Ready for School

On Tuesday I attended a tour of the Shinfield Nursery and Infant school just down the street from our house. It’s on the opposite side of a field so it is actually faster to walk over then to drive, it would be ideal for Kellen. Every child in the UK gets 15 hours of Nursery school (preschool) per week once they turn 3, now that Kellen is 2 ½ I figured it was time to get him enrolled. So Kellen, Ella and I headed down to the school and took the tour. It seems like I learn a few new things about this country each week, this week I learned that an Infant school goes from Nursery through year 2 then kids move on to Primary, I also learned that I’ve waited way to long so we are now on a wait list for a spot at the school.

The early education system here in the UK is similar to the US but has its differences. The 2 years of nursery school are foundation year 1 and foundation year 2. The first foundation year is what I would normally think of as preschool. The activities are very child driven; they really focus on just getting the kids into the routine of going to school and listening to a teacher. The lessons are minimal although they do have music and work on art projects. In foundation year 2 the school begins to prep the kids for school and integrates them into the broader school a bit more. I was surprised to see that by year 1, equivalent to our Kindergarten, the kids were already working on literacy (reading) through phonics and many were doing some basic reading. There are also nursery schools that are not combined with an infant school so in that case the kids go to 2 years of nursery then straight into the primary school. I really like the idea of having the school focus on just the very young kids and a smooth transition into the first 2 years of primary school before going into a school with kids as old as 10 or 11. We are officially on the waitlist so I’ll continue to look at other local nursery schools and hopefully by early April we’ll know for sure where Kellen will start in September. As a side note the building has been a school for the last 300 years, I think that’s kind of cool.

On Saturday we had an American family over for dinner, they moved when their son was the same age as Kellen and have been here for 5 years now. It’s interesting because their son has a British accent he developed through school. I was curious about whether they used the American words for things or the British, they are surprisingly different. In our house we have already started using football instead of soccer to eliminate confusion when Kellen is at his weekly football lesson but we don’t use any other British words and I feel a bit silly saying rubbish bin instead of garbage can. Patrick is the one that has picked up the most sayings but I think a lot of it is middle school speak. Their son picked most of it up just through school and for many things he only uses the British word, and since that’s what he calls it the family follows. So maybe eventually we will all be saying torch instead of flashlight. One tip they did give us is the word pants. Here pants means underwear and they use the word trousers, for Kellen’s sake I’m trying to say trousers so that he doesn’t get to school and about his pants getting dirty or something.

So if next Christmas when we’re home visiting we sound like Madonna with slight British accents that sound kind of forced, just know that it’s for Kellen’s sake and not us being pretentiousJ.

Service Culture

I have heard multiple times that outside of the United States there isn’t the same “service culture” we are accustomed to. When we initially heard this it’s easy to assume it is a basic as the difference in service when you go to a restaurant or coffee shop. There isn’t the expectation that a tip will be given and there isn’t the same level of service from the waiters. Back home it seems someone is checking on you every 5 minutes, if you’re at a big chain restaurant your soda is probably refilled before you even finish the first one (oh Red Robin I never knew I’d miss you). Here you get your menu and wait for someone to take your order, once your food and drink arrive you are on your own until you’re ready for the bill. Constant checking in to see if you need a refill, not going to happen. This can actually be good and bad. You aren’t being constantly sold on the dessert or another drink; it’s nice not to constantly have to tell someone “no we’re fine thank you”. On the other hand if you are in a hurry you will be waving the water down for your bill and then to have them take your money etc.  So yes it’s true the service standards are different.

Now living here I have started to realize exactly how much “service” or convenience we really do have in the States and how different things truly are. There are the little things, at the grocery store you not only don’t have your items bagged for you but you get an annoyed look from the teller if you are taking too long. Forget being able to shop at any time, most retailers close by 6:00 and if you do need help you have to hunt down an employee for assistance. The people aren’t rude or unfriendly you just aren’t catered to in the same way we would expect back home.

Today I got the first pedicure I’ve had since moving here. There aren’t nail shops all over where you can stop in for a quick pedicure without an appointment. I had to make an appointment at a spa and even then I think the $20 ones are actually a little better. As I was there I realized that you don’t hear as much about waxing, the aesthetician said women just don’t seem to get as many indulgent treatments on a regular basis. I also have not yet met a Mom who has someone clean her house. You don’t see cleaning vans driving around, no Molly Maids or similar services. I was having coffee with a Mom and asked her so what do you do to treat yourself? She looked at me in confusion and said “you don’t”.

Now some of this might be the difference between one income and two income households. Even in Seattle if I didn’t work I don’t think I could justify having Concepcion continue to come to the house, but man do I miss her sometimesJ. Also, if we lived in central London and I was asking single women I’m sure brow waxes and pedicures would be much more common than the Friday Mom’s coffee group surrounded by toddler and babies.

I’ve realized that the downside to all of this convenience is the speed at which money can be spent without even trying. I could swing through my drive thru Starbuck on my way to meet a girlfriend for a pedicure after work and even stop at Target for that one thing I sort of needed. It’s all so easy and so fast and can be so expensive. I’ve learned that you have to really want to spend money here. On Sunday Jamie and I took the kids to Café Nero, a coffee shop, in a neighbouring village to have coffees and Kellen got a treat. There are no parking lots, instead you park or take a bus and then walk around the village getting any errands done at the same time. This also means that we actually sat there and had a coffee together and enjoyed the time just sitting. Not driving thru on our way to Target.

We have gotten very used to saying the things here are different, not better or worse but just different. Like all the other things that are different the lack of convenience has actually turned out to be good and bad. On a Sunday afternoon everything is closed so you have to sit back and relax, but the downside is you better not plan on accomplishing anything on Sunday because everything is closed. I really enjoyed getting a pedicure today, I probably won’t get another one as soon as I’d like and I miss the cheap little place down the street from my house that will take you even if you get there at 7:00. But I’ll also enjoy spending my £25 on something a little more important.

Celebrating and Going On Holiday

It has been too long since my last posting, looking back over the last month it feels like a lot has happened with Christmas, Grandma and Papa’s visit, and Ireland I don’t know where to start.

Christmas this year was a very different experience then usual. It was our first Christmas abroad and there were some new traditions we tried to incorporate, we made a trip to Harrods and Christmas Markets, tasted Christmas puddings (no thank you they are just warm fruit bread from what I can tell), has mince pies on Christmas day (again a lot of dried candied fruit) and I hit the Boxing day sales. We ordered our turkey from the local butchers and I spent the week before Christmas planning our menu, watching Jamie Oliver’s Christmas specials and going to the grocery store, 4 trips was my final count.

While both Christmas Eve and Christmas day were spent cooking on my part they were also full of Christmas movies, playing and board games around the house. The family was also treated to Kellen and I signing Christmas carols. Back in Seattle we spend a lot of time traveling from house to house, sometimes it seems like there isn’t enough time in the holiday to really spend enough time with either side of the family so while we missed everyone it was a nice change of pace. I also had a good excuse to use our wedding china which only happens a few times a year. On Christmas Eve only Jamie, Ella and I made it until midnight and even then I think we were in bed by 12:30 so it was much mellower then years passed. Christmas morning was a lot of fun as Patrick was rushing us all down the stairs and Kellen was starting to get the whole concept. Each time Kellen opened a gift he would want to go play with it and we would have to force him to move on to the next gift and it would start all over again. At 8:00am our time we did call home to say merry Christmas and that was the hardest moment. Hearing everyone together celebrating midnight, obviously a few glasses of Champaign into the celebration, made me wish I could be there too. All in all we really enjoyed our quiet Christmas together.

Grandma and Papa got here on the 27^th and I was more excited for them to arrive then Patrick was on Christmas morning. Jamie, Ella and I went to the airport while the boys waited at home. We got there early and got coffee, the plan was to sit and wait patiently; instead I think I paced up and down the arrival area for 30 minutes until they walked out. Having them here made me realize how much I really do miss them each day. I’ve been surprised how easy it’s been so far, between Skype and unlimited long distance on the home phone we talk a few times a week and Skype at least once a week, but seeing them in person was so nice.

We packed the two weeks they were here as full as possible. We did a variety of day trips around the country side and days in London. I even got a few days out with just them as Jamie stayed home with the babies. Our big plan for their visit was a trip to Ireland for New Years. Mom has always said that she’d like to see Ireland; it was really fun to get to experience it with her.

We flew into Dublin on the 30^th and spent New Year’s Eve touring the city. Before going I had heard about the economic issues they have had over the last few years, including the austerity measures being adopted, so I was pleasantly surprised by how great Dublin was. It seems like such a great city. It’s small enough that you really can walk around; we made it from the Jameson distillery to the Guinness Factory with just a 15 minute walk. The buildings have character and are many are obviously historic but inside they were modern and updated. The Guinness Brewery was amazing in itself, it is huge and they have a full museum inside. There were multiple restaurants, a tour and a sky bar that overlooked the city. Overall the city was very charming and I look forward to hopefully spending more time there. Then on New Year’s Day we drove out to Cork stopping along the way to view old castles, cathedrals and the town of Waterford. The villages had a very different look and feel then English villages but there was the same emphasis on tea, sweets and pubs.

I’ve also had some learnings over the last month. The biggest one would be that coming out here has brought our family unit closer. We love our extended family and miss our extended family but we often end up spending a lot of time worrying about everyone else’s plans and schedules and it was really nice to focus on just the 5 of us this year. My second key learning is that you must be equally prepared for a day out with your parent as you do with your kids. With kids you must always have wipes, sippy cups and backup clothes. With parents you must always have tissues, Actifed and splenda.