The man standing in the front of the room was wearing multicolored swim trunks, tank top, flip-flops, sunglasses, saying “Bonjour” as people entered, then “take a seat, please.” The windowless room could hold hundreds of people, but where to sit? Whispering and laughing, we all wanted assurances we were in the right room. The man standing watched our confusion. Some left. Maybe I should leave also? He began speaking French as he paced back and forth, and then switched to English. “Calculus is a language, like French, which can be learned no matter what you are wearing.” Class had begun.
Catherine Lawrence is a retired administrator and reading specialist who entered the Peace Corps at 64 years as an educator. She’s experienced a lifetime of travel, visiting 50 countries so far.