I’m sorry that this will be another “my students are the reason I’m here” post, but to tell you the truth, that is the most truth that I found here so far.

The cause of about 85 percent of stress from the past two months culminated today in the first day of our Cultural Days celebration at my school. I woke up today not excited for the event, but excited for it to be over.

I’ve found at most parties that I’ve been to that my interest seems to wane before most of the other attendees. Usually this has a lot to do with the amount of moonshine I’ve drank and the amount of local language is being spoken around me. I expected today to be much of the same.

In some ways I was right: the morning session started 2 hours and 12 minutes late. All of the skits were in Ife. At the end, I was ready to go home and take a nap.

In some ways I wasn’t. It’s completely different when it’s your students who are leading the parade, and it’s them you have to worry about getting hit by motorcycle, when the kid who hardly ever talks in class has the entire school laughing as soon as he walks on stage, when you’re seeing your girls in traditional clothing for the first time dancing so hard they’re sweating, when you introduce the fist pump to a crowd of your colleagues.

I’m tired and I’m sunburnt and I made a fool of myself, but I’m happy.