Valentine's Weekend

At ICSB, Valentine's Day turned into Valentine's Weekend! We began celebrating this day of love of Friday, and it lasted all the way through the weekend.

During school on Friday, many singing telegrams were sent to students and teachers. I received one from my fellow teacher, the counselor. A group of seniors sang "You Are My Sunshine," and I was surprised with roses. It sure made class more interesting!

After school, the middle school students gathered for a night of games, food, contests, and karaoke. The best game was called "Honey, I love you, but I just can't smile." The goal of this game is to NOT smile. One student says it to another student. Neither one is supposed to smile...only a few Scrooges could actually pull this off! The game provided many smiles and laughs. Throughout the night, students could buy various goodies. All of the money raised was donated to a local missionary family. The father of this family has been going through radiation for cancer in his throat. The money was to help his expenses. There was a poetry and drawing contest of which I got the privilege of helping judge. Students could also write Valentines to each other and deliver them. Each kid had an envelope with their name on it for receiving Valentines. Another highlight was karaoke. Many students showcased their talent...or lack their of!

Saturday night was the high schoolers time for celebration. They had a Valentine's Banquet at the Merriot Hotel in Budapest. This formal event is one of the most treasured events at ICSB. Imagine the banquet as equal to prom in an American school. It is a BIG deal. Kristin and I attended and had fun getting all fancied up! We looked great, and the students cleaned up quite nicely as well. At the banquet, we enjoyed a buffet of tasty food. The facilities manager and geography teacher provided romantic background music. Finally, the students competed in an upperclassmen versus underclassmen round of Family Feud. The night was fun, topped off by a beautiful view from the hotel windows to the Danube River.

I thought it was just a reason for fun and games until I went to church Sunday morning. The preacher said something that really got me thinking... I got a new perspective on the day when the preacher said, "Romance is a reminder of heaven." By knowing the Lord we really do know what true love is.