Big Day!

Yesterday was (finally!) Greta's first day of school! I absolutely cannot believe that she has been off school since the beginning of June, this is surely the longest summer holiday that she has ever had. She looked so pretty in her dark green uniform and new backpack (thanks, Grandma), and went off bravely. It would be hard enough to enter a new school in a new country, not knowing anyone or any of the routines, but to also have to do it three weeks after all the other students had started seemed particularly difficult. But all went very well. She took the bus there with Steven, and he left her with her guidance counselor to take some evaluative tests, then she went to all of her classes and had lunch in the canteen, before taking the bus home on her own.

We had gone last week to meet again with the admissions folks and to get Greta's schedule sorted out. She convinced them to let her take French, even though she'll be in a class full of students who have had French for the past four years and she has never taken it. But she was determined, as she's wanted to learn the language forever (it's never been an option, so she has only ever taken Spanish). They were concerned that it would be too difficult, but she really wants to do it, and she said last night that she really likes the French teacher, so I think that she's going to be fine. It will be a good excuse for me to practice the language, too, and maybe brush up on my verb conjugations. I am so very proud of her.

The school has a Visual Arts specialization, so there are separate studios (they call them pavilions) for art classes, and the work they do looks very cool. It really feels like Greta is where she is supposed to be. And I know that there was much patience involved in her getting this placement, but I also firmly believe that it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't hounded the Admissions Board. And this really makes me feel for the many parents who don't speak the language well, or don't understand the system or paperwork, or perhaps need to work all the time and so don't have the time and energy to be so vocal on their child's behalf. What about those kids? It really does seem unfair, but I am feeling incredibly lucky. And of course, there is a certain amount of luck involved because there are loads of "helicopter parents" trying to control every little thing in their child's academic career, and even they are complaining furiously that they can't get into the schools they want. Strange.

It was wonderful to hear, too, about Loyal Heights winning a national award for their academic excellence, and we're so thankful for the brilliant education and wonderful environment that both of our girls experienced there. Franny is loving her school and her new routines, but she definitely misses her friends from home. She, more than any of us, is a real homebody and so she talks about her room in Seattle and missing having friends over. We'll need to plan some playdates here soon, too.

So, yesterday was a very big day, but it looks like everything is working out well. Greta will definitely post soon with all of her school news. And Steven left last night to visit Grandma for a few days, as she hasn't been doing very well and I think will be quite glad for the company and the help. This week we're supposed to get some sunny days reaching 80 degrees, so it should be lovely out in Wiltshire. I heard an older fellow at the pool this morning say, "It sounds as though we're having an Indian summer this week; then a Russian winter soon to follow!" We'll see, but the girls are certainly hoping for snow at Christmas.

Oh, one other reason that yesterday was a big day: I had a two hour job interview that was much like the "X-Factor." The good news is (maybe?) that I made it to the finals. Now you'll have to wait to hear more about that one...

School News

This has been quite a week...I have a wicked cold, so everything is harder to deal with than normal, and we've had some big decisions to deal with: Greta is switching schools. She was accepted to Chestnut Grove, our top choice school, so this is very good news. We found out on Tuesday, so she didn't start at Bishopsford on Wednesday, as we had planned. I contacted the school on Monday, just to make absolutely sure that she wasn't going to get in before we continued down the path of the less optimal school, and what do you know, they said we could attend the Open House the next day and meet with the Admissions Specialist. I was jumping for joy, but Greta had a harder time getting her head around switching at this point. We had a good visit at Chestnut Grove, though, and lots of big talks about why this makes sense, and now she's set to start there on Monday. Unbelievable! But it does seem like one of those instances where good things come to those who wait...so glad that we waited. But the kid needs to get back to school, she's been out since the beginning of June!

Franny is still loving her school, and has a nice group of girlfriends. We just put down the deposit for her class trip; they're going to Normandy, France in June. Yep, they get to go to France for five days as a field trip! Our girls are so lucky to be having these experiences.

Our latest excursion was to the National Portrait Gallery, where we saw some amazing paintings and viewed the entries for the BP Portrait award, which were very cool. Another free museum in which you could spend hours. Unfortunately, we spent far too long in the Tudor section and then got a bit tired; next time we'll start with the modern portraits and work our way back. :)

Always Something Fun Going On

It seems that there is always something going on in this city. Yesterday we headed in to town to explore the events of "Open House London," an annual celebration of local architecture, where they open up numerous (normally private) buildings to the public. We wandered in to Guildhall and the Chartered Accountants' Hall, although the line to enter the Bank of England stretched around the block and we decided not to wait for that one. It was fun to see the interiors, and we had guided tours of a few places. Our friend, Kevin, joined us for the day, which was great.

