Kindergarten Graduation

The school year in Guatemala runs from January to the beginning of October. So, the children here are now finished with classes until after Christmas. Last Friday, was the kindergarten graduation ceremony -- complete with cap & gown! Emily, Juan David, and Javier are now moving up to first grade! They looked adorable in their graduation attire. I tried hard not to cry as they marched in and my heart was filled with such gratitude for their lives. Juan David and Javier just came to NLCH this year and I couldn't help but think of how their lives would be drastically different had they not have come. I thank God for rescuing them, giving them the opportunity to grow up here, and especially for giving us all the opportunity to know them.

While the lack of paying attention to time often frustrates me here (I love punctuality!), there are other times when I really appreciate the relaxed pace. For example, during the ceremony I was thinking about how we are so rushed in the States. We tell people to "hold their applause until the end" and do other things to try to save time. Here, the ceremony just goes as long as it needs to. The ceremony started more than a half hour late as we waited on one of the graduates to arrive. After each child's name was read, the child came onto the stage and received a certificate. Then parents came onto the stage as well, gave hugs and kisses, presented rings and other small gifts and posed for family pictures (sometimes multiple pictures by several different family members but no one seemed to mind). Afterall, how many times does someone graduate from kindergarten? It was a nice celebration.

Here are a few pictures with descriptions below:

Juan David and Javier before the ceremony

Emily getting ready to march in

The custom is to give the graduating child a ring, so here Kendon and Wendy are placing Emily's ring on her finger (a small gold ring with a blue stone)

Emily with her brothers: Giovani and Jans

The graduates showing off their rings

Posing with their teachers