First Day of School

Thankfully, we have a lift, but it sure is tiny.

Getting up at 6:30 was the easy part. Getting everyone out the door by 7:15 wasn't too bad. Getting on the tram and arriving plenty early was easy. Leaving the kids at the school entrance, surprisingly difficult.

When we get off the tram, we walk through the Andel mall to school. Reed decided at the last second that he would like to have flowers for his teacher, so we made a pit stop at Tesco and he chose some small purple flowers, which he zipped in his backpack.

Walking through the mall, we saw other parents with their children; a boy in a blazer, girls carrying bright yellow and purple flowers, parents dressed up. Leo wanted to be on his own; felt like a baby having me take him to school. I assured him that most parents would be there, and they were. The boys wouldn't let me walk them into the school, though. Reed threw me a quick "I love you." No look back from Leo.

I stood there in the foyer and the lonliness and sadness seeped in. Parents were greeting each other and I understood nothing. I had no friends who I hadn't seen to hug and greet. Peeking through the crowd, I could see Reed in the lobby, and I felt so sad for these two boys going to a place where they know no one and barely speak the language. Truthfully, I just wanted a quiet place to cry, but school was out in an hour, so I only had time for Tesco. I roamed its aisles, found laundry detergent, bandaids, bubble bath, and a bright pink sweater for $10.

At 8:30, I returned to the school lobby. Parents were milling about. Some parents were sitting behind a desk, apparently selling mice and some slippery little red & white snakes. No thank you. Leo's teacher, Martina, found me and shepherded me to the cafe to help select lunches for the week. My guardian angel. She told me there's an Israeli girl in Leo's class who speaks English and helped him. And in Reed's class, there's a boy named Martin. I thought Martin had lived in Aspen, Colorado, but turns out he only spent two weeks, but he does know English. Unfortunately, he hates football; only loves skateboarding.

The purple flowers never left Reed's backpack, as I anticipated might happen. Turns out, no big kids were doling out flowers to their teachers. Perhaps it's only for the little ones. Now, I have lovely flowers in my kitchen.

The boys have already run off on Tram 10 or 16 to the trampoline park in Vinohrady to meet Alex and Arthur, their expat buddies. In two hours, I'm off for an hour of sculling. Jan, my coach, will put my boat in the water for me, and then I'm on my own. Let's hope I don't catch a crab.

First Day of Classes for all 3 Hurtig Boys