Speaking of Keira...

This girl likes to have fun, and she's becoming more adventurous all the time.

When she first started learning how to write the letters from the local language, she would come home and practice on a white board.

Here, at the bottom of the board, she's practicing "D" with long "A" and short "A" and "R" with long "A" and short "A."  The top is just a bunch of letters "zAzdaAd"

The interesting thing is that when I saw her practicing her "English" numbers, she wrote them right to left, just like she's learning how to read and write in the local language.

This is the playground at Keira's school.

I think I've showed you this before, but it's good enough to show you again.

Since her school is basically a house transformed into a school (see the upper right hand corner in the picture below), it's located in a neighborhood.  This "playground" is actually a blessing and not at all expected in a neighborhood.

Only sometimes, when you rent/buy a house, it includes a small patch of grass across the street that you can use as a small garden/sitting area.  This is actually one of the largest I've seen.

In January, Keira brought home this sheet for us to "check" her on.  I understood most of it, but I had my language helper translate the words I didn't know.  I added English, so I didn't have to re-translate every day.  

It has categories like "Wash your face," "Obey your parents," "Eat Breakfast," "Be in bed by 9pm."

After we filled in her week, she had a week of holiday, so I just left it hanging on the wall.  When I took it down to put it in her bag, I saw there was a back side that I was supposed to do!  Yikes!

I love checklists, but for some reason, this one was not my favorite.  And sadly, ever since that time, they send a new one home every two weeks!

At semester, we received a "Social Interaction Assessment."
Categories included were "Keeps Books Clean," "Violence Against Peers," "Using Profanity Towards Peers," "Eating Food at School," and "Turning Around Yourself."

Beside "Turning Around Yourself," were two categories:
"Talking and Turning Around"
"Not Talking and Turning Around"

I read Keira the whole sheet so she would know what the teachers' said, and when I said, "They checked off that you talk and turn around," she laughed and said, "Yeah, I do that."

This was her report card.  Also, if you're wondering, the kids here go by their first name and their father's first name.  We wanted our last name included as well, so this is the creation of her new name.

Even though she attends a school that has an English curriculum, most students and some teachers communicate in the local language.

One day after school, Keira had a fever, but the next morning she was fine.  I told her to tell her teacher to call me if she got sick again, but she said, "They won't understand me."

I'm sure there are so many moments where she feels lost, but I'm so proud of her for always trying.

So that day, I wrote her a note that said, "Naxoshm.  Daikm talafonbka,"  and I gave my phone number.
Now, if she ever needs it, she has a note in her bag that says, "I'm sick.  Call my mom."

Together, she and I are learning all sorts of things!