Way better than Eurovision Song festival!

The elementary school put on a song festival yesterday and each class got to take the stage and perform. And of course it's no surprise that when S's class paraded out and started to sing my heart filled up and felt like it was going to burst into a thousand pieces!

It's funny how your emotional triggers change as you age. I can remember feeling enraptured at concerts as a teenager or college student; when I saw Depeche Mode I wanted to climb up on the stage and dance. And I was so excited that I screamed my lungs out at a special jam session by the Cult.

But it's only as an adult, when my little boys are performing at school functions, that I feel so overwhelmed by emotion that I want to climb right up on the stage and eat every living creature on it! (They were all that cute!)

There was a very interesting cultural aspect to the show as well. Flemish schools tend to be more traditional than Dutch ones and there doesn't seem to be as much pressure for young children to be tough / cool / confrontational. In addition, Flanders isn't struggling to define its social identity the way the Netherlands is at the moment.

All of these factors are surprisingly evident in the type of plays that the directors of our school choose for the children to perform. There's something so innocent and endearing about these productions, which is refreshing in the digitized, glossy, fast-paced world we live in today...

Unfortunately my camera couldn't handle the dim lighting so I'll be bartering favors from one of the other parents so that I can plunder her photos. Will post something soon...