Life: Idiotropic

This afternoon I took Tiara over to the AF North International School in Brunssum to complete her 7th grade registration. She was both excited and nervous. I had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. The large building houses preschool through high school classes, but it's divided into colored pods which shrink the building down quite a bit when most of Tiara's classes will be in one place. 7th grade occupies the red pod. Her locker will be one of many that outline the perimeter of the large open space. All the 7th grade classes branch off from that space, so getting to classes is quick and easy. As of now, it looks like she'll be leaving her pod just twice a day - once for high school French (she'll get high school credit for it!) and once for 8th grade math (she's totally capable and it will save her from the narcoleptic 7th grade math teacher - no joke).

I was there to sit and smile. The guidance counselor talked to Tiara 95% of the time. She asked Tiara questions and went over a survey with her. Tiara was nervous, but I think she feels good about moving to a different school.

I'm mixed. Excited for new opportunities that Tiara will enjoy. Excited for change and the newness of it all. But... it comes with new challenges. I know that academically, this year will be difficult and, there is more that I will want to shelter her from - but with less control. While I was with the counsellor, a 9th grade boy came in upset because he got in trouble for reading a Maxim magazine at school and then made his oil lamp in the shape of a bong. Tiara wouldn't know what either is at this point. Some things she just doesn't need to know - not yet. May be not ever... come to think of it... I don't know what a bong looks like either... and I'm doing just fine!

Anyway... the school is big and looks nice from the outside. The entire school is surrounded by fences and there is a security gate there, so you need an ID to get on the school grounds. It is probably more secure than the school she's at now even though it's separate from the base.

While we were getting registered, Arianna was at the Visser Chocolate factory in Schimmert, NL. She and her kindergarten friends went on a field trip there for a tour of the factory. They all liked the cute white hair net caps that they wore and they all came back with a large tablet of milk chocolate. The chocolate was ok, but not anything spectacular enough to make the drive there. Rousseau in Sittard is better.

Not long after the busy afternoon was International Women's first Spanish night ever! The Spanish have never had enough people here to really do their own night, but this year they started and put the rest of us to shame. There have been a lot of great nights, but this one was the perfect combination of great food, entertainment, fun, and conversation. A slide show with music played while we ate dinner and visited with friends.

Serrano ham and delicious cheese sat on the tables with sliced baguettes, alioli, and green olives. Just before we went to get our food, two men came out carrying one of two LARGE paella pans filled with a delicious paella to show the crowd. A finished paella is like art with the giant prawns and shellfish placed carefully around the edges with lemon wedges in between. With our paella, we had a slice of Spanish tortilla (a potato/egg pie), and one of the best sangria's I've ever had.

After dinner, two of the Spanish ladies, dressed especially in costume, came to do a traditional dance from the Feria de Abril. They danced beautifully for about 10 minutes - enough to entertain and not bore, to share their culture and not squelch our conversation. After the entertainment, coffee and interesting anise flavored cake donuts (rosquillas) were made available while the Spanish ladies all danced together.

Soon it was our turn to learn the flamenco. So with our right hand we were told to "pick the apple, eat the apple, then throw it away," and our hands clumsily tried to mimic the elegance of the Spanish ladies with no success. Still, a few sangrias later and we were all having a great time dancing together. The funniest moment was towards the end of the evening when I was the only American dancing in a large circle of mostly Turkish women. One Spanish woman was there and a Spanish song came on. My friend, Mel, kept looking to Maria for the movements to the song, but Maria didn't know them, so Mel, a beautiful Turkish woman, ended up teaching the entire group the hand movements to this Spanish song!

The door prizes were all very special - embroidered scarves from Spain, Spanish wine, and other treasures. I, like always, left prize-less, but the night was fabulous and I'll look forward to their next one in January.

With the bread and other treats on the table was a bowl of Alioli. Noemi made it and it got rave reviews from the ladies at my table. Here's her recipe: