back to school

Today I woke up, put on my newly aquired hooker boots, and headed off to the university. As I walked down the street, I watched parents and children walk hand in hand to meet their new teachers. The boys all wearing suits and girls in their pigs tails sans huge white lace pom poms. Ine Kyrgyzstan; the bigger the pom pom, the better the student. Each parent reflected the look of relief that the summer is finally over and their beautiful and smart children are getting out of the house.

I keep thinking about that Staples commerial. "It's the most wonderful time of the year" playing in the background, dad skipping through the aisles, kids looking crushed... shopping for back to school supplies.

I went to the university this weekend and found the teachers spread out across the lounge with the new materials I had bought with the money raised in the spring. Darika, the senior teacher, pulled me aside to congratulate me on the excellent book selection and how it will imporve the first year curriculum. Today we will start the curriculum mapping and putting together the next 4 months. It's exciting to finally see the project come alive.

sidenote: my biggest fear of coming back to kyrgyzstan was getting violently ill all over again. somehow i dodged it this time and the only conclusion i can come up with is that i must really have bowels of steel.