Goodbyes

The Sad Goodbyes:

The toughest people to say goodbye to are our Kenyan friends, who aren't likely to visit Budapest or won't be in town when we're in the States. This was the day the tears started rolling for me.

The Funny Goodbyes:

This is the neighbor's cat, Rafiki. This picture shows how he decided to help us while we were packing.

He'll miss his Uncle Will whom he visited each day. But we gave him his favorite napping blanket to keep, so he'll always remember us.

The Happy Goodbyes:

Gitanga Road, oh how I will never miss thee. Your exhaust fumes, mad matatu drivers, and man-eating holes I will gladly exchange for paved sidewalks, tree-lined paths, and public transportation that is not a major health hazard. Goodbye forever!

I guess most things in life are good and bad.

Goodbyes are no different.

And new adventures too.

We leave in 1 day!

Done!

I'm done with school! It has been a great year at Braeburn. But in all honesty, I'm ready to move on. Well, I'm at least ready to be done with the paperwork and play practices and extended hours. Of course, there are some things I'll miss... The kids.

How can you not love those faces, especially when I get love letters and poems like these?... :)

Most of all, I'll miss the friends and co-workers, who have added lots of laughs and fun to the hard work. You are a super fun, hilarious bunch! I think you'll be a difficult group to beat.

Best wishes to everyone at Braeburn. Come visit us in Budapest!

7 More Weeks

School has been VERY hectic. Even the head teacher (principal) admitted to me yesterday that Braeburn School is the busiest place he's ever worked, and it gets busier every year. You should see all the teachers on a Friday night. "Knackered," as my colleagues say. Despite all the chaos and feeling like a chicken with my head cut off, we do manage a bit of fun amongst the learning. These are some of the things we did this week in Class 4K...

Monday we went to the Nairobi Railway Museum to learn about the building of the East African Railway. If you've seen Ghost in the Darkness, you'll know a little bit about the man-eating lions that ate workers who built the railway. Here's the car where one man was

dragged off.

The museum has many interesting relics. This outdoor train seat was sat on by Teddi Roosevelt, the Prince of Wales, and two of my students.

International Day was Wednesday. We all enjoyed dressing up and traveling around the world. We went from Aruba to Australia to Canada to Japan and more. We all suffered a bit of jet lag by the end of the day!

We played some "ice-hockey" in Canada.

And wore kimonos in Japan.

Our week continued with more excitement as class 4K presented an assembly for the school on Friday. We acted out the story of Gandhi, whom we've been studying. Here are some of my fabulous actors.

You can see "Young Gandhi" on the front left (totally type casted!) and "Old Gandhi" on the right (bald cap and all).

It's the weekend now, and I will admit that today (Saturday) I'm doing absolutely nothing in front of the TV, took a 3 hour nap this afternoon, and haven't even gotten dressed. The work load is starting to catch up with me. I will also admit that I'm counting down. What teacher doesn't at the end of the year? 7 weeks to go. Despite the extreme parts of this job, I have learned a lot this year and enjoyed the diversity and improvement of my kids. (But I do hope the American School of Budapest is a little less hectic!)

Getting excited!

We are moving in 110 days (that's just over three months), and it's starting to hit me. Mostly, I'm getting excited for a new adventure. As I walk to and from school each day in Nairobi, past the dirt mounds and weaving through traffic, I think how different it will be going to school in Budapest...

Instead of walking over dirt sidewalks with matatus whizzing past me, I'll be walking on tree-lined, paved walkways with a tram going by.

Instead of being the only white face amongst the sea of people, I'll be one of many white faces.

Instead of going through a secured gate with a guard opening the doors, I'll walk out the front door of an apartment complex - no gates, no barbed wire, no shards of glass lining the walls around the compound.

Instead of wearing sandals and sundresses, I'll be headed to work in a coat and boots.

Instead of an African slum next door, I'll have a park and shops and European architecture nearby.

It will definitely be a change. Looking forward to the newness.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO OF OUR NEW CITY.