Hong Kong | Hong Kong

On the way home for summer holiday, I had a seven hour layover in Hong Kong. I emerged from the train in the city center to find a drizzly day, which put a twist on my exploration. Clouds hung low in the sky, buildings lost in the haze.

School | The Last Day

The 2012-2013 school year has finally come to a close! We spent the day enjoying each other's company. We started off the day with a game called cat and mouse, in which the "cat" had to swat away the mice who were after the "food" attached to them.

We continued the morning with some refreshments before continuing with a rousing game of "heads up thumbs up"!

The room moms provided lunch for everyone and while the kids were eating, I walked into my room to find this little bundle of joy sitting on one of the desks:

He's only one month old and has the cutest, chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen! The moms also presented each of us teachers with a thank-you gift for educating their children this year. The package of cooking utensils came complete with a class photo apron.

We concluded our time together with a rousing game of "pawball" while the kids shared their favorite moments from the year.

We finished things off with a prayer and lots of hugs all around. I can't believe how this year has flown, and how much these guys have changed since the first day of school!

Gunung Bromo | Jawa Timur | Indonesia

Located in East Java, Bromo one of a range of volcanoes. In what has been my quickest trip yet, I arrived and met up with the girls late Friday night. We awoke at 2 am in order to be on the mountaintop for sunrise. With two volcanoes still puffing smoke within view, it was quite an extraordinary sight! All it was missing was a few dinosaurs wandering in the valley. Also, I learned that Toms are not equipped for hiking, even short distances.

School | MSL Finale

As previously posted, our grade 3 has partnered with a local TK called Bina Benih Bangsa as our Mission & Service Learning for this year. We have visited their school and invited them to ours several times. Since it's almost summer (hallelujah!), we scheduled one last get-together to celebrate the year. My class partnered with kindergarten and as such, completed a craft centered on Eric Carle. After that, we headed out to the kindy playground (where I will be spending copious ammounts of time next year :) and had some bonding time.

The kids came with shiny shoes, clean hair and smiles on their chubby cheeks. At times, it was difficult to imagine the circumstances that they had come from because, in general, they seemed like happy, healthy kids. It wasn't until we ate lunch at the end of our time together and one of the young boys washed his disposable plate and spoon before putting them in his backpack to go home that the fullness of our blessings was completely evident. 

I was also particularly impressed with the growth I have seen in my students over the course of this year. The first time we gathered together, I felt that even superglue could not keep my students with their partners. This final time, however, I found myself enjoying the interactions I witnessed instead of constantly questioning the location of various partners. It was an enjoyable yet exhausting day which also led to a lovely reflection in our class on the role of parents, teachers, and nannies. I think they're finally catching on to the fact that perhaps our job as grown-ups is about a bit more than making rules that they have to follow :)