going to kindergarten

It goes without saying that though Josh and I can get by in asianese, we do not speak it fluently (though josh IS trying hard to change that!). When we think about Emma and mantha growing up here, we know that they will likely speak it fluently, but right now that is not the case. Not only is that frustrating (like, when we go outside, they can't tell people to quit rubbing their hair or they don't want to hold hands) but it also prevents them, to some degree, from making local friends.

We've started thinking about letting emma go to a kindergarten one or two mornings a week for several reasons: 1) to get out of the house, 2) to have more opportunities to speak and hear asianese, 3) to make some new little friends, and 4) to give mom a break (but that one is a very distant fourth place... :)

We found a friend that owned a christian kindergarten, so we were definetly willing to check it out and see what things are like. First of all, it's not exactly kindergarten. It's more like glorified, structured daycare. Since in this country, stay-at-home mom's are nearly impossible to find, these "kindergartens" are a dime a dozen.

Off we were this morning, battling the fierce mountain wind that greets us the moment we step outside our door. We took a taxi to a part of town I have never been before. The "kindergarten" was located in a nice apartment complex full of landscaped gardens and sits right in the shadow of the southern mountains in our city. As soon as we rang the bell, we were greeted by a crowd of frenetic two-year olds, happily screaming greetings to us as we removed our layers of winter clothing. Emma stood there, unsure if she was supposed to overwhelmed or if she should immediatley join the excitement herself.

She warmed up much faster than i thought. Maybe it's partially because there are usually so few people that are her size. Even when we go to playgrounds, most of the kids are much older and more physically capable than she is. So, here she was, surrounded by twenty pairs of eyes that were right at her level. Even though she had no idea what was going on unless we would translate, she did a great job.

Even though I was happy to see her making friends, I was really surprised at how sad I felt. It seemed like I was watching her grow up right before my eyes. For the first time in her life, when she was unsure of what to do, she looked to others. Her eyes darted for the cute little girl in the blue sweater, who took emma under her wing. She looked at the teacher so she could imitate what she was doing. She followed the lead of the other kids. The whole time, I watched from the sidelines, aware that this was just the first of many times I would have to let her go and let others help her. Not even one time did she need me this morning. I didn't realize how hard growing up was - for her and for me!

All in all, it was a great morning. Emma got to play on the slides, walk around with the other kids, got to sing asianese songs, play with balls, and play finger games. I think when we come back from thailand, we are thinking about letting her go one or two mornings a week to play. See if you can spot her in the pictures, haha!

samantha had a good time too! She really enjoyed watching the kids bounce around and play. Though she gave emma a run for her money in the "garnering attention" category! All the little kids were fascinated with the little foreign baby, and luckily, today samantha was more than happy to oblige with happy smiles and sweet giggles.

With girls like this, who needs anything else?