Frustrations?

An anonymous commenter said, "I'm sure you have a lot of frustrations." and went on to advise that I don't air those on a public forum like this blog.  Fair enough.  I can see how one might interpret my last post as implicating that the teacher who shares my room has strong body odor. May I say now that is NOT the case? 

It got me to thinking again though about how we lose so much by communicating in this fashion.  I was not clear enough in my writing, and so this reader felt strongly enough to warn me I shouldn't write about certain things, yet this reader didn't see fit to tell me who he or she was.  All bits of the puzzle that would have been addressed if we were speaking face-to-face. The misunderstanding would have been cleared up immediately, there would be no need for correction, and in any case, I would know who was chastizing me.


Alas, that is not the world we live in.

We do our best, and hope no one's feelings get hurt.  I don't have lots of frustrations here (apart from Virgin Media, but that's another story).  I have lots of new experiences, and I'm feeling challenged in a way that's good for me.  As I said before, like exercising muscles for  a new sport; it's not always easy, but it feels as if I'm growing. That's why I'm here.  To grow and learn.

The whole point of the Fulbright Scholarship and Teacher Exchange program is to promote peace through understanding.  That's also why I'm here.  It's not as if England or Great Britain and the United States are ever going to be at total odds with each other, but... we do do things differently.  Not better or worse, differently.

And that's the key word.  Anyone who has tried something new, knows that it's tempting to fall back into old ways; it's easier.  But, at the same time, it can be quite boring.  My life here is never boring.  Every thing, from taking a shower (well, I don't have a shower) to the marks/grades/levels used at school for student assessment, is different.  


I will say though, that the most challenging part about being here, is knowing that how I act reflects on Americans in general.  I try (not always successfully) to be on my best behavior at all times.  I don't want a careless remark I make, or an unclear blog post, to confirm a belief that Americans are selfish or spoilt, or expect too much.  Of course I have difficult moments, and of course, I will make mistakes, but at home, it's just me that others are judging.  Here, it's bigger than that.