There is an end in sight! We arrived with about three weeks until the start of term. In theory, this is the perfect amount of time to get over jet lag and get acclimated before starting school. Reality is quite different since there is no jet lag this time around and the kids have oodles of time on their hands. One had the I'm bored, give me something to do look in his eye while I found the other one experimenting with my make up and arguing the merits of allowing her to wear some make up. Like now. Pulling hair out now!
There is so much back to school shopping one can do to keep them busy. Speaking of school shopping...
Schools here opt for uniforms like many U.S. schools these days. But there is a catch. The uniform scheme here is expensive and complex. Both of my children have a formal uniform to be worn to/from school. It consists of a dress shirt, a v neck or cardigan sweater, school and house ties (boys). They also have an anorak type jacket for cold weather. Them, there is a sports kit with a tracksuit, rugby uniform, base and mid layers (for cold), quarter zip fleece, swimsuit and mouth guard. All of which requires a games bag. Oh, and did I mention the boiler suit for the youngest? Google it if you're curious.
Schools here opt for uniforms like many U.S. schools these days. But there is a catch. The uniform scheme here is expensive and complex. Both of my children have a formal uniform to be worn to/from school. It consists of a dress shirt, a v neck or cardigan sweater, school and house ties (boys). They also have an anorak type jacket for cold weather. Them, there is a sports kit with a tracksuit, rugby uniform, base and mid layers (for cold), quarter zip fleece, swimsuit and mouth guard. All of which requires a games bag. Oh, and did I mention the boiler suit for the youngest? Google it if you're curious.
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| The youngest sporting her new uniform(s). No make up included. |
If changing in and out of clothes didn't add that extra school day per week, the shoe changes did. In the U.S. it is not likely that your child will have more than one pair of school shoes unless they play a specific sport. But here, sports are required. Therefore, in addition to their black dress shoes, we had to buy rugby boots (rugby/football), astro turf trainers (field hockey/cricket), indoor trainers (squash/tennis) and outdoor shoes (track). Then, they both need gum shields for their teeth, hockey sticks, shin guards and socks for different things.
The oldest sporting his new uniform(s).
There are more, but there are only so many changes of clothes a boy can endure.
It gets very expensive when you are starting from scratch. The need to translate English to figure out what they mean for certain things will drive you mad. But, in the end, they will both look very "smart" as they say around here.
Two more weeks to go!
Two more weeks to go!
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