From April 9-13th we held English Club in the evenings and our team split into pairs to teach three levels: English Zerro, English Easy, and English Hard. Matt and I had the Zerro class and luckily managed to round up a translator each night, otherwise it would have been especially difficult. One night we had an English professor at the University as our translator and she invited us to go the next morning and teach in one of her classes. We, of course, said yes since we’re CLEARLY skilled and trained professionals….
It was an eye opening morning for me. Our class was a small one consisting of less than a dozen, 19-year-old engineering students. We mostly just had conversation but I really enjoyed getting to know some people closer to my age after doing physical labour the last two months. The most intruiging part for me was when I brought up my Bucket List and described to the students what it meant. I then asked the students what was one thing they wanted to see or do before they die – or something they would put on their own Bucket List.
Less than half the class had an answer.
The rest said that it was a hard question and that they hadn’t thought about it much. I don’t know about you but I have enough dreams to last me a lifetime. Enough places to visit, cultures to experience and wonders to see. If you asked me that question I could probably give you a huge list of things right on the spot. So to me, their answer was strange. I’m always dreaming big dreams for myself and here are these 19 year olds with their whole lives ahead of them and their not stretching themselves. Why? They don’t necessarily even know that they CAN dream beyond Tiraspol, Transnistria. I just wanted to make sure they understood the very real notion that the world is at their fingertips but they have to reach out and stretch themselves in order to realize their dreams.
I got to know some of these young adults in English Club and I see the potential in each one of them. To see them confining themselves to their city, or to the predetermined idea of what their future should look like, made it seem like they needed to be broken free. Their dreams, big dreams, are not out of reach. And the more one focuses on future goals and aspirations, the more one can accomplish and the less one gets bored and discouraged by sometimes monotonous, day to day activities.
What is something you can add to your Bucket List? Are you confining yourself? What is your big dream? Step out in boldness and act. It's not impossible.
"Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there's a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living." – Anonymous
