Today was graduation. What a day. The ceremony was really formal and long, just like last year. Graduation here doesn't resemble American ceremonies in the slightest. They are more like a cross between a funeral and a religious service... especially in terms of somber-ness. Everyone wears black (besides the uniform-wearing students), and we listen to very long, very serious speeches... and no one smiles. There are lots of military-style commands to Stand, Bow, and Sit-Down. This is followed by very dramatic, sad, sappy songs sung by the underclassmen to the graduating students and vice versa. By the end of the last song (sung by the graduating class), half the students were crying.

To add to the "fun", tradition is that after the graduation ceremony, we have a ceremony to announce which teachers are leaving to go to other schools, retire, do other things, etc. So then the rest of the school was in tears- and this year we're only losing half as many staff as last year! This year's graduating class is so special: really, really good kids- it was so hard to say goodbye.

Now in a couple of hours, all of us teachers will go off to our party to drink, listen to more speeches, drink more, and say a formal goodbye to the departing teachers (who will be back tomorrow and the next day and the next til the last minute of their contract expires).

In a couple weeks we'll be back in the same suits with the same set up to welcome the new 1st grade.... that's The Circle of Life (music in the background.... wink wink).