Children (and adults!) in Mozambique love to learn.

Every day at four in the afternoon, children in the village would call for me outside the house I was staying out to teach them English. In three weeks, they learned how to count from one to ten, different body parts, and some colors. It was amazing to see the desire each of them had to learn. At times, I had up to twelve people waiting for me to learn English. Their desire was contiguous and revived my love for teaching.

What I found amazing was how the people in the community valued education. Instead of complaining about the heat, or that they did not have a desk or chair, these students came with an attitude of gratitude. After the first week, I purchased notebooks and pencils since I realized that none of the students had materials. Before I gave the notebooks, I wrote the Portuguese translation of the words I was teaching in English. To be honest, I am not sure how many of these students could even read the words I wrote in their own language, but I figured someone from the community would be able to. So from that day forth, on my little whiteboard and translation book, I taught these students the very basics of the English language. Although it was a very short time I was there, it was a transforming experience that rejuvenated my love for teaching.