Firsts
Today was Lily's first day of Kindergarten (Grade R) at Welgemoed Pre-Primary school in Cape Town. This week she'll go from 8:30am-12:30pm, and starting next week she'll go from 8:15am-12:45pm. We drove over to the school yesterday thinking we'd just show her what it looked like from the outside. But the teachers were there preparing, so we got to go in and have a tour and meet her teacher, Miss Trudi (who is very nice)! We are very impressed with the school. Everyone is very friendly, and they teach the Bible. It was such a blessing for Lily to be able to see everything and picture it in her mind before her first day! She was still extremely anxious and kept saying she wasn't going to go, but we had a lot of good talks about fear in the process. We arrived early, as did most of the children. After I dragged Lily out of the car, I noticed that the rest of the mom's were dressed up. Really dressed up. Many were wearing dresses, and some even had heels on! My friend Melanie told me later that that is how it is every day! I, on the other hand, hadn't showered and was dressed ready to clean the Stinters apartment later. I looked like a Colorado hillbilly compared to the rest, but now I know:). Skirts are a part of every woman's normal attire here. I'm going to have to do some shopping:). Anyway, we got into the courtyard of the school and all the kids played on the playground (without shoes) until the the teacher shook the tambourine, which indicates the start of class. We said goodbye to Lily...she was trying to be brave and hold back the tears. She kept clinging to me and looking at me with a look of terror. But we walked away and prayed all morning for her. And she did great! When we picked her up, everyone had suckers in their mouths (smart teacher) and she had stories to tell! She said a lot of girls have curly hair just like Anya's, and that she kept her shoes on because she was afraid she'd get splinters on the wooden playground. Overall, a successful first day of school! Thank you for praying! The second task was figuring out her school supplies. One of the things on the list was "1 packet of plasters". I had to ask a man at the store to help me find them, and it turns out they are name tag labels! Now I know!Today is also the day the rest of our Stint team arrives! Lauren, Stephanie, Rett and Erik will be here at 9:00pm. We have been getting Lauren and Stephanie's house ready, and will spend the next week helping the guys to find housing, and helping everyone to settle in. We start meeting to plan on the 23rd, and then have our briefing conference.
That friend we met at lunch the other day (Louise) invited our families over to her house for a swim with her family on Sunday. Our first time in the home of a South African resident! We really enjoyed them and the swim! The swimming pool was salt water, but it was refreshing in the intense sun of Cape Town. The girls already have tan lines (and may have gotten a little bit burnt). The kids had a great time with their children as well. They have a 4 year old girl, Ariela, and a 7 month old boy, Gabriel. Ariela had polly pockets, so we knew it was all meant to be!:) I hosted everyone at our house for a playdate yesterday, and it went well! The girls all played pollys on Lily's top bunk (their favorite spot) and dressed up and did a show. By the end of the time I found myself enjoying tea and speaking with a British/South African accent.:)
We went to a different beach (Gordan's Bay) with our friends/teammates the Bests on Monday. The wind was fierce,but the fellowship and beach were great! The sun is more intense here...but I couldn't tell if we got burnt from the sun or the wind! 
One last "first" was today...I drove our little hot car to the grocery store with Shannon...and we made it! Success! Being on the left side of the road is becoming more natural and I'm not as scared to drive. Now to learn the roads....
Today was Lily's first day of Kindergarten (Grade R) at Welgemoed Pre-Primary school in Cape Town. This week she'll go from 8:30am-12:30pm, and starting next week she'll go from 8:15am-12:45pm. We drove over to the school yesterday thinking we'd just show her what it looked like from the outside. But the teachers were there preparing, so we got to go in and have a tour and meet her teacher, Miss Trudi (who is very nice)! We are very impressed with the school. Everyone is very friendly, and they teach the Bible. It was such a blessing for Lily to be able to see everything and picture it in her mind before her first day! She was still extremely anxious and kept saying she wasn't going to go, but we had a lot of good talks about fear in the process. We arrived early, as did most of the children. After I dragged Lily out of the car, I noticed that the rest of the mom's were dressed up. Really dressed up. Many were wearing dresses, and some even had heels on! My friend Melanie told me later that that is how it is every day! I, on the other hand, hadn't showered and was dressed ready to clean the Stinters apartment later. I looked like a Colorado hillbilly compared to the rest, but now I know:). Skirts are a part of every woman's normal attire here. I'm going to have to do some shopping:). Anyway, we got into the courtyard of the school and all the kids played on the playground (without shoes) until the the teacher shook the tambourine, which indicates the start of class. We said goodbye to Lily...she was trying to be brave and hold back the tears. She kept clinging to me and looking at me with a look of terror. But we walked away and prayed all morning for her. And she did great! When we picked her up, everyone had suckers in their mouths (smart teacher) and she had stories to tell! She said a lot of girls have curly hair just like Anya's, and that she kept her shoes on because she was afraid she'd get splinters on the wooden playground. Overall, a successful first day of school! Thank you for praying! The second task was figuring out her school supplies. One of the things on the list was "1 packet of plasters". I had to ask a man at the store to help me find them, and it turns out they are name tag labels! Now I know!Today is also the day the rest of our Stint team arrives! Lauren, Stephanie, Rett and Erik will be here at 9:00pm. We have been getting Lauren and Stephanie's house ready, and will spend the next week helping the guys to find housing, and helping everyone to settle in. We start meeting to plan on the 23rd, and then have our briefing conference.
That friend we met at lunch the other day (Louise) invited our families over to her house for a swim with her family on Sunday. Our first time in the home of a South African resident! We really enjoyed them and the swim! The swimming pool was salt water, but it was refreshing in the intense sun of Cape Town. The girls already have tan lines (and may have gotten a little bit burnt). The kids had a great time with their children as well. They have a 4 year old girl, Ariela, and a 7 month old boy, Gabriel. Ariela had polly pockets, so we knew it was all meant to be!:) I hosted everyone at our house for a playdate yesterday, and it went well! The girls all played pollys on Lily's top bunk (their favorite spot) and dressed up and did a show. By the end of the time I found myself enjoying tea and speaking with a British/South African accent.:)
We went to a different beach (Gordan's Bay) with our friends/teammates the Bests on Monday. The wind was fierce,but the fellowship and beach were great! The sun is more intense here...but I couldn't tell if we got burnt from the sun or the wind! 
One last "first" was today...I drove our little hot car to the grocery store with Shannon...and we made it! Success! Being on the left side of the road is becoming more natural and I'm not as scared to drive. Now to learn the roads....
1 comment:
It sounds like things are going well! Great to continue to hear about your adventures and that things went well for Lily at school!
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