Back to school…back to school…

Back to school, back to school (Billy Madison singing voice of course). I was beginning to feel like this day would never come. I kept waiting for someone to make the announcement, ” just kidding guys…turns out we are gonna get this whole school thing going next month, not this month…our bad.” Well the announcement never came and last night the kids went to sleep happily anticipating the first day of school.

Yesterday, I gave them each a new pair of shoes, two new white shirts, two new pairs of socks, a new book bag full of new textbooks. As soon as they had received the goods all of them ran to their rooms to try on their shoes, check out their new books. Ezechiel spent the evening walking around the center wearing his book bag, which is nearly as big as he is, and sporting his new Converse sneakers. The women at the center spent the day ironing uniforms and giving the girls some beautiful new braids complete with barrettes and ribbons. How they slept with all that was going on on their heads I have no idea. With so much “new” the day before school I don’t know how they slept at all. I know I tossed and turned just thinking about the few hours of silence that was awaiting me and the staff.

Eventually, we all fell asleep but this morning was an early one. I awoke around 6 to Nerlande leading the kids in some sort of sunrise children’s worship service she had started spontaneously. Obviously, the kids were up and ready to get moving. Within a few minutes of opening my door I had a line full of toothbrushes. Not long after that a request for soap and then the lotion train started. Samantha and Losentia were of course the stragglers, last to be ready. Not much has changed since last year. 🙂
After a delicious spaghetti breakfast the kids came out for their first day of school photos. I totally felt like that mom but the kids were more than happy to have their picture taken. And they were adorable. Most of them had somehow already gotten their socks or book bag dirty, but still adorable.

Before we all marched down the road to school, Pastor Justin had all the kids and staff convene in the kitchen. He prayed over the children, asking God to guide them and watch over them throughout the school year. What I loved was that everyone treated this small ceremony as a typical way to start the school year.

Then the parade began. Maroon shorts and pink and white checkered shirts flooded the road. It was market day so we had to dodge goats and cows along with the passing motorcycles. Ezechiel was on my back as per usual and I had to constantly yell at kids to watch where they were going also as per usual. It was delightful.

We arrived at the school and were literally the only students there. One of the teachers was there but told me he hadn’t bathed and changed his clothes yet (he lives across the street). He only just opened the school. In my head my response was, “Well you do what you gotta do but I’m out. You said October 1st so here they are. Peace!” But instead I said “Okay.” because really what else do you say to someone who is admitting to how ill prepared he is for the first day of school? So I totally left them all there. The teacher never made the announcement I was dreading so that means it is 8 o’clock and time for school even if there are no teachers or other students. The kids were in a school building so I did my part. Please don’t judge me.

It is now 10am and I am not foolish enough to think the kids will actually stay there a full day today. I am sure they will be back soon, fighting and yelling and asking me for things they don’t need and tattling when I don’t really need to be informed and showing me cuts that need band-aids. But today was certainly the beginning to a beautiful school year.