Now that we're at Friday night, I can hardly believe what Birdie, Evie, Cubby and I have been through! Yes, we've been a complete team through this, taking the same unairconditioned hired taxi the whole week through the streets of Guadalajara. Cubby and I at least have been back and forth, back and forth, more times than I can count - mainly because Deevie and Birdie are dismissed at different times. Good gracious.
Long story short, Birdie had a rough beginning two days (the second day started with her crying so hard that she didn't want to go and just wanted to stay home with me and Cubby), but ended the week running around the playground and saying she loved school. Deevie never cried and already is one of a pretty tight threesome of little pigtailed girls (one is American, the other is French - but she is constantly stopping our gang to say "Hola!" to her Mexican classmates). Both girls' main teachers are from the States (and obviously speak and teach in English), but only one of Birdies's classmates is American (that I know of) and the other kids are always speaking Spanish. Birdie's PE teacher is Mexican and teaches in Spanish, and this is what she shared with me in the cab home:
"Even though everyone spoke Spanish, I understood what to do! The teacher called out different numbers in Spanish, and we had to run around and get into groups with that many people. Thank goodness I know my numbers in Spanish!" (Yes, thank you Dora!)
Ms. Ali always gives me a report on how Birdie did during the day. Today was the first day where there were no tears at all! She basically cries when people talk to her in Spanish and don't realize she doesn't understand them (like when they had picture day, and the photographer's assistant kept giving her instructions. Ms. Ali said I can reorder the pics if they don't turn out :).). That second day was very hard for all of us -- writing about how things are better now almost makes me forget how awful and stressed I was about it all. While she was clinging to me saying she wanted to go home, I knelt down and held her shoulders, looking her in the eye. "If someone speaks to you in Spanish," I said, "just nicely say 'No se, English por favor.'" (I wanted to make is as simple as possible - not focusing on correctness!) It was awful trying to pry her away from the stroller into her teacher's arms as she sobbed. I was trying so hard to keep my own tears in. Then the school psychologist touched my arm and said, "Short and sweet, mom!" That made me feel even worse! Like I didn't get it! But of course I know to make is short and sweet, but it's so much more difficult in practice.
At pick up that day, Ms. Ali said Birdie had some rough parts, but overall the day went very well. Birdie was smiling and happy by that point. As we walked out of the school, she said, "Mommy, I said that thing you taught me."
Me: "Oh yeah?"
Birdie: "Yeah, this girl started talking to me on the playground and I said, "No se, English por favor."
Me: "And what did she do?"
Birdie: "She just went away."
And then she added, "Mommy, you know you're actually supposed to say 'ingles' not 'English'." That totally cracked me up inside. What a strong and observant Birdie.
Deevie starts the days shy, but seems completely warmed up and so happy by the end of the day. The kindergarten set up is awesome, with all three classrooms connected by one awesome playground. Ms. Karen has given nothing but great reports on Deevie, and the only complaint I've heard so far from Deevie herself is that I made her sandwich with the wrong kind of cheese. She was mad about that though!
Many more details to write about - like trying to figure out how to buy the required art smock! There were about 6 steps in that process, one of which involved waiting 40 minutes in line at the "caja" to get a receipt - so I could bring that to a completely different part of campus as proof. But of course when I tried to pay for the required PE uniform at the same caja, thinking "Hey, I'm finally understanding this!" they were completely confused at my request. Finally a mom behind me said, "Oh, for the uniform you can just pay at the window where they're selling them."
The school list of supplies in general is pretty funny. Things like "large wooden beads." Or "sturdy house plant." But we've had so much help from the wonderful Consulate families in our neighborhood, and from American/French mom-friends I've made at the school. And also from Elias, our driver - whose wife lent me her cell phone this week since I didn't have one! I'm so thankful to everyone. It is such a blessing to have this community in place upon arrival - and so essential, especially given how short our stay will be here in the larger sense. I'm already feeling two years zipping by, as crazy as that seems.
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