The Countdown is on!

In less than one week, I will be back in the states visiting friends and family and gorging myself on all food OTHER than cabbage and potatos. It's going to be incredible. I can't remember the last time I was so excited about something, or the last time Christmas seemed so magical.

Things at school have been pretty hectic. Every five or six years, the schools are evaluated by the local school board. This "big check" is a fairly big deal, and it started this week. The last two weeks at school were rather comical, as my teachers ran from class to class frantically trying to ensure that the students had adequatly memorized all their materials for the "open lessons."

Last Thursday, I arrived at school at my normal time. I don't teach a first lesson on Thursdays, and, as per usual, I arrived 10 minutes before the second lesson started. The school was unusually quiet when I walked into the teacher's room.

"Sheryl," Larissa said, "What lesson do you have?"
"8A," I said, putting down my bag and slowly taking of my coat, adjusting my skirt in the mirror, fixing my hair...
"Go now, you are already late," Larissa told me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, "I don't have them until the second lesson."
"The second lesson is almost over," she said sharply, "classes are only 30 minutes today."
"Oh...nobody ever tells me anything," I said, shrugging and heading off to my class. (I wanted to add: "You're my neighbor, would it have killed you to knock on my door and let me know?!")

Classes were shortened last Thursday and Friday "in preparation" for our "big check." So far, I can't really tell what the "big check" means other than the fact that the Director's office now houses a big buffet. (Which I'm not invited to partake of.) Also, all my english books have been moved off the shelves and stashed into various desks, I guess for "aesthetic appeal" (as they have been replaced by baskets and baskets of fake, silk flowers). It's actually rather annoying to have to hunt down my books: five in this desk, ten in that desk, one class set in the cabinent behind the trash...

My kids are tired of school and as ready for a break as I am. Classes this week have gone pretty well though, because no matter what my kids do, they just can't annoy me. Next week at this time, I'll be eating a burrito and they'll still be in class. Suckers.

In my 6th form today, we spent the lesson dancing around singing 'Jingle-bells.' It was fun, especially when dancing and singing suddenly turned into group hugging. It wasn't part of my lesson plan, but one girl hugged me, and all the other kids followed suit, and the next thing I knew, I was hollaring: "Group hug! Group hug!"

Ah, life is good when the countdown is on.