Ruby with her class (Notice her lack of sparkle, whoops mom's fault - it was hard enough for me to just buy the material and have the dress made. But i probably would have fared about as well in the States.)
Donut making
Felix on Stage
The big kids (playing Christopher Columbus et al)
Ruby on stage
Ruby and Felix attend a private school that has students from age 2 all the way through high school. It seems like a good school with wonderful people in it - students, teachers and administrators. We knew the school's anniversary was coming up and that there was 2 weeks worth of special functions but I don't think we realized just how grand of an occasion the big performance would be. They have a multi-purpose area that works as outdoor stage and they had hundreds of chairs lined up in the soccer/basketball court below. There was an incredible food scene off to the side with freshly made donuts (pictured), grilled meats and homemade cakes. It all smelled delicious.
The costumes were elaborate. The preparation was pretty intense. Not only because the teachers (bless their hearts) are hearding cats and dealing with intermittent rain and power problems. But also because of Ruby's attention garnering factor. It is overwhelming for me to be around and I can't imagine how she feels. The children and some moms want to speak to her and tell her how beautiful she is. I can tell it is too much for her and sometimes she just wants to blend. I think her attempts to shy away just make it worse - we need to figure out something to deal with this. But she was excited to try her first makeup, which lasted all of 3 seconds when she made me wipe it off.
The theme was migrations so it talked about people that have migrated all over the world. Ruby's class was in Israel and she was a slave. But, if you are going to be a slave, why not wear your favorite color pink? She did great and took time out her class parade in the performance to give us a wave - as we were encouraging her to keep moving, keep moving. She has some performer in her too. It was really impressive to see an entire class of 5 year olds tell a choreographed story of Moses with no teachers on stage. That voice recording ahead of time was a wise move.
I'm still not quite sure what Felix was but he was sooo darn cute, it really didn't matter. And the best of all - he was very well behaved and followed along with the program. He was obviously targeted by the teachers beforehand as a potential wildcard. But I think when he got up there and saw so many people watching, he's just enough of a ham to want to have a good performance. I don't know when I have laughed harder seeing him up there - just this adorable, blonde, mop-headed smiler wearing some Egyptian, sparkly garb. David joked with our friends as we watched - guess which kids are ours! It was pretty obvious.
We had a wonderful time and got a further glimpse into the culture here, which is very family oriented. A friend we were sitting with mentioned how much she missed her son who had left for college - and how much we need to enjoy this time of them being little. I have been told this so many times but it is always a good reminder. Sometimes when you are knee deep in diapers and tantrums you forget. But I think about Felix being 13 and not wanting to be the 'kissing bandit' that he is now, and I know she is right.
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