On my last day of teaching in June, a student came up to me after class and asked if he could speak to me alone.
This is not uncommon. Students always have questions about grades, the final exam, how to get their papers back, etc.
But this student's question had nothing to do with the class.
He asked me if I would be willing to sponsor him as he applied for citizenship in the United States. (He's from South America.)
You see, he has been sponsored by his in-laws who are from Chile, but are now US citizens; however, they are serving as Mormon mission presidents (mission leaders) in South America for the next three years--and since they will not be living in the country for those next three years, they can no longer serve as his sponsor.
If he does not find a sponsor, he will need to return to his homeland.
"Oh," I said, "Phew. That's all you need. I thought you wanted a grade-change." LOL!
Chirp. Chirp. Chirp. (My humor doesn't always cross cultural boundaries. Apparently understatment isn't funny/popular in So. America.)
But my point!
As we spoke I asked Felipe [name changed] about living in his country, what it would mean to return to his country, and whether he had opportunities there, etc.
And that's when he said it: the words that just hit me square in the smacker:
"I want to live in America because people matter here. All people matter. Life matters here; it has value."
His words made me feel so small. I had forgotten that the life I live is unlike the life most people are offered/given here on Planet E.
Who am I to offer someone sponsorship in our country? Because I am pretty sure in the grand scheme of things, I am no more deserving of the opportunity than Felipe.
How strange: being born in America offers so many entitlements--entitlements others simply don't have.
It is such a blessing to live in the United States of America.
Gulp.
God Bless America.
(And God Bless my student Felipe, who deserves to have his life and talents nurtured by a country where you really do matter.)
