First school days
School has been a big hit. We marched into classroom at 8:58 on Day One. Saray was very brave, if shy, and didn't seem to have any problems settling in. Apparently there were a few tears after I left but I didn't see those and noone seemed to think she was over the top. Obviously she spared them the best of her crying-kicking-finger-pulling-face-making tantrums. By Day 5 she marched off with a little wave saying "See you later". And for a week I became part of the anxious clutch of Pre-K mothers that hung out at the nearby Starbucks from 9 until 12 every week-day!
This week (her second) another big step - the school bus. The purple school bus now whisks Saray away every morning and the yellow school bus brings her home afterwards. The only tell-tale sign that she's had a big day is the smear of drool on the schoolbus window where Saray leans her head for a little nap on the way home. Today she slept in comfort, with her head on the bus monitor's lap. The bus monitor is a lovely Chinese grandma but I didn't think she was going to give my child back for a moment there! I only get to be an anxious at-home-parent for another few days as I go back to work on 10 March.
TRAINS.....
Saray is very impressed by Taipei's underground train system, especially the way that elderly Chinese women always give up their seats for children. I always refuse on Saray's behalf, figuring the tottery old lovies need the seats more than we do (and I can always hold Saray if she's tired). Oh boy, does that make me the worst mother in the world! Entire carriages of people have been known to shake their heads and murmur disapprovingly at me. Vitha thinks it's great. They always offer their seats to male children first. So he takes every opportunity to smile charmingly at old ladies so they'll relinquish their chairs. Grrrr.
PLANES....
As of today (5 March) only 16 days until we go to Australia on vacation. Saray is very excited about seeing kangaroos (they come onto my mother's lawn most mornings). Vitha is excited about our one-day stopover in Sydney on the way to Melbourne. We are staying with his best friend's family overnight. I am excited at the thought of normal sized clothes and being able to read all the labels in the supermarket.
AND SHOPPING
Saray has sadly decided that shopping is not for her. For the first month she trotted off to the supermarket every afternoon with our maid Wilma. I wondered what was so exciting but figured the opportunity to spend money was the motivating factor. And we HAVE been going through lots of $$ recently. Then I happened to go along.
What I found was that the supermarket has lots of those coin-operated children's rides. And that Saray had told Wilma "Muk YES, Muk YES" on her first trip. Wilma understood this to mean that she should put Saray on the rides, after all, Saray insisted it was OK with me. But they didn't stop at one, no....Wilma waited until SARAY decided she'd had enough. So she was having up 7 or 8 rides per day, we were over food budget and I was left peering out the window wondering what was taking them so long!
VITHA
Poor Vitha has finally hit "I hate my new sister" stage. Unfortunately it coincides with a rough period at school (the time of year when cramming before standardised testing occurs). He's under considerable stress to perform well. At the moment I am just so glad when they both go to sleep and I can watch Sex in the City or some other fantasy show that does not resemble my life ONE BIT! I wouldn't trade them for anything but I am starting to remember more clearly what my own sibling relationship was like!
The reverse happens after school when both kids are tired. By 6pm if there hasn't been a spat, a loud complaint from Vitha or a sulky face from Saray then it's just not a normal day. Vitha firmly believes being adopted by such a wonderful family means you should be smiling 100% of the time (but of course this only applies to Saray, not to him)! And Saray can't stand the way that Vitha helps himself to food in the kitchen. If he takes a flavoured yogurt she sulks and reports him to me. If he takes an egg I receive the same report amid gulping sobs about how unfair it is.
This morning I lay blissfully in bed realising that I have had 7 (count'em) full nights sleep in a row. What a change from a few weeks ago when Saray would turn on the light around 2am to make sure I hadn't disappeared in the middle of the night. As well as the 5 or 6 other times per night when she wanted to have a little chat.
The hot demand for this week has been "You buy me a mobile phone, okay? OKAY?" Apparently it is essential that all 4 year olds have a mobile phone so that when they visit their innumerable friends in Cambodia they are easily contactable. The remote control from Vitha's toy train no longer suffices. "You buy for me, OKAY?"
This week is one of ups and downs as we wait and see if Saray gets a visa to go to Australia on Friday 21, which is when our tickets are booked. Her citizenship hasn't come through. So I am trying for a tourist visa. That doesn't seem to be working, apparently people with citizenship applications in train can't go to Australia on holidays.....
At least Saray is now officially 4 years old, a submission to change her age as part of her citizenship was successful. No longer is she the smallest 7 year old on record but now a regular sized 4 year old that is enjoying nursery school.
All-in-all the 8 weeks from total upheaval to a semblence of normality has been pretty easy. I wish everyone's experience was as good.
Ciao for now.....no more updates until we're back from Australia in April.
