Mikey got to go on a field trip to see Puss & Boots just before Christmas Break with his first grade class. (I can't remember how or if it even fit into the curriculum!?) but that didn't strike me as all that unusual b/c Rachel's class went to the movies last year in the US to see Tangled and they spun it through their "Folklore" unit or something like that.
WELL! Now it's Erica's turn for a class field trip! I just got done reading the letter from the school with all of the details! Her 3rd grade class is going CAMPING next week!!! (While I'm getting 2 of my 4 wisdom teeth YANKED! That's a whole other story for another time!)
They will be travelling about 100 kms south of Bangalore to a wildlife sanctuary for "Leadership Camp." I love how the letter references that the camp is "just about 3 hours normal driving time from the school." Which translates, "You know what Indian traffic is like. It could take us HOURS to get there." I don't think there is such a thing as "normal" driving in India & mind you, the children ride the bus for approximately an hour every morning just to get to school as it is!!
From what I can tell the primary purpose of this trip is to foster independence and responsibility within these children as the school recognises that most of these children will never have spent the night away from home before. They are going to be away for two days and one night! Tenting it and NO PARENTS ALLOWED! These teacher must be NUTS!!! ;0) Hahaha!
I will highlight some of the disturbing, interesting and confusing items in the letter:
1. All tents have "adjoining built up toilets with solar water heaters"....hmmmmm not quite sure what that means & since when does the toilet need to be heated