It's beginning to feel a...

little like Christmas. The holiday decorations around Surabaya are a bit over-the-top. I mean, how do you make an equatorial city with no winter give off the Christmas feel? Oh, OK, you decorate the palm trees in Christmas lights and you just thank God for the rainy season!

Our school environment has done a great job ringing in the Christmas holiday. My class was decked out with a Christmas tree, lights, stockings, and kids clad in Santa hats or reindeer headbands. The last week of before the break was inundated with holiday festivities. There were staff parties, cookie decorating get-togethers, Secret Santa, the Elementary Christmas concert, morning caroling by the Koi pond at school, and a holiday assembly.

Here are some photos and videos of our past week.

We'll write more upon our return from Lombok!

Merry Christmas


Xavier reading at the assembly...  (click to see on YouTube)

Anouk's ballet dance... (click to see on YouTube)

The Rainstorm Commeth (click to see on YouTube)

Caroling at the Koi Pond (click to see on YouTube)

Pretty Salma

Our budding actress makes her debut in an African version of "Little Red Riding Hood". The play is called "Pretty Salma" and is the culmination of the Kindergarten's unit on storytelling. Anouk plays Pretty Salma, a little girl who gets tricked by a sly dog after shopping for her grandmother. Listen for the cackling in the background--Xavier was DEFINITELY present!