Adam's First Day of School

This is from September 3, 2012. Today is a holiday for the U.S., but for Adam it's the first day of second grade. The boys had a hard time getting up, mainly because they didn't get to bed early enough. That will soon be fixed after a few of these long, tiring school days. School hours are 9:00 to 3:45, but they get on the bus at 8:00 and off at 4:30. Once we move closer to the school they won't have such a long bus ride. Adam seemed a little nervous, but excited too. We walked to the bus stop and were there way too early, of course. The bus finally pulled up - not a yellow school bus, these are the nice cushy charter buses - When the door opened, the bus monitor started speaking Spanish to me, which I didn't understand. Next thing I know, Adam is already on the bus and I can't even see him through the tinted windows. No kiss goodbye or anything. I guess he wasn't nervous anymore. In the afternoon, we went to the school for Jason's orientation. We got to see his classroom and meet his teachers. His classroom is about twice the size of one at Carleston, with the same number of kids. He enjoyed playing with the toys while the teachers talked to the parents. I think he's ready for tomorrow. We picked up Adam and all went home together. Adam loved school and is ready to go back tomorrow.

Moving Day

This is from September 1, 2012. We are finally out of the hotel and in our temporary apartment at Calle Doctor Fleming 30. We'll be here for one month while we look for permanent housing. It is so great to be able to unpack and have some space. The apartment has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a WASHING MACHINE! It will take me a while to catch up on the laundry, especially considering the size of the washing machine. No dryer, though. There is a nifty clothesline on pulleys right outside the window that I'll have to use. We explored the neighborhood and found many playgrounds and restaurants and even a Starbucks! There is a Metro station very close by and the boys' bus stop is about a block away. Next step - getting ready for school for Adam on Monday and Jason on Tuesday.

Ever Been to the School Nurse Before the First Day of School?

This is from 31-August. It is Orientation Day for Adam at the American School of Madrid, where he will be a second grader startin on Monday 9/3. This was my first visit to the school, and it looks fantastic. Getting there, though, was not easy. The school is a bit out of town, so I guess not very familiar to the average taxi driver. We got one of those drivers who also spoke absolutely no English. Once we got close, Bill called the school two different times and put the taxi driver on the phone and still couldn't find it. As the clock ticked away and the beginning time for the orientation grew closer, I really started to feel like I was on The Amazing Race. After asking about three other people on the street, we finally got there about ten minutes into the Headmaster's speech, not too bad. Adam went off separately with the kids and saw the gym, library, cafeteria, etc. We met with the Headmaster and the Lower School Director and met up together later for a picnic lunch. The boys met up with their friend Henry from the US, who will be in first grade. Jason will be in Kindergarten, which starts on Tuesday - which brings me to the nurse story. The three boys were happily playing on the playground, when suddenly Jason was 'man-down'. He fell off of something and landed on his thumb and was crying hard. His thumb swelled up and didn't look right to me, so they sent us over to the nurse. She was lovely, and checked him out, iced it, said she didn't think there was any serious damage, but to monitor him for increased pain or swelling. She also gave us a dose of liquid Tylenol and the names of two hospitals just in case. We knew he was OK when we got home and he was perfectly capable of playing Wii with an injured thumb. Anyway, it's good that we got to know the school nurse. We will check in with her on Monday at Jason's orientation to let her know he's fine. Tomorrow is moving day - we have an apartment for a month while we look for a permanent place. I cannot wait to get out of this hotel and have some space!