New schools...

It is very early to say much, but I thought I would just write something short about our children's experience in their new schools.

Alex is going to a big primary school in our part of Gloucester. He looks smart in a dark green sweatshirt and grey trousers. I asked him how school here compares with school in Uganda (where they went to a lovely small friendly international primary school.) Alex had two things to say: 1. his school in England is much bigger - there are 120 in each year group, divided into four classes of thirty. So even though the playground and field are way bigger than at the school in Kampala, it is also way more crowded. At playtimes they play crazy games of football, with fifty children on each side, ending up beating on each other and then all being banned from the football field - which is really great fun!
2. Here in England, all the children look the same - they all have freckles and short hair. That is Alex's perspective. It is true that in his school in Uganda, there were children from 30 different countries, and only ever one other English child at most. At least two thirds of the school were African children from Uganda or elsewhere. In his school here, all the children seem to be English, although there are different ethnic backgrounds represented - but way in the minority.

Alex is loving his school. We were very fortunate to have lunch with a former missionary family the day before school started, who invited round another family, whose twin children are in Alex's year group. James, the boy twin, has been a good friend to Alex already, and showed him around on the first day, and plays with him every break time. Alex said on the first evening, "If it wasn't for James, I would be dead!" Meaning that James had helped him so much. Alex is really happy, is doing well already and had a piece of writing read out in class today. So far so good!!!

Abigail is going to a school in the middle of Gloucester. It is the cathedral school, so the Gloucester cathedral choristers go there. So every morning the children get to have their school assembly right in the cathedral. How amazing. Not only is it an ancient, Norman cathedral ie at least a thousand years old, it is also the place where some of the Harry Potter scenes have been filmed - if you remember where the cat, Mrs Norris, is found petrified in a corridor... that corridor is in Gloucester cathedral. Abby wears a gorgeous, old-fashioned uniform, tie, blazer and all, and fortunately she loves it. She is in a class of sixteen children of whom only four are girls! We think this is good as it means that the four girls have immediately bonded and spend all the playtimes together. As Abby is usually shy at first, I am so so happy to hear her talk about these new friends already and what they have done together. (Today she said they played in the garden, "and we had a gravel fight. We tried to put it in each others' hair." Hmm, great!) Apparently the boys in her class are gross, and talk about exploding guinea pigs etc. Thank goodness she is used to that having Alex as her brother.

When I asked Abby how school here compares with Uganda, she just said, "It is a whole different world." Which it is, of course, - she is at the epitome of a traditional English school beset with rules, uniform, homework timetables, sports (referred to as "games") like hockey, and traditional names for everything, such as "the Michaelmas Term" (meaning this Sept-Dec term). Abby was scared going in on the first day, and I think I was even more scared than she - but, she has loved it so far and already asked me if she can stay there next year! We do hope so!

I am so relieved and thankful to be at this point, that the children are finding their way round their new schools, making friends, and seem happy. I can only praise God for it.