Monday feeling

Let’s just say today dragged and dragged and dragged but my favorite little silly sausage makes it all worth it. Considering I went to sleep around 1 am last night… we didn’t have any breakfast food... and I took a freezing cold shower last night.. the day didn’t get off to the best start. We ran across the street and I started the day with a huge croissant and cappuccino. So I felt like a fat sausage going into the day. It was torrential downpouring… and for some reason I chose today to wear my khaki beach pants… bad decision. The bus (an hour bus ride) was hot, sweaty, and humid. Okay, sorry for complaining. I’m in Rome. But then… the day was hard… the kids were difficult, the language barrier really got to me today, and I started regretting choosing the four year olds. Dana and I went into the elementary building (it’s almost like a small college campus.. different building for everything) and seeing other JMU students interacting with the kids made me have that Monday feeling even worse. The littlest things got to me today… since we’re pirates we were coloring tall, kinda tall, short, tiny pirates and ordering them from tallest to smallest and the teacher told the kids “even though you all love rainbow, pirates don’t wear rainbow shirts.” How does she know? Is she a pirate? Then two of the boys in library and art could not sit still, wouldn’t listen, and refused to do work. Great combo. And it’s driving me crazy that it is okay for these kids to hit, kick, punch, shove and not get reprimanded. I’m probably getting a stomach ulcer because it makes me so nervous being around some of them. Dana and I had to eat with the middle/high school kids today because (long story) we had to sit with our kids during lunch and write down everything the kids ate (they get 3 course meals… I can’t even eat a three course meal) and these middle schoolers just started hitting each other. No one is around to tell them to stop. I officially decided 8:30- 3:10 is entirely too long for four year olds.

A few precious moment stories from Ale: we were talking about “B” words and he says, “b b b bella… like you.” Melt my heart. We split the kids into three groups and each take a group.. near the end they usually start doing what they want and Ale came over and said “can I be on your team now?” When we were in art, he made a catapult with pencils and says “catapulta.” He started teaching me Italian J Oh, and in library he asked me to read him this dinosaur book (which clearly he has read 400 times because he basically read the story to me. It’s about a dinosaur who thinks he isn’t one because he doesn’t have big horns, long neck, etc. he’s different and sad because of it) and Ale says, “I’m different from you but we’re also the same.” Gosh, can he get any cuter. As he was leaving, he comes up and gives me the biggest hug. I’m going to be a horrible teacher who definitely has favorites. Sorry to all the parents/teachers out there who say you don’t pick favorites.. it’s impossible. Well, I love all my little kiddos, I would just like to take this one home and never return him.

check out that hair!

One thing that is so interesting to me is pick up/drop off routine. The teachers rarely interact with the parents. When you look directly into the room, you can’t see people in the back half of the room and one of the teachers stays in that section the entire time during drop off (I also don’t think she is being rude.. it’s just how they do it.) But in a way it’s nice. Also, the parents aren’t allowed in the room… or maybe they are, they just don’t. Haven’t figured it out. Whatever it is, it’s definitely not what I’m used to from my mom’s preschool.

We went to the deli and market tonight to get food to stock up on. I got sandwich meat, cheese, and olives from the deli. I just ate the entire container of olives… not sure whether that’s good or bad. But they were delicious and made me think of Pa and his “water and olives.” J 

A birthday card from my sisa, Will, and little Liam came today and I almost cried. Can’t believe how big/changed the little man will be when I return home. Also, thank you Mrs. Rooney for the sweet card J