Out of China, Into Madness

We just got back from our vacation to China, which was amazing. More than anything we saw or did, it was wonderful because Chris and I spent nine days of unhurried time together. It was great.

In the next few weeks, I'll be posting about some of the adventures we went on and some of the strange things we saw while in China, the foremost of "habits" being that people spit a lot. Everywhere. That sounds super stereotypical, but truly, it's not an overstatement. Men, women, and children alike love to get a good cough out in the morning and let it fly. Gross, yes. I think I had to duck once or twice to avoid it.

This week, I'm finishing report cards, typing up meeting minutes, organizing a Thanksgiving dinner, attending four to five church functions, and then crashing on Saturday, so I probably won't post much. Here are some pictures to hold you.

from our favorite little lunch place in Hutong, Beijing

 

 

just enjoying an outdoor walk, Imperial Summer Palace, Beijing

Last Night of the Proms

Here we are, exhausted but happy

This past week, the Ahmadi Music Group in Kuwait held a weekend of concerts mirrored after Britain's famed "Last Night of the Proms." Every summer in London, there is an eight-week season of nightly orchestral concerts and other events called "The Proms," leading up to the last night that always includes specific music and festivities. The annual event stretches back to something like 1895. Here's some more info. if you're unfamiliar with the event. BBC's coverage of Proms 2011   Wikipedia's Explanation

This past winter, the Ahmadi Music Group director (Richard Bushmann) conceived of bringing this event to the British Embassy in Kuwait. Although it's not currently summer and they couldn't use live canons, the British Embassy and AMG put on a similarly spectacular event, including fish and chips and Britons' favorite beverages.

Chris was part of the orchestra, and a number of our friends and I went to see him and a few others perform on Friday night in the British Embassy Gardens. Because of security reasons, I couldn't take my camera or i-phone, but here are a few pictures of the program, a link to AMG's home page, and that picture of us after it was all said and done.

Class 1A, 2011-12

There's always one character...middle row, third from Left.
Actually, I have four who will create a real challenge for me this year.
But, challenges are good.

Learning About Plants

In Grade 1A, we just finished up our first science unit about plants: their parts, their life cycles, and how we can classify them. This is heavy stuff for the 6 yr olds, but I'm happy to report that they all passed the test! Here are some fancy little flowers we made from tissue paper and pipe cleaners. I know- I'm a genius.

Now, if I can only get the kids to keep their germs to themselves, we'll be in business. I missed a few school days last week, and I absolutely hate to miss teaching days, but I'm on the mend.