Now in My Twenties

I have arrived. Through the turbulence of my flight, the continuous threat of a bad rainstorm driving in my rental car, the menace of my phone slash GPS slash lifeline dying and leaving me with no direction, and the constant fear that I would just zip down the treacherous but magnificent curves of the mountain (having never driven mountainside before), past all of that, I finally made it.             Though my travel must have lasted only about 5 hours (approximately 2 hours flying, 3 hours driving), I arrived in such a tired state. For all my fatigue, the beauty of this place did not go past me. In fact, it was one of my dangers as I was driving; I must confess it was sometimes difficult to keep my eyes on the road as they were too busy consuming the loveliness of the vista. In addition, my rental company had given me a complimentary upgrade to a 2018 Chevy Impala. Imagine that, in a sleek, black car, shades on, beaut...

Another sleepless night, to be sure. As of now, it is 1:34 a.m. I lay awake in my bed trying my best to shut my brain off, but it is to no avail. Thoughts keep roaming. It might have something to do with the cup of coffee I had just before bed, or perhaps that two-hour nap I took earlier may also be the cause. No, I think instead it is just because I worry. And because I worry, I also plan. Thus, my brain is more awake now in the quiet of the night than it was earlier in the rush of the daylight. I keep thinking about the same thing: that is, of course, my students. Their current ability, their progress, their attitude toward learning, it is all on my mind. The question is the same as it has always been how can I best help them ? As their writing teacher, and as a practitioner of the written word, I want them to be at ease with language and literature. Ideally, I want them to be masters of writing and consciously use written language to advance themselves in life. After all, a per...