Here Comes the Summer

For us language assistants in Spain, the last day of May marks our last day of school. Meanwhile, our poor students and full-time co-workers are stuck toiling in hot classrooms until late June. Pobriños! But while most of my fellow language assitants enthusiastically celebrated the sense of freedom that summer brings, for me it was a bittersweet day. It was the last of my days at the insti máis molón de toda Galicia, where I've spent the past 3 years making friends with coworkers, going on Galician fieldtrips, participating in English bookclub, and every once in a while, actually teaching English to my delightful teenage students. As much as I truly loved going to work and interacting with all the special people in that school, I decided to try something new for the next year. Still Galicia (home!), but somewhere new. And boy did they give me a sendoff to remember.

I imagined there would be some sort of farewell activity, and the ¨surprise¨ was ruined, but I still wasn't sure what to expect Tuesday morning when we went to school in time for morning recess. Nothing was afoot as I greeted people in the teachers' lounge: ¨Kerry! It's your last day! You're leaving us!¨ And as I organized myself for the upcoming TREASURE HUNTS, the teachers disappeared and I was suddenly alone. What a mystery! Haha. Enter Yolanda, my co-teacher and good friend. ¨Let's go for a walk¨ she said with a coy smile. In the auditorium, were seated all of my students (+/-90) along with other teachers, and the director at the front ready to give a little speech. He said 10 years from now, if someone asks where I was May 31, 2016 I'll remember. And I'm sure I will. The lights went off for a presentation to the tune of ¨American Pie.¨ It started with ¨From Ohio to Galicia¨ and went on to include a slew of photos of me with students and teachers: eating, dressed up for Carnival, on fieldtrips, dancing. Basically the school highlights of this blog. And at the end it said ¨Stay gold, Kerry, stay gold,¨ a phrase which I had recently discussed with the director (whose book club is reading The Outsiders). Try not to cry!

Then they presented me with some gifts to remind me of my time there, although frankly, the presentation was memory enough. But they got me a ceramic palloza (traditional, circular thatch-roofed housing in the Ancares) and a t-shirt of the school saying ¨I was there 2013-16.¨ So cool! Especially since as many students have already noted, (band) t-shirts are one of my hallmarks.  After this little ceremony, I was asked to say a few words. I started by asking if they understood me if I spoke in English, which was answered with a rotund yes. Which describes quite well my job and joy: three years after hearing me babble on in English, they understand (not saying I'm the only one to thank, but it did feel like a nice payoff)! I told them thanks and blablabla and finished with a Galician, ¨vou vós botar de menos¨ meaning I will miss them. Nothing but the truth. It was met with cheers, as in most classes I refused to speak Galician or Spanish.

Afterwards, I had four gym classes. I planned two different treasure hunts around school for them as a special surprise, and actually had a little treasure chest of cheap Americana trinkets waiting for them. By now I was already overwhelmed, but on top of that in all of my classes we had pop and snacks! In most classes it was because my two co-teachers thought of celebrating, but in my favorite, oldest class it was the students' idea. Aw! And besides, one of the gym teachers gave me a mug of the town. And the other teacher gave toasts in both classes that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. ;) Why on Earth did I choose to leave!?

Even at lunchtime, the specialness continued! I had class with my oldest students right before, and some who eat in the school cafeteria asked if I could eat with them. About half of the students eat in the cafeteria because their houses are too far away to go home. Teachers never eat there, so I was honored when the lunch ladies allowed it! They must've thought it was an odd request haha. Lunch was spent chatting with my students, and they even started chanting my name and banging on the table. Yikes! At the post-lunch recess we had our last meeting of English bookclub. The girls brought in cupcakes and even wrote me a letter detailing their past three years with me and apologizing if sometimes their class got out of hand. Oh, that's right, in my biggest and most ¨problematic¨ class, the class orator gave a speech also apologizing and saying that in fact they loved me. Aw! Then they proceeded to give a group hug with me in the center and toss me in the air. So by the end of the day, I was swimming in emotions, but certainly feeling the love! I feel bad for my future school...the bar has been set high.