Yesterday we had the first PTO Book Club meeting of the school year, a very special one. In June the book was chosen, orders were taken, everything was under control as it should be. Back to school in August, orders were placed with our local vendor only to learn that the title was unavailable. Second choice also unavailable. Third choice, same. Last resort had to be Amazon and several orders were placed only to be cancelled afterwards followed by all kinds of excuses. Time was passing by and still no book for our September encounter. Andrea, our PageTurners Coordinator, then goes to the library and checks out the first book with as many copies available as we needed: Life of Pi, a beautifully written tale of hope and the innate human ability to overcome adversities. And it couldn’t have been better and more appropriate. The discussion was meaningful, deep and full of different colours, coming together from such a diverse group of people. With our tummies full and souls replenished, we left our encounter longing for more.
But we could’ve just given up and, in a dismissive shrug, said: “oh, well, no book, maybe another time” and simply missed one of the best book discussions we’ve ever had.
PTO is currently facing several changes of course: almost all plans carefully defined for this school year are in jeopardy due to the new health restrictions in place. Truth is: we don’t shrug. Life gives us lemons, we make lemonade; or lemon pie; or caipirinha! Adversities make life more interesting, and our ability to overcome them is what makes us grow and succeed. When one door shuts, many others open: the opportunities are endless and the sky’s the limit. Our board members are more than ever thinking out of the box and bringing a different energy and perspective to PTO. If we can’t take big steps due to things over which we don’t have control, we can still make a difference with tiny ones.
We are so lucky and grateful to be part of this community: we have been overwhelmed by your kindness, openness, and availability. All your ideas and requests are being carefully considered, and we want more! We are planning the return of the Coffee Mornings (or Afternoons!) with different topics of interest, bringing guest speakers from our own community to guide and enlighten us; the PTO Chats will be reformatted; more clubs of interest will be launched soon (cooking club, anyone?); movies sessions @ Rila Theatre are being considered, feasibility study currently underway; a vintage and second-hand shop will be launched. Our Hiking Club is already a big sensation, and our books and merchandise sales are a tremendous success thanks to all of you!
We know that the PTO is uncharted territory for many of you. Questions about what we do, where the funds go and many others are frequently raised, and we understand that. We invite you to stop by our office any time of your convenience for a chat over coffee, cookies, and chocolate! Email us at pto@aas-sofia.org and come to meet us!
Life is better with AAS PTO!
