School Photos and I'm Off Again!

So June has gone by in a whirlwind! As I type this, (early morning) I am hours from my last day of school. I finished at the boy's school in Liptovsky Hradok last week, and tomorrow is my last day at the primary school in Hybe. I can't believe it! Today I was at school to help teach the 5th class (10 and 11 year olds) their last English class for the year. I think they are my favorite class (they're the youngest group) because they are so willing to participate, and have fun attitudes. I've enjoyed my classes with them very much. They presented my with two postcards at the end of class. One has photos of Hybe on it, and every student in the class signed their name on the back, and they wrote their class and school address in the "to" space because they want me to write to them next year. I definitely plan on it! :) The second post card has photos of the Catholic Church in town (because the 3 main girls who put this together are Catholic). I was really happy to get the cards. This same class also wrote me a Valentine's Day note back in February, telling me that they really like it when I come to class. So sweet! Although tomorrow is my last official day of class, I will be going back to the school to say goodbye again next Tuesday, because they asked me to. They're such good kids.

After class was over, all of the teachers gathered out in the backyard of the school to take a staff photo for the year. They take their photos the way we used to in elementary school, with everyone posed and a board in front with the year and class number listed. They insisted that I be in the photo with them, and that was very nice. After the staff photo, the oldest class I help with (9th class, 14 and 15 year olds) took their picture and asked me to be in it too! As we were taking the pictures, almost every student in the entire school was hanging out of the open windows, saying "SYR!" (cheese in Slovak) and talking and laughing. It was a chaotic scene, pretty funny. I can feel so much more energy with the kids this week, I can tell they're pretty excited for their summer holiday!

Tomorrow I'm off again to Kosice, probably for the last time. Our German volunteer friend, Linda, is leaving soon and it's time to say goodbye. We are also going to deliver the scrapbook that all of us volunteers made for our program coordinator, Danka. She was with us throughout this year, and now she is on maternity leave and finishing her job. So we will be stopping by to visit her for the last time and give her the memory book. These will be my first goodbyes here. It's a bit strange for me to think about, and I think I've mostly avoided thinking about saying goodbye up until this point. Hopefully it will be ok. Tonight while I was making travel arrangements for this weekend, and for next weekend, and as I was thinking about travels in the past weeks, I was a bit sad. I haven't seen my host family much in June, and I'm feeling a bit sad to leave them again, even if it's just for the weekend. Everyone has been working more, and out and about more because of the weather, and just generally busy with summer craziness. I hope summer doesn't go by too fast, and I can fully take advantage of every opportunity I have left to spend with them. Saying goodbye will be tough.

Also, today is my sister Katka's 21st birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATKA!!!!!! :-) Vsetko najlepsie k narodeninam!

Until next time,
Ashley