I decided to take advantage of the fact that our room has a full kitchen and bought what we needed for breakfasts and snacks.
Jim slept quite late, which was good, considering how awful he was feeling when he went to bed.
Daniel had had classes until 11, so we had the morning to ourselves. We went to the base as soon as he texted us that he was through. There, we met Katie and her mom and then we all went in to the dining room for Chicken Ceasar Salad.
After lunch, we mostly sat on the deck outside the Student Center and watched all the activity. Daniel had a long conversation with Andrew while we sat there.
Also this afternoon, we had a nice long visit with Isaac - the husband of the couple whose home I stayed in when I went down to visit Daniel in June. I was glad Jim had the opportunity to meet him. Turns out Isaac has worked in the Alberta Oil Patch - for a company that Jim has hired often.
After our people watching, Daniel went to pack and hang out with his friends. We went back to the hotel so Jim could rest and be ready for the graduation celebration tonight.
Before we left again for the base, we walked across the road to the beachfront that belongs to our hotel.
Of course, I took some photos of the pier area.....
I've said it before, Flathead is a beautiful lake....
When we arrived at the home on the base where the graduation celebration was to be held, we were amazed and impressed by the beautiful surroundings.
A pretty little creek runs along the back of the yard....
The back of the house is a profusion of blooms.....
In fact, there were containers of flowers and flower beds placed in many strategic locations all around the yard. Much prettier than crepe paper and balloons for decorations!
We even had an extra guest or two!
The meal was as delicious as our surroundings were beautiful and the weather was perfect.
The ceremonies began with some speeches by the staff......
......during which we had some more visitors.....
yes, they are wild turkeys.
I think Dan was glad to recieve his certificate stating that he had completed the DTS.
Sadly, the outreach phase of Dan's DTS was wrought with strife and therefore was not as 'successful' as he would have hoped. He did, however, make a few very good friends as a sort of survival strategy.....
Here, he poses with Mai and Katie. They formed a trio dubbed HMK (Hutch, Mai, Katie) who supported one another throughout the difficult 8 weeks in Thailand and Cambodia.
Another student Dan became better friends with during outreach was Jonathan...
In spite of the stresses of outreach, there were some good times, as evidenced by this photo of most of the group being silly.....
In the end, Dan is thankful for the experience - not only the opportunity to experience another culture, but especially for the growth that had to happen in him as he dealt with the 'people problems' within his team.
The graduation evening was a fun time for the students - a chance to appreciate one another and the whole experience.
