Another parade

Alex had an exciting end to her year as she was chosen to perform in her kindergarten's Graduation Performance - essentially reprising her role on the catwalk in the recyclable fashion. This meant that instead of spending time in her classroom during the final two days of school, she spent half of the time in the university's original Jiannen Hall. Monday was the practice and Tuesday the performance. It was unbelievably hot both days. There was the promise of airconditioning for the Tuesday but it didn't eventuate.

It was lucky that Daddy had left Alex's costume at work as it would surely have been thrown out otherwise and then there really would have been a problem when we got the notes to say it was needed again!

It really illustrates how far Alex's mandarin has come that on Monday evening, when her teachers rang us at home to let us know something, we passed the phone to her and after she conversed with them. She then nonchalantly let us know that she'd left her costume hat behind at rehearsal and the teachers said that they had it (meanwhile I'd made another thinking it was surely lost for good). We were blown away! Ten interrupted months of chinese preschool and she could quite easily carry on a conversation with her teachers and convey information to her - although if you asked her what they said she would either say a) I don't know, or b) whatever it was in mandarin. She puts us to shame.

Anyway, we were told to bring Alex already made up on the Tuesday, ready to start the programme at 8.30am (her class was performance #11) and dutifully I dug out the only-worn-to-weddings rouge and eye makeup and made her up - I even put a dot of red lipstick on her forehead. We arrived (Daddy, Sebastien, Mummy and Shi Jing Rong - our regular babysitter who had wanted to come) in good time and waited the start in the already stifling hall. Alex was promptly taken backstage and her makeup reapplied. Finally an hour after scheduled, the performances began. It was obvious many hours had gone into preparing the show and the only other expat mum there (Ellie had already returned to the States) told me that the performance was a whole lot better that the International School's efforts. Even the teachers had an act. Two of Alex's classmates who weren't performing came to watch anyway and seemed to really enjoy the performances.Finally it was her turn - and any effort made to get a photo was thwarted by the thick crowd of parents trying to capture their own photo. Oh well.
Afterwards, we joined her friends at the front door for a photo and then she had a photo with her most beloved teacher who is one of those born-to-be-a-kindergarten-teacher types. It was obvious that she was loved by all the kids there. Her teacher took time to let me know how loved Alex is and just how much she has developed over the year.
Afterwards Daddy went back to work and we went for a requested McDonalds lunch. We now had less than a week until our trip to Australia!