Random Recap

May has been a busy month.  It is almost ridiculous that I just wrote that sentence.  Every month is a busy month at TAS.  I guess I should be more specific.  May was a fun busy because it's the end of the year...woohoo!!  But it's also a sad busy because so many faculty and staff are leaving - such is the case in the international school scene. Sniff sniff.

Below are a few end of the year pics!

Freshman hall on senior prank day.  I was too late to capture it in it's original splendor, but it was a crazy maze of booby traps.  Really cute!

The 4th floor stairwell in the aftermath of the senior prank.  Those cups are full of water.

At least once a month the orchestra, jazz ensemble, or band plays in the atrium during the lunch periods.  Our music program is phenomenal, so I love to eat lunch and listen to them play.  This was during lunchtime yesterday.

From the 2nd floor balcony.

This is Andrew, Janna's son (see below).  He is a junior at TAS.  He plays bagpipes at practically every major faculty gathering...because we love it!  This was at the wine bar down the street, the venue for one of my colleagues 60th birthday party.

Our English Dept. goodbye gathering at some place half way up Yangminshan.  Sorry, I can't remember the name of it.  From left to right:  Joe (new department chair), his wife Donna, Yuen Yuen, Jenny, Wanda, Janelle, Jaami, and half of Chris.

Left to right:  Janelle, Jaami, Chris, Pat, Natalie, and Adam.

Janelle, Geoff (my current department chair, who is awesome), and Jaami.

Janna (Andrew's mom), Rick, and Jennifer (Geoff's art teaching wife)

Where is everyone going next year?  Geoff and Jen are going to Sao Paolo, Brazil; Wanda is going to Hong Kong; Janelle is going to grad school in Minneapolis, and Pat is retiring to Cape Cod.  What will I do without them next year?  I'll continue to grade papers with Rick during my planning periods and hang out with him after school at Lily's.  Usually he drinks a bottle of wine while I drink an mint iced tea and we exchange crazy drinking stories, or complain about work, or he imparts his wisdom to me.  For example, during my Odyssey unit last semester, I asked him where "home" was; he said "home is wherever you are, baby!"  I'll always be thankful to him  for that because he was right.  I'll also spend as much time as possible with Jaami because he's the person who makes me laugh the most.  Other than that, I'll be hiding out in room 2B17 trying to get my work done.  Oh lord, it's going to be a rough year.  But that's not for 2 more months.  For now, it's almost summer, and I cannot wait to get outta this place for a while!!!