It's November...Wow.

 "Don't fear mistakes. There aren't any." ~Miles Davis 

Oh, Miles. Thank you for that. This has been my go-to quote for the past couple of weeks.  I apply it to my teaching. Teaching in this capacity is entirely new to me.  I am truly learning as I go how to be an effective teacher in the setting that I've been placed in.  I'm not sure I completely believe that quote (I truly wish that I did, maybe one day I will), but thinking it after I feel like I've made mistakes during teaching helps me cope and feel like I have learned something valuable, no matter what. 

What I'm trying to say is, if you made a terrible mistake, learned from it, and have done much better, has that mistake not made you a better person? And if so, was it merely a mistake or a teachable moment/learning experience?  Lot's of beautiful things come from what we think are terrible mistakes.  So thank God for your mistakes, the lessons they have taught you and how much better you have become from them.

I mean, think about it.  If you are a Christian, and believe that your steps were ordered before you took one step, don't you think that God knew everything you were going to do?  And haven't wonderful things come from these so-called 'mistakes?' Who, then, determines that a mistake is actually a mistake? You? Certainly not God.  I think He probably agrees with Miles Davis.  But hey, who knows?  Miles Davis! You philosopher you!

Now I want to take a moment to talk about Claire.  

Claire, as I've mentioned before, is my coteacher/roommate for this entire year. She truly is something special.  Claire doesn't need to be acknowledged or ever be the center of attention.  She is completely comfortable NOT being in the limelight. So much so that she finds more joy in rehearsing for a major performance than the actual performance itself! That is the complete opposite of me.  I feign for the stage! 

There is so much to be admired in a personality like hers. We are opposites in a lot of ways. She is my Yin and I am her Yang.

She helps me to prepare and plan better, and I help her to "improvise."

It makes for a great teaching and living relationship.

Even when it comes to dancing! Claire likes formal dances, and I like informal, improvisatory dancing. I told Claire that if she teaches me to Square Dance, I'll teach her how to do the Wobble.  Her reply: "The Wobble? Hmm...okay. Sounds dangerous though."

When you teach, you eat, sleep, shower and BREATHE it. You wake up adding to your lesson. You remind yourself to go over whole steps and half steps with frets BEFORE they begin playing the major scale. You revisit lessons after the fact to make them better.  Not because you want to all the time, but because it consumes you. And I don't mean consume in an uncomfortable, overwhelming way, but in a pleasant way, like when you are cold and drink hot chocolate, and you feel it pouring into your body and warming you from the inside out. THAT kind of consume. 

And as you live, eat, drink and BREATHE teaching, you yearn for the moments when you can see the bulb brighten in your students' minds as they begin to process and understand the concept of a major 7th chord vs. a dominant 7th chord, and so on. Your heart leaps when you have made even just ONE student say, "Oh, okay...I get it now!" 

My birthday was incredible.  I spent it starting with my students.  They sang me "Happy Birthday" and played it for me on guitar! Click Here to see them singing me "Happy Birthday." They bought me and Claire a cake and refreshments to share out with the entire choir! They gave me beautiful cards with the sweetest inscriptions.  So thoughtful. I was so touched.  Here are some photos with my students on my birthday.

Here are most of the members of the GLMA Choir

The tenor section wanted their own photo op!

And Claire decorated the wall over our fireplace.  Hey! Don't judge our fireplace!  We miss fall and winter here so we have to enjoy our created fireplace until we get back home! 

Then Claire and I headed to Georgetown for the rest of my birthday weekend, where we spent time with my Cousin Basil and his mother Auntie Monica.  Cousin Basil has been my "Guyana Historian" since I've been here.  He has a wealth of knowledge about the country's political history, along with many other facts about Guyana's progress as a nation.  He took me and Claire to many historical sights, along with places like the mall, karaoke, and simply sightseeing. 

