the south is a bit different, ya'll

Hello friends. I miss you all dearly. I'm feeling quite displaced in Memphis, with Tamara being the only friend from college within any proximal distance. Yet, I survive. Here's a quick update, with little relevance to good beers, I'm afraid.

Currently, I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Nashville, killing time before my flight home to Portland (Tamara, I can see why you sent me here - there's quite the abundance of attractive people). I'll be there for Thanksgiving. I'm super excited to be reunited with friends, family, and my bus.

Since being swept up by a terrible and violent tornado (read: Teach for America), I've landed in a thoroughly confusing and foreign land. For example, my school district doesn't recycle. Not even paper! Also, people call each other "Sir" and "Ma'am" all the time, especially in those instances where you need someone to repeat themselves: "Sir?" This annoying southern tendency has gotten me into a little bit of trouble on more than one occasion. I tend to say politely, "sorry?" in those instances, and a couple women have balked and angrily responded, "SIR??" On the flip side, it's quite the ego boost to have students refer to me as "sir."

So, I currently live with 3 other TFA dudes-one from Massachusetts, one from Arkansas, the other from Mississippi. The four of us create a pretty diverse spectrum with regard to our backgrounds, values, and political leanings. Sometimes we have fun with it, like when we played drinking games during the presidential debates (teams of two, taking drinks for predicted phrases or keywords uttered by their favored candidate), but other times our debates can get a bit heated. My Bush-loving buddy from Arkansas and I get into it pretty often with issues like gay marriage, abortion, and immigration. I think I offend him with my bluntness, but it's hilarious! I showed him an email I recently received about a transgender TKE alum, and he stormed out of the room, shaking his head. I'm more aware now that while at Whitman, my values and beliefs were rarely, if ever, challenged to a degree where I would actually consider them critically. Now, immersed in an environment of political plurality, I actually find myself more passionate than ever about my convictions. I've been pegged as this ethnic food-loving, environmental cry-baby, bleeding liberal hippie by my uber-American roommates. At first it bothered me; now I embrace and affirm their condescending jibes. Our differences are best summarized by our contrasting suggestions for eating out. I suggest India Palace or Shanghai; they suggest Applebee's, Chili's, or Arby's (no joke).

TFA is without a doubt, the most challenging and draining thing I've ever done. Without depressing ya'll too much, I'll just say that I'm feeling pretty depressed and defeated on the regular. But I'll stick to the positive. There are those special moments, which come few and far between, that are quite touching. Recently I had a student write an apology that he read aloud to the class in which he said I was like a father to him and urged me to hold on through the end of the year. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to hold back a few tears in front of my all-male fifth graders. Tydario is my favorite student. He is a very troubled boy who has severe anger management issues. His mother and grandmother (wtf?) are in jail, he lives with a grandfather who beats him often, and he writes incredibly disturbing notes, referring to physical violence, and in some cases, killing. One note said that when he got older he was "going to murder." I calmly sent him and that note down to the counselor. He also makes racist comments about me every once in a while, when he's really feeling upset. Yet, it's these ones that are always the favorites it seems, especially when they show those moments of affection and gratitude for my work. Anyway, I already write a lot about my classroom experiences on my blog, so I'll just refer you to that if you are interested in more.

Luke & Indy Z, I'm looking forward to the official announcement of the first annual GBN: On the Road. Indy, I enjoyed The Couch: Part I. I can actually hear your voice in my ear when I read your writing, especially when you utilize capital letters, such as the line: "this is so BORING!!!!" I dug it. Margi, it's fun to hear about someone else's teaching experiences. Say hi to Jay for me. No, give him a giant hug for me. Be well friends,

J-Stew