Last night (Friday, September 26th) the KAS PTA threw this big shindig to celebrate the beginning of school and to welcome new teachers. What a night! There had to be at least 300 people there (KAS has about 600 students) and this was a big deal. Everyone dressed up (even me) and new teachers were introduced in this formal and funny fashion. This event was at one of the biggest hotels in Kaohsiung, the Grand Hi-Lai, and it was quite the event. New teachers got to go for free and everyone else had to pay about $30 a ticket.
We checked in at the door and new teachers were given name tags. For some reason I'm also listed incorrectly. Here I'm ES - Elementary School. I'm in Middle School. Also, they say 6th grade but I teach 6th and 7th. Oh well, that's just logistics.
This is the first picture I post of myself. Don't worry, there won't be many of those.
New teachers walked in from the back of the room with a boy student and a girl student holding our hands. I got leid, I mean a lei, and had to walk onto the stage while photos were being taken left an right. Like I said, this is a big deal! At least I didn't have to say anything!
There was a program that listed all of the times and events of the eveing, including the introduction of new staff and performances by students and parents.
We each got a thank you card and this card also mentions that this is not only a Welcome Banquet but a Fundraising event.
This is the menu of the meal we had. 10 courses!!! It took about 2 1/2 hours.
The food was fantastic! My favorites were the steamed fish (Ah-Mazing) and the braised vegetables with mushrooms. NomNom!
As we enjoyed our meal, different students got up to perform from elementary (this violin player and a young boy that drummed to Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer") to high school. Yup, Bon Jovi is even here in Taiwan.
Hip Hop Dancers
More strings...
And a group of moms from Tainan (a city north of KAS where many of our students travel from every day) did a dance number for us to a Taiwanese pop song.
As it is in the states, students are so happy to see their teachers outside of school. Students are invited to this event so I got so visit with several of my students and their families. As we sat there enjoying our meal, between courses parents and PTA members would come up to toast us and thank us. How cool is that!? I had a grin on my face the whole night.
There was a silent auction to buy artwork and a raffle for items donated by businesses in Kaohsiung. I won 2 tickets to the movies! They also posted donations that were being made throughout the night. It was busy; it was loud; it was colorful and it was an honor. It is so nice to be part of a culture where education is so appreciated, valued and honored. I felt very special.
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