by Diego Salgada, Regional Councilor for Subud CA at San Diego
COVID-19 has impacted our lives in more ways than we could have originally imagined including Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. I happen to be in Tijuana, Mexico – just over the border from San Diego. In fact, from where I live, I can see part of the border gate, the shopping outlet that’s right on the gate’s northern edge, and the hills of San Ysidro which is where San Diego County, California meets the USA’s neighbor to the south.
On this side of the demarcation line, which runs east and west, all things seemed to run normally. I would have traveled somewhere – anywhere – had it not been for all of the advice against doing so and the increase of hospitalization rates. On Thanksgiving, I swapped turkey for some yummy Mexican seafood instead. I also window-shopped virtually on Black Friday, opting to hold off on the newest iPhone and other trinkets for the moment.
More impactful has been the privilege and opportunity to teach ESL to a group of lovely and very keen on learning six to twelve-year-old kids. They live in a working-class neighborhood of Tijuana, Mexico. This was definitely one of the best gifts I could have received for the holidays, as I have never taught anything, much less to a group of such smart and adept kids. It is funny and curious to see the younger ones of the bunch be just as bright as their older counterparts.
Our meetings took place in-person one day during the week and the other over Zoom. We went over the basics and singing to the chorus of songs from Tears for Fears, The Cure and Lana Del Rey. We wrapped things up a couple of weeks before the school holiday break. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to continue working with the kids as it all depends on my future work schedule and whatnot. Regardless, I’m hopeful of having planted the seed of English language in these wonderful kids’ minds with the intention that it someday blossoms into something of practicality and use in their lives.
I leave you for now with this excerpt from one of our favorite sing-along songs: “I don’t care if Monday’s blue. Tuesday’s grey and Wednesday too. Thursday, I don’t care about you. It’s Friday, I’m in love”.