a handful of sunflower seeds


i have officially left my job at bethesda(bukit arang) kindergarten. really sad but im leaving with wonderful memories of the people and the place:)


unlike many others out there..i really loved my job. my siblings and mom can comfirm that..being the ever available audience of the stories that i went home with daily. like i said a few blog entries earlier..i never intended to get such a job, but through some extensive networking and God's hand in it, i did. the past 7 weeks have been one of the greatest times of my life, really:)


still remember the first 2 days of work. thrusted into an environment that i was not familiar with, i groped around to stay afloat. getting to know the teachers who i were helping, learning the way things were done, breaking the ice with the kids, getting acquinted with the parents and erm..getting used to my title. i didnt really know my place and the teachers didnt really know what i could do..but things eventually got much better:)


little nuggets of memories
-the pre-nursery kids: if i could put all their names down i would. but some of the more memorable ones and my favourite kids are klesa[it was an open secret that she was my fav kid:)], lek yi, natalie, sarah, wan xuan, perez and sean chew. if i ever get to meet them on the streets..that would really make my day:)


helping around with the three years was hardly work per se. i mostly played with them, brought them to the toilet, made them line up etc.. there was no teaching/major disciplining within my job scope. one thing that made the 'work' so fulfilling was the inherent character of little children. they are so sincere[even when they are naughty!] and love truely flows freely from their hearts. little gestures like a hug, a sweet smile or a kiss are unwithheld. sigh..i would really miss them. perhaps the only regret is that they would never remember me, not for long anyway. and that i dun have any photos of them at all.


the other kids: kids that i got to know during the 'transition time' - when the afternoon kids come earlier then the dismisal of the morning kids. to me, they were the hardest to get to know cos of the sheer lack of time. well..i made some good friends from there:)


-the pre-nursery teachers: ms yiu and peng lao shi. they were the ones whom i assisted the past 7 weeks. they are great people. the loud and gregarious ms yiu and the very motherly and good-natured lao shi. they are obviously 2 very different people but somehow they get along very well. they gave me a really sweet farewell gift today- a bag of soil and some sunflower seeds, and the invitation to drop by anytime i liked:) i thank God for giving me the 2 of them to work with and i truely wish God's blessing upon each of them


-the other teachers and ms low[principal]: despite my 'attachment' the the pre-nursery class, there were instances when i got deployed to help in other classes. when one nursery teacher was on mc and during the chinatown trips. well..though my direct contact with them have been limited, the teachers have been very friendly and as my mom puts it, 'sayang-ed' me alot. thank God for them too:) ms low, well..like any other principal,she is a little naggy and everything but you can really see her love for the kids. and the love from the kids to her too.


uncle ooi: the 78 year old kinderagrten supervisor. he is a very soft-spoken and grandfatherly figure in the kindergarten. kids really swarm to him like bees to a honey pot! just a gentle stroke on the face or the holding of a crying child's hand is able to settle most children. he usually is a familiar figure in the pre-nursery class helping out with the more difficult ones. its no secret that over the years, he has collected a sizable number of 'grandchildren':)


there is so much more that i want to blog down, and even more that cannot be put down in words. things like the very delicious lunches that aunty yin provides, touching snippets of love you get to see everyday between parents and child, naughty kids who i really wished to throw out of the class, learning to cope with kids who have special needs..words truely fail me. i really marvel at the ablity of the teachers to teach these young children. i have come to fully realise that to 'stand' such a job, one must need a great love for the children. after all..the pay is nothing great though the non-tangible rewards are pretty good:) and i see that love in the teachers.


it has been an experience for me. and i would never have traded it for anything else. i am indeed relectant to leave for 'greener pastures' at pl. God has been very good to me this whole time - giving a job that didnt feel like one at all, a workplace with a strong christian culture and belief, wonderful people[teachers] from whom i have learnt loads from. what more can i say but thank you Lord:)


it has been a most meaningful 7 weeks. if only time would stop.