First Day of Orientation!

I had my first day of orientation yesterday, and the experience was so unique and wonderful!

It started with a bike ride that the founder of our school John Hardy mapped out. He called it a "princess ride" but it was a long 30 km ride down the Kintumani volcano that my beach cruiser skills were not quite ready for!! It was a great way to get to know each other, and I can already tell I will be working with a great group of teachers! 

view from the top

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We rode all the way to Green School and when we arrived, we jumped in the spring fed natural swimming pool, followed up by lunch and a campus tour given by the co-founder. As we were walking through, she pointed out the pineapple, papaya, cocoa and bananas. We stopped at the lemongrass to pick it and rub it in our hands-a natural mosquito repellent and of course it smells amazing! She told us the history of the school, the struggles they've had in the past 7 years, and places in the school that are not "green." She showed us the river turbine and solar panels-this will be the first year they are completely off the grid! It was a lot to take in, but I'm so excited to be working here! I can't stop comparing it to a first day at a public school in NC-how would the activities be different, the meetings, the food, the campus tour. It's night and day!

path from Grade 1 to the Heart of School

a meeting area

one of the seating areas in the Heart of School

bamboo and glass table!

quartz 

where they picked the organic lettuce for part of our lunch

the pool beside the river

eating lunch on the bridge-the very first bamboo structure built at Green School