End of the Year School Program

Schools in Bolivia get out at the end of November. So thankfully, we were able to celebrate the end of the school year with the girls' preschool friends. We have been so thankful for Rise and Shine. It has been an excellent preschool: bilingual, with great teachers and good cross-section of Bolivian and foreign friends. It has provided a great education and social outlet for our children. I cried during each of the girls parent/teacher conferences at the end of the year because I have been so thankful for each of their teachers and I am sad to leave the comfortable, safe atmosphere they have provided.

Their end of school program was full of songs and dances and even a little drama that the girls (and their teachers... who are we kidding?? I know who does the majority of the work in these things!) worked so hard to prepare. Michaela did a traditional Bolivian dance, called the tinku, with her class. She was also the mother cat in "The 3 little kittens who lost their mittens." Eliana sang 2 songs and did a Hindu dance (I about died when my 4 year old girl came out on stage dressed in a sari and doing a belly dance!), but she did a fantastic job. Jana sang 2 songs.... well, made it through one and then saw me and lost it and had to come sit with me. As a teacher, I always wondered if parents actually enjoyed school programs, or if they just endured them. Now as a parent, I can say.... I enjoy it, boring parts and all. It is a joy seeing my children perform and seeing them interact with their teachers and their friends. Thank you, Rise and Shine, for the wonderful part you played in our lives in Cochabamba!