After going in to a couple of different buildings, we walked down by the Thames and discovered the Great River Race, which is London's river marathon. There were loads of boats paddling up the Thames when a thunder storm struck and they had to fight a huge current. All these people in their costumes were yelling and rowing like mad, it was quite exciting and we found shelter to watch them for a while.

When we got tired of watching the boats, we ducked in to a cafe for coffees and treats. Franny had a large hot chocolate and a triple chocolate cookie, so the sugar quickly set in and she was able to trudge along for more. We didn't need to convince Greta to carry on, as our next stop was Somerset House to see the happenings of London Fashion Week. This was very cool, and we spotted lots of models, photographers, journalists, and fashionistas, while watching the catwalk on a large screen in the courtyard. It was pretty amazing to be right there soaking up the ambience, so we hung out for a while before heading back to the tube.

There really is some event going on somewhere in the city all the time, and we're trying our best to take advantage of this as much as possible. This will be a bit different when both of the girls are in SCHOOL. Yes, Greta is finally going to start secondary school here and we're all very relieved. Her first day is set for this Wednesday, and we had a successful meeting with her advisor last week. She'll be doing the English Baccalaureat program, and her classes look quite interesting. There will be an adjustment to figuring out the bus there, and learning all the routines, but they plan to match her up with another student for the first week, who will show her around a bit. Will certainly have more to report next week.

Oh, and Franny's team won their football match today and she earned player of the day, which means that she gets to keep the little silver cup for the week. Wish we had a mantel on which to display it! :)

Hampstead Heath and Highgate Cemetery

First things first: we have a meeting today at Bishopsford Arts School, so will hopefully have some good news soon about Greta's placement. Last week while she and Steven were having fun following the Tyburn River, I was begging and pleading with school officials and borough bureaucrats to offer her a place at one of our top choice schools. Of course, I have been making myself crazy researching the London school assignment system, and there are definitely some issues here, so we are not the only parents scrambling this autumn to find a suitable school for their child (check out this article from The Guardian, if you're interested: link). I can't help but think that this could have been avoided if they would have let us apply last year, when I tried to do so from Seattle, but they are strict about not accepting any applications without proof of prior residency, so we were forced to wait.

Anyway, it looks like we might have some resolution soon. And in the meantime, Franny is still loving school and we are loving being able to walk there every day- what a wonderful luxury and one that I never realized would make such a difference. In fact, I'm still finding it quite nice to not have to drive anywhere, and I don't miss having a car yet at all. We walk to all the shops every few days, and can buy almost anything we need within a few blocks of our house: we go to the large Indian store for rice and olive oil, our local veg stands for all kinds of produce, the Polish market for good coffee (we were very relieved to find this, as our first few tries of "English coffee" were very disappointing- please take note, Kevin S. that we are missing good strong coffee), the bakery for fresh bread, and the English grocery stores for basics. We are getting spoiled by the selection of cheeses and chocolates, and find the cereal much better and cheaper than in the States.

Our latest adventure into the City took us to Hampstead Heath and Highgate Cemetery, and it was truly another experience of seeming to walk onto a movie set. As we came up from the Tube, we found ourselves in a gorgeous neighborhood of brick Victorian houses, trendy boutiques, and inviting coffee shops, and after walking through these for a while, we headed to the huge grassy expanse that is Hampstead Heath. We hiked the trails to the highest point, which offered stunning views of the city, and joined many other Londoners enjoying the sunny day at the park.

You could easily spend all day in Hampstead, but we really wanted to make it to Highgate Cemetery to explore, so we carried on (after a few huge cookies for sustenance) and entered the wrought iron gates of the most famous graveyard in London. I didn't realize, at first, that this was the cemetery of which I had read in "Her Fearful Symmetry," but then it all made sense and it was so cool to see. The tombstones were very different from each other, and we wandered around reading the inscriptions and announcing any famous names that we discovered. This is where Karl Marx is buried, which invoked a lively discussion about Capitalism, and we also found the grave of George Elliot and other well known writers and artists. We somehow started talking about the idea of life after death, and each of our wishes for cremation and/or burial. It was a serious conversation, and it was sweet to hear the girls promising to "always keep our graves pretty," but I assured them that I wouldn't put this expectation on either of them. This all took place on Sunday, which was 9/11 and so we had been talking about the fleeting precious nature of life, although I'm not sure how much of that a 10 or 14 year old child can truly comprehend. It is something that I have been thinking about, though, and it makes me all the more grateful that we have been able to take this trip. 

