The first day of school—again.
Monday was an auspicious day for the Hillmans. It was back to school time. We lined up and took the obligatory picture before heading off to class (which I think I've accidentally erased). For the rest of the year I will drive the kids to school in the morning (we leave at 7:30 to make sure we’re there by 8:00) and pick Ava up at noon 3 days a week. The boys will ride the bus home 3 days a week and I will be picking them all up at the same time twice a week. It’s a 40 minute roundtrip so I’ll be spending a bit of time in the (beater) car. When school starts next year, we’ll be in line for signing up for the bus for both a.m. and p.m.
They were all understandably nervous about the start. Cameron had a track and field day this morning and was put on a team (the kids are all assigned house teams (ala Hogwarts) and compete throughout the year for the house cup), but then was switched to a different team which threw him and made the rest of the event a bit hard. He did very well at several events, however. He rated the rest of the day as a “7” (high praise from him) and is looking forward to leaving on a 4 day camping adventure with his class. He has just returned from his class camping trip where they met very remote tribes, watched firemaking with a couple sticks, jewelry making, hunting, etc. and had a great time. Monday he will be trying to learn a dance routine for the school production of "Blues Brothers" where his class are backup dancers. He's really the bravest person I know right now!
Noah went on a fieldtrip to a nearby coffee plantation as his class is studying seeds and growth. He was reluctant to say he had a good day, but I think he enjoyed himself. He did not have a very positive experience starting first grade in Minnesota, so I think he’s waiting to see if things are better here. And, he’s the biggest homebody of us all and would rather be at home than anywhere else. He had show and tell and brought his lego set and seems to be enjoying himelf.
Ava cried for two days about school. The language camp school day was very tiring for her and less interactive than she’s used to so she didn’t want to go. We left her standing in the playground looking very forlorn, clutching her blanket…and picked up a wild child that could count to 10 in Swahili and sang all the way home. I think it went OK--however, she has teared up every morning when I dropped her off, but her teachers assure me that it's just an act. They all have swimming every week which is a highlight of the week.
I felt a big pang driving away that first day. Having Cameron at home for the last couple years was such a blessing for both of us. And it consumed so much of my time that he was really the prime focus of my days (anyone who’s homeschooled knows what I mean). Plus, I hadn’t expected to say “goodbye” to Ava so soon. It will take time to adjust to having them away during the day. I guess now is the time to put my feet up and browse my People magazine and eat bonbons—but neither of those things exists here. Rats.
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2 comments:
hahaha--about the People magazine and bonbons. You'll have to be content with Fug and... what sinful things can you eat there, anyway?
I cried when I dropped G and L off at school this year, too. It felt so strange.
I check fug way too often...and maybe someone can explain to me why I take so much pleasure from the fashion errors of the rich and famous? Or maybe I can just say I love the writing...which is hilarious.
It's www.gofugyourself.com if anyone's interested. But only if you have a rather shallow sense of humor about celebrities.
There is nothing sinful to eat here. Pringles cost over $4 a can and they're often stale. But we've found real American pizza so that's been a treasure!
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