Olympic Fever



Olympics around our house were quite an event, as I’m sure they were for many of you. We don’t have a TV so we couldn’t watch them live, but we enjoyed following them on the internet and were able to stream some video from a few of the events for the kids to watch.





At the kickoff of the Olympics, the kids preschool announced it wanted to teach the kids about the Olympics and would begin with it’s very own special opening ceremony on a Friday evening. They would select on kid from each of the Kindergarten classes to be the torch bearers. So they encouraged us to teach the kids about the Olympics so they could answer questions and win the spot for their class. Robbie and I had so much fun looking at all the different event photos from the Beijing Olympics and learning what we could about how it all works. To our surprise Robbie was selected from his class (well maybe not a complete surprise since they do like to have a token foreigner involved whenever possible ). Robbie’s not usually much of a public performer (you may remember the Christmas program) but he seemed really excited for this opportunity and put a lot of work into learning his lines for the performance. When the day arrived he was so excited to go.




The classes each participated in a “parade of nations” and in some sports exhibition. Then the crowd gathered around for the older kids to recite their chants and songs for the parents. Robbie and his 2 lovely co-hosts had their big moment at the end when they recited their lines into the microphone and held high the torches and sparklers which signaled the kickoff of real live fireworks over top of our heads. We could not have been prouder of Robbie. He enthusiastically said his lines into the mike, and held his torch up high. The fireworks explosion was comical, we all had to run for cover from the raining ashes, but it didn’t seem to phase anyone and everyone re-emmerged clapping and cheering! Only in China can you set off fireworks right next to small children and have the parents clap LOL.





They spent the next 2 weeks following the medal count daily and learning in class about the different events and Olympic history. Then this past week we had the Olympic events for the kids. They consisted of fun field day type activities like 3 legged race, wheelbarrow races, obstacle courses, and tug of war. Even Rob and I got to join in the fun. The last time I was in a jump rope competition I must have been about 10 years old  I forgot what good exercise it is. At home we made our own medals and used the event names for some of our ABC practice, as well as teaching it to our Thursday night ESL kids. All in all the Olympics were a fun diversion for us this summer and provided plenty of family enjoyment.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Identity

Image
This study of John continues to totally captivate my attention. Most recently one of the things that came out of our study was identity. Jesus repeatedly identifies himself in John; I am: the bread of life, the light of the world, the living water, the way, the truth, the life.   So who am I? A wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, an auntie, a nurse, a teacher.........and on goes the list. But none of those are really me. Those are relationships that I have, or things that I do, but they aren’t me.   I spend a lot of time talking to young people and their parents who are trying to identify who they are. So often the discussion is based around the building of a college application. My child is an athlete, an artist, a musician, a linguist, a maths genius........ Then there are the national identities, and the passport identities, and the religious identities. My child is an A student, a C student. And from the children: I am an academic s...
Read more

Not forgotten

Image
It’s easy to feel forgotten, overlooked, or abandoned in our heart of hearts. Sometimes small things make us feel that way: not being invited to the party or not being acknowledged for a job well done. Sometimes it is much bigger things: extended illness, infertility, or loosing a job. Beyond this exist even heavier things that we shy away from thinking about: poverty, the loss of a loved one or violence. Whether big or small, intentional or unintentional, inflicted by fellow man or allowed by God, these disappointments leave behind varying levels of deep and painful wounds that are often difficult for anyone else to see.  Our tendency is to guard these wounds carefully and to protect ourselves in any way possible from the pain that they bring. Simultaneously most of us still wish to be noticed and to be known, but our fear of letting down that guard and letting anyone close enough to see our quiet pain or worse touch the pain holds us back. As a result, no one really know...
Read more

The Fount of Every Blessing

My birthday has rolled around again (that happens so quickly these days J ).   Sometimes, I’m surprised by my own age, I’ll wake up some mornings and think I’m still in my 20’s only to jolt myself back to reality that more time has passed then I think.   We use our birthdays and anniversaries to mark the passage of time.   They call us to stop and remember what has happened since the last time we passed this way. And whether the memories are good or bad there is something in us that needs to recall, evaluate, and acknowledge what has transpired.   As I pass my milestone this year I am captivated by the words of a very old hymn penned in 1757 by Robert Robinson, “Come Thou Fount”.   “Come thou fount of every blessing tune my heart to sing thy grace.”   Looking back over my year and even farther past that into the years before, I find that my life is covered with evidences of God’s grace.   They are weaved into every portion of my existence and...
Read more