So of course, today, the day we needed to be up early, we
both slept in past 4am. I woke with the alarm for the first time in a while at
6am, then went in to get Lucas. Today would be our first day at school! We were
going to be picked up at 7:30am to head to school and get our first tour!! We again were the first ones picked up on the
bus and went on quite a loop-de-loop to pick up the others. By the time we had
everyone, I had no idea directionally where we were facing, except to know that
the school was west of our apartments. We drove through traffic on 3rd
ring road and down side streets. One thing I have noticed is how disorganized
all the traffic seems. Rules that are hard-fast in the US are used more as
“guidelines” for a general thought to traffic rules. As a colleague said it
later in the afternoon, the disorganization somehow brings order. If the rules
were followed rigidly, you would be in traffic for hours and hours. Somehow the
chaos just works, and like with the rest of the Chinese lifestyle, it all just
flows. We have noticed this in the daily interactions and travels through the
city, that cars, bikes, pedestrians, and motorcycles all just move how they
want. They follow basic rules, but often there are people walking in front of
cars, with cars continuing despite the people…horns are used all the time here
as a functional accessory to your vehicle. You can use them to signal that
someone is in your way, that they are going too slow, to notify someone that you
are there, to tell someone to move, or even just as a heads up if someone is
not paying attention. I have never heard so many horns, ever. And it is not an
annoying blasting of or laying on the horn, but rather, just a short blast to
make your point.
We turned off the main road and down what seemed to be an
alley to the school. It again is another gated area in a small Chinese
community. The building is an older one, similar to what you might think of an
older brick built school building looking like. Our first stop was room 345,
where there were snacks and COFFEE!!!! We had a few minutes to chat and drink
our coffee before it was off on the tour. I saw the Early Childhood center
where Lucas’ class will be held and once we were up on the second floor, I saw
my new classroom! It was very exciting!
The coolest thing about what I saw in the building was the amount of
student work, specifically in the arts that are all over the walls and on the
landing shelves. The projects that are represented on the bulletin boards were
amazing and inspiring! To see the level of work that students are doing all the
way to the kindergarten levels is just astounding! This is going to be such an amazing
environment to work in and an even better one for my son to be educated in! I am really looking forward to all the things
he is going to learn and the challenges he will face that will allow him to use
that wonderful mind of his in such an open and constructive way!!
After the tour, we took the kiddos down to the room where
they will be during our meetings and off we went back to the “Training Room,” 345.
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