My Baby is going to school!

It is unbelievable that kids start school at 2 ½ years old. We could buck the trend and keep Anna home but we wanted her to be around other kids. Who knew it would be so hard and then so easy to get her started midyear.
School runs from July to July here in India, they were all ready in session when we arrived. Then it took some time to decide Anna should go to school, and which school to go to. Ashram was in the next subdivision a short walk away. But their general offices were a mile away. For four long weeks I walked to either the school or head office with Anna, paperwork, money to see this specific person at that specific time.

My mind changed greatly when on a visit of Anna to the teacher she bit the teacher and they laughed. The proverb ‘Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are older they will not depart from it” instantly came to mind. I expected a time out. I came home with Anna and talked with Ryan, we continued to stop in prayer several times a day asking the Lord to remove these roadblocks.

Then the doors opened when someone suggested I try St. Anthony’s, this school just 1000 yards from our house was unnoticed, I assumed it was a part of the school across the street which spoke Tamil only. I visited, they spoke English, I filled out the paperwork and within a week Anna was going to school. It took so long because they had a four day weekend.

I am so grateful that there are no tears, at least from her. They say nursery rimes, sing songs, learn letters, and I think Anna’s favorite part is snack time. She even has a text book that on the first day she spent all day paging through back and forth asking us to read this page and that. She is so smart, our gift from God. I still am stunned that my little 2 3/4 year old is big enough to go to school, I am so proud.

She gets to wear a uniform like her classmates, a blue jumper and brown shirt, our friends at IID are making them for us. Should be ready by the end of this week.

Note: while not confirmed someone did think that Ashram is owned by someone very devout in the local faith and strongly apposed to ours. And while we were told the school is secular Nancy did notice murals on the walls that indicate otherwise. We fully believe that the Lords hand is in which school our daughter attends. Esp as Ashram wanted us to wait until November 1st to start.

***Breaking news, for the first night Anna has voluntarily slept with her light off and her fan on! Picture at http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan3120k/10October2007
Also please note that I have uploaded many pictures and videos to our picture site. A backlog of three weeks is available at http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan3120k I have finished the September general pictures, started October, plus view special folders of Anna's third day home from School, our trip to Malapurnam, and a local zoo. I have made special effort to include some videos with Anna's Grandmothers in mind, enjoy seeing Anna, run jump, talk, and be a kid.