Just because one day isn't enough, we also had the day after my last post off as well! We set up a Christmas tree in the TV room and decorated it. It was lots of fun and then we ate and watched
Nativity! - it was a nice relaxing day before one day of school and then the weekend!
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| Please note our classy tin foil star :) |
That weekend, Tolu and I went shopping at a nearby shopping centre that has lots of Western shops that we're used to and we spent a while in H&M (and Starbucks...). Sunday evening was my church's Carol by Candlelight service where we sang the song that our choir had been practicing. It was a nice event and made me feel like I was back home at our service that's very similar.
The last week of school was very hectic with rehearsals for the Christmas performances, Secret Santa, and preparation before the kids went on stage. The Lebanese take Secret Santa very serious... They give a "small" gift each day of the week and then a bigger gift on the last day. I had to step up my game through the week. They have a "thank you" board though, where you write a thank you note to your person, which is a cool idea and brings colour to the wall!
I didn't see much of the final performances but I saw a lot of the rehearsals and their costumes. They all looked so cute and the hard work paid off.
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| Nurseries |
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| Lower Kindergarten |
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| Upper Kindergarten |
The school is doing a "go green" theme at the moment and the Christmas display in the front of the school was "recycling" Jonathan Dieter's old bug.
We decided we had to get pictures with it. :)
Christmas Day was really nice! Tolu's sisters were here from the UK for the break and all of us went down to the Dieters for breakfast.
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| Me and the Dieter girls (all still in our PJs!) |
Then for lunch and the afternoon we went to the principal, Dr. Steve, and his wife, Grace's house. We had yummy food and I made mum's famous Christmas wreath marshmallow treat (without the green food colouring).
We played an intense game of Taboo and hung out. It was a nice 23 degrees Celsius/73 degrees Fahrenheit. :) Didn't feel like Christmas with such warm weather!
I really liked spending Christmas here because, although it was away from family, it was good to not have the day centred around presents and expectations. There was something calming and humbling about just having fun with friends without ripping through wrapping paper.
The rest of the break consisted of sightseeing and relaxing/being very lazy. We took several day trips: one to the war monuments at Nahr el Kalb (which I don't have any pictures of, just views around them) and Byblos, one to see the longest natural bridge and some snow (there's some all the way on the top of the mountains), one to do some geocaching, and one to Baalbek. I am so glad we got to do so much and so thankful for the Dieters and the Whites for bringing us. Here are some pictures:
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| We're always ready for pictures :) |
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| Beautiful Byblos |
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| Two piers at Byblos, reminds me of Dun Laoghaire |
Beautiful view while geocaching and stomping through bushes:
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| Roman ruins |
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| Baalbek temple |
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| It's nice to lean on... |
For New Years, a group of us just staying in and celebrated briefly before heading to bed.
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| Happy New Year everyone!! |
The break was a really nice time to recuperate, get some essential things done and see some of Lebanon! I did some of my discipleship course, read some, watched movies and Downton Abbey, started pilates (much needed after Christmas and eating Lebanese food!), and did some cooking/baking and laundry. I also had a number of Arabic lessons and have been practicing my Arabic numbers with the registration plates. Over the past few weeks, I've had several different bugs and viruses and I think now they're all gone - the rest definitely helped.
Although I'm dreading waking up super early tomorrow, it will be good to be back on a proper schedule again and maybe even add some classes to my timetable.
Thanks for all your prayers and support AND gifts and cards that you've sent me. I love them all and display them around my mirror. Please continue to pray for safety (as many of you know, there have been several incidents recently) and for strength as I transition back into school mode. Please also keep in mind Katie as she completes her last month in India, Rachel as she starts her placement in Peru, Yasmin as she prepares to leave for India in February, and Aline as she spends some time at home.
