Post by Honeylioness on Sept 11, 2012 15:13:37 GMT -5
07 September 2012[/u]
Well, not off to a very good start if this is my first posting here. Bad host momma.
Oh well there is still plenty of time to get better at it.
Pauline arrived almost on time on August 23rd from Berlin, Germany. She walked off
the plane with a big smile and a lovely spirit. Our first weekend was kept rather low
key on purpose as I know from experience that the combination of stress, the emotions
of saying good-bye to family for a year and jet lag usually gang up on the kids the
first few days. However by Saturday, after just one day of resting up, Pauline was
ready to go.
Over the first weekend we took a long walk through Lowell, stopped in at a local art
gallery and popped in at the rectory of St. Annes to meet Richard and Carla. One
morning I did some yard work, and Pauline pitched in to help me. She also paid
attention to my showing her how I clean the bathroom she then dove right in and did
the other bathroom. When I asked her to vaccuum the large bathroom she did that, then
the living room, her room, the hall and the stairs.
I have also found that she not only knows her way around a kitchen she likes to cook.
So we decided to make Toll House Cookies - once I got her started she basically took
over and ran the process - completing the cooking of a double batch.
We also did a few errands to get her some basic school supplies - I told her not to
worry too much right now about getting enough because each teacher will give her a
list of what they feel she will need for that class.
On Monday the 27th we went to the school and got her enrolled. However we were told
we had to come back the next day and get clearance from the Nurse's office before she
could enroll in classes. The biggest stress about that was that on the next day -
Tuesday, August 28th - I had a second interview at the company in Waltham so I was a
bit concerned about getting back to Lowell in time for the appointment with the
nurse. However I did get back in time - too bad the school staff could not say that
they were on time as well.
We had two "formal" appointment times: 11am and 1pm. When we arrived at 10:25 we were
told that the times were not so much an appointment as a time slot. And they had not
yet finished with the list of students slotted for 9am! We left briefly to run to the
post office then returned to wait - and wait - and wait .... finally at 11:20 they
called our name as the thrid person listed on the 11am sheet.
And it was not even as if they school nurse even did an exam ... what she did was
re-type the information from her medical forms provided by YFU (the student exchange
program) into the school's computer. That was it. And can I just mention that she was
NOT the world's most talented typist? [NOTE: MASSIVE understatement].
After enduring her pecking at the keyboard for what seemed like forever we finally
had the okay to move over to her guidance counselor's office so we could select her
classes. Please keep in mind that this is not my first rodeo with this school. So we
finally locate the right office after climbing what I believe was EVERY stair in the
building and walking all the corridors. And it was PACKED ... kids even sitting on
the floor in the hallway outside. We go inside and write down Pauline's name on the
list sitting atop the front desk, I was even lucky enough to score two chairs for us
to use while we waited.
And waited, and waited, and waited and ................ See the pattern here?
Approximately an HOUR later one of the office assistants/clerk/secretary (not sure
what they are called) got up and went to the list. This battle axe of a secretary is
reading names off the list of students who are piled up waiting for assistance and
tells me "You signed the wrong sheet! it should have been this other one" ... so very
VERY politely I ask her just how was I to know that? ... neither sheet had
instructions that said .. new students here ... schedule changes here ... and she
opened her mouth to smart off at me ... until she saw my glare and in a cold voice I
told her:
"Lady, I am not some pimple faced 15 year old you can intimidate to make yourself
feel superior - so you better just stop and think before you mouth off to me"
Keep in mind I am still wearing my interview clothes with three inch heels on my
pointy toed maroon pumps.
She snapped her jaw shut - wrote my name on the "correct" piece of paper and flounced
off ... as much as any frumpy 60 YO in tacky polyester pants, a tackier polyester
blouse and hair that has seen at least 5 too many bleach treatments can flounce ....
