Adult Content

Welcome to the world of an introvert. A lot happens inside an introvert that the public eye is unaware of. The public eye is practically blind, as our culture and society only cater towards extroverts, but alas I digress. You can pick that fight with my Human Development professor, I have too many other things to write about. Have you read those Flashback posts yet [parts one and two]? Yea...this happened in the midst of that. I started writing this, and then found that the whole China-thing was much more heart touching so I decided to post that first. Yet, I still realized the emotional and life-era importance of these events as well, so I wish to give them their time to shine.

"Wow, Kayla, you're an adult"

It started with the fact that we had a little party at work, due to the fact that our property earned a prestigeous gold award for being in the top 10% of the company. As with any celebration no matter from which culture you hail from, we ate food. Lots of food.  I was particulay drawn to the sausage-pepper-onion combo in red sauce because, well with parents who work full time, dinner was often from the crock pot, and this was a family favorite. But there was something special about this sausage. It was rich. It was Dee-licious. Another coworker of mine picked up on this as well and asked Chef Rick what he did.

"I soaked it in beer"

Upon hearing his answer, it made perfect sense. I chuckled to myself and said "wow, Kayla, you have such an adult taste." As I progressed through the rest of the days work I began day dreaming about what other things I could cook with beer. [If you haven't been able to pick up on it yet, I've been trying to make up for my year-abroad-without-cooking by ravenously cooking anything I can concoct.] This is a kitchen endeavour I have never personally tried, but it intrigued me.

Now, I live in Pennsylvania. I grew up in New York. I'm still growing accustomed to the variety of differences in the laws regarding alcohol between these two states (and absentee voting, but that's a rant for another day). It still baffles me that I simply can't go to a grocery store and buy alcohol. One could easily do that in New York. But here, in Pennsylvania, you have to go to a special store. Oh. And there's differences between beer and liquor stores. Luckily for me, the closest beer and liquor outlets are 6 miles away from me, each in opposite directions. I have to work really hard if I want to be an alcoholic.
I have been to the liquor store, but never have I been to a beer outlet. I walked in and was first shocked by the sticker prices [I'm cheap]. I then realized that if I was going to buy some beer, I was going to have to buy in bulk. As I picked out a decent brand that was reasonably priced I chuckled to myself as I carried the 24 count box of beer out to my car. I live with two roommates, one who cant consume any gluten (wheat) products, and one who doesn't like beer. Never, in all my life have I felt more like an alcoholic. They're still sitting in the trunk of my car.

After the beer store, I made the next most reasonable stop: the library. Mind you, the week I moved in I stopped at the library to register for a library card. Apparently to obtain this pass to goodness, one must posses a  valid PA drivers license. Most unfortunately, the lady across the desk wasn't taking my batting eyelashes and adorable dimples.  In case you've never gone through the process of moving from one state to another let me tell you a little bit about the process: it's madness. It's like officials somewhere with nothing to do sat around one day and thought of the most difficult process that they could to inconvience the most citizens they could possibly muster. So, at the time, I did not have my new drivers liscense.
Well, yesterday I walked into the library, valid drivers liscence in hand and before I knew it I added a country library card to the stack that is growing in my wallet. I was amazed at the options that my library had. Seasons upon seasons of every TV show you could think of [thats going to be dangerous...]. Levels upon levels of books and books on CD and all around literary goodness. It may become a new haven.

I walked in the door with books, movies, and beer [a few individual bottles for the nights movie marathon] and crashed on the couch under a heaping pile of blankets. This adult life has potential to be just swell.

Flashback [Part 2]

The China-ness continued with the return of my roommate. A woman of equal working craziness, she was also feeling the desperate need to vej out on the couch. We opted to pop in a movie, one that she had never seen before, and one of my all-time personal favorites: How To Train Your Dragon. 

Together the sofa ate our bodies, and we were drizzled in blankets. As the movie played I floated back to another time, the last time I had seen the movie. I felt like Harry Potter floating and falling into the pensieve potion. One large classroom, 80 curious faces, me and my movie and a projector. It was like having one eye on this side of the planet, the other far far away.

As images played on the screen before me, my roommates laugh echoed back 80 fold in my mind, as I remembered the students giggles and outcries and gasps at the dragon scenes before them. Me, being a lover of the movie, would chuckle along by my lonesome, only to be joined 7 seconds later as the English sunk and registered in the minds of my companions in the room.

I thought about ClubMOVIE some more. Every Sunday night, two classes would gather and watch a movie of my choosing. Of course, the movies were themed, planned, and previewed for content and appropriateness. They would follow along with English subtitles, and for once, I would have the complete attention of all individuals in the room...at least the screen behind me did. Together we would laugh, gasp, and I [knowing what was to come in the movie] would scan their faces for delight, surprise and content that I knew the film would stir inside of them.

"Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile."

Back in America, the following night was no different. The roommate and I decided to watch, yet another movie that had been crucial in our English curriculum a year ago. Tangled. I managed to rummage through a few emails. I thought I would share something I pulled from an explanation I was trying to give to friends and family exactly a year ago: 

"The following statement is going to sound incredibly bizarre, I know, but it’s true: watching a movie in class with my students gave me a wonderful glimpse of what being a parent is like. Now, please note, I know that I don’t physically know what being a parent is like…but man oh man I have never experienced anything closer. There is so much joy and greatness in watching your students find joy and happiness in something you present to them. When you watch them draw conclusions from the movie, or get excited, or pull out there tissues [as 5 of my women did], you cant help but to be excited with them, laugh (or even cry) along with them. This is not just confined to the movie aspects of class. When you can watch their faces illuminate when they understand a concept, or when they run to you so proud of something they have achieved you can’t help but to feel like a parent in some way."

As we were watching Tangled I was reminded of all the headaches Laura and I went through to show this movie and justify it's educational significance. I don't ever, for a second regret showing a movie in class. Tangled became a platform for the remainder of the school year. It was a constant example that everyone could draw from and relate to, and assisted in creating the heart-warming and traditional adieu between teacher and classroom.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"I love you most."