On the eve of the first day of first grade, Conor smiled his shy smile and whispered to me as I kissed him goodnight, "Mom, I don't think I'm ready for school." Of course I reminded him how beyond bored he's been here at home and reassurd him that his new buddy Drew from 2 houses down would be in his class and, like I knew it would, that made him feel better!
Raini, on the other hand, was ready for this new chapter in her big kid life. She was busy picking out her clothes (as we have yet to buy their uniforms) and laying them out on the stairs. And as William told her she was gonna cry and miss Kii, she laughed and said "No I'm not!" We soon shall see...
As all three kids piled in the Galloper (pics to follow) with their backpacks, yes even Kii, we headed out on our short trip to school. I have to admit, my nerves were kicking in, only because that meant that in a short time, I would be driving for the first time in the Galloper, as well as on the crazy streets of Doha in rush hour...
The school was beautiful, as are most things in Doha. It is only the temporary, however, as the actual Qatar Community School is still in construction. But I was still surprised by how welcoming everyone was. A group of teachers met us at the entrance and assigned us to a man, who ended up being Conor's PE teacher, who showed us to Conor and Raini's classrooms. Conor's was upstairs and of course, once he found his chair and saw that Drew would be sitting at his table, he was all smiles! Raini's was next, and she was a little more reserved. For those who know Raini's shy personality, you'll know that the hands went straight to her mouth. A nice lady came to greet her and give her a name tag, then she was off playing with a group of girls. Luckily I spotted another boy who wasn't wearing a uniform so she wasn't the only one! William and I braced ourselves for the tears as we left, but they didn't come...that's my big girl:)
Before we even got out of the school, Kii realized she was not going to be staying. "I miss Conor and Raini!" but once home (yes, I made it home, piece of cake once I got the e-brake off!) she was enjoying having the run of the house!
And after a movie, some snacks and coloring, it was time to go pick up Raini...or so I thought. I had two different people tell me that Raini's class got out at 12:30 so that's when I showed up, only to find out that her class gets out at 1:40, same as Conor's, so back to the house we went, ate lunch and drove back to the school.
As soon as I spot Raini, she smiles and says "No! I don't want to go home!" She was reading a book with her new friend:) Her teacher told me that she was a great helper and that she volunteered to help her clean up the toys. I told her she was my helper too and that I missed her today. After all, she's the only one who will hold Zophia so I can have a potty break!
Before I even got to Conor's classroom, he was down the stairs and yelling "Mom! Come look what I did today!" His teacher said that she can tell he likes to read because he read a lot for the class. I asked him if he talked with anyone besides Drew and he said no, he couldn't understand the kids at his table! Give it time bud:)
So on the way home, I heard all about their day. Raini colored and played with PlayDough, had snacks and took a nap. Conor drew pictures, went to art class, and read. Oh, and only had a sandwich and a pear for lunch. He said he was so hungry but he didn't want to ask for more because first graders don't do that!
In the end, both had a great day and can hardly wait for tomorrow! And me and Kii will do our own little home preschool, assuming the baby continues her long naps:) and soon hopefully, we'll go get their uniforms and I will post pics of them! I say hopefully because it will cost close to $500 for them...yay...and that's only for 2 outfits and PE clothes!!
Day one is a success!!
This is the pretty paper they sent home in Raini's backpack...wish I could read Arabic, especially since they didn't send the English version!
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