another person in there lives that came, cared and abandoned them.