Tyburn River Walk

Sherlock Holmes' house

Paddington Gardens

                            Westminster Cathedral                                    

 The view from the tower

 Vauxhall Bridge

Where the Tyburn lets out

On Thursday, to take our minds off the school debacle (although we just got good news from Bishopsford and we're meeting with them tomorrow, and I'll most likely start school later this week!), Dad and I set out on another walk from the book, Secret London. This time, we followed the route of the Tyburn River: a stream that runs beneath the city, taking us to landmarks such as Green Park and Buckingham Palace.

We started the walk off at Baker Street tube stop, and ended up taking a wrong turn and seeing the Sherlock Holmes museum and 221b Baker Street. We made our way back to Marylebone and continued along Baker street. Dad pointed out where the street was slanted because of the Tyburn underneath it. I loved wandering through the small streets, little known gardens, and the fact that a river was below my feet. We stopped to get sandwiches and crisps and ate them underneath the shelter of an English oak tree in Green Park, as it started to drizzle. Still following the book, we passed the gates of Buckingham Palace (the river actually flows underneath it) and to Victoria Street. There we found Westminster Cathedral- not Westminster Abbey, which we visited last year, but the impressive Catholic church- the largest in England and Wales. Dad and I took the lift to the top of the tower, where we had a panoramic view of the city- the British Telecom Tower, Victoria Station, the London Eye, and even Wembley Stadium. Some twenty minutes later we arrived at the Thames, and from Vauxhall Bridge we could see the tunnel where the stream we had been following let out! It was a great walk, full of side streets and alleyways that one can only find in the city we are all beginning to think more and more of as home.

Franny's First Day of School

Yesterday we all woke up early to get ready for the first day of school. You should be warned right now that this is not a post about another fun tourist adventure in London; this is the post of a mother who was a nervous wreck all day about her baby starting at a new school in a new country, and not knowing a soul. I wanted to write about my feelings yesterday, but I honestly couldn't focus enough to do so. I was more nervous than when Franny started kindergarten, because she had so many friends going in to that class and she was so familiar with the school routine, having watched her sister there for years.

We managed to get the school uniform and supplies, and she had Steven's help to do up her school tie; her lunch was made and water bottle packed, Franny was ready to go. And she was smiling! She was completely excited about the whole thing, couldn't wait to get there! Of course, I did my best brave mommy act and didn't let on about how nervous I was; but later Steven and Greta complained that I was in a cranky mood all day.

It's about a 10-minute walk from our house to school, but we left twenty minutes to be on the safe side. When we got to the very busy office, we spoke with the very friendly staff (I swear, the ladies who work in elementary school offices are saints- so patient and kind), and we were informed that there had been "a bit of a mix up," as they didn't have the paperwork from Merton Borough saying that Franny was placed at Links. The nice office lady must have seen my panic stricken expression, because she quickly added, "Oh, but that's okay, we do have a spot for her and knew she was coming from your email, so we'll get it all sorted in no time." Thankfully, I had brought the letter we received stating that Francesca was accepted to Links, so I handed that over and we were given a tour of the school.

Fifth grade in England is known as Year 6, and at Links, the older classes have the top floor of the homey old brick building that houses the school. Franny's teacher is Mr. McClleland, who seems very nice and welcoming. Franny was introduced to the class, and we were escorted back down to the office...that was it, and she never looked back. So all day I thought about her and wondered how it was all going. She said the night before, "If I can't find anyone to sit with at lunch, I'll look for someone else who is all alone and I ask if I can join her." She also decided that she would bring a book to read, in case she had no one to play with. These comments made me both incredibly proud of her resourcefulness, and full of heart ache for my ever-social little girl.

Cut to 3:10pm, when the students are released for the day: Franny came out the door still wearing her big bright smile and I nearly jumped for joy at the sight of her. We walked home while she told me all about her day: she made three new girlfriends and they all sat together at lunch (having requested "a table for four, please" in the cafeteria), one of these girls gave her a biscuit, Mr. McClelland is really nice and a really good teacher, there's another new kid in the class and he only speaks Polish (not a word of English, but other Polish children help translate for him), there are kids from all over but no other Americans, they are already talking about the field trips to the London Zoo and to France, as well as the big test they will prepare for this year. She was full of news about the day and so happy about all of it, it was an incredible relief.

