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Published: June 30th 2012
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Well my school year is officially done. Out of my nine years of teaching, this year has gone by the fastest. I cannot believe that it will be July tomorrow - Canada Day. I still clearly remember setting foot in our apartment for the first time. Now, only 25 more days to go and we will be leaving. I have to admit that the end of this school year is unlike any that I have experienced to date. I was not really involved in any planning/decisions for next year, which makes sense. It felt kind of like the song that says, "I'm here for a good time, not a long time."
The last day of school felt definitely weird. I was as excited as the students for it to be summer holidays, but I was also processing the fact that I would probably never see my colleagues, students nor their parents again in my life. I had a different feeling saying bye to people, probably for the last time. The last school day was like any other that I have experienced. There was the cleaning, the sending materials home and the fun of the last day. Also, we all had
Pool time.
In Olivella, where all Isabelle and Myles wanted to do was to go to the pool. to come back to the school for 6:45 pm for "Les Promotions." This would be our equivalent to a little graduation ceremony/send off for the students that would be leaving elementary school. It was a great evening.
I felt somewhat like a star. Now, I am not a huge fan of the spotlight. I would be perfectly happy staying in the shadows with little recognition. However, last night, it was the complete opposite. First of all, as part of these promotions, the tradition is to walk through the town and then end up at the "salle communale." This was fine, but of course they had my students carrying a huge Canadian flag. I was honored, but that was the start of the recognition. Then, during the speeches, I was mentioned and thanked for the year. I must admit that I was feeling a little guilty because I worked with wonderful teachers in Chancy - so I felt for the other teachers who weren't being recognized for all of the work that they had done throughout the year. At one point, the students all started chanting, "Jarod." That was flattering. The best part of the evening was that they had
planned a surprise for me. The last number of the evening was "O Canada." Up until that point I was doing fine. It was when I started signing our anthem that I was getting a little choked up.
I am not saying that I am anywhere close to being an olympic athlete, but in that moment, when we were signing the national anthem, I felt like I had won a gold medal. In that moment of singing the anthem, I thought of all that we had been through over our time in Switzerland. We sure enjoyed our time, but there were times when it was hard and we had to press on. I imagine that an athlete looks back on all of their training, their highs and lows and ponders these moments when they are on the podium listening to their national anthem. At that moment, I was so proud to be a Canadian. It was an honor for them to play the national anthem - just for me.
After the formal part of the evening was over, we were able to eat, drink and enjoy each others' company. I tried to say bye to all of my
students and all of their parents. That was a difficult task, as I really didn't know what to say. I said things like, "Have a good summer, enjoy your holidays," and other things like that. But, as I said before, it was weird knowing that I would most likely not see these people again. Nonetheless, I was able to get around to most everybody and by the time that the evening was done, it was 1 am. I arrived home at 1:15 am. Pretty late for someone who likes going to bed early.
Now that the school year is done, we are looking forward to spending more family time together. Starting tomorrow, we are off to EuroDisney to enjoy all that that has to offer. Afterwards, we will be spending two and a half weeks in Italy. We are definitely glad that it is summer and that we will be returning home soon.
June 25 we celebrated Isabelle's birthday - just the four of us. It was fun and it was neat to see Isabelle so excited and thankful for her gifts. It is nice that Isabelle and Myles get excited for things. I hope that they always
maintain a spirit of thankfulness.
So, upon our arrival last summer, our vacation was good, yet we were met with some rough patches along the way. We will see what this summer brings. It will be all good, because we are going with God.
Jarod
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Carole Parker
non-member comment
Done Like Dinner!
Jarod, I have enjoyed your Blogs for the past year and will miss reading about your adventures in Switzerland and travels about Europe, but we are here in Canada with open arms waiting for you, Avery and the children to return.