We had a fabulous time in Mexico. And, you guys, we are doing it. We are moving to Mexico!
The second week of our trip the girls spent three full days at the Waldorf school. Amelie didn't say much but Calliope loved it. After the second day she said she was sad to be leaving. This is high praise from a quiet kid who is "slow to warm up."
I met with the teacher and administrator the last day and they felt my girls fit in beautifully. The teacher said she didn't see any signs of processing issues with Calliope. She had no concerns.
(Oh yes, I never got around to sharing this fun tidbit... in Calliope's winter progress report and in the parent teacher conference, her teacher and the reading specialist both expressed concerns that she's a bit behind where they expect her to be. Not a lot, just a little. And she has trouble following directions. That part was not a huge shock to me since she has trouble with verbal instructions at home, too. There was some wondering about an auditory processing disorder.
But still. It was unexpectedly devastating to be told there's something wrong with my perfectly imperfect child. My sensitive, creative, dreamy little bird.
I scurried about making phone calls, requesting evaluations, mourning.
And then I stopped. And started to get mad.
This school told me not to worry about reading in kindergarten. Told me to focus on play. And reading aloud to her. And promptly assessed her reading at the beginning of first grade and found her lacking.
What. The. Fork.
Screw you. There's nothing wrong with my kiddo. She's on the more sensitive side. She needs things explained more than one way. She doesn't do well, sometimes, with one teacher to twenty-six children. She has more interesting things to think about than science. Like unicorns.
So this is one more reason to embrace Waldorf. Calliope commented that they had so much time and so few things to do. No more racing from task to task.
And one teacher for fifteen children. And two hours of outdoor time a day. And lots of art and music.
And oh, the tuition for both girls, full time, is under $500/month.
But it's not just about the girls. I'm so burned out on my job. I just made my 11 year anniversary. I'm tired. The children are wonderful but the political stuff is exhausting. And I'm tired of always scrambling. Of not being present with my girls. Of not having money put into my GD pension.Of not getting a raise since 2011.
I signed a contract with my real estate broker last night for her to rent out my apartment. The hope is that I make enough in rental income that I can live on the proceeds. Fingers crossed.
I have a job prospect in Mexico, too, but hope that I can take some time to just be for a while. To wait for the hunger to do more.
We start showing the apartment in a week or two. Photos to be taken next week. I'm trying to make peace with it not looking perfect.
In the meantime, I have a long list of things to accomplish. I have to get international health insurance (suprisingly cheap) and a virtual mailbox (they open mail for me and scan me the contents, not as cheap) and cancel every paper bill and catalog. We have to get typhoid vaccines and go to the dentist and to the doctor to get physicals and downsize downsize downsize. And how on earth am I going to get my curly hair cut in Mexico???
Trying to figure out what to bring with us will be a challenging logistical puzzle. I'm already working on it in my head. I'll have two weeks with the girls in daycamp to pack up our suitcases and get everything else into boxes and into storage. And sell my car. July will be an adventure for sure.
We leave for Mexico on or about August 1st.
