Beirut by Night

Today began the first day of teaching as well as an all school mass followed by our presentation. Working in the classrooms with the kids was fantastic! As Jody said, there wasn't enough time! We all presented the gifts we had brought at mass, and offered a prayer of thanks for our reception and the gift of being able to embrace this new connection between our schools. I was particularly impressed by how engaged all the students were in mass, singing and participating with enthusiasm. Of course, the little angels sort of stole the show! After lunch, Jody, Sheila and I made a 2 hour presentation to the faculty and parents about education in America and how we think we both can benefit from this partnership in learning. It went well, despite our nervousness before hand, but I can't deny that it was a relief to have it completed. Now we can all concentrate on preparing for our classes next week. A walking tour of downtown Beirut followed, with a visit to an art exhibition called Arabicity and dinner out. I dance for exercise, not usually out at clubs, but I found the energy of the night life infectious, and even though tired, we had a good time. I'm convinced we'll catch up on the sleep this weekend and all be readjusted by next week!