The Good Things All Around

So, I'm into the process of making in-roads with all the students at Atherton. It's a diverse group of people made up of international, mainland, and local kids from the outer islands, with maybe a few Oahuans here and there. Most are willing to make the effort to say hi, shake your hand, and make some conversation with you. I must admit that this place is really growing on me, and that I'm starting to get into a solid groove here.

Most of the way that I operate is to try and find some commonality with someone and use it to develop a good relationship. I try to use humor to make individuals more able to let themselves go so that they are more willing to share something of themselves. I try not to force any situation upon someone, and hopefully they eventually get to the point where they start to get comfortable being around me. I think I'm going to need help remembering that some people may take things the wrong way, even though I don't intentionally try to hurt their feelings.

I made a mistake tonight with my mind. I didn't process something quickly enough, made a joke about it, then turned somebody off. Language barriers can sometimes be a rough thing, especially when you trying hard, maybe too hard. The hardest part of the whole thing was that I really appreciate this person and had a enjoyable time hanging out with them tonight, until this incident happened. They replied to my question, I didn't completely understand it, so I made a joke about it, and their feelings got hurt. Of course, I tried to apologize, but I guess it was to late. This sucks!

What was real hard to take was seeing the look on this person's face. It spoke volumes to me, and told me that I blew it with that one. Do I change what I normally do because I made this mistake? My gut tells me that I try to do what is right and not try to make too much of an issue about it with this person. I hope they find it within themselves to allow me another opportunity to make a positive impact in their life. This person is very kind and thoughtful, and I would hate to have to feel like I failed with this one. I think I'll be patient, and wait for the right moment to try and apologize again. I just can't stand the look On Your Face. It tells me I failed. Alright, I'll man up. Just remember, good things all round. K