June

Where has this month gone?! It seems like the month has ended faster than I can blink! And of course, June hasn't been without its share of goings-on.

The second Sunday of June 2nd grade performed their second and final musical of the school year. (And of course, I have no pictures because I'm lame like that.)

The third Sunday of June the first grade performed their second and final musical of the school year. (And again, no pictures. See reason stated above.)

In between those two events, I spoke at a Women's Conference in Slovakia. My seminar was titled "Being Single is not a Disease!" with the main premise focusing on living and enjoying your life while single instead of miserably moping around pining away for what you don't have. Of course, I said it nicer than that, but that was the idea. (And yet again, there are no pictures.)

Somewhere around the middle of the month, the American intern for our English camp came for a six day Host City visit to help us (the Slovak team) promote English camp in the youth group and local schools around town.

And of course, today ended my two years at Narnia. School is finally over! (No more lesson planning, no more classroom time, no more teaching!) It was a day of rejoicing (because school is finally over!), but also of sadness as I said goodbye to students and colleagues. It will not be hard to leave the job, but it's hard to leave these students who have managed to find their way into my heart!

Fourth Grade

I found myself being hugged and returning hug after hug after hug today. I've nearly burst into tears several times over the course of the last few days as parents thank me and wish me all the best for whatever the future holds next for me. And as I stare into the sad puppy dog eyes of a child who looks directly at me and asks, "Why are you going back? Why aren't you staying?" I can't help but think, "At the moment, I can't think for the life of me why I am leaving you!"

First Grade!

I even had one child look at me and say, "You are bad, Miss Emily, because you go home!" I think I just hugged her for a while because a) I totally loved that she used her English and b) because I didn't know what to say to her.

 
Today, I was showered with chocolates, flowers and small gifts and pictures from students. The girls clung to me with amazing strength; the boys awkwardly said thanks.  And through it all, I found myself realizing I'm privileged to be able to call them my students. It's been a privilege to teach them. It's been an experience I will not soon forget.

Second Grade!

Teaching is a calling, a gifting. I know I do not have the gifting or calling. I love my students, but teaching itself, in all honesty, sucks out my soul and drains me of energy and joy, but though it's come at a very hard price, I am thankful I've gone through these experiences because the lessons I've learned through all this are invaluable. The Lord has humbled me, stretched me and showed me many things in my life through all this and I am thankful for it upon reflection.

Third Grade!

I have no idea what's next now that my teaching days are over. But it's with a step of faith that I end my time in Slovakia and move back to Texas while praying about what's next. Am I open to returning to Slovakia as a missionary? Yes! Am I open to returning to Europe in general as a missionary? Of course! While I don't necessarily want to spend the rest of my life in Texas, I am trying to be open and okay with that as well if that's what the Lord ends up calling me to do.

The Amazing and Talented Monika's and Me

I have one month left in Slovakia, which I am sure will go faster than I want it to, and it's already filling up with a flurry of activities and things to do. But I am thankful for the next month to enjoy the country that in my heart has become home and the people who have become family before saying "See you when I see you!" and boarding a plane for the transatlantic trip back to the US.

Musical Tour

Back at the end of May, Narnia took the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade musicals on tour in eastern Slovakia. So five teachers and twenty-nine students braved the cold and rain (despite what you see in some of the pictures where it's sunny) and traveled east for three days.

The trip went well and felt like a mini-vacation. It's much easier to be given charge of a group and told to keep an eye on them than being given an entire class (or four, in my case) and given the charge of educating them! My group consisted of my girls from 4th grade, who I really love, and they like me, so it worked well.

While on tour we visited Spišsky Hrad, which I was told is the second largest castle in eastern Europe.

The first largest in also in Slovakia, somewhere near Zvolen, which isn't far from Banská Bystrica.
I'm guessing this also includes central Europe as Slovakia is in central Europe, not eastern Europe. But never mind.

This particular castle is one of several castles in Slovakia where the film "Dragon Heart" was filmed. Terrible film, but beautiful locations!

 I commented to one of the teachers that I thought the table arrangement of the picture above was funny because I was pretty sure they didn't have modern pots that said "honey" on them with a wooden honey stick (whatever they are called) back in the 1600's, and she laughed and commented that she was pretty sure fresh flowers couldn't have survived so many centuries either! We enjoyed that moment together.

We stayed at Cirkev Bratská in Hermanovce, which is where the third grade class performed their musical, Punchinello.

The 4th and 5th graders performed The Little Prince in Michalovce at another Cirkev Bratská (the Brethren church that is similar to the Evangelical Free Church in the States).

In the evenings we had a program for the students - group activities, games, singing, etc.

One of the days we went to a hotel owned by a family in Cirkev Bratská and swam, played ping pong, ran around the gym and ate lunch.

The last day we visted Aqua City Poprad and spent the day swimming and sliding down the huge slides. I think this was the students' favorite day and activity.

I also think the teachers liked it because most of the students slept on the bus on the way home.

4th/5th Grade Musical

Back in May, the fourth and fifth grade performed their musical for parents. It went swimmingly. I didn't narrate (by these grades, the students' English is good enough (or just about good enough) where they can carry the entire the musical on their own), so played stage hand/prop hand instead, which is fun because it's detail work!

The musical script was created by the main musical teacher, Jana, who adapted it from both the book, "The Little Prince" by Antoine de saint-Exupery and the film adaptation from 1974, but changed a few things to make it more understandable within the culture and customs of the 21st century.

Opening the musical by singing "It's a Hat!"

 The Pilot and the Little Prince in the desert

 The Little Prince on his planet with his Rose

 Singing "He'll be flying 'round the Planets"

 The Little Prince visiting the King's planet

 The Little Prince visiting the planet of the Conceited Woman

 The Little Prince talking with the Tippler on her planet

 The Little Prince trying to converse with the Computer Geek on her planet

 The Little Prince talking to the Snake in the desert on planet earth

 The Fox asking the Little Prince to tame her in the rose garden on planet earth

 

Song of the Bells