Author: Jon Zurfluh

Found this recently on Quora – worth a read.  I think there may be other factors as well, but these three seem to be manageable with some persistence. Read Bassel Khaled‘s answer to Why do we feel tired after we sleep for a really long time, instead of waking up fresh? on Quora

It seems just a few short days ago, I was preparing and presenting a speech for our graduates about tolerance and trust.  I encouraged them that there are things that will happen in life to shake our safety and security when others act on fear and anger. And, on the weekend, we faced the latest…

Summer is almost here!! I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at Closing Ceremony next week as we bid farewell to another school year.  It’s hard to believe that, for me, it has been 5 years already — an anniversary of sorts.  It is quite amazing to look back on all…

End-of-Year Events May has almost ended and the final activities of the year are before us. Please pay close attention to the calendar as there are concerts, drama productions, moving-up ceremonies, and other end-of-year events scheduled in the next month.  For those in attendance at graduation last Saturday, we hope you enjoyed the pomp and…

Belated wishes for happy May Holidays!! I hope all enjoyed the weekend and for those that connected to the festivities here in Moscow, I hope you were engaged in the cultural experience that is a big part of Russia and particularly, Moscow. We also completed some important work last week during our annual meetings revolving…

Ode to Our Mothers We are coming up on one of the most important holidays of the year in my estimation. In many countries, this Sunday brings us the holiday ‘Mother’s Day’ and our annual opportunity to demonstrate our love and appreciation. It goes without great articulation that the love of a mother is our…

Significant Waypoints There are particular junctures in life that encourage emotional punctuation to assure that these moments don’t pass us by without appropriate recognition.  Our seniors this week have reached that moment where their knowledge and associated work of two years has come to a culmination and we move them into independent study mode to…

Welcome back after a nice Spring getaway.  Whether you were just “getting away” to the parks in Moscow or traveling more broadly, I hope this energized you for weeks of packed activity that are now on the horizon.  I’m looking forward to seeing you at various junctures between now and closing ceremony. You got a…

https://youtu.be/gA3GlS6JopM Nicely done!  While this was completed and shared before our trip, it deserves some additional play time, now that we know the initiates captured here are really working!

As I look around our neighborhood, there are increasing signs of Spring on the horizon. With that comes a new burst of energy that matches the sunrise each morning. We have a quickened pace, and all eyes are on the prize that is dangling ahead of us, whether it be graduation, transition, or just completing…

As you have likely been reading in my blog, you will note that I’ve had an amazing experience with our HS students in Africa. It was in all ways a profound experience, one that is still impacting my thoughts and feelings in the aftermath of our adventures in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. It is important…

We left Pandamatenga on Wednesday with much sadness as we considered all of the many things we had experienced in Botswana.  The previous night gave us opportunity to say goodbye to our friends in the community, but on the morning’s ride, we contemplated our farewell’s to this wonderful country that had exposed us to the wildlife…

  Greetings from deep within Africa.  As I write this we are packing for our trek from Botswana to Zimbabwe.  We’ve had a lovely sojourn here in Pandamatenga and are all very sad to leave this wonderful village and country.  Earlier today as the sun was setting in the sky, we said goodbye to the…