In school, you're taught lessons and then given tests. In life, you're given tests that teach you lessons.

When I was in 7^th grade I was required to take a class called “Life Skills.” I honestly cannot tell you what the curriculum of that class entailed but I can tell you what I learned. I learned how to convince a teacher that going to the gym or the park was a better alternative to lectures. I learned how to make rubber cement balls by coating folders and notebooks prior to class. I learned how to fold up notes so that they formed a triangle instead of a boring old square. I learned many things, few of which I find useful today and none of which I would categorize as “life skills.”

So when do I get to learn these so called life skills? They are not something that can be taught in a traditional classroom and they are not something that can be practiced in the confines of a controlled lab. They are learned through experience. For example, when I was living in my first apartment I had many experiences in cooking. Many involved phone calls to my mom asking her the various questions such as, “How much water do I need to boil rice?” and “How long do I need to cook a chicken breast to ensure I won’t die or get sick from eating it?” Some of these experiences ended well with a home cooked meal and others ended with me resorting to making pancakes for dinner. I had always wondered how my mom knew how to cook everything so well (hence why she was the one I always called.) It was at some point during this year that I realized she had probably gone through many of the same things I was going through. She had had to try recipes out for a first time and had probably failed and succeeded in much the same way I was. I realized that cooking was something I could get better at by practicing and learning from my mistakes (I will never again make blueberry muffins with Crisco instead of margarine). So there you have it, one life skill that I had started to learn and am still continuing to learn.

Cooking is an important life skill (come on, a girl’s gotta eat) and it is one that my current roommates are helping me to continue to develop, but it is only one of the few that I am finding myself learning down here in Immokalee. First, there is the skill of efficiency. Immokalee is a small town with the nearest big cities of Naples and Fort Myers being about an hour away. That means that taking commodities such as time and money for gas into account, we as a household have to plan our trips strategically. We no longer make a simple Target run. It is a Target run which starts with a trip to Naples to see Julie’s aunt and uncle and pick up some of her stuff they brought down for her, continues on with us hitting up as many thrift shops as we can to look for used bikes (complete with a google map to plan out our route), and finally ends at Target. Then there is the work trip to Fort Myers to get background checks. It starts with a stop in Lehigh Acres for Sarah to get fingerprinted during which Julie and I stop at a flea market where she finds a used bike and I find a birthday gift for my brother. We continue to Fort Myers for the background checks and make a stop at Hobby Lobby on the way back so that we have supplies for jewelry making night. So while my explanations of this life skill are not efficient, our family trips most definitely are.

Next there is the life skill of problem solving. We acquired some used bikes from various flea markets and friends. The bike that I am using needed new tubes for the tires. I was able to purchase some from the local Ace Hardware with the help of a friendly employee and a phone call to my dad. Next step was to take out the flat tubes and put in the new ones. This was something none of us had ever done before so we did what any normal person would do. . .we youtubed a “how to” video and a nice British man showed us what to do. We then realized that we didn’t have the proper tools referred to as tire clips. Instead of being defeated and waiting around we decided we could figure it out. We found that bottle openers work just as well as tire clips (don’t worry we didn’t use the sharp side). During our tire changing extravaganza the chain fell off my bike. Instead of panicking or putting it away for the night we decided it was yet another thing that could be fixed. With the visual aids of some bikes with their chains properly on, we were able to figure out what it should look like and successfully put my bike back together with no pieces left over. I took the beauty out for her first ride today and while I’m still struggling with the frame being too big for me, the bike did not fall apart and I did not die which equals a success in my book.

Finally we have the life skill of creativity. While the manner in which my tires were fixed can be classified as creative, it is not the only example in my life right now. I begin the job of working as a teacher in the Guadalupe Center after school program this Monday. I am faced with the task of entertaining and educating 15 kindergartners. Keeping control and discipline over my kiddos is something I foresee as being a struggle so I called upon my fellow roommates for some ideas. The “green, yellow, red system” was thrown out as an idea. I adopted it but then realized I needed to make a visual for my classroom to track the students’ behavior. A trip to Jo-Anns later (during a subsequent airport run for efficiency of course) and I was supplied with the tools to make my creation. Bring on the cardstock, markers, foam shapes, duct tape, staples, and push pins. Working as a kindergarten teacher is something that I am sure will continue to bring out my creativity. I just hope it doesn’t bring out my inner Arnold.

Kindergarten Cop

So that being said, I will continue to learn my life lessons this year. It is a process that is never ending and never boring.

Peace Out,

Love Barbara (aka Babs)