Kindergarten Graduate

     Anneka's a kindergarten graduate!  And boy, is it a big deal to graduate from kindergarten!  The parents have been meeting for months, collecting money and making plans.  Each family ended up paying about $200 in the end for the graduation and dinner that follows.  Anneka was blessed to have two of the same teachers that she did last year.  They have done a wonderful job of teaching her and caring for her.  We saw a huge difference from last year (preschool) and this year of Anneka assimilating into the class.  Several parents this year told us that they didn't know she was a foreigner.  It has been very positive for Anneka to learn and make friends in this environment.  We are so thankful for God's leading!

I love how all of the girls get all frilled up!  Our friend, Yulia, did Anneka's hair for her.

     They practiced for the last 3 months different dances, songs, and playing musical instruments.  They all each had lines, too.  Anneka, along with 2 other girls was in a skit.  They gave us the lines on a Friday and told her to have them memorized by Monday... and they were LONG!  We prayed about it, and I ran to the neighbors to have them record the lines so that Anneka could hear the lines without Leif or my accent.  She listened about ten times and had it.  We were thanking God!

So cute!

Here she is, receiving her diploma.

They all set off balloons into the sky.

Fly away!

     Then, after the ceremony, we proceeded to a cafe for a huge feast and festivities.  The kids had their own table with kid food (pizza, chicken kaboobs, fries, fruit, juice, cakes).  It's very cultural for kids to eat separately from parents (even at home) and for the kids to eat first.

Then a clown arrived with all sorts of fun games for the kids.

     We watched for awhile and then sat down at our adult table.  Our friend, Yulia, offered to watch Ike and Ella during the evening.  It would have been an extra $50 to add them, and we also knew they'd be pretty tired since we'd arrived after midnight that same day from our hiking trip.  It was nice to know they were having fun and not running around tired with so much commotion (they were at the program, though).

     It was nice to sit with other parents and get to know them better.  Some of the kids in Anneka's class live right by us, so it's especially nice to build that trust since the kids will come over sometimes (and the girls sometimes go to one of the girls' house, too).  Toasts are very common.  There were lots and lots of toasts.  We don't drink any of the alcohol.  I must have had eight glasses of juice!  We were happy to see that everyone drank responsibly and nobody got really drunk.

     There was so much food we couldn't possibly eat it all.  It felt kind of wasteful, but I also know that that's how they do parties here.  So we just enjoyed and felt very full by the end of the night!

     A face painter came.  The kids were SO excited!  I think this picture is so funny.  The girls are posing very seriously.  Anneka is trying to be more serious with her mouth closed, but she just can't contain her excitement TOO much!

And this is a friend who lives in the building next to us that both girls love.  

     The whole celebration was 7 hours!  It was an eventful and exciting day.  And very rewarding to celebrated all that God has done and how He's grown our little girl.  We're so proud of you, Anneka!