The First Day of School and the Last Friday

Friday, 28 July 2006

The first day of school today went well. My part-time teacher Nicole and I tested kindergartners after they met with their teachers for individual testing. It was a good opportunity to meet with their parents and explain to them what the ESLL program is for and how it can help the students. It was strange to have our first day on a Friday. I was ready to go again tomorrow, and then someone told me it would be Saturday.

This evening, I took Dad to Art After Dark, the monthly art event at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, that happens the last Friday of each month. Although the weather was rainy off and on, he enjoyed looking at the art galleries, as he hadnʻt been there in a few years. I ran into a couple friends, and the security guards were really nice about moving the crowds of people so I could navigate the wheelchair through the pathways. We looked at the new exhibit by Kaili Chun, which featured wooden knobs with words carved in them inserted into rocks. Iʻm still trying to figure that one out. He liked the abstract art with the steel mechanical contraption, as well as the Buddhist exhibit. He wanted me to take a picture of the Four Noble Truths on display, which stated that one must suffer, which is caused by craving and desires. "To end suffering completely, one must remove desire, ill will and ignorance." I know we often wonder why Dad has been afflicted with ALS.

As I put Dad to bed this evening, he thanked me again for taking him to the Academy of Arts. It was a nice last Friday.