So Tell Me What You Want…

We all have hopes and dreams, and we all have things we want to accomplish in life. These things may change with age and experience. They may also depend on culture and socioeconomics. But, in general, I think we all have some sort of a “bucket list” in our heads.

My counterpart and I were recently teaching our students about “already” and “not yet.”  Why not ask our students to make their bucket lists? I thought. What did those shy, wide-eyed faces want out of life? What would any 8^th grader want out of life?

Sports, celebrities, jobs, and exotic foods.

Many of the boys wanted to meet their soccer heroes.

 

Far-flung destinations and new experiences.

Paris appeared on many of the girls’ lists. Thirteen year old girls love that romance.

In many ways, their lists could have been written by a middle school student anywhere in the world. They wanted to travel, meet their idols, try new things, and have exciting jobs. The differences often lay in the details.

Donkeys and sandwiches – why not?

Sandwiches, strawberries, pizza, and spaghetti – things we see every day in America – became exciting and exotic.

Many students wanted to travel, but their destinations often included India and Mecca, both of which have huge cultural and religious significance on this heavily Muslim, formerly Hindu, island.

One dream, however, struck me as more “Indonesian” than any other. It appeared on multiple students’ lists, and one lucky student got to put it in her “I have already…” column…

“I have already taken a picture with a tourist.”

The vast majority of Indonesians I have met are welcoming and friendly, and sometimes that means they want to remember welcoming me to their country forever. Some days, it’s hard for me to understand why people ask for my picture as if I was Taylor Swift just strolling down the street, but after seeing my students’ lists, I wonder if I’ve ever helped someone check something off of their bucket list.

Some of my students’ dreams will be difficult to achieve. Many of them will encounter financial, social, and educational obstacles along their paths to seeing snow, travelling to America, or becoming writer, doctors, and policemen. But, as they grow older and learn to face the sometimes harsh realities of the world, I hope they won’t forget the time they made their bucket lists in English class. Every 8^th grader should have room to dream, whether they dream of eating a sandwich or travelling the world.