School and Caroline have now survived each other for eight days. During that time, Caroline has switched from waking up at 9 (or later) to 7:15 without a blink. She hasn’t walloped anyone, she shares fine, she likes the food and her Czech is up to snuff. Because she suffers from foreign parents, however, she comes home with notes every day about something new we have neglected to send with her.
On the first day of school, she wore a dress. It was cute, but not fancy - perfect for playing in. That afternoon she met me at the door with a strange pair of sweats and a shirt I needed to wash. Apparently the dress wouldn’t do for the playground so she’d had to change and borrow some clothes. Oh, and would I please remember to send a toothbrush tomorrow?
The next day, we packed her up with a toothbrush and cup, and dressed her in a tee with jeans and a sweater. She came home, once more, with someone else’s clothing and a message explaining that she needed separate clothes for class and for the playground; the jeans didn’t exclude her from changing. Oh, and the sweater was nice, but could we add a jacket?
And thus it went, all week. On Friday I sent Caroline to school in jeans, an undershirt, long tee, sweater, and jacket. She carried a bag with sweats, old tee, and an old jacket. She wore velcro-closing shoes, not white, and for good measure, she had some kleenex zipped into a coat pocket. Waiting for her at school were a toothbrush, cup, and a pair of slippers. I snapped a picture of the complete Czech kindergartener as she went out the door, and patted myself on the back.
She came home with a message that perhaps the coat was a bit too hot, could we consider something a bit lighter? Oh, and please send a photo to school on Monday, she was the only kid in her class without one.
Casual question
1 week ago
7 comments:
HA! I remember it well. I think I finally got everything right the last year of kindergarten.
And now I think, 5th grade, I've about figured out the elementary school system.
Could you be begged and cajoled to explain the Czech elementary school system? I think it would be a valuable contribution to the world!
It involves, among other things, a list of things to buy, which you are given at the end of the school year. Among other things you have to buy a specific number & type of pencils and pens (ink color is sometimes specified) and notebooks that cost 10 Kc, which is cheap, but then each notebook has to be covered in a special cover, so it adds up. Then the kids go to school laden with all this stuff only to discover the list was changed over the summer, and ...
ha. I'll write out the whole thing as soon as we've got the school supplies in order, okay? What good is knowledge if you can't pass it on.
Looking forward to your writeup!
Ayiyi! I shudder to think of this adventure. Now, when I went to kindergarten (in the US, to be sure) we had a long list of things to bring, but at least it was up to date. I remember it included a rest mat, kleenex, tennis shoes, and a cut-down man's shirt to use as a painting smock.
Later on we had to bring a cigar box and pipecleaners. My mother was quite baffled where to find either of these items. I got to use a different kind of box, and I was the only one in my class with white pipecleaners that had little sharp wires sticking out of the fluff. I didn't get sent home with a note for either of these oddities.
For some reason, I never did get a list from the school. But all the little notes helped me make my own.
Pipe cleaners and a cigar box...what was the final result, a noiseless guitar?
Oh my goodness! We're going to have Nathan go to Kindergarten in Hungary part day, I wonder if they will be sending notes home with him?
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