We kinda thought it was going to be a big deal.
I mean, really. How many Kindergarten end-of-year programs are held at a restaurant?
Or feature students in elaborate costumes?
Or have a dress rehearsal? Not one we had ever attended before! But given that school lessons had ceased and Reni had been practicing some dances, weeks in advance, we should have been forewarned.
We showed up about 30 minutes before it was to begin, just in case we forgot any essential costume pieces or misunderstood any instructions in translation.
The beauty of the location was that we could order whatever we wanted tableside. Unfortunately the music was so loud the waiter didn't understand our order and we ended up with 3 ice creams instead of three sodas... at 9:30 in the morning.
The kids were adorable. I couldn't believe they remembered all of their choreography! Some were in as many as 5 numbers!
It felt like we waited some time before Reni came out for his first performance. I can't describe how proud we were of him.
Our Reni -- who's normally the one to run the other direction from attention -- ran out on the stage like it was his business.
He did his part with gusto.
He wasn't an attention hog, but he acted like it was totally no big deal.
Most of the numbers were American pop songs. Above, he's dancing to a Bruno Mars song. We're assuming that whomever chose the song was completely unaware of the inappropriate nature of the lyrics.
I leaned over to Nathan at one point and asked, "Are they saying what I think they're saying?"
About half an hour later he came out for his second act...
If I can say so here, I feel bad for the other kids who had to dance with him because I think all eyes were on him! (ha ha)
I suppose it wouldn't be a true school program for one of my children without missing a note on at least one outfit (below).
Reni's head teacher is the lovely woman in blue. She is breaking all kinds of stereotypes in Albanian culture about what it means a 'dis-abled' person! She was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident as a young adult and about a decade later became a Christian through a Dutch ministry to adults with physical handicaps. With their assistance, she and her husband (also in a chair -- they met in the same program), have started this Kindergarten. In a culture that can doubt the potential of individuals with disabilities, we felt God gave us the optimal learning environment for Reni in their school! They (staff and students) welcomed him with open arms. Incidentally -- his school has a waiting list. God is blessing them.
We are SO proud of this boy! For months he had days where he dreaded going to school. Mostly because he was frustrated with the inability to communicate with his classmates.
About March, though, something clicked. He must have realized that if this was his fate, he might as well make the best of it.
One day he told us, "I know all kinds of words in Albanian, but I don't know the talking words! I know words like gishti, avion, and tavolina but I can't say anything!!!"
But he actually knew more than he realized. Later his teachers told us they would ask him in Albanian to do certain things and he would respond appropriately. I would see the same thing here at our center with the village kids while he would be playing games with them.
But school was always more than just learning Shqip. It was about him learning to function in a world apart from his mom and dad. It was about him learning appropriate social cues and getting along with peers.
He finished a much more confident, mature little guy than he began!
Grandparents -- watch out. We have the entire program on DVD thanks to a professional video crew that recorded the event! :-)
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