The Roberts in Korea

Prom 2012

The TCIS 2012 Prom was held last Saturday.  It sounds like it was a one day event, but it wasn't.  Prom is a multi-month experience that involves drama, money, shopping for dresses, money, shoe  shopping, money, a hair stylist, money, nail polish, money, flowers, money and more money.  Nevertheless, Prom 2012, and its accompanying preparation, was a grand time had by all in our family.

Becca and Sarah both went to Prom this year.  Becca went with David and Sarah went with Steve.  The girls and their friends spent Prom day getting ready at our apartment and then in the evening  all the guys came to the apartment to pick up the girls and to get some p ictures taken.

Corsages and boutonnieres are hard to get here in Korea and when acquired are sometimes a bit "different."  So, as an option, Dina bought some flowers and made corsages and boutonnieres for the kids.  They looked great.

The weather was perfect for Prom.  The pictures outside the apartment went well and then the prom couples were off to the big event.  They had a good time... and in retrospect--it came and went all too quickly.

 

TCIS Drama Awards Ceremony 2012

On May 18 we attended the 2012 TCIS Drama Awards Ceremony.  Anyone who's anyone was at the event.  Ms Heidi Zickefoose, the TCIS Theater Arts teacher, hosted the gala and there were stars and celebrities everywhere.  

Sarah attended the event as Marilyn Monroe and Becca, dressed as the Black Widow, showed up with The Hulk (a.k.a. Joseph Kwon).  The other Avengers were conspicuously absent.  Peter Choo and John Hahm came as themselves--a couple of sharp dressed men.  It apparently worked as they obviously got the attention of Marilyn and Black Widow.

The night was filled with glitz, glamor, great food and lots of awards.  Sarah walked away from the ceremony with two awards in hand.  She was voted the "Best Dressed Female at the 2012 Drama Awards," and more importantly, for her performance as Chava, weeping as her father disowned her in Fiddler on the Roof, she brought home the award for the, "Most Powerful On Stage Moment During the 2011-12 Drama Season."  Congrats Sarah! 

Becca brought home a couple of awards too.  Becca played the piano in the pit orchestra for Fiddler on the Roof and for her performance she received the award for, "Outstanding Pit Orchestra Member of the 2011-12 Drama Season," and "Outstanding Instrumental Feature Performance of the 2011-12 Drama Season."  Congrats Becca!

The 2012 TCIS Drama Awards was an amazing night of TCIS students parents, teachers and. . . artists celebrating one another and the beauty of their work.  The night, like all good artwork, will remain as a treasured and lasting memory.

MS Retreat 2012

Last weekend we (the Roberts family) spent the weekend at the Middle School Retreat.  No, we don't have any middle school students in our family, but we jumped at the chance to be a part of one of the great activities that make up the TCIS educational program.  Ninety middle school students, ten staff members, eight high school students and the Roberts family all boarded buses and headed for the West coast of South Korea for the weekend.  The retreat was held at Chunjungdae Beach.

Becca and Sarah and the other eight high school students at the retreat spent the weekend working and helping out at the event.  The high schoolers led the music and worship during the chapel times and they helped lead games and activites on the beach.  Dina helped out in the kitchen at the retreat and Ryan kept tabs on the high schoolers, managed the sound system, played bass guitar and had a blast.

It was a super time.  Middle schoolers are so much fun.  At the retreat we were all involved in lots of rowdy singing, playing crazy games, performing outlandish skits and laughing.  The weather was perfect.  The campfire, s'mores on the beach and the salty sea air combined for a delicious memory. 

Middle school retreat was a great way to spend a weekend!

Ifest 2012

TCIS hosted an International Festival (Ifest) on its campus on the first Saturday of May.  Nearly 2000 people took in the grand event.  The weather was beautiful and everybody had fun visiting the display booths, eating way too much at the various food booths, soaking teachers and administrators in the dunk tank and enjoying the various acts and activities at the main stage. 

Becca was busy running the dunk tank for most of the day.  Sarah and her friend sang a song on the main stage.  Dina jumped in on the hoola hoop contest and the faculty jazz band played a few songs before the fireworks lit up the sky.

Ifest 2012 was a blast.

May Madness

May is a crazy month at TCIS.  It seems that there is something on the calendar for every night of the month.  There are end of the year concerts, sports banquets, final IB exams, retreats, Honor Society induction ceremonies, Prom (actually, Prom preparation is the killer), farewells and the like.  The "May Madness" around here is accentuated for us with the fact that Becca will be graduating from high school on May 25.  Yipes.

This past week it was fun to see both Becca and Sarah recongnized for their participation in both varsity basketball and volleyball at the end of the year TCIS Sports Banquet.

Last week nearly all of us participated in the last music concert of the school year.  Becca and Sarah sang in the choir and our staff jazz band played a couple of numbers.

 

May madness is wild, crazy, tiring and....fun.

Trip to India

The Roberts family spent Spring Break 2012 in India.  Dina and Ryan led a student service trip to a children's home in Bangalore.  We had an amazing time.  The student team was great and the kids at the children's home were precious.  If you are interested here is a video glimpse of our trip.

Fiddler On the Roof--TCIS 2012

This past weekend the TCIS Theater Arts Department presented the musical/drama, Fiddler On the Roof.  The production was directed by Heidi Zickefoose and it involved well over one hundred student and staff members from the TCIS community. Sarah played the role of Chava (one of the daughters in the musical) and Becca played piano in the pit orchestra.  The Idaho connection in the musical involved Alexandra Zickefoose playing the part of Yente, David Miller conducting the pit orchestra, Ethan Miller playing a Yeshiva boy, Tanner Hill playing the other Yeshiva boy and Brenna Loeber serving as the back stage crew advisor.

Dina and I attended all three nights of the production and it was amazing.  The songs, the story and the acting were so rich and powerful.  Sarah played the part of Chava and at the end of one of her scenes there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  Becca, at the piano kept the singers on pitch and laid the foundation for the outstanding musicians in the orchestra.  The musical and all that was involved in its production will stand as a precious life long memory in the lives of its participants--and some of the audience members too. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorm Spiritual Retreat

During Easter weekend TCIS hosted a spiritual retreat for some of the dorm students and for a few guest participants.  Sarah (who lives in my house) enjoyed the opportunity of being one of the guest participants.  Becca participated in the retreat last year and this year served as a worker (along with some of her friends) at the retreat, leading music and worship and setting up for and cleaning up after each activity that the retreat participants were involved in.

On the first night of the retreat I (Ryan) enjoyed the opportunty to speak to the retreat participants and lead them in a time of praise and worship.  We gathered on the roof of one of the dorm buildings under the night sky.  It was a memorable time.

Sarah-Sweet 16

Our dear Sarah turned sixteen on March 28 while we were in India.  She had a memorable birthday in India.  The kids at the children's home gave her notes, cards and hugs throughout the day and in our evening gathering all of the children and staff of the home (70+ people) sang "Happy Birthday" to her and gave her a birthday blessing.

When we got home from India we celebrated Sarah's birthday with a dinner out to Outback Steakhouse and we gave her a few gifts, one of which was a ukelele.

Is is hard to believe that Sarah, our princess, is sixteen years old.  She is loved and we celebrate her life.

Pics and People in India

We must keep ourselves in touch, not with theories, but with people, and never get out of touch with human beings, if we are going to use the word of God skilfully amongst them.  --Oswald Chambers, Workmen of God

Pics and people in India...