why am I here?

Yesterday was the first time I felt a real connection to my students. They were doing a writing exercise about a place they visited. I monitored and read some of their creations. It was really great to get an insight into their wee uncomplicated lives. Up until this point, it felt like I've been fighting with my students rather than teaching them. I spend most of my time trying to force English into their heads and I feel like I get very little "return on my investment", so to speak, because I don't know them. 

This creates a question that has been swirling around my head since the start of this journey: why am I here? I don't speak Spanish so I can't get to know the kids; I have momentary fleeting relationships with them; they also don't know me. I don't really have an answer to this question. It feels like the English teachers here can get on plenty fine on their own without the grandeur of a "native English speaker". 

However, I'm still thankful that I've experienced this. Things are a bit more complicated than I thought, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's all a learning experience for the future. 

- Mitch