Today’s encounter was bittersweet. I knew Ayalbert had been riding the bus to take English classes at Heartland Community College, with the hopes of getting into Illinois State and earning a computer science degree. On the ride this morning, Ayalbert told me he’d been working part time as a janitor at Illinois State and continues to work at State Farm as a janitor. I’m assuming that he couldn’t afford classes last semester, or perhaps just needed to work extra to get more money, but he hasn’t been able to attend class until now. I also learned that he’s already got a diploma in computer science, presumably from a school in Congo, but since his English language skills aren’t at a high enough level, he can’t find work in that area.
It was good to see Ayalbert, but something yearns inside of me to assist in some way. Maybe our little conversations on the bus add something to his English education. My wife has kicked around the idea of getting certified in ESL. Days like this make me wish we both were more trained and equipped to help others learn the language that we both love.
The Red-B has certainly been a wonderful way to get to and from work, but it’s also been so much more. When I think of Ayalbert and Catherine, Celeste, the French Kids, Library Lady, Dallas, Bill, Duane, Russell, and on and on – I’ve truly been enriched and hope I’ve offered something similar in return.
Though a struggle at this moment in time, Ayalbert’s story is an encouraging one for me. It’s the clichéd American Dream story, but one we should never tire of hearing – man with a dream, working hard to achieve it and a better life, in a land of freedom and opportunity.
I hope I wasn’t overly sappy today. I’ll see you in Uptown Normal at :35 or :55 after the hour.
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