first day of kindy

Tuesday last week was the first day of school for our daughter, so of course, like her first day in Nursery, I took the day off from work. As expected, Caila was really excited to start “big” school. She kept pulling her new Dora the Explorer trolley bag all around the apartment the night before, and even insisted to keep it beside our bed before sleeping because she was scared “the moon would get it if she left it in the living room.” That’s what we tell her will happen if she doesn’t take care of her stuff and leaves them lying around in a mess.

So anyway, that morning I woke up early to cook pancakes (her special request), pack her lunchbox, and prepare her clothes and bag. Unfortunately, even though I had cooked what she wanted and added some rainbow sprinkles for a special touch, our daughter didn’t and wouldn’t eat...so we had no choice but to let her eat cigar biscuits (she calls these Mommy’s Surprise) and put the untouched pancake in her lunchbox in the hopes that she would eat it at school. By 7am, we were on our way to the school, and within a few minutes we had joined the rest of the excited parents, grandparents, nannies and kids waiting in front of the Kindergarten building for the doors to open.

Even though we were already informed of her section weeks before, I checked the board for her name to make sure which class she belonged to before looking for the room...which was actually a good thing because everything had been re-shuffled. Once I noted the new information, we headed to the room where I double-checked if her name was on the list posted on the door before entering. Aside from the teacher and her assistant, we were the first ones inside, which made it easier for Caila to settle in comfortably and take in her new environment. A few minutes later, the parents and guardians were advised to leave, so after the Assistant Teacher gave her a picture to color, I simply told my daughter that I needed to go to the bathroom. At the door when I looked back, she was just staring at all the colourful learning things in the cabinet in front of her, and there were no tears in her eyes. Whew!

Before leaving, we were given the contact details of the bus driver and nanny, and were told that the buses would be the ones to drop the kids off after school; so at 12 noon, Mama and I waited in our apartment building lobby for Caila. When 12:15pm came and there was still no sign of her, I began calling the numbers that had been given to us earlier, but I found out that they were assigned to another bus number. So I called the school, explained the situation, and the person who answered immediately gave me the correct details. I had to call the nanny twice to ask them where they were because she kept saying they would arrive “after five minutes” or “very soon” because they were “already nearby.” Finally, at 12:45pm, the bus stopped at our building and, after checking with Caila that I was her mother, the nanny handed my daughter over to me. She explained that there was a bit of a confusion earlier because her bagtag read “Caila” while their list stated “Caitlin.” Fortunately, when they asked her her name, she said her full name.

As soon as she stepped off the bus, Caila began enthusiastically telling us about her day and showing off to us the 2 name tags she was given to wear (one for class and another for the bus). Even after lunch when it was time for her nap, when I told her to close her eyes so that she could sleep, she told me “Mamaya na, Mom. Talk muna tayo.” And she would tell me what happened all over again. I didn’t mind, of course. It was really nice listening to her, all excited and happy. And so far, it’s been good. I sure hope it continues like this.