We awaited the school opening with great anticipation. The new academic year started after the European summer holidays. It was a winter and summer holiday combo for us. Lots of freedom to spend your time just like you want sounds like utopia until you have it and quietly begin to long for order and structure and getting back into a routine.

Orientation Day

The evening before the Inter-Community School (ICS) Orientation Day, Zander was very excited. I suspect his focus was more on socialising because we miss social contact. As we walked through the large glass doors of the school, Zander said, “Mom, I am freaking out now.” Behind my calm face, I felt the same.

New learners from Grade 1 to Grade 10 and their parents filled the hall. The diploma students (Grades 11 and 12) gathered in a different building. My eyes wandered over the packed room. Between the family in the front with their goth teenage son and a young mother trying to breastfeed her baby in the back of the hall, I was very grateful for my 10-year-old. He is just old and just young enough for this new situation!

Zander’s grade-5 class

Zander is in one of three grade-5 classes. Mrs Hill, of British descent, is his teacher. They are sixteen children in the class, five of whom are newcomers. The school is prepared and equipped to handle these streams of new children arriving and existing learners moving away. I could see that the school has many processes to help the learners and their parents to handle and engage in the change. Many people are of British or American descent, but many have just moved from another country, such as Singapore or Dubai, where they have only lived for three or four years.

Parent Association

The school has a very active ICS Parent Association, and one of its main goals is to help integrate the new families. The focus is on the mom because dad goes to work and has so much adjustment to do that he is rarely home. The children go to school and focus on socialising with their new friends in the afternoons. After the moms have unpacked thousands of boxes and have found everyone’s lost items, they reach a point where they ask themselves, “What now?”

At this point, any mom who would like to be a chairman of a club establishes one at ICS and invites parents to be part of the club. Those who want to be a member to see how everything works (like me), write their name on the Google Form list to join in and get to know people. There are numerous clubs. For those who want to be active, there are tennis, hiking, skiing, running, and yoga, and for those who want to be social, there are singing, bubbles, book club etc.

Zander’s first new friend

At the end of the first day of school, I waited for Zander with great anticipation just outside the school to hear all the news. His first words were, “Hello, Mom. Is it okay for me and my new friend to go to Badi Juch (the town’s pool) with our bikes this afternoon?” What is the appropriate response because you must decide what you want?

I looked at the friend from the USA, who is just as tall as Zander, and decided to keep an open mind. He scored a few points with me when he came home with Zander after the swim at the agreed time and explained that he, unfortunately, had to go home as his mother was cooking and was expecting him for dinner. In the meantime, I also met Nate’s mother, Ellen, and made use of the opportunity to invite her for coffee next week.

My boxes are all unpacked and I am excited to see what the clubs entail. I signed up for the Tennis and Community Impact clubs.  I have not played Tennis in twelve years and hope I do not embarrass myself.

Kind regards

Emsia