Chapter 5: It's Snowing!
THANKSGIVING was wonderful. The cafeteria was beautifully decorated with autumn, satin leaves of golden, brown, reddish yellow maple leaves. Pumpkins, squashes and butternuts were placed in baskets on display. Orange and red brown table cloths with leaves spraypainted on them and centered by gorgeous short, fat orangey - red candles, surrounded by tiny, sparkly autumn leaves. Lavish food was laid out around the cafeteria and all families contributed to the feast. We started by praying together and giving thanks to God for all sorts of things. Then carols and harvest songs were sang, grace was said and everybody dug in! We then had to roll home after playing board games with different families. AND what do you know? Ethan had to remember his manners!!! Our FIRST Thanksgiving... and we have so much for which to be thankful.
It was - 9 c today and we have had snow for two weeks! It's so incredibly beautiful and strangely only cold on the day or days after the snow. Under floor heating is really helping us cope, but Shanneth did not want to go to school today! "I's told today!!!" " I's watch TV - Mummy you tay wif me!" She yelled.The boys live in their snow suites and have had major snowball fights - the headmaster of the primary George being the ring leader! He is really different in that he knows all the kids and always does break duty - ends up playing with the kids and encourages them to build forts on campus etc. They tend to encourage the staff kids to play at school on the weekends too - so Josh and Ethan get up early on Saturdays and wonder off to school to play at their fort. George was impressed with their fort because they are the only group that have allowed girls to join their fort, and so subsequently have a very comfortable beautifully decorated fort! They even found an old Christmas tree in the tip and now have a Christmassy fort!!! It really builds community and the 68 staff kids are great friends - they all get on well. On Mondays we have staff development until 5:00 pm and the kids all have "kids club" - the IB students run the programme and the kids make all sorts of crafts, play sport and do computer stuff. They also do homework with the kids and Josh and Ethan's homework tutor, Franny (17), is wonderful. She's a National Honours Student and has won many beauty contests too. She is a stunningly, captivating Asian girl. Josh has been getting full marks for his spelling lately and I asked him why he was doing so well; he said "That's what happens when you are in love!" I said "oh with whom?" (Thinking with his 100 year old teacher or a girl in class) He promptly replied " Franny, mum!" - Like I should have known! Ken was thrilled - really proud Josh has such great taste; brains, beauty, personality and a Christian!!!
Ethan has single handedly managed to break two sets of glasses in one week! So we had to go to the optician. We were lucky to find an English speaking chap - who said that Ethan's prescription is at fault! Because of the huge discrepancy between the focusing of the eyes; the glass is placing stress on the frame, hence, two frames broken but not the glass. He then told us that Ethan must have a sun filter on the lenses and a non scratch - micro bonded (unable to break) flexi glass lenses added, with this he would develop frames from titanium to support the lenses. He then sent the prescription to Carl Zeiss in the USA to have the lenses graded - which means that they equal the weight of the lens but increase the magnification in the one lens that needs the greater magnification. I was amazed all this took 7 days and the doc. was really apologetic because it would take so long! He made emergency glasses for Ethan to wear for the week, using his existing lenses and reinforced Harry Potter frames on the one side so that his heavy lens would not break the frame. Ethan was thrilled and really likes the Harry Potter look! His new glasses arrived six days later and we are suitably impressed. The magnification seems great and the glasses are so light weight. He can't believe how light they feel on his face. We hadn't even considered that but he does look good with glasses that are straight! The others were forever skew because of the weight difference! All this of cause cost us an arm and a leg - 240 000 won which is roughly $250 US dollars, We still need to check and see if the medical aid will pay but it really is worth it though!
