A day FULL of laughter is a day NOT wasted

I did not stop laughing today. So many joyful and humorous moments!

As we do every morning on the way to school, my friends and I sang along to every song on the radio. We laughed as we forgot most of the words. Neil, our van driver, plays the best songs! The genres range from oldies, 90's music (my personal favorite), pop, rap and hip-hop. Oh, and Celine Dion. I thought she deserved her own category.

Sweet Olethu

I laughed with joy as I was greeted by Olethu, (pronounced Oh-lay-too) a student from grade R who manages to find me every morning and always remembers my name.

Lesotho giggled with his friends after he finished his math exam. Even though he was late to school, he finished. Lindsey and I were so proud of him! He smiled when we congratulated him and told him that he was smart. He is struggling in school, but he will not give up.

Lesotho

Lindsey and I chuckled with Ms. Vava as we understood one another's jokes during class. We usually laughed at ourselves after a delay of understanding.

During break, Lindsey and I decided to eat quickly so we could find our class and enjoy the beautiful day with them. We soon learned why teachers stay away from the field and blacktop. No rules apply. We soon became the target for over one hundred screaming students. Our hair was pulled and played with, our sweaters and pants stretched, our feet stepped on, and our arms pulled in every possible direction. It was all out of love, and it was all worth it. The students from our class became protective over us and lead us back to our classroom where we shut the door and taught them a secret knock. After we were all safe and sound, we erupted in laughter.

Our day in a nutshell

My friends Ashley and Mary teach Grade 4. After school, they found their way down to our room. Tears rolled down our cheeks from laughing as we shared our "teachable moments" from the day.

Some of the girls in my group ventured to the movie theater on the boardwalk this evening. We are still adjusting to the small differences between the US and South Africa, kitchen and bathroom appliances are the most challenging. As Mary reached to get soap from the dispenser, hot air blew out to dry her hands. Mary and I could not look at each other for the next few minutes without bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

My abs are sore this evening, but my heart is full. I am so thankful for the group that I am with and the most adorable children that I have met. Although the students are taking exams this week and instructional time is limited, today was a day NOT wasted.

Emmy, pronounced "Ammy" here, I'll take it :)