School is Back in Session!

Hard to believe it, but the girls have been back in school for nearly two weeks now! 

After a short eight week break, Mercy Ships Academy is back in session.

Yes, in Africa, a fleece jacket is a necessity for the first day of school (when you live on an air-conditioned ship, anyway)

Kylie's class is the biggest in the school.  Fourth and fifth grade is a combined class and Miss Angie (Savannah's teacher from last year) moved up to the challenge.  There are two girls and five boys to keep her on her toes. 

Savannah went from being one of two students last year, to one of four this year - including another GIRL who joined their class today, so she is a happy camper.  Her teacher is from the US and other than an allergy to chocolate (no, seriously), has brought a lot of fun to the classroom already.  The first few days it was just Savannah and Miss Rebekah, so they had some good bonding already.

To kick off the season, we were able to attend the annual African Mercy Independent Film Festival this week.  The whole evening was a lot of fun.  Kids, families and singles submitted films that had to be five minutes or less, and include the written or spoken phrase, "it's a trap" and a bottle cap.  The creativity on this ship knows no bounds.  Everything from Bollywood musicals to Spanish/Italian telenovellas to plastic lizard animation graced the screen.

The girls got together with three of their friends and put together a story about a journey to the center of the earth. 

The plot?  They "wake up" at a sleepover and they've traveled to a crazy land- they fall down a big hole (the stairs in their sleeping bags), go off to find the escape home, and encounter the crazy GUMBALL HEADS who tell them "it's a trap" and give them a bottle cap.  They rush out of there, fall down the stairs and wake up for real.  When their mom wakes them, they realize they've had the same crazy "dream" about the Gumball Heads and head off to school.  At school their teacher tells us they are going to learn about the Center of the Earth (which rocks their world), and then in Kylie's pocket, she finds....a bottle cap.... (dun, dun, dunhhhhhh). 

 Complete with lots of laughing outtakes, it won the prize of Cutest Film. 

The paparazzi was busy snapping photos of everyone dressed to the nines (one of few occasions to put on something other than capris and flip-flops).

The grand prize winner of the night was "So You Think You Can Dance," featuring many eligible bachelors (and Dan Bergman)....  If I can figure out a way to link you to the videos, I will.  Stay tuned...