Holiday: Christmas Show 2006

[Nikolay and I were two of several foreign teachers who got together to design and create the backdrop pieces for the Christmas show.]

I finally found stress in my job in the two weeks leading up to Christmas, when all classes gave up their regular lessons in favor of preparing for the Christmas show.  From 8:30am to 4:30pm – we even went without play time for those two weeks.  It was traumatic – for me.

[Myself, conducting a rehearsal...I find this picture humorous.  No particular reason why.]

By the morning of the big event, my children – miraculously – were able to sing both Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Here Comes Santa Claus, and move together in a choreographed dance.  Of course, when they went on stage that afternoon to see 600 family members in the audience, they froze up and forgot both words and actions…it’s not a perfect world.  But I was content because I knew they COULD do it…and the parents seem not to realize how much their kids are capable of and were ecstatic all the same.  As long as everyone’s happy, right?

[Yes, even the children, in their reaindeer antlers ('cause we're Deer Class...get it?) were overjoyed at the Christmas show...largely because they knew Santa Claus would make an appearance at the end of the show.]

But now it’s over and everything’s back to normal…I roam the school as though I haven’t a care in the world.  I do have concerns, but they’re mostly things like: “Will the cat puke up the ribbon he just ate and, if so, where?”  I love my low-stress life.