All joys

Today was the last official day of school for our graduating Seniors.  Blessed with beautiful warm sunshine, they enjoyed a full eight hours of celebratory events - an informal whole school farewell ceremony (extra), graduation ceremony rehearsal, buffet refreshments, party games, water pistol mayhem and the customary nostalgia movie - until finally at 15.30 when all 200 of them vacated the premises en convoy (extra) - for some reason many of them in hired brightly coloured Volkswagen Beetles - to continue their celebrations elsewhere. I wish them all joys in their paths ahead.

Some of us also vacated the school at 15.30 to continue our own celebrations at Bizim Tepe and spend a couple of hours with Lisa, ex colleague, who'd flown in to Istanbul specifically to say congrats and cheerio to these students, who were her kids in their preparatory year 2014-2015.  

Tired now. The countdown begins...