May 31, 2006 was Dragon Boat Festival AND Hannah’s 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony. She enjoyed her last year of Middle School and is looking forward to a few more years with some of her friends in the Morrison High School department here in Taichung.

Over the next days there will be some of her friends that will leave Taiwan as their families are relocating elsewhere in the world. Saying ‘good-bye’ will be hard for them. Hannah’s class was quite a mixture of personalities. The 39 classmates hailed from the US, South Africa, India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Canada, the Philippines and Japan. 82% of the students speak more than one language and 30% of them speak 3 or 4 languages. The languages spoken are English, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Korean, Afrikaans, and Cantonese. We should keep track of all the people who have come and gone during our 13+ years here.

Memories along the path of life. Lessons learned along the way. Different experiences that bring different perspectives. Hang on to the good ones, let go of the rest.

We are thankful for Hannah’s varied gifts: musical ability on piano and through singing; ‘A’ average in academics; the ability to be a friend to many of her classmates. She has a big heart and we are proud of her! Way to go Hannah!