The girls have been in school at a local preschool for a month now. They are actually doing much better than I thought they would. A bus comes to pick them up at 8:15. I go pick them up at 12:00 and bring them home for lunch then take them back at 2:15. The bus brings them back home at 4:20. They have started learning some Chinese, but their teachers speak enough English that the girls are forced to speak as much Chinese as I would like. Our housekeeper has been pretty good at sticking with the Chinese so I'm sure one of these days there will be some good results. So far I have really only heard them singing in Chinese. I'll just take some satisfaction in knowing I know more than they do for now because it won't last long.
I have to share one experience we were priveliged to go through to get the girls into school. Here in China all the preschool age children have to have a physical each year before they can go to school. In thought it is a great idea. The problem is the physicals are only allowed to be done at certain hospitals. We made the mistake of waiting until the week before school started to take the girls in. It was pretty packed. They were pretty efficient at getting everybody in and out until it came to drawing blood. We had to go to a room that was about 10x20 with a bank of windows (kind of like, well, the bank). There was a chair infront of each of 5 windows. Now, incase you have never been to asia, you may be surprised to hear that there is no concept of getting in line. You push your way to the front. You can't give anyone an inch or they and the five people behind them will soon be in front of you. Well imagine this small room filled with parents and their terrified pre-schoolers pushing and shoving to the front so someone can pull your arm through a window and take you blood. Oh, and throw in the 90 degree temprature and about 90% hummidity. Oh, it was fun. Kind of like having your blood taken on the subway at rushhour. Leslie and Emma were actually very brave. Emma didn't cry until they had to try to find a vein in her second arm because after 5 minutes of fishing around on her first arm they couldn't find any. I won't complain again about waiting in a nice, cool waiting room for a half hour just to wait another 15 minutes in the doctor's office. Well I might, but I might actually enjoy looking at the fish tank.
2 comments:
What a different way of doing school. It sounds very nice for you, a quiet day I am sure! The day at the hospital sounds pretty horrible. I can't even imagine, and how did the girls not cry? Amazing!
What a horrible experience at the blood bank! I'm grateful for the waiting room too and lines.
The girls will pick up the Chinese eventually, but then they'll probably lose it when you move back to the states, but if they ever want to speak it again, it will probably come quickly, at least I hope so with German.
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