There have been a lot of "firsts" in our lives in the past 6 months, but today was an exciting first for all of us. It was Ella's first day of school! She is definitely a little on the young side for starting school. But, because summer time is November thru Janurary here in Bolivia, the school years starts in Feb. The pre-school we found for Ella allowed her to join the 3 year old class even though she won't turn three until May. Socially we felt like Ella was definitely ready, so we decided to let her go. While Ella is probably the youngest kid in the school, you would never notice since she is on the tall side, and in general, Bolivians are pretty short!
I must admit that this day was more difficult for me (Jennie) than I expected. When I took Ella to school this morning, I really didn't know what to expect. The school started off with an 1 1/2 hour long "program" for the parents and the kids. I couldn't help but wonder how different this experience would have been, had we still been living in Cincinnati. Ella would have gone to preschool at our church. I would have known the teachers and many of the other kids and their parents in Ella's class. Instead, here I was, leaving my child with complete strangers. I was looking around the room and I didn't know a soul there, and to top it all off, communicating with anyone is still a daunting task for me. But then I watched Ella grab her teacher's hand, turn to me with a big smile on her face, and wave bye. I realized that all those expectations for this day were mine, not hers. This is her experience, and although it is very different from mine, or from many other kids in our culture, it's not bad or lacking anything. It's just different.
I was so anxious to go pick Ella up and see how her morning went. When I got there, she was playing just like all the other kids and having a great time. On the way home I was drilling her with questions about her day, to which she didn't answer in a manner which satisfied my curiosity. It's strange to think that everyday she will be having experiences that I no longer will know every detail about. I guess that's all a part of watching your little ones grow up.
If you want to read about Ella's first day from her perspective you can check out her blog. There are more pictures there too!
2 comments:
Oh, Jennie-- I feel you-- Sam hasn't started yet, but that is the hugest burden on my heart-- that he will suddenly have SO many experiences that I do not shape, do not share and cannot control. Definitely an exercise in trust. Glad to hear her first day was good!
I can't believe how much she has grown---she's no longer the little Ella I remember on the swing at Pine Hill Park. It's so sad, but so wonderful at the same time!
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