Keira's Kindergarten

So, on August 24, 2017, I made my "salsa confession" on the blog, and you haven't heard from me since.  Did you think something had happened to me??

At the end of August, I was sitting in an airport with my family when my husband read the aforementioned blog.  We were flying home from vacation, and we hadn't had internet for over a week, so he and I were trying to catch up on all of our emails.  I knew he had read it when I heard him verbally make some kind of noise and look down the bench at me with eyes and mouth wide open.  He soon shared the blog with Kylie and the other two olders, and they all said, "I can't believe you didn't tell us!!"

Well, we've come full-circle twice since then.  Today, I made my second batch of salsa since vacation, and I haven't had any complainers yet, but of course, I haven't used cinnamon again either.


When we came  home from vacation, time was short, and we still hadn't chosen a school for Keira.  I wanted her some place for Kindergarten where she could learn the local language, but not be so immersed that she teared up every day.

We first went to a new school in our neighborhood that advertised that classes would be taught in English.  I knew she would still pick up language from all the children who do NOT speak English













The school looked great, clean, and new, but they said it was going to be just a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade campus this year, and Keira needed to be 6 to attend.  She was still 4 at the time.

BUT...the head master said he had a partner school that taught Kindergarten in English.  It was further away, but we decided to go for a tour anyway.

Rainbow colors on the outside.  Plus!

 Meeting room where all morning activites take place:  Pink carpet with Tom & Jerry.  Plus!

Science room:  pink carpet with fairies. Plus!



 Art room:  Pink carpet with Tom & Jerry.  Plus!

 

Reading room:  Green Carpet with Shaun the Sheep.  Plus!

English room:  Blue carpet with Tom & Jerry pictures.  Plus!
Nurse's station in the back ?? Questionable??

Cafeteria. Clean.  Plus!

Television Room.  Pink carpet with Tom & Jerry.  Plus!

Weekly breakfast menu.  Check out the bread!  Definitely not a win for Keira.  She doesn't like bread.  To date, she has only had orange juice for breakfast, but breakfast, lunch, and the uniform are included with tuition, so they are there if she ever changes her mind.

 Weekly lunch menu.  She still only eats on "chicken and rice" days, but it doesn't seem to bother her as much as it does her teachers.  When they see her not eating, they sometimes give her a little packaged cake to eat.

Lovely!

Her "playground."  Yikes!

It's a small plot across the street from the school.  I think she's only gone there once.  NOT a plus :)

 

 So, this is her school. 

First day after school ice cream treat.

 

She cried every day for over a month when I dropped her off, but every day I picked her up, she said she had a good day, so we kept trucking along.

She is learning the language, and comes home with new words all the time.   

Happy girl at pick-up time!

Funny story:  I went to her school two days before Thanksgiving to tell them that she would be absent that day (because, of course, they don't celebrate that holiday here).  I asked the teacher if she knew English, and she said, "If you go slow."  So instead, I just told her everything in Kurdish.  Here's the conversation:

Me: Keira won't come to school on Thursday.
Her: She is not coming next week?
Me:  No, not next week.  She won't be here in two days.
Her:  She's missing two days?
Me:  No, on Thursday, she won't come to school because we have an American holiday.
Her:  Last week?
Me:  No,  not today, but the next day.
Her:  Okay.  Would you like her writing assignments?
Me:  Yes.  Thank you.

As we leave, I said, "Keira, what class does she teach?"
Keira:  She's my English teacher.

WOW!

I'm pretty sure that Keira will most definitely learn the language, because I'm not sure about the English she's getting.  The best English she gets every day is while they wait for their parents to come.  They put on cartoons in English for all the kids to watch.  Ahhh! Education!