Today is my third first day of school in Bulgaria! Pretty cool.

It was a pretty great day. I am tired though.

School always starts here on the 15th of September. It doesn't really matter if it's a Monday or a Thursday. It always starts on the 15th. Okay, I am not really sure what happens when the 15th lands on a Saturday or a Sunday but that's another story.

The thing is that the 15th isn't really a <em>school day</em> as I know it in the States.  We don't have our students sitting in their chairs, taking notes or anything else first-day-of-school like.  The 15th is like a celebration <em>of </em>school rather <em>than</em> school.<!--more-->

Anyhow, at the American College of Sofia, it means that we formally welcome the students, our newest class the 8th grades (who we fondly call our preps) are introduced and then we play field games. The games are silly and generally aimed at getting the students to work together, to get to know each other and to catch up with their school friends before we require that they sit still and silently in their chairs. It's really a pretty great idea.

We also have a developing advisory system and each small-group advisory fits into a larger house system.  This means that playing field-games for a day lets you get to know your eight or nine advisees and gives the students a chance to feel like apart of their individual house.

And great news: my house came in second in the school wide olympics!! So, all in all, it was a pretty wonderful first day of school.

But, now I am tired.

I've got to go because I have to get up bright and early tomorrow morning. For my second day of school and my first day of teaching.