Mike and Anita James » school

Things You Only See Here

Anita — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:52:53 +0000

There are some things that we see here that we now take for granted. When we first moved here, these things would’ve been very strange, but now, they’re normal. Here are a couple of things I’ve seen this week:

This backpack is a symbol of graduation

With the World Cup going on, it’s normal to see plenty of orange or Dutch flags. During this past week, we’ve started to see backpacks put out with flags. This is only done at the end of the school year, and it’s a sign that someone in the house has graduated. They literally hang up their backpacks. When you drive through the city, you’re sure to see this sight.

Here is the other thing that I never thought I’d see advertised:

New herring is here!

Herring is a really big deal here. They eat it raw & pickled. Often, they’ll put raw onions on it. I’ve been told that this helps it taste better. I take people’s word for it. I don’t like seafood, so I stay as far away from this stuff as I can. This is the time of year that the new herring is sold. It’s the first herring of the season. People say that it tastes better at the beginning of the season. They also discuss what year had the best herring. It’s like a wine connoisseur discussing which year’s wine is best. That’s a conversation I will never be a part of!

A Whole Year

Anita — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:35:39 +0000

I can’t believe we’ve been in America for a year. Sometimes it seems like it’s been less time than that; sometimes it seems longer. Grace is nearly finished with her year at school. First grade has been wonderful for her. She’s also gotten to experience some things that she never has at school before like American holidays and field day.

I have a working list of things we need to do before heading back to The Netherlands. I have a separate list of things to buy to take with us. We need to replace much of Grace’s clothes. The problem is that we will need warmer clothes, and they’re not available. Yesterday, when I was shopping, I found something on my list though – winter pajamas. I was so excited and even more excited to see that they were only $2. So, until we leave to go back, we keep on working and marking things off our list.

Thank you to all of you who are praying with us that we get back on time. We now lack $840 in monthly support. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Multiplication

Anita — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:48:55 +0000

This year, Grace is in the 1st grade in America. She essentially finished that grade last year, but because her birthday is at the end of September, they wouldn’t budge on it. So, besides doing her normal 1st grade homework, she’s been doing some extra work.

We learned a while ago that Grace is highly motivated by either money or things bought for her. This year in The Netherlands, she is missing out on multiplication. So, if she memorizes her multiplication tables from 0 – 6, she can get a new Webkinz. So far, she’s memorized through 5. I think she already has in mind what she’s going to get. If you don’t know what Webkinz is, don’t feel bad. I didn’t know until we moved back here. They’re stuffed animals that come with a code. You can put that code into their website and play with your animals there too. Ah, the marketing they do for kids. Oh well, it’s helping a little girl learn her multiplication!