I now have a truly meaningful reason to teach

Today's visit around the homes of our future students was an experience that I think really put things into perspective for me, even more than classroom lectures did. It made me aware and thankful of what I have, and more so the things I can do with what I have.

Like I said in class a while ago, I spent my entire life in UP. I spent my entire life being reminded of the fact that everyone, from the richest of the rich, all the way to the poorest of poor, paid for my education. They paid for my education, they paid for my parents' salaries, and they are the reason why I live a comfortable life. But seeing how the same people lived made me realize that I really do need to pay them back. I realized that even if they weren't exactly the dregs of the earth, they're still not in the best condition, while I go home to a house my parents own, I can afford to go out with my friends and buy nice things. Sure, I see those kinds of things in the movies, and I pass through areas like that a lot, but to actually experience what it's like inside -- that really made a difference.

I've always been reminded of the value of serving the country, of making something of myself because so much was invested in me, and in my foundations for the future, but before today, I never really knew how I'd get that done. I'd already thought about possible ways back in high school and even in college, and my conclusion back then was always that I'd pay back by succeeding in something I loved. I thought that was enough, and I also thought that it was better than forcing myself to go into politics or social work that I didn't really have any interest in. If I wasn't interested, I wouldn't do it well and that would be the opposite of giving back to the country that provided for me. But hearing firsthand about the impact and influence that an institution, and a program like Iclip has on underprivileged areas like the ones we visited, it dawned on me that my initial plan was simply not enough.

Experiencing and hearing about the lives of the people we visited kind of gave me a slap on the face and opened my eyes to the fact that there are people who, despite having jobs and wanting to work or go to school, are still in poverty, and yet these people still sent me to school. I realized that LTS would be the way I'd show my deepest, more sincere gratitude towards them. This is the balance between my passion for reading and writing, and my duty to serve the country -- and all it took for me to figure that out was today's visit.

Today gave me that overwhelming want to serve the country and pay back the people who put my education before their own children's, and I feel that I really needed that push. I still have reservations about teaching, especially because of the language, and I'm still insecure about my abilities as an instructor, but I'm now more enthusiastic than ever, and I think enthusiasm will take me far. Look how far it took my writing. :D