Well, teaching year 2 = DONE. And I will happily check it off my to-do list for 2010.
In fact, we were so busy leading up to the last day of school that, well, it just sort of happened and I'm not quite sure I believe it's over. There was just thing after thing to do in the evenings, plus report cards and student profiles and grading and exams and field trips (both attempting to arrange them and then actually doing them) and graduation duties and all sorts of other things, plus I had to be in contact with home more than normal for a bit. So, needless to say, it's now over, and I am gearing up for home. I am leaving the ship Tuesday evening, spending Wednesday night with Sam's family in England, and heading off bright and early Thursday morning to finally be in Sweet Home Chicago on Thursday afternoon - and I am absolutely ecstatic about it!
This past week was quite emotional for several reasons. Saying goodbye to my third graders was hard; even though I'll see them around next year, I am just so thankful for the blessing they were to me this year - it was a very difficult year for everyone during the last few months, and they provided lots of laughs and smiles for me. Plus, they're just so cute :) I will definitely miss them.
It was also very emotional seeing the promotion of the grade 9/10 students. I was their Ancient History teacher this year, and I absolutely loved every minute of it. They all did well during their exam (which was a great relief to me!), and I was amazed at the immense amount of pride that welled up in me when they were promoted on the last morning of school. They have worked very hard, and each of them now have a very special place in my heart. I truly hope that I will still be spending some time with them next year.
The graduation dinner and service for our one graduating student (technically there's two, but one is not onboard at the moment) was really wonderful. A lot of hard work and love was put into it by all the teachers and the graduate's family, and it was a wonderful celebration of all she's accomplished in her lifetime. That was also an emotional night, both during the phone call from her father and younger brother (who had to suddenly return to Germany in May), and also during the reading of a message from her fellow graduate.
And then, of course, there are the inevitable goodbyes. My roommate and fellow teacher Haley left yesterday, and already there is an emptiness in our cabin and a slight ache in my soul without her. I have grown to love and respect Haley a lot over this last year and I am absolutely going to miss her so much next year. My other roommate Natalie, who has been a friend since Gateway in 2008, will be leaving on Tuesday with me and not returning until next January. It's hard to think that these are the last days that we will be spending together for a while. There are also the goodbyes for people that I won't see until the end of July. Yes, I will see them again, but many of these people are like family to me and it saddens me to be parted from them for an extended time. Thankfully, I will see a fair few of them July 10, when they will all be invading my hometown - weird thought!!
And on that note, there are only 27 days until my wedding. WHOA. It blows my mind every time I think about it. On the one hand I absolutely cannot wait to be joined with the man I love; on the other hand, I know it means that alot of my relationships, both at home and onboard the ship, will be inevitably changing, and I dread that. But, I love Samuel very much, and I am quite excited to be his wife :)
Sam and I will be starting a blog together, so this will be one of the last few posts on this blog. More details to come :)
I hope you are all having a great start to summer vacation. See you SOON, Chicago!!!! :) :) :)
Needless to say, our summer was pretty crazy with preparations for all the events and with traveling. However, it was great to see so many people, even in such short a time; thank you to everyone who made time to come and see us! You have no idea how much it means to us!
