Well, it’s been almost exactly two months since Ethan started school at Colegio NWL (Newland). Our first official parent-teacher conference will take place in November and we look forward to learning more about what he’s been working on and how he is progressing. For now, we’re glad to report that Ethan is happy, he’s making new friends, and he seems genuinely interested in his school work. He says his favorite subjects are physics and math, which are both in Spanish, so that’s a great sign.
Shortly after school began, we were invited to join a WhatsApp group for the parents of the 8th-grade class, which consists of about 9 kids. When we left the US in 2014, we had never heard of WhatsApp, but as we’ve come to learn over the years, it is hugely popular. It’s where almost everything seems to happen these days.
This is the first year that Newland has had a campus in San Miguel de Allende and that means everyone is new to the school and many people don’t know each other. Rather than simply getting to know each other virtually, we all decided to set up regular in-person family gatherings. This last Sunday, we all met for a picnic.
It was a wonderful opportunity to watch all of the kids play and socialize and for the parents to chat and eat. All of the parents were friendly, funny, welcoming, and patient. Several people spoke English to us at various points, but most of the conversations were in Spanish. Although, our speaking skills aren’t strong, we understood most of what was said and everyone was sure to check in with us to make sure we were following. We really enjoyed ourselves and are happy to be part of this new community.
In short, fun was had by all and we all look forward to our next gathering of families.
Meandering Family: Beyond the Nest 