C'mon!

I don't talk about it much, but I've been having pain issues for a long time that are for whatever reason exacerbated right now.  I'm working with my doctor on treatments for it, but it's slow going right now.

Anyway, because of the increased pain my irritability is pretty high tonight and I just need to vent...
I've got two friends who are also friends.  I like them both and enjoy them, but lately I've found that one has been telling the other stuff that I share with her in confidence and so then the other starts asking questions that I really don't care to answer.  It's happened a few times and so I've reached the point where my conversations have to be very superficial.  Unfortunately it's not the first time I've experienced this since moving here and I'm just frustrated with how much gossip I've encountered.

Then I had a "run-in" with a local shop owner...I won't say who because I'm pretty sure they've got family and friends on here.  But I will say he made comments to me that were blatantly racist.  I was disappointed that despite all the "we don't act like that around here" and "doesn't happen as often as you think" that I hear from family and friends, this is just the most recent in a long line of openly prejudiced and derogatory incidents I've experienced or witnessed.  Leaves me feeling pretty jaded...and homesick. 

On the UP-side, I had an awesome day at the Main Street Mission.  I sat in on the ESL class and will start tutoring next week.  I met three of  the students tonight and we had such a blast talking and laughing.  One of the ladies and I really connected and she made me promise that I will try to speak Spanish more.  When I had told her I know quite a bit of Spanish and can understand others when they speak (which often works in my favor when people think I don't understand them) but don't like to speak because I'm afraid of making mistakes, she scolded me and reminded me that she feels the same way about English and still goes for it.  So we agreed that during class we'll speak English and after class we'll speak Spanish...and we'll help each other.  :)  I'm really motivated to put in more time in other areas there...we spent half the class running around catching all the leaks in the roof - we had rubbermaid bins everywhere.  It was very comical but sad to see how much help they need. 

And then there's school.  I am so tired of how rude my classmates can be.  I have to keep reminding myself they are kids, but I wonder what their parents and former teachers have been telling them about personal responsibility and not blaming the teacher for your poor grade when they spend 90% of class texting, sleeping, talking, or playing computer games on their laptop.  I actually caught one of my classmates cheating off of me in lab last week (and yes, I let the professor know and he said he'd deal with it...don't know whatever happened).  C'mon!

Next week will be better, right?