First Day of School

Yesterday was Micaela's first day of school and on the way there, she seemed nervous but excited. We got to the parking lot, she hoisted her backpack around her shoulders, and our eyes met. In that moment, with cars whipping by us and kids shouting at each other, my heart tightened. I felt like there was so much I wanted to say to her. "I'm so sorry we tore you away from all of your friends. I know you were so looking forward to going to the newly-built middle school in Georgia. I have heard you a few times in bed at night sobbing. You are being so brave and trying so hard to not make us worry about you." In the end, she gave me a quick hug, I said, "Have a great day, Micaela," and she replied, "Bye, Mom." And off she went.

I thought about her all day long as the rest of us tidied up, went to the park and the store. It was finally time to pick Micaela up and when we spotted her on the playground, she was chatting with a few other girls. That was a good sign. Micaela told us that her day went well and she was assigned a "mentor" -- another girl in her class who could show her around and help her out the first few weeks.

Today was the first day for James and Emilie. Before school, we gave Emilie her Schultüte. The first day of first grade is an extra special day for German children. They are presented with a Schultüte -- a large cone full of school supplies and treats. Emilie's had pencils, crayons, Gummi bears, barrettes and some little toys.

On our way we were slowed down at the train tracks just down the street from the school. The gates went down and we waited at least 5 minutes for the train to pass. Five minutes is a long time to wait if you're running a little behind. I knew from reading another American woman's blog about living in Germany that you need to shut off your engine while waiting. If you don't, there's a good chance someone will tap on your window and tell you to. I have heard that people have waited at that crossing for 20 minutes because 4 or 5 trains came in a row and the gates did not go up in between. And remember, getting caught at the train tracks is no excuse for being late!

The first graders went right away to the auditorium where there was a little ceremony. Flags from all around the world were marched across the stage, then children were called one by one up to the stage to join their teacher. When the entire class was present, the teacher led the kids off the stage and upstairs to their classrooms. Parents were not allowed to follow. When they called Emilie's name, she didn't hesitate. Up onto the stage, then off to her classroom.

At home with three of the four kids gone, I was feeling rather lonely and really missing our computer and phone. This would have been the perfect time to send an e-mail or catch up on the phone with friends. The house felt very quiet. I have been contenting myself with re-reading a few books I brought along -- Pride and Prejudice (for the 6th or 7th time) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (for the 2nd time).

Emilie had a good first day, James not so much. I think he was expecting to have a whole gang of friends on the first day, and it just didn't happen. Plus it didn't help that he went to the intermediate German class by mistake and sat through it in stunned silence. He's very quiet for the rest of the day and I'm starting to wonder if he isn't the one we should be watching out for. I was assuming that Micaela would be the one to have a difficult time just because she is a bit older and making friends can get harder as you get older. We'll all just need to be patient.