Bursting the Bubble

So... we are plugging along trying to figure things out as we go and it's interesting to note how my feelings are changing about things. One of my biggest worries when we started this adventure back in December was the boys safety and what to do about their education while here. The solution for John and I was homeschooling because it took so much confusion out of our decision to move to India at the time. I think our theory became..."keep the boys close, keep them safe, keep them happy". Well, now that we are here, my safety concerns have eased quite a bit and I'm feeling a little cramped in the apartment. As I described this to John (worried he would think I was just bailing on the homeschooling thing) he quickly recapped my description with a "maybe we are ready to leave the bubble a bit more" - a perfect description. As much as I like our bubble, I think we will all benefit more greatly if we venture outside it on a more regular basis. With that said...

I actually went to look at a school here in Gurgaon that came highly recommended by a couple different folks. It is a private Indian school - all teachers teach in English - but most of the communication in the halls seems to be in Hindi. They gave me 3 applications this morning, asked for 600 rupees and told me to bring them back this afternoon and in addition, there seemed to be some confusion about in which grade each kid would be placed and whether admissions were open for those grades. I just stood there and tried to follow any instructions given to me. I quickly wondered... is this how the boys will feel? Even I was anxious a bit in this totally strange environment - how would an 8, 6 and 4 year old feel? At the same time, it looked and felt much like a school at home. The school year here is totally different - starts early April and goes year round with many breaks. So if we are going to take the plunge into an Indian school - April 4th is the day to do it. We might still have the option of the American Embassy School in Delhi but that wouldn't be until Fall since they run on the American school year calendar.

John went with me to drop off the completed and lengthy applications and we were both very unsure of what was happening. John leaned over to me and said... either we are 1.) very desirable or 2.) we were getting the total brush off. Hard to tell. That's how it feels most of the time here - just not exactly sure where you stand sometimes. No one is rude - actually, extremely polite most of the time. It's just that we are on the outside looking in for a change. We did not see any other American families so the boys would be a minority of one. Not sure what to think about this. I'll keep you posted.

Lastly, we are trying to plan a trip for the weekend. Think we will head to Jaipur - The Pink City. Forts, castles and shopping. I'll post pics!