Tuesday 24 May 2011

End of first term

Well I was wrong about half term approaching, it is actually the end of the first term at DD1's school this week and of course if one thinks about it three months have passed since the beginning of the school year. So far, so...ok. We haven't been bowled over by the marvels being presented for our daughter's education despite her school being among the most prestigious in Santiago and within the top ten in the whole of Chile according to one proud parent, but maybe our standards are too European. The school itself is fine but exudes an air of not having been updated since the 1980s at the most recent, which includes staff, decor, teaching methods, materials, resources and general atmosphere. One gets the impression performance management has yet to be introduced in any sense of the expression. It is stuffy and formal from Year 1 onwards (incorporating little creative or ludic activity) while also being rather opaque and difficult to penetrate (like many aspects of life in Chile). I often think back nostalgically to my own experience of a standard state primary in the 1970s in the UK and feel perhaps it was further along in methodology and approach than this in many respects but my view may be blurred by time and rose-tinted spectacles. However I can't help thinking DD1 would have enjoyed making tea-cosies and embroidering pin-cushions as well as learning how to read and write at this age, but then I have to remind myself she is acquiring a third language in addition to her two mother-tongues plus is gaining something in world experience which may be of use at some point...
In the meantime DD2 has been busy at her nursery making all sorts of treats for me for mother's day which was a few weeks ago and is stimulated by lots of fun including dressing up and taking part in a recent celebration of an important naval battle in Chilean history. As part of the the latter her "class" has been doing a project on the sea and its creatures for which she and I together had to make a presentation to the class in Spanish all about the reproductive habits of the seal...Luckily a lift-the-flap book in English and a cuddly toy were enough to wow the class teacher and the children so we could bluff our way through the technical details...
Oh, and the central heating has finally been switched on thank goodness so we can now choose to heat up our apartment first thing in the morning or before bath-time at night. Quite a good week then...

Tuesday 17 May 2011

Green parrots, stray dogs and starched aprons

Yesterday during a mundane trip to the supermarket to do the weekly bumper shop while gazing upwards at the glorious seasonal colours on offer I happened to spot a bright green parrot flying overhead and diving over a wall. Peeping through the gate on the corner we saw the enclosed courtyard was full of the creatures, all vivid pea-green with bluish wings and tails, a sight one doesn't often see back home while nipping to Tesco... It reminded me of the sense of wonder of being in a new land, an effect which has worn off a lot recently as we become more and more accustomed to our not-so-new surroundings. However two other aspects of everyday life which were apparent at the beginning of our adventure have also become "normal" but may be worth mentioning at this point and these are stray dogs and starched aprons (not together but often in close proximity for their ubiquity). Back in the centre of Santiago stray dogs were almost as numerous as the various street-traders occupying patches of territory outside metro stations or calmly wandering alongside pedestrians as they went about their daily business. At first our reaction was one of extreme vigilance in case of aggression (especially at child-level) but we soon realised the dogs were and are mainly benign animals, previously someone's pet but now turned loose to find their own fortune (or not). There seems to be a mutual tolerance between human and dog which would be encouraging were it not for the hygienic and humanitarian implications plus there is sometimes the odd canine creature who doesn't quite seem to be man's best friend...
As for the starched aprons, these belong to the army of workers in the service industry, otherwise known as "nanas" and usually women employed as domestic helps by the classes who can. What surprised me most was the strict adherence to the uniform, of various colours and cuts but generally checked and buttoned over the shoulder. It has since been explained to me that it is for clarity of position although it does feel a bit Upstairs, Downstairs for the twenty-first century. But that's Chile for you...

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Half term in sight

Two months or thereabouts into term and both girls seem happy at school and nursery which is very reassuring news for me. Not sure how much proper learning is going on in either establishment but as long as they come home smiling that's all that matters to me at the moment. Long term is a different story of course as we shall see...
Nursery in Chile first of all had been a completely unknown quantity but we have been mainly pleasantly surprised with the range of activities going on from painting to brass-rubbing, to discussing children's rights to celebrating the day of the CarabiƱero and more... DD2 is still slightly ambivalent about nursery: on the one hand she is reluctant to say goodbye to me when I leave her in the morning (which I often suspect has to do with the language barrier) but on the other she knows there are interesting things happening inside which she won't get to do at home so is often tempted by the promise of an autumnal buffet-breakfast or whatever the event may be...
DD1 by contrast absolutely adores her school and often longs to go back if it happens to be a bank holiday weekend. This is of course a very good sign though I think it is a general school environment she hankers after and not just this school in particular. Despite or perhaps due to having attended educational establishments in four different countries already at the tender age of 6, she is quite incredibly adaptable and adjusts easily and quickly to a new environment. She has made friends and seems to enjoy whatever is on offer be it PE, PSHE or learning to play the recorder. However the formal teaching and learning are yet to be evaluated in any meaningful way though I am keeping a watchful eye over this. So far progress seems to be slow though one has to remember English is being taught as a foreign language to Chilean children while Spanish is of course the mother-tongue, which essentially means DD1 finds the former pitched too low while the latter too high for her specific needs which are of course diametrically opposed to those of her classmates... It's not an easy situation but we are trying our best.