Here is my Auntie Monica. She is my Dad's eldest living sister.  She is 85 years old and cooks some of the best pork dishes ever.  She cooked for Claire and I and boy was it good.  Sorry I have no pictures of the food. I tore it up too quickly.  I enjoyed hanging out with her very much.  She has a great sense of humor!

Basil and I at the site of Guyana's former President Burnham's casket.  A beautiful location for an amazing President.

Basil took us to "Midtown Chariot," a local Georgetown restaurant that provides live music and great mixed drinks.

 Here is the Sea Wall at sunset. You know how I love my sunsets.

This is a monument built in memory of a major slave revolt in the 1800's that helped to catapult the liberation of Guyana from colonial reign.  Such a powerful image. The story behind it is bittersweet, because so many slaves were killed in their efforts to reclaim their freedom.

 And here are some other sights that Basil took us to. This is where the current Parliament building.

 Many Guyanese leaders and officials are buried here.

 This monument also represents a slave-led rebellion.

It's November, folks. November.  This year zoomed by.  I will say that I 'm in a much better place than I was when I first got here. I'm way more comfortable! And my students. Gosh I love my students. Uugghhhh. This is more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.  I've never cared so much about other people, so much more than myself. Yep. I just said that.  I've been quite a selfish mofo before now.  I mean, I've still LOVED others, and done for others, but not often can I say that I've LIVED for others. And right now I believe I'm doing that more than ever before. Parents, you know better than I what it's like to LIVE for someone else. But being a young woman with no kids, I've had very little conception of that. Now I am beginning to.

The love that I have for my students is indescribable.  And I'm excited to say that in only two months, I believe that the feeling is mutual. I love them and they love me. With all my flaws, my stammering, my mixing up words and forgetting things, they love me. They appreciate what I'm doing, and they see the bigger picture, which is them becoming a better musician.  And I will do EVERYTHING within my power to make that a reality for each and every one of them. Drops mic. Then picks mic back up. I'm so clumsy. And it's silly to drop mics on purpose.

Click Here and Here to see videos of some of our 2nd Year students jamming out on some instruments after class.

Met more family for the first time!! Man. My family is huge! 

Here is my first cousin, Chatsuba Sommersell.

 and Chatsuba's daughter, Synovea.

Chatsuba, also known as "Suba," is great.  Her father and my father were brothers.  Both of our fathers died when we were young.  I was fourteen when Daddy passed.  Suba was only a year old!! All she knows of her beloved father are the stories everyone tells her of him and the pictures that she keeps.  I was lucky to have my Dad even for the 14 years that I did.

Meeting Cousin Suba and all of the other family I have gotten close to while being down here has made me realize something.  We tend to be so guarded when we are around family.  We simply get by with hello's and how are you's and how is school and how are the kids?  Most of us are never really comfortable around our extended, older family members.  We just kind of know that they are there.  But we don't really ever get to know them.  I want to actually know my extended family. Not just know who they are and have those pleasant, but empty conversations.  I want to really know my family.  I want to know what drives them crazy. What do they think about God, life, death,  sex, money, happiness, gay rights (well, maybe much later in the conversations lol that’s a touchy subject for many people), etc. I want to know them.  What tickles their fancy and makes them laugh? What is their idea of romance?  What do they think about their life and how it’s going/gone?  I think we should aim to know our extended family members better. Perhaps I’m just in a really thoughtful and perceptive place.  But I think it's a good place to be in.  

People have been reaching out to me with an encouraging word, a thoughtful video, a funny link or post, etc. and it means soooooo much to me. I need that and it truly helps to satisfy my craving for my immediate family and friends, since they aren't nearby. So that has been pretty great.  Thank you.

I'd like to sincerely thank you for reaching out. I'd like to thank you for stopping by and allowing me to share this experience with you. It is a great outlet for me, and I am glad that you are a part of it. Thanks for all of your comments about my posts too. Keep them coming! I appreciate you.  Until next time, I love you and be well.

~Twy