Carpe Diem says Gracias to Miss Lisa

There are few moments when I am rendered speechless. This past Thursday was one of them. I entered the Carpe Diem gymnasium with Mike and Gabi (Berto was with his 1st grade classmates) and all 400 kids in the stands started clapping and cheering. I just stood there. I was overwhelmed.

The banner in front read Un amigo verdadero puede tocar tu corazon desde otro lado del mundo - A true friend can touch your heart from across the globe. Aaawwww..







Over the course of the next 90 minutes we were entertained by dances, songs, speeches and readings from the different grades I taught, the Director Don Luis, the president of the parents' association and the regional coordinator of the English Opens Doors program. I can't think of another time, short of Mike & my wedding, when some many people have come together to say such nice things. And yes, my Spanish has gotten good enough to understand what they all were saying.

After the series of actos, we were invited to the sala de profesores for onces. Exquisite cake, sandwiches, coffee, juices and gifts from folks. The teachers gave me a book of Chiloe, the parents' association a hand knit poncho and Chilote slippers and the school a Chilean flag with the Carpe Diem logo embroidered on it. In return I gave the English teachers books of Robert Frost, the director a Red Sox hat and the parents' association photo books of Boston.


In a sense I should not have been surprised by all the nice things folks did. First of all, people at Carpe Diem and Chilotes in general have been incredible kind to us. Secondly, the culture of the school is to celebrate occasions (Teacher's day, Student's day, Independence day) with an assembly and actos by different groups.

As well, on Tuesday and Wednesday as I had some cursos for their last class, each grade (5th-12th) surprised me with a party. (By the time I waddled out of school on Friday I had lost count of how many pieces of cake I had been offered and eaten in the week before.) Just the same, this US teacher still is amazed by the genuine love that Chilote students shower upon their teachers.





My last class was the 5th graders on Friday and they sent me off with a bang. As well as the table full of cakes and pies, the class presented a a class wide series of actos. The talents ran the gamut: 3 boys singing "Hey Soul Sister", a girl playing the guitar, three boys playing their recorders, three girls who interviewed me and then wrote "La historia de Miss Lisa en Chiloe", an honor student's very earnest rendition of Michael Jackson dancing to "Bad", a poem written about my year here, two boys juggling a soccer ball and three girls double dutch rope jumping. The sweetest part was when one of the boys forgot the notes of his recorder solo and someone called out "that's OK just play anything"

Oh and did I mention that I enjoyed about a dozen group hugs through out the week, culminating with a mosh pit of affection at the end of Thursday's event in the gym.

Monday the 27th is a holiday, so Roberto will go to school Tuesday and Wednesday will be his last day. While Berto and Gabi are in school Mike and I will figure what to pack and what to give away. Then on Thursday we will load our 6 suitcases on to the overnight sleeper bus and head to Santiago. After three weeks of traveling about north and around Santiago, we will fly home to Boston and return to Cambridge on July 23rd. But before then, there will be more adventures and more blog posts.....