signs and wanderlust

well i've been toying with the idea of a month-long sabbatical, perhaps trundle the nepalese landscape, centering myself with nature. this hits me most when i feel under-challenged at work. but i guess there's always a divine plan beyond me to wait when timing is more capital.

i walked into the principal's office today to ask a favour for my niece in case she doesn't get the college of choice because her folks would much prefer our jc to the others. as always he was approachable and grounded, offering me advice and keeping it real. i looked at his eyes a little longer and i couldn't help but notice something faraway about it. after a year at the helm he must be facing the drone reality of this place. it tends to suck the marrow of your ideals because much as the folks here are agreeable, they tend towards the banal and insipid. it takes little to amuse as much as rankle them so i think in short, he probably feels under-challenged if not inclined towards disenchantment. this is an individual who came this far from an inspiring vision of making the most of his talents and personality, but faced with sometimes rigid co-workers it tends to be regressive trying to implement his new ideas. he was fresh and now he seems jaded. he is facing an institution built on almost 30 years of parochial if not provincial values.

so i thought perhaps there are other channels i could put my own ideals to work, namely to stretch the imagination of this new cohort before me, rankle their mindset with both suprise and challenge. this isn't anything new except this time i will truly knock them off their equilibrium and entitled attitudes about what they think they know. listening to the kinds of questions they and their parents fielded today also made me realise that change is necessary. i will not let them perpetuate in this manner, not on my time. they will be de-programmed from their demanding ways, learn jus that bit more about self-awareness and how the lack of affects their environment and basically re-learn that growing up isn't just about age but a decent moral center.

i've seen 7 years of students through this college and half of them could really use a swift kick in the butt because they've never really emerged from their self-absorption. this shall be the sole mission for the year, starting with some basic etiquette. surely that shouldn't be too ambitious?