My Work Here is Done

Today I'm once again stretching the idea of this blog to include something I want to share. We'll say it's about cultural differences and whatnot and call it square.

I'm a missionary, but I also have an auxiliary, personal mission. That mission is to spread my love of three things: American football, bagpipes, and country music. I just realized that as of this afternoon I've done all three things this week:

1. On Tuesday night I was able to share my enthusiasm for football with nine girls as we participated in a Bible study based on the show "Friday Night Lights." Because I missed the Super Bowl, I was way too emotionally invested in a football game that was scripted for drama. But I got the singular joy of watching one of my fellow teachers explaining to a group of rapt teenage girls the difference between the extra point and the two-point conversion after a touchdown.

2. In our first-year social studies class we talked briefly about icons of Scotland, one of which is the bagpipes. I was able to play for them a bit of "Scotland the Brave" and also of Dropkick Murphys' version of "Amazing Grace." (The firsties always think that haggis sounds disgusting, but I tell them that I've watched people make sausage here, and it's not that much different.)

3. Since Valentine's Day is on Sunday, I decided to play a "love song" for my second years. When I play a song with words in class, I provide the lyrics for students and they often have to fill in gaps. That way it's educational. The song that I chose for them to listen to is one of my personal favorites, "John Deere Green" by Joe Diffie, which is an intensely country song. I didn't realize how difficult it would be for them until we were actually in class and I watched their faces as they tried to fill in prepositions and articles.

So I've managed the trifecta this week. Even though I've achieved that, there is still more to do. There is more country music to listen to and an actual football to toss. And that's why I'm coming back to Slovakia for one more year of teaching.