Our First Days of School

We have finished six days of school. Terry has a 3rd grade class of 21 and I have 16 in my 1st grade class. They actually go by ages here.  My class is 6.2 and his is 8.1. The decimals recognize which teacher is teaching which class. I suppose they use ages because it's international and all countries do something a little different.

The campus is a K-12 facility with about 500 students. The students come to school at 8:15 and leave at 4. The elementary children are released at 3:06. Some go home and others stay for "activities" three days a week after school while they wait for their secondary brother's and sister's buses to leave. The elementary teachers each instruct an activity at those times.


The students eat family style in the cafeteria. I need to take more pictures because it is quite beautiful. They have a buffet set up for the older students. The little ones have their meal on glass plates ready for them when they arrive. They have silverware, glass glasses, bread, dessert, and fruit. It's a huge spread. Here's the clincher...it is expensive...about $6.50 a day. We were hoping to take school lunch and make it our main meal but at that price it's too expensive. In the afternoons the students get a "snack" delivered to them in the classroom. Usually some type of bread/cake (not sweet). One day they had little rolls stuffed with meat.

Terry's room is right above mine in a two story annex to the main building. We have a sky walk that allows us to travel to the main building without going outside. We both have a beautiful view of the mountains.  

Terry's room before he had it all set up.

 Susan's room. Teaching in progress!

View from Terry's room.

Saturday the 25th we went to an all staff BBQ at our director's home. They live next door to the school in a gated community. There are some staff apartments there and eight more are being built. It would be wonderful to live next door. We have to brave the traffic and it takes us about 15 min in the morning to get to school and 30 min to return in the afternoon. The traffic is thick at 5 pm. Going to and from school is always an adventure! Friday on the 2 lane street, but with 4 lanes of cars traveling on it, a bus and several cars got tired of waiting for the light to turn (it usually takes us about 10-15 min to get through that area) and drove off the road, between trees, and onto an asphalt sidewalk. Then they drove on up in front of everyone and entered at the intersection. It's never boring traveling in Almaty.

 

 Two of our men BBQ shashlik. They use chicken, pork, and beef and BBQ over a special wood with amazing spices.