I tried calling my junior high school, I.S. 72, from Isla Holbox to see if they had a way for me to contact my past teachers who influenced me to write them thank you letters. Unsurprisingly, considering I did not really have a good experience in junior high school and the administration was really fucked up, they said "no". They do not have a way for former students to contact teachers. So, instead of making a project out of this and trying to find these people, I will write letters to them on my blog and send the good karma to the world. Here is the first one:
Dear Mr. Sergeant,
I was in your French class in the 6th grade and the 8th grade, in 1994 and 1996, respectively. I became a lunchtime monitor in the 8th grade and tutored a new Russian immigrant to help him pass the course. I also worked to digitize your lesson plans, Les Situations, that I loved so dearly.
I took the National French Contest both years. In the 8th grade I won first place, thanks to you. I recited La Bouteille D’Encre by Jacques Prévert. I wanted to write this letter to you to thank you for inspiring me, for seeing something special in me and for allowing me to escape from the horrors of the lunchroom (and maybe my reality) into a world of French culture right smack in the middle of New Springville. May I share some of my French language accomplishments with you? I attribute these successful moments to you:
In university I continued my French education with an intensive 5 day a week course. When I graduated, I spent 10 days in Paris. In the last two years I worked with a private French tutor to continue to grow my language skills. Last May, I returned to France to finally see the beauty that is the south of France. I spoke only French the entire time. I met locals and travelers and ate all of the local food I could possibly find. I also drank a lot of rosé wine. My Airbnb hostess in Annecy was so thrilled to speak French with me. She said it was so rare to meet a person from the US who could speak the language. She gave me a giant confidence boost and I really connected with her. She told me about her cancer. I understood what she said. I was able to give her a hug and show her love. I did this in French.
As I continue my travels, I make a point to introduce myself, in French, to any other group of travelers I hear speaking French. I do this because I want them to know that there are people who come from obscure parts of New York City who can speak their language because the language was a way to maybe feel less obscure and part of something bigger and more worldly. I usually get complimented on my accent. For all of this and more, I thank you.