Papayas, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Doilies, and a Crayon Created Piece of Art. . .now that's something to smile about

What do a papaya, a bag of cucumbers, and a hand crocheted doily all have in common? They were all gifts given to my by the woman I teach English to in her home (see Sarah’s previous blog about School on Wheels). At the end of our second lesson she asked me if I liked papayas. When my answer was yes, she led me out to a tree in her yard and proceeded to hand pick a fresh papaya from the branches to give to me. A few lessons later she had a bunch of cucumbers that she had received from a friend. When asked if I liked cucumbers my response was another yes. She told me I could take some if I liked. I chose two from the top of the pile at which point she informed me that that was not nearly enough and began to hand me more. I left with a plastic shopping bag full. The most touching of these gifts came during our last lesson before Christmas. I showed up to her trailer on December 21^st with nothing but a smile and a lesson plan. After our lesson I had some extra time so we sat and talked about our plans for Christmas. I told her about how I was going back home to see my family in Michigan but that I was sad that my brother would not be able to be there. She then told me that she was also sad because she could not see her brother who lives in North Carolina—or the rest of her family that still lives in Mexico. We spent the next twenty minutes telling each other about our families. Before I left she went over to a box on her kitchen counter and pulled out a doily that she had made just for me. I left her that day with a smile and a keepsake to remember our conversation.

Then there was the time when the volunteer house as a whole was having a rough day. What exactly we were upset about I don’t remember. What I do remember is hearing a knock on the door and seeing our neighbor standing outside with a smile and a bag of fresh tomatoes. He had gotten a bunch from the fields and he wanted to share them with us. During our conversation with him he informed us that he was so glad that we were all down here in Florida. He and his wife love having the volunteers as neighbors and it really means a lot to them that we would spend a year living and working in Immokalee. Hearing that and having a tangible experience of the community we are a part of down here was exactly what we needed that day. He left us all in the kitchen with smiles on our faces.

Another part of my community is my classroom. One of my students in afterschool is still in the process of learning English. At the beginning of the year she didn’t speak to me or her daytime teacher at all. After about a month she began to speak some Spanish to me. We are at the point now where she freely speaks in Spanish to me but is mixing in some English. Seeing this progress has been a beautiful experience for me. One day last week the first thing she said to me was the full sentence, “Why were you not here yesterday?” This alone would have been enough of a gift to me. Then while she was waiting in the bus line at the end of the day she called me over to show me the picture she had drawn that day. I told her that she had done a good job and that it was beautiful. She then looked at me, handed me the picture, and said, “It’s for you.” Two full sentences in English and one picture later and I couldn’t help but smile.

The point I am trying to make here is not that life is great because I am receiving physical gifts. It is that I am truly a part of the community here in Immokalee. These tokens are only outward signs of the connections that I have to the people here and they cannot begin to show the depth of my ties to this place. While I strive to share my gifts with this community, the truth is that the gifts it shares with me are far greater than anything I as an individual can ever hope to return. I am one small part of this greater whole and in many ways I need this community more than it needs me.

Peace Out

Love,

Babs