The group puppy or the village idiot

If  liking  everything  makes me  the  group puppy – in Romania  we  say the  village  idiot, but I will be nice here-  then I will gladly  assume the  title.

That  might  not  be the  most  flattering  title  but I will accept  it  with pride because the Centropa Summer Academy  comes at  the end  of the  year  when I am both tired and irritated, so meeting  about  60 people, travelling  around  in bus and walking  tens of  kilometers would  only  irritate  me  more yet.. I love  every moment  of  it!!!!

That  is  not  a  random emotion I chose  for  this  event – I often chose my  emotions  randomly-  I can find  solid  arguments  for it.  First  of all, I develop skills that I use in the real world: I become  more empathic and  understand  my students  better because  sometimes –very rarely – I have  no idea about a  certain subject but  I  try not  show it – hopefully it  doesn’t  show  on my  face.  I will also be  more  sympathetic with them when turning  in their  papers late because I haven’t done any  of my work yet. Then, I  certainly develop a very underrated  skill: the skill of  appreciation and  I don’t  feel like  I am guilty –ed  into it. No, I am humbled  by the  optimism, candor and  modesty  of survivors  of  the  Holocaust, people  who did  not  only  survive but  made it  as  victors of life.

I also develop social skills  of which I am terribly  proud and by the  end  of  the 2016 CSA  I am sure  I will come  up with other  qualities  I have  mastered  in these amazing  9 days.