Even though I have been retired from teaching for many, many years, I still get keep in touch with some of my former students. One of them is Kathryn. I think we first made contact when she found my blog, and her blog ("Mighty Kool Kats") is now on my list to the right. She is also on Duolingo, where she is reviewing her Spanish. Occasionally, she emails me with a question about Spanish grammar. We have never, however, seen each other face-to-face since she graduated from high school. A while ago she wrote me that she would like to get together before I make the big move to Mexico. So, yesterday, we had lunch together.
Kathryn lives across town, so I tried to think of someplace that was halfway between us. I choose a place called "Sabor Miami" that is located in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland. The place is owned by a lady from Honduras and features a mixture of Caribbean, Central American and Mexican food. I had been there several times and liked the food. However, the restaurant had changed a lot since the pandemic. There are no longer any printed menus, the selection of food is drastically reduced, and the meals are served in styrofoam containers with plastic forks. The food, however, is still good.
Kathryn and I had a leisurely lunch and caught up on what had been going on in our lives. She had spent a number of years in South Korea teaching English, and she now works at a daycare center. We commiserated over the state of education today. Although she loves her job, dealing with some of the students, even at their young age, can be very challenging. And even at a daycare center, the amount of paperwork is time consuming. Also, she is irritated that many people view her as a "babysitter" rather than an educator who is preparing the children for elementary school. She has a master's degree in psychology, for heaven's sake!
It was great to see Kathryn again after all these years, and I hope that we can get together again before I head south of the border to live.
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