Shannie is really cute but ofcause being a McAllister she too is pushing the boundaries - flexing her will. So yesterday she refused to help tidy her room and so Ken threatened to smack her bottom. She replied with a real cheeky expression on her face and her hand on her hips, "No mack me! You make my bum hurt! It will be awhowee!" It was kinda of hard to explain that, that is actually the point!Have a wonderful Christmas! Love to all
THANKSGIVING was wonderful. The cafeteria was beautifully decorated with autumn, satin leaves of golden, brown, reddish yellow maple leaves. Pumpkins, squashes and butternuts were placed in baskets on display. Orange and red brown table cloths with leaves spraypainted on them and centered by gorgeous short, fat orangey - red candles, surrounded by tiny, sparkly autumn leaves. Lavish food was laid out around the cafeteria and all families contributed to the feast. We started by praying together and giving thanks to God for all sorts of things. Then carols and harvest songs were sang, grace was said and everybody dug in! We then had to roll home after playing board games with different families. AND what do you know? Ethan had to remember his manners!!! Our FIRST Thanksgiving... and we have so much for which to be thankful.
It was - 9 c today and we have had snow for two weeks! It's so incredibly beautiful and strangely only cold on the day or days after the snow. Under floor heating is really helping us cope, but Shanneth did not want to go to school today! "I's told today!!!" " I's watch TV - Mummy you tay wif me!" She yelled.The boys live in their snow suites and have had major snowball fights - the headmaster of the primary George being the ring leader! He is really different in that he knows all the kids and always does break duty - ends up playing with the kids and encourages them to build forts on campus etc. They tend to encourage the staff kids to play at school on the weekends too - so Josh and Ethan get up early on Saturdays and wonder off to school to play at their fort. George was impressed with their fort because they are the only group that have allowed girls to join their fort, and so subsequently have a very comfortable beautifully decorated fort! They even found an old Christmas tree in the tip and now have a Christmassy fort!!! It really builds community and the 68 staff kids are great friends - they all get on well. On Mondays we have staff development until 5:00 pm and the kids all have "kids club" - the IB students run the programme and the kids make all sorts of crafts, play sport and do computer stuff. They also do homework with the kids and Josh and Ethan's homework tutor, Franny (17), is wonderful. She's a National Honours Student and has won many beauty contests too. She is a stunningly, captivating Asian girl. Josh has been getting full marks for his spelling lately and I asked him why he was doing so well; he said "That's what happens when you are in love!" I said "oh with whom?" (Thinking with his 100 year old teacher or a girl in class) He promptly replied " Franny, mum!" - Like I should have known! Ken was thrilled - really proud Josh has such great taste; brains, beauty, personality and a Christian!!!
Ethan has single handedly managed to break two sets of glasses in one week! So we had to go to the optician. We were lucky to find an English speaking chap - who said that Ethan's prescription is at fault! Because of the huge discrepancy between the focusing of the eyes; the glass is placing stress on the frame, hence, two frames broken but not the glass. He then told us that Ethan must have a sun filter on the lenses and a non scratch - micro bonded (unable to break) flexi glass lenses added, with this he would develop frames from titanium to support the lenses. He then sent the prescription to Carl Zeiss in the USA to have the lenses graded - which means that they equal the weight of the lens but increase the magnification in the one lens that needs the greater magnification. I was amazed all this took 7 days and the doc. was really apologetic because it would take so long! He made emergency glasses for Ethan to wear for the week, using his existing lenses and reinforced Harry Potter frames on the one side so that his heavy lens would not break the frame. Ethan was thrilled and really likes the Harry Potter look! His new glasses arrived six days later and we are suitably impressed. The magnification seems great and the glasses are so light weight. He can't believe how light they feel on his face. We hadn't even considered that but he does look good with glasses that are straight! The others were forever skew because of the weight difference! All this of cause cost us an arm and a leg - 240 000 won which is roughly $250 US dollars, We still need to check and see if the medical aid will pay but it really is worth it though!
Shannie is really cute but ofcause being a McAllister she too is pushing the boundaries - flexing her will. So yesterday she refused to help tidy her room and so Ken threatened to smack her bottom. She replied with a real cheeky expression on her face and her hand on her hips, "No mack me! You make my bum hurt! It will be awhowee!" It was kinda of hard to explain that, that is actually the point!Have a wonderful Christmas! Love to all
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