As I pondered all of the things that Franny might face at the new school, and as I continue to sort through the maze of bureaucracy that constitutes the school system for getting Greta her school placement, I thought a lot about our decision to move here this year. It was one thing to try something new and different when it was just the two of us, as Steven and I did in moving to Seattle many moons ago. As an adult, you do your best and figure that if it doesn't work out, you can always move on to something different. And while that still holds true with our move to London, it is a much greater responsibility when you are transplanting your two young daughters as well. They were willing and excited to embark on this adventure, and I think that it will stand them well their whole lives. They are learning that there are so many different kinds of people in the world, and that we can make changes in our own lives and take risks when we feel ready, not to mention the emphasis on family that we have created by being such a solid unit throughout this journey. I am so proud of the young women that they are becoming, and I am doing my best not to be a nervous ninny about their growing independence. Now if we can just get Greta settled into her new high school, I will thank my lucky stars yet again.

Back to School Shopping

                                          Franny models Dad's tweed jacket

My school shoes

Tomorrow is Franny's first day of school- can't believe it- and we still needed a few things for her and for me: we finally got word about what school I'll be going to! Although we have no official letter, Mom has been talking with the admissions folks and there is a spot for me at Bishopsford Arts College. This wasn't our first choice of schools, but I really like what they say on their website, and their curriculum for Year 10 looks great. Plus, it's only about a 20 minute bus ride from the stop right up the street. The downside to the news is that I won't be able to start school on Wednesday with everyone else- we need to have a meeting sometime this week at Bishopsford, where we'll sort out things like my class schedule and what we need for my uniform, and then I'll start a few days later. Luckily, there are three other students in the same boat, so I won't be the only one starting late. Nevertheless, we're all relieved we have finally found a place and will be starting soon!

Both Links Primary and Bishopsford Arts College have uniforms, so the past couple of days we've been getting white blouses, grey trousers, brogues, etc. Franny has her first day outfit set: grey pleated skirt, white blouse, and green and yellow school tie. (we'll post pictures of Franny's uniform tomorrow). Today we went to the Strand and Oxford Street looking for school shoes (we were also going to visit the National Portrait Gallery, but we had gotten a late start and ran out of time- another day!). I found black leather brogues from Topshop, which will be perfect for school. We also stopped for lunch at Canela Cafe, a small Portuguese/Brazilian eatery near Covent Garden where we had delicious chicken stroganoff, carrot and leek soup, and vegetable lasagna. We also wandered through a little antique market, where Dad found a fantastic tweed jacket; he'd been looking for one for awhile. It was different from our usual back to school shopping- yet another new and exciting part of the year.

Princesses at the Palace

We spent today at Kensington Palace and then roaming through Kensington Gardens. It was different than I remembered it, in part because it is currently being refurbished, so there are different rooms open than usual, and also because there is (even still) a Diana Memorial Gate filled with fresh flowers and letters- but when I was last at the Palace, Diana was still very much alive. I remember seeing her wedding dress and other gorgeous gowns, so it was sad to see the mementos left in her memory.

We left the house early, to meet our friends from Seattle who are currently living in Cambridge, at the Palace entrance. All six of the kids thoroughly enjoyed the Enchanted Princesses exhibit, which offered all kinds of fun information about the previous princesses, as well as maps and interactive activities to try out. We then had fun walking through the park and playing at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground for a while, a wonderful playground based on J. M. Barrie's Neverland. We had lunch at the cafe in the park, sitting outside in the warm September sun.

Later in the afternoon we made a pilgrimage to Harrod's, the ultimate shopping mecca. What amazing things to eat and buy, it really is fun just to walk through and gaze at it all. Franny very much wanted to return to the toy department upstairs, so we took the escalators up and walked into a kid's heaven, with every kind of toy, game, doll, car, train, etc. you could wish for. It was actually rather overwhelming. But we didn't have long to stay before we needed to get the tube back in time for football practice, so we will certainly return another day (as Greta saw plenty that she thought would be heavenly, too!).

As to footie, Franny is now a member of the Carshalton Athletic Football Club, which is a very impressive group of young girls. She's had a few practices (they'll be twice per week, all year round) and already one game (they beat the other team 8 to 2, and the other girls were a year older and had three subs, while Franny's team had none at all). This is a pretty big commitment for the year, but she loves to play and her dad is a huge supporter, so he vows that we'll make it work to get her to practice and games. Like father, like daughter.

School starts next week (unfortunately, we still don't know where Greta will be), so our adventures will be changing, but we're excited for the next chapter and will keep you posted here.