Day 8:
We took another rest day at the house and did laundry (which maybe we should have started yesterday as it’s still not dry after almost 5 hours in the dryer and we have to pack 
)… but the big thing of the day was an event & performance for our nephew Max’s school, the Flowerpot International School. It was held at a local community center that has an auditorium.
This is one of the only English-language, solely-special-needs primary schools in Belgium. Max is 13 and has Fragile X Syndrome. The director started the school in 2019 after seeing a need for this educational niche, with 3 students and one teacher. After only 6 months they pivoted to online, and now they have 12 students, 4 teachers and 3 classrooms. Max has been attending since the family moved to Belgium in late 2020; he “graduated” at this event and will be attending a different school in the fall.
The event had a looooootttt of speeches and recognitions (it was definitely a show for the Board of Directors), but it was interesting to hear about the school and staff. They are clearly super invested in the kids. And it was worth sitting through for the performances…the kids were awesome and adorable! Max did so well – he has the best stage smile and a lot of joy! There’s a video in this post…
Au revoir Belgium, you’ve been magnifique! We have a stupid early flight to Stockholm in the morning…
