Happy Thanksgiving!
There was a party today at school. It turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the sky was clear blue. Everything seemed alive and happy. I went to my first class (5B) and took pictures with the kids.
The one rolling his eyes in the middle is one of my best students ... I'm not really sure what he is doing! The group on the far left, well, they speak for themselves! And don't let the three on the bottom-middle-left fool you, those blank looks have trouble written behind them! The girls standing meekly to the right are good students. When the boys start acting out, I'll raise my eyebrows at the girls and they'll grin back at me or roll their eyes in sympathetic understanding.
Sometimes, when I am teaching a lesson, I feel like the director in a movie ... Taking pictures was no different. "Places everyone." Someone falls out of character and we have to start the scene over. "Take 3."
About half of my students in 5B was present and only a handful were in 5A (mostly girls). The girls in 5A wanted me to come to their class, so after talking to their first period teacher, I took all the girls from 5B and 5A and he took all the boys :)
The girls from 5B and 5A (seven of them are missing):
We ushered them out to the garden for the flag raising and Kurdish National Anthem. The anthem is called "Surood" which happens to be the name of one of my students!
Lined up in the garden:
Raising the flag:
Sixth grade stood next to us. They were lined up in neat rows and very pleased with themselves.
After the flag raising, students were allowed to come to the middle of the semi-circle and perform. Two of the younger students (Kindergarten or first grade) came up and gave a rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus" ... they went through all five stanzas and by the end, the principal was asking them to wrap it up. :) After the younger students got the microphone warmed up, the older students hesitantly made their way forward. Several of my fifth and sixth graders sang - I was very proud of them for trying their best!
One of my fifth graders (and the principal):
One of my sixth graders, who is really a talented singer:
After an hour of performances, the principal told the students they could continue the party in the garden. Almost immediately, they bolted for their classrooms. A group of teachers (including me) came up to the curriculum coordinator to figure out what was going on. We could have tried to corral them (memories of the Valentine's Day party came floating back) or monitor them in their classrooms. Once I realized that the students did not want to stay in the garden, I went back to the class and found them laying out their food. They shared their food with me - pizza and lacmajun, and I shared the cookies I'd brought. Typically unwilling to try new food, they hesitated, but each bravely took one when they realized that I had made them (and without any help!) I really enjoyed talking with them, asking them words in Kurdish, and playing games with them. As the students cleaned up, I took my cookies around to my other classes and shared them with students and teachers.
The party ended a little before 11. I ended up staying with some of my students until their parents came to take them home. We snapped a few more pictures.
Group photo with my sixth grade girls:
As I walked home, I soaked in the sunshine and thanked God for His many blessings. He has given me better relationships with my students, helped me grow as a teacher, and provided opportunities I've never imagined.
When I got home, I went to the corner market and bought fruits and veggies for tomorrow's Thanksgiving meal. I did some prep work (washing and peeling), then went to the market with Mary for "Black Friday" shopping. No waiting in lines, no midnight rush, but we still scored some great deals! We were exhausted when we got back ... sensory input is intensified at the market - hands digging through all kinds of fabric; nose inundated with smells of cologne, wet wool, and musty bags; eyes scanning the piles of clothes; ears processing the sounds of Kurdish, English, and the hustle-bustle of market activity; body jostled among the shoppers. I rested for a little bit, then started in on carrot souffle. I got two souffles baked - one for fellowship tomorrow and the other for our team dinner.
At 8pm, I Skyped with my family. I got to see them at home first, loading the car with pies and food to go to Grammy's. Then I Skyped everyone again as they were eating cinnamon twists at "The Ranch" (our affection name for Grandpa's house). Hannah and John bought Eithen a teddy bear that plays a recorded message from me every time Eithen hugs it. It was fun to watch him hug the bear, look at me in the computer, then hug the bear again and again. I was passed around to all 11 people, hearing about their week's adventures and Thanksgiving plans. It was a great way to end the evening and put me in the mood to celebrate our own Thanksgiving here.
Friday, November 23rd:
Still not sleeping well in the night ... I got up and read, which was more profitable than tossing and turning. I am reading Amy Carmichael's book, Lotus Buds, which recounts the stories of the children she protected and raised in India. This morning, I leisurely got ready for fellowship ... and managed to walk out the door without the carrot souffle and cookies! Thankfully, one of the expats drove me home after the lesson to retrieve them for our meal.
I taught the children's lesson today. We looked up verses on thankfulness - why we are supposed to be thankful, who we are thankful to, and how we should be thankful. We colored little, paper pumpkins and acorns and wrote out the things we are thankful for. Then I helped them draw a turkey with their hand and write a letter to someone they were thankful for. Though I don't see them often (once a week), the kids are becoming more comfortable around me and like to share their stories with me. One of the girls told me that her "Granny" had bought her a coloring book and the princess in it looked just like me. "I'm pretending it is you," she told me. That brought a smile to my face, especially when she told me that the only difference was the princess' blond hair!
Potluck was amazing. Not only did we have delicious food, but time to fellowship with other expats was a blessing! I lingered, feeling very much at home as though it were a potluck luncheon back at home. As I left, another group of expats offered me a ride home. Everyone was piling in their vehicles and it could have been the parking lot on Sunday with people rolling down their windows to say one last thing before heading home.
When I got home, I rested for a little bit, letting my mind absorb the abundance of the morning. Around 4, I made a fruit salad - just like Grandpa makes every Thanksgiving - and heated up some of the dishes for tonight's meal. Mary and I popped back and forth, helping each other and checking on the various sides. The smell of turkey filled our apartments and added to the atmosphere of Thanksgiving. Mary laid out the table - candlesticks, tablecloths, and all! At 6:30, the rest of our team arrived, after driving all the way back from Suly. Thanksgiving dinner was ready!
The dessert table:
John, carving up the turkey:
Mmmmm ... mashed potatoes (with butter!)
The table, all laid out:
After singing the doxology and thanking God for the food, it was time to dig in!
Pumpkin pie for dessert ... good to the last bite!
After the meal ended, we lingered over chai tea, sharing our family traditions and enjoying the warmth of one another's company. It was a wonderful, after-dinner moment that lasted long enough to become a warm memory. At 8:30, we finally dispersed, realizing that the kids needed to be put to bed and dishes had to be packed up. I went to bed with a thankful heart.
"Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare." Psalm 75:1
