MONICA AND MATT GRADUATE

Well, we've been quite busy over here in Boquete, Panama because we just finished the end of the school year.  Monica graduated from 6th grade and Matt from 2nd.  The last day of Academia Internacional Boquete (AIB) was December 11th, and summer break has officially started, yippee!  The kids will have over two months off from school and won't return until February 23, 2015.   Monica and Matt have been enrolled in their Panamanian school since we arrived in July, and Greg and I are so proud of them for their efforts, perseverance, and commitment.  Transitioning to a new school (and new country), especially when you are not familiar with the language and culture, is always a big change.  We certainly admire them for rising to the challenge.  Way to go Monica and Matt!  As you can imagine, both are looking forward to having some time off from school.  We have some travel plans for the summer and will be heading to Nicaragua in December and to Peru and Colombia in January.

Graduation from 6th grade is a rite of passage in Panama and was celebrated with a semi-formal dinner and dance, along with a short ceremony highlighting each graduate.  Here is a picture of Monica with her friends at the 6th grade graduation.

Mateo with his 2nd grade teacher, Maestra Virginia, on the last day of school