And the two big kids started school Thursday! It's been another cultural adventure getting them signed up and set up at their new "colegio". So many things are different than what we're used to. You don't know how much you knew about a system (i.e. the public school system in Fresno) until you are somewhere else and what you knew before doesn't apply anymore. For example, in the States the public schools purchase and supply almost everything the kids need for their studies (i.e. textbooks, paper, art supplies, copy/printer paper, etc.). Here, for public and private schools, your child is expected to purchase basically everything. Our list included their textbooks, notebook covers (so they have the school logo on them!) pencils, pens, paint, paper of all shapes, colors and sizes, copy paper, poster board, toilet paper, 3 kinds of glue, dictionaries (Spanish and bilingual), a Bible... Many were things that I had never learned the Spanish names for. (Some were things I wish my students would have had to bring back in the day - like a little kit for freshening up after recess or PE (complete with a little perfume or cologne if desired). Time for personal hygiene is actually on the class schedule. Which is a good thing in a not place like this in the Summer!)
Anyway, the list was daunting and the crowds in the stores overwhelming at moments. But eventually, after several shopping trips, we had the majority of the stuff we needed. Then we just had to figure out what to do with it. I discovered this morning that some of the stuff we lugged to school could have been left at home. In Fresno, the textbooks belong to the school and normally stay at the school. Here, the textbooks belong to us and the kids bring them on designated days according to the schedule. The list of supplies was divided into personal, paper, materials, etc and each group of items is handled in a different way. Now I know. : ) Thankfully their teachers (and everyone else) have been patient so far with the gringos and all of our confusion and questions.
Lowell and I were talking this morning about how this scenario is going to be repeated over and over and over this year - with the school and church and everything else. I honestly can't think of a single thing that we do that is exactly the same here as it was in the U.S. The way we brush our teeth, flush the toilet, do the dishes, do the laundry, lock up at night, get around town, buy groceries, get to church, etc. is all different in some way. There are lots and lots of similarities, yes. But there is a lot of new stuff to learn and new routines to settle into and new habits to make. And that makes the first days in a new place harder than the next days will be - and I'm thankful for that. We still haven't gotten everything together (like going to buy fabric and hiring a seamstress to make Toby's uniform pants.) (Yes, you read that right.) But just thinking about what I know now that won't be totally new next year when school starts again makes me feel pretty satisfied. Buy the carátulas from the school and attach them with vinifan to the triple renglón cuadernos? No problem. Buy the textbooks at the local department store or at the publisher's store? Got it. Say goodbye to the kids on their first day of school ever in Peru? Thankfully, that's one I'll never have to do again. (At least for the two older kids.)
Overall, we can definitely say that our experience at the school has gotten off to a very positive start for ALL of us. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR US. God has been faithful.
