Saying good bye is one of the more emotionally challenging aspects of long-term travel. One makes friends, acquaintances... one shares moments with them... and then, the time comes to say good-bye. :(
For the boys, it's a new experience.
This week is the beginning... of the end! On Monday we had our final singing lesson with Trevor. And this morning, the boys said good-bye to their favourite -- Christian, the Drama teacher, who has spent the past four weeks guiding them in writing and producing a short script! Laughter has been a big part of every class!
This afternoon marked our final piano lesson, and I will confess that as we shared our final kisses and handshakes, there was a tear in my eye; Gabriel has not only shared the gift of music with my children, he has opened my mind to new ways of thinking about traditional music instruction. I am amazed at how far he has musically pulled even initially-reluctant Simon along over these past few short weeks. And, he's reintroduced me to making music, too; I can't wait to get home and play again!
As I write this blog post, the boys are engaged in their final basketball class of the year. Also a new challenge for them, which they initially resisted (kids here are very serious about sports in a way that Alex and Simon weren't accustomed to or excited about learning more about at first), but which has now become one of the highlights of their week. They have looked forward to basketball class and a "licuado" (fresh squeezed fruit smoothie) at Club de Amigos every Tuesday and Thursday for the past several months. Tonight marks the end of an era!
Tomorrow morning, Alex will have his final photography class... but at least we don't have to say "bye" to the Marias just yet: We are planning a farewell picnic for our last week here.
As we wrap up this month of "alternative schooling", I'm feeling melancholy about the forced separations. Nevertheless, seeing the boys' growth in various areas over the past four weeks as I've resumed a more "behind the scenes" organizational approach and have given up the instructional reigns to other capable teachers confirms for me the excellence of this month's inspiration.
For the boys, it's a new experience.
This week is the beginning... of the end! On Monday we had our final singing lesson with Trevor. And this morning, the boys said good-bye to their favourite -- Christian, the Drama teacher, who has spent the past four weeks guiding them in writing and producing a short script! Laughter has been a big part of every class!
This afternoon marked our final piano lesson, and I will confess that as we shared our final kisses and handshakes, there was a tear in my eye; Gabriel has not only shared the gift of music with my children, he has opened my mind to new ways of thinking about traditional music instruction. I am amazed at how far he has musically pulled even initially-reluctant Simon along over these past few short weeks. And, he's reintroduced me to making music, too; I can't wait to get home and play again!
As I write this blog post, the boys are engaged in their final basketball class of the year. Also a new challenge for them, which they initially resisted (kids here are very serious about sports in a way that Alex and Simon weren't accustomed to or excited about learning more about at first), but which has now become one of the highlights of their week. They have looked forward to basketball class and a "licuado" (fresh squeezed fruit smoothie) at Club de Amigos every Tuesday and Thursday for the past several months. Tonight marks the end of an era!
Tomorrow morning, Alex will have his final photography class... but at least we don't have to say "bye" to the Marias just yet: We are planning a farewell picnic for our last week here.
As we wrap up this month of "alternative schooling", I'm feeling melancholy about the forced separations. Nevertheless, seeing the boys' growth in various areas over the past four weeks as I've resumed a more "behind the scenes" organizational approach and have given up the instructional reigns to other capable teachers confirms for me the excellence of this month's inspiration.