Catching Up

My creative juices have been rather on the low end. That means that even typing an interesting post might be a bit of a challenge. Really, there is a lot to catch up on despite having the mid-winter blahs!

Australia Day- One of my colleagues/ student's parent is Australian. He and his wife threw a very fun Australia Day party. The chicken wings were incredibly tasty! Practically the entire school community turned up for food, drinks and dancing. There are pictures on Facebook from Violeta's camera. I've been very, very lazy about taking my own pictures to commemorate fun events. (Bad Holly!)

Parents Night Out- Despite not being a parent, all teachers are encouraged to attend these functions. This event took place at an Italian restaurant. There was entertainment (lots of people in our school are gifted musically... I don't happen to be one of them!), dancing and a raffle. Sad to say, I spent most of my time hidden in a corner talking to Entela and Amy. Sometimes, being social on a Friday night is just too much to ask! Worth mentioning were the bookends of the night. Amy, Travis, Entela and I went to the President Hotel for our favorite appetizers before PNO (Tracey and Sarah were away on a school competition). I love the atmosphere at the President. Kicked back, stylish and unpretentious. The close of the evening was nice too. Entela and I went to a wine bar and relaxed with a glass of wine and a bowl of fruit... not to mention some eye candy sitting beside us!

HSM Event- The day after Parent's Night Out came the 9th birthday party for one of the girls at our school. Her cousin is in my class. Then entire school was invited to a live High School Musical show. The dancers danced and lip synced to some of the more popular songs from the three movies. I actually had a really good time at this party.

Swim Team- I think that most of you know that I have been coaching the first TIS swim team. We drive twice a week out to a pool on the other side of town (I swim there on Sunday nights). It's been such a pleasure working with the older kids that it has me thinking about sometime, somewhere teaching middle school or high school (gulp). The team has improved dramatically and really seem to enjoy coming to practice. We leave for Warsaw the first weekend in March. I'm not optimistic about what the amount of exploring we'll be able to do in Poland, but it promises to be a fun trip!

100th Day of School- We reached 100 days this past Thursday. We made 100 trail mix, counted to 100 and had a fun craft project. I really do enjoy the young one's enthusiasm!

Valentine's Day Party- I was warned that even though teachers might want to ignore Valentine's Day, treats show up from the American parents. I decided to embrace Valentine's Day and call my own shots. There aren't any boxed valentines here in this country... but that didn't stop my students! They (and there parents) got so creative. Some actually drew pictures for each of their classmates and others went the computer route. We had a ton of very yummy homemade treats and played musical mats. I think it was one of my favorite classroom Valentine parties!

Today is actually Valentine's Day. Tracey and I are going to Indian food (with one of our Marine friends). Tracey wrote in a note to her parents, "Holly and I are going out together on Valentine's Day. It's better than sitting around feeling sorry for... all the guys who aren't with us!" I love this point of view. I'm done feeling sorry for myself and really do sort of pity the men who haven't had the pleasure of my company! A more biblical point of view comes from Valbona who reminded me yesterday that Jesus is my Valentine...

And now for my fun and exciting news! Last night Sarah, Tracey and I went to see the travel agent. We customized a trip to Sharm el Sheik, Egypt for spring break! Snorkeling, enjoying a 5 star hotel with everything included, relaxing with a good book.... spring break here we come! We also have a day in Cairo. We set up a tour/ tour guide through a reputable organization. I can't wait to see the museum, the Sphinx and the pyramids!!! Come on March 20th.......