Yes, it's true. Don't pinch me--I might wake up and find myself back at Podunk U.I have been awarded a prestigious award. It begins with Ful and ends in Bright. True, Sylvia Plath had one as well, and look what happened to her.
But I digress.
I'm still teaching, of course, but my students are a professor's best dream: ready to work, wanting to work, and really, really bright, despite the fact that textbooks and materials (like chalk, paper, computers, and classroom space) are at premium. These students thirst for knowledge and soak up absolutely everything I can offer them and more. In addition, they speak three and four languages (putting me and my fellow citizens to shame).
One of my students said that being at university is "a privilege, and we all want to do well for our families and professors." Another informed me that getting into university required passing a difficult entrance exam and that they wouldn't want to disappoint their parents or professors by doing something silly, like blowing off a class or flunking out.
Their emails to me are professional and courteous, no "Yo, Prof" or "Hiya"; I have not yet heard a whine or a whimper out of anyone about being overworked or unfairly singled out for some perceived slight. In fact, they love being challenged and ask many questions, some of which I cannot answer.
And here's a dirty little secret: they write and speak well, most having a better command of the English language than many native speakers I have encountered.
I certainly don't mean to be a Pollyanna, but I AM living in fantasy land, and I never want it to end, which it must (as, alas, all good things eventually do).
Oh, and another thing: in my small host country, I can buy a huge bottle of the best tasting rot gut for about $6.00, so if the fantasy bubble does burst before I head back stateside, I can always drown my disappointment in a blaze of white lightning and sad folk songs.
See you all next year!
