International Peace Day

I arrived to work on Friday to be greated with tribal drums, hundred of cranes hanging from trees and people everywhere. Somehow I had managed to forget that over 250 students from local schools were coming to the college for International Peace Day! It was ace!! I've never seen anything like it and if we could do it at Shenley it would be so wonderful!!!

There was a free BBQ (with over 600 sausages, burgers etc to cook) free coffee, tea and water. Free music - which the students provided... workshops in dances from all over the world. The Save the Children Foundation were there running workshops with the local primary kids and there was a whole section of the hall dedicated to making hundreds of cranes for peace.

It sounds strange but it had exactly the kind of atmosphere I would hope Matt and I's wedding would have. There were Balanese flags blowing in the wind. Everyone was outside enjoying the sun and the music wandering arounf with food in the hands or sitting and enjoying the view! Brilliant.

It's amazing when you think about what some of our students have been through. One poor woman who came to Oz recently from Sudan with her 2 chidlren found out that soldiers visited her village over the weekend (last weekend) and slit the throat of her mother, father and husband. How terrible and shocking that that can happen?? There are so many of the pupils who have witnessed things they should never had to have seen and it makes me very thankful that I am safe and that they are too. One things for sure: they certainly don't take peace for granted and enjoy the fact that they can celebrate it where they are now.