her first day at school

“Why are you so nervous mummy?”

Susie’s sweet little voice rang out from the back seat of the car

“Nervous?  I’m not nervous” Kathy replied sharply, noticing that her own voice sounded a demi-tone too shrill, and catching her young children glancing at each other in the rear view mirror. “it’s just that I don’t want you to be late for the first day at your new school”

Of course they weren’t late, she never was late anywhere.  And once the car was parked, the children relieved of their school bags and running around in the playground, she let out a sigh, while still chewing the side of her lip.  “Well they look happy enough, so that’s good at least”

Of course the children had been right, she was nervous.  Since they arrived in France a month ago, it had been a whirlwind of administrative paperwork, and never ending appointments, so hard for her to understand with her schoolgirl French.  And here they were at the start of the new school year.  Her husband Jack was snugly in his office along with all his work pals,  where everybody spoke English all day long, while she was left to furnish the new home, find her way around the new town with two young children and a baby and sort the new school.

She hadn’t said anything to Jack, there was no point.  He knew she could handle almost any situation and she was quietly proud of his confidence, but sometimes she felt that a little recognition for all that she got done each day would be sort of nice.

The twins were only 7 years old,  they knew some rudimentary French, and she knew that they would stick together and pick it up pretty fast.  The list of school stuff she had to buy for them was alarming!    Special sized notebooks, particular pencils, a compass each.   Besides the stationary, sports gear and sundry desk equipment, they even needed a napkin in a little holder, with the child’s name clearly marked on both items!

So as she observed Susie and her twin brother Toby using the playground bicycles and laughing together, she sighed, looked down at the baby in the pram beside her and said “Right then Max, its just you and me for the day, so you better stay awake ‘cos I have nobody else to talk to!”

A loud bell rang in the courtyard and teachers emerged with class lists for the first day of the new school year.   There were other mums around her now, chatting to each other in French at a speed that made it impossible for Kathy to understand a word  they were saying.  The French mums looked very chic, and Kathy was glad she had taken extra time to dress that morning, and was wearing a pretty dress and lipstick, instead of just a pair of jeans and her face ‘au naturel’.

It took about half an hour for each teacher to call out the names of their new pupils and lead them in crocodile lines from the playground in to the classrooms.  The atmosphere felt quite austere and impersonal, and the knot in her stomach grew a little tighter.  Her babies winked at her as they walked past holding hands, and she blew them both a discreet little kiss, before turning to walk out of the school grounds.

As she walked past a classroom she caught sight of an illustration on the wall, showing how to write the alphabet, she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach “oh my gosh, even the handwriting will be different!  How are we going to do this?!”

She was trying to imagine being in the same situation at a new school at home.  There would probably be a special thing made over a new family to a school, with maybe a dedicated member of staff on hand to show new pupils and their mums the ropes.  This however was France and Kathy was quickly coming to understand that she was on her own.

When she had handed the registration papers in to the school secretary, she had tried to explain that she would like to meet her children’s teacher before the start of term, but either the secretary couldn’t or wouldn’t understand her, and the meeting never happened.

The only welcome letter she received were more forms to fill in and two full pages of ‘the school code of conduct for pupils and their parents’ that she had to decipher, sign and return!

Maybe if Jack had been sent to the Paris office if would have been easier.  There would be more to do, other expats,  more places to visit during the day, but here in this sleepy little town in the middle of France she would have to create her own entertainment.

At home the twins played basketball, loved their art class, Susie took dancing classes and Toby played in the school soccer team.  Kathy still knew nothing about children’s clubs here and it was hard to know where to ask for information.

If she had been at home, she would have had her good friends around her.  Right now they’d be dropping the kids off at school then having a quick coffee together before getting on with their day.  Could that ever happen here, where she didn’t speak the language and she was the only one not born and bred in this little town?!

She quickly lifted a finger to her eye to wipe away a tiny little tear that had formed.  She wasn’t sure if it was worry for her children or feeling sorry for herself, but she felt rather foolish either way, and started walking more quickly towards the car.

Just at that moment she realised that she could hear a voice calling, in English!  In English? really?  She took a deep breath and turned around, hoping that her tears did not show, and found herself facing a pretty young woman, with a baby in her arms and a broad gentle smile on her face.   “Bonjour, you must be Madame Wright” (Kathy loved the way the French rolled that R at the beginning of her name).   “The school tell me you are just arrived in France, I am happy you are here, my name is Marie-Claire ….. will you like a coffee with me”

Kathy couldn’t help herself as a second tear formed and slowly rolled down her smiling cheek.  “Bonjour, Marie Claire, merci beaucoup!  I would love that”

  ………….oooooOOOooooo………….

A little piece of fiction for this morning, if you’d like to know how Kathy does with Marie-Claire and with the French school system, then check back in tomorrow!