And of course I just "happened" to say out loud after I saw THIS for the fourth time:
"I wonder why anyone even BOTHERS to put their name on the oh so important list ..
since apparently anyone can just walk by the other 30 people waiting and into a
counselor's office at any time they feel like it"
This accompanied a "look" to a 17 yo male who had just done that very thing ... and
came with one arched brow - which I do VERY well. HE slinked out with his tail
between his legs and it got the attention of the person we needed to see. I said to
her - "Who do I address a letter to about my concerns regarding this process? It does
not seem appropriate that when there are students who NEED to register that they can
just be shoved to the back burner along with their parents while kids who wish to
change class because the teacher was mean to them once can just waltz past everyone
else .. .AND the staff lets them"
Yeah - needless to say I was probably not up for the Most Congenial Parent award at
that office.
Then after that lousy experience I came back outside to find a ticket on my
windshield - I will confess that I was pushing the envelope and was in a No Parking
area .. however the cop wrote me up for being in a Handicap Zone. This ticket came to
$300. Yeah, I will need to take some pictures and then fight this sucker.
******************************************************************
Last night I left the house a little after 10:00 pm to drive to Logan Airport and
pick up the young lady from Thailand whom I said I would take in on an emergency
basis. After talking with Pauline about this, and the timing of her flights etc, she
eleceted not to come with me to the airport as she had her first exams today.
Actually she had FOUR tests today and I agreed she really needed to study and then
get a good night's sleep.
This meant that I was leaving to go to the airport about the time she was getting
ready for bed. OY. After stopping for an iced coffee - since I had tried and failed
to take a nap earlier - I was on my way. iPOD blasting to help keep me awake.
One of the things we talked about was the logistics of where everyone would sleep the
first night. Trying to wrestle two HUGE suitcases upstairs and into the girls'
bedroom then pull out Chavisa's sleepware without waking up Pauline didn't really
seem all that likely. So I made the decision that C would sleep in my room and for
the one night only I would sleep in the girls' rooom on Chavisa's bed - just for the one night and C would sleep in my bed since I thought she would sleep most of the next day.
Yeah ... that didn't happen. More on that on Chavisa's page.
******************************************************
The Photobucket account I set up for both girls during this year is at:
s25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/honey36_/Exchange%20Students/Pauline%20L%20and%20Chavisa%202012-2013/
Well, not off to a very good start if this is my first posting here. Bad host momma.
Oh well there is still plenty of time to get better at it.
Pauline arrived almost on time on August 23rd from Berlin, Germany. She walked off
the plane with a big smile and a lovely spirit. Our first weekend was kept rather low
key on purpose as I know from experience that the combination of stress, the emotions
of saying good-bye to family for a year and jet lag usually gang up on the kids the
first few days. However by Saturday, after just one day of resting up, Pauline was
ready to go.
Over the first weekend we took a long walk through Lowell, stopped in at a local art
gallery and popped in at the rectory of St. Annes to meet Richard and Carla. One
morning I did some yard work, and Pauline pitched in to help me. She also paid
attention to my showing her how I clean the bathroom she then dove right in and did
the other bathroom. When I asked her to vaccuum the large bathroom she did that, then
the living room, her room, the hall and the stairs.
I have also found that she not only knows her way around a kitchen she likes to cook.
So we decided to make Toll House Cookies - once I got her started she basically took
over and ran the process - completing the cooking of a double batch.
We also did a few errands to get her some basic school supplies - I told her not to
worry too much right now about getting enough because each teacher will give her a
list of what they feel she will need for that class.
On Monday the 27th we went to the school and got her enrolled. However we were told
we had to come back the next day and get clearance from the Nurse's office before she
could enroll in classes. The biggest stress about that was that on the next day -
Tuesday, August 28th - I had a second interview at the company in Waltham so I was a
bit concerned about getting back to Lowell in time for the appointment with the
nurse. However I did get back in time - too bad the school staff could not say that
they were on time as well.
We had two "formal" appointment times: 11am and 1pm. When we arrived at 10:25 we were
told that the times were not so much an appointment as a time slot. And they had not
yet finished with the list of students slotted for 9am! We left briefly to run to the
post office then returned to wait - and wait - and wait .... finally at 11:20 they
called our name as the thrid person listed on the 11am sheet.
