Today was my last day at The Learning Vine School before I head to Durban on Sunday. My day was filled with so many emotions. First some disappointment when my special friend David was not at school because he has a bad cough. Then it was enlightenment because I realized that’s why I probably didn’t feel too well;) David has a way of putting his hands all over your face just to make sure you are still there. Next up it was compromise. My 5th and 6th grade group begged me to play Monopoly with them and I HATE monopoly. It’s honestly one of the worst games out there, but it was the perfect excuse to spend more time with this group I’ve gotten so close to. And if anyone knows Monopoly can last forever. From that point on, it was bittersweet. The kids get dismissed from school at 12 o’clock on Friday and for the next two hours we danced, hula hooped, played tea party, played hairdresser, had a dance party and went wild with the snap chat filters. We were having so much fun , but I couldn’t shake the fact that I was leaving them. I will miss hearing the kids calling me, “Ms. California”. Most of their images of California are Hollywood and one of their favorite things to do was ask me if I’d seen this celebrity or that one “live”. Which means in-person, not in concert. It was hard convincing them that my life is not that glamorous. I will also miss all the different ways they referred to me; Miss, Mum, Auntie, Teacher and Sister. All of which are terms of respect and some of endearment. I will miss our games of Simon Says during recess breaks and my dance parties with Azola. That girl can dance (see the Whip Video)
But what I will miss the most is their smiles when you remembered their name and said good morning or said yes to another game of Simon Says or when you tell them “Good Job.” On Wednesday one of the students told me, “You wont remember me. You will go back to your family and just forget me.” I tried to convince him that I would never forget him or this experience. I didn’t tell him that I could never forget the boy that showed up to school in his pajamas and bare feet in 40-degree weather, but it’s the truth, I will not forget that little love bug or the rest of them that have truly wormed their way into my heart.
