Lists...

Today we had scheduled visist to both Amy's new kindy and Lena's, to dicuss the things we need to get and make and buy for them.

First we went to Grace, where Amy immediately ran off into the playground with Peter and Rosa, Lena following, fever be damned. So I went to the introduction by myself. It wasn't long though, and we soon got up to go to her new classroom with all the other kids. Since Grace is a Daycare centre, the class have, many of them, been going for years already, so there were only two new students. Amy sat on the mat, sandwiched between Peter and Rosa, and sang songs and had a story read while I had my interview with the teacher. Since Grace is a Christian establishment, they also said a prayer - and several kids were stood up in a line in front to say individual prayers - they were so cute: "God in Heaven, please don't let there be any train crashes" .

The teacher took me through my pile of paper and my lists. I need to buy - shorts, a t-shirt, a cap, an attendance book and a communication note-book: 3,200 yen.

I need to provide the kindy with 2-3 tops, 2-3 pairs of pants, 1-2 sets of underwear, 3 plastic bags for wet clothes, pyjamas in a 40x40cm square pyjama bag, and a futon and quilt to sleep on. Every day she must take a lunchbox with just rice - not rice balls, no rice sprinklies, not bread but just white rice (I am going to question them about that one! As if only rice was appropriate for a meal!!!). They also need two hand towels, and a floor towel, which should be hand-sewn using a tea-towel folded over twice. There is still a sentiment in Japan that doing things by hand, whether lunch-boxes, or hand-sewing is a sign of love. Kanji has offered to do it for her, since they still learn to hand-sew in school here. I told him we learned sewing, but only on a machine, and I flunked anyway. I should get grandma to do it, and Amy will be the only one with a towel sewn with clowns and roses and what-not. There is also a questionnaire on her daily habits and one on her vital statistics and health information to be filled out.

Lena's Keio Academy is much simpler - she needs a full lunch from the second week, her own crayons, scissors, glue stick, inside shoes, and a change of clothes. Of course, for both kids, everything must be named.

Amy had so much fun at kindy that she did not want to leave. It was like trying to move a statue, getting her out of the yard (there is no grass, just dirt). Once we went out of the gate, she bawled her eyes out, and was only consoled by an ice cream. I think she's going to do just fine at kindy!

cutisms from Lena: says Dally for Daddy, Leppe for Lemme (let me) and pos-to for supposed to.