“Life is better in flip flops”
–Anonymous

As we head into a very “long weekend” in honor of the Bulgarian holidays of Labor Day (May 1) and St. George’s Day (May 6) which fall on Thursday and Tuesday respectively, I took some time this week to talk with students and staff about what they are looking forward to doing on the days off. For the most part, the responses were not surprising. That said, I will begin with one common response I was not expecting, which came from grade 2 students: guinea pigs. Apparently, guinea pigs are all the rage. Many ES students will either play with or adopt guinea pigs over the holiday. I have not previously considered guinea pigs as animals to play with (to be 100% honest, I have not really considered guinea pigs at all), so I googled it. It turns out that there are many ways to play with guinea pigs. From tug-o-war to guinea pig-treat-treasure-hunts, there are plenty of ways to spend hours playing with “piggies”. Perhaps a bunch of families will get together this weekend and have exhilarating guinea pig races. 

One grade 2 student is looking forward to celebrating his mom’s birthday. 

Many grade 2s and other elementary students cannot wait to spend time with family friends. This was the most common theme across all students from elementary through high school. Families will be traveling to Italy, Israel, Denmark, Greece, all over Bulgaria, and many other places to spend time with family and friends.

In addition to time with family and friends, students from middle school through grade 10 are looking forward to sleeping in and “recharging” (aka doing nothing). (By the way, I asked some younger students if they are looking forward to sleeping in, and they said no. I asked them if they will let their parents sleep in, and they laughed). Some MS/HS students are excited to play golf and play and/or watch football. One student is mainly thinking about a dentist appointment. One grade 10 student shared that he is looking forward to reading. When I asked what he was planning to read, he said “Steinbeck”; when I asked which Steinbeck book he was reading, he wasn’t sure, so he said all of them. Another grade 10 student is simply looking forward to making a new friend.
 
Without exception the grade 11 students said that they will use the time to work on their IAs (IBDP Internal Assessments). Good thinking, and I hope you also get some downtime.

Most grade 12 students (and the staff supervising them), will not have the upcoming holidays as they take the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) exams. I wish them all good luck. Grade 12s: you have worked hard to get to this point. We are proud of you. We know you will do your best. And, remember that these exams do not define you. Regardless of how they come out, you will be fine and we will be proud of you. 

Staff? Just like students they are looking forward to time with family and friends, whether it be at the beach, traveling about, or enjoying Sofia. 

One other group: the PTO leadership. While they will hopefully enjoy some family, friends, or do-nothing time, they will also be working on preparations for the PTO International Fair (Saturday, June 14). If you are new to AAS, the PTO International Fair is the biggest AAS community event of the year. There are games for the students, performances by the students, the incredible International Food Court (make sure to bring a healthy appetite), and more. There has already been information in the recent Weekly Howls about the upcoming International Fair. More information will be coming in the weeks ahead. Please consider helping out by volunteering at the event, volunteering to prepare for the Fair, and/or providing food from your home country at the International Food Court. The PTO International Fair is an exceptional event every year. How exceptional it is this year depends on YOU!

“Sorry, I wasn’t listening, I was thinking about guinea pigs.”
–Anonymous