A Birthday for the Books

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ETA Elizabeth “Liz” Wallace was not looking forward to spending her 23rd birthday 10,000 miles away from friends and family. But what she wasn’t expecting was the celebration of a lifetime at her school in Gresik!

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Liz was greeted by surprise parties in each of her classes, complete with students serenading her on their instruments and shooting confetti into the air. They even convinced Liz to play a song for them on one of their violins.

During English Corner, Liz had the biggest surprise of all. Her counterpart and students had put together a skit that chronicled Liz’s life, from infancy until her time in Indonesia. At the end of the skit, the student playing “Miss Liz” announced “I’m so glad my best friends could join me in Indonesia” and into the classroom came students carrying masks with photos of Liz’s closest friends and family members.

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It was truly an unexpected twist and Liz could not believe the creativity and kindness of her students. The skit ended with a delicious cake emblazoned with Liz’s face on it next to one of her students who was also celebrating a February 13th birthday.

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The celebration did not stop with her students. Liz’s fellow teachers showered her with love and lots of sweet treats. One teacher even made an entire Jell-O cake for Liz to enjoy. Though having a birthday away from home can be hard, the students and teachers at SMA NU 1 Gresik made sure that this was a birthday that Liz will never forget!

Elizabeth “Liz” Wallace is currently teaching at SMA Nahdlatul Ulama 1 Gresik, East Java

Last Updated: Dec 13, 2019 @ 3:21 pm
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