212.4 More Than Weight Loss

About four years ago I was coping with the aftermath of my spinal fusion surgery, had had to give up my job at Wellesley College and needed something to get me out of my poor me mode. So, I started volunteering in an English as a Second Language program in Massachusetts. I remember working with two adults from China who were in their 50's! Can you imagine learning Chinese at that age? For them, making the th sound was near to impossible, and think how many words in English contain that sound.

When we moved to Arizona, I was able to start tutoring ESL at a local community college. It's called Paradise Valley Community College. I just love that name. Anyway, today was my first day back since the middle of May and it was glorious. To be able to help adults who really want to succeed in the U.S. through learning English is so exciting. There were about 12 students who came today, from Taiwan, Viet Nam. Venezuela, Iran, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay. There were young mothers, grandmothers, students, former teachers, an amazing array of folks who were united in wanting to improve their lives and those of their family members.

The blog that started out to be mainly about weight loss has taken on a life of its own and has become bigger than I ever dreamed that day when I published that first blog. What I have come to realize that life is not just about one thing. I can still work on losing weight while doing other things that add value to my life. When I decided to get involved in ESL, it was a way for me to give back. What I have come to understand is that I have received so much inspiration from the students' stories of perseverence, overcoming unbelievable hardships, and their willingness to do the work no matter what their ages to live better lives here in the U.S.