And it was not even as if they school nurse even did an exam ... what she did was
re-type the information from her medical forms provided by YFU (the student exchange
program) into the school's computer. That was it. And can I just mention that she was
NOT the world's most talented typist? [NOTE: MASSIVE understatement].
After enduring her pecking at the keyboard for what seemed like forever we finally
had the okay to move over to her guidance counselor's office so we could select her
classes. Please keep in mind that this is not my first rodeo with this school. So we
finally locate the right office after climbing what I believe was EVERY stair in the
building and walking all the corridors. And it was PACKED ... kids even sitting on
the floor in the hallway outside. We go inside and write down Pauline's name on the
list sitting atop the front desk, I was even lucky enough to score two chairs for us
to use while we waited.
And waited, and waited, and waited and ................ See the pattern here?
Approximately an HOUR later one of the office assistants/clerk/secretary (not sure
what they are called) got up and went to the list. This battle axe of a secretary is
reading names off the list of students who are piled up waiting for assistance and
tells me "You signed the wrong sheet! it should have been this other one" ... so very
VERY politely I ask her just how was I to know that? ... neither sheet had
instructions that said .. new students here ... schedule changes here ... and she
opened her mouth to smart off at me ... until she saw my glare and in a cold voice I
told her:
"Lady, I am not some pimple faced 15 year old you can intimidate to make yourself
feel superior - so you better just stop and think before you mouth off to me"
Keep in mind I am still wearing my interview clothes with three inch heels on my
pointy toed maroon pumps.
She snapped her jaw shut - wrote my name on the "correct" piece of paper and flounced
off ... as much as any frumpy 60 YO in tacky polyester pants, a tackier polyester
blouse and hair that has seen at least 5 too many bleach treatments can flounce ....
And of course I just "happened" to say out loud after I saw THIS for the fourth time:
"I wonder why anyone even BOTHERS to put their name on the oh so important list ..
since apparently anyone can just walk by the other 30 people waiting and into a
counselor's office at any time they feel like it"
This accompanied a "look" to a 17 yo male who had just done that very thing ... and
came with one arched brow - which I do VERY well. HE slinked out with his tail
between his legs and it got the attention of the person we needed to see. I said to
her - "Who do I address a letter to about my concerns regarding this process? It does
not seem appropriate that when there are students who NEED to register that they can
just be shoved to the back burner along with their parents while kids who wish to
change class because the teacher was mean to them once can just waltz past everyone
else .. .AND the staff lets them"
Yeah - needless to say I was probably not up for the Most Congenial Parent award at
that office.
Then after that lousy experience I came back outside to find a ticket on my
windshield - I will confess that I was pushing the envelope and was in a No Parking
area .. however the cop wrote me up for being in a Handicap Zone. This ticket came to
$300. Yeah, I will need to take some pictures and then fight this sucker.
******************************************************************
Last night I left the house a little after 10:00 pm to drive to Logan Airport and
pick up the young lady from Thailand whom I said I would take in on an emergency
basis. After talking with Pauline about this, and the timing of her flights etc, she
eleceted not to come with me to the airport as she had her first exams today.
Actually she had FOUR tests today and I agreed she really needed to study and then
get a good night's sleep.
This meant that I was leaving to go to the airport about the time she was getting
ready for bed. OY. After stopping for an iced coffee - since I had tried and failed
to take a nap earlier - I was on my way. iPOD blasting to help keep me awake.
One of the things we talked about was the logistics of where everyone would sleep the
first night. Trying to wrestle two HUGE suitcases upstairs and into the girls'
bedroom then pull out Chavisa's sleepware without waking up Pauline didn't really
seem all that likely. So I made the decision that C would sleep in my room and for
the one night only I would sleep in the girls' rooom on Chavisa's bed - just for the one night and C would sleep in my bed since I thought she would sleep most of the next day.
Yeah ... that didn't happen. More on that on Chavisa's page.
******************************************************
The Photobucket account I set up for both girls during this year is at:
s25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/honey36_/Exchange%20Students/Pauline%20L%20and%20Chavisa%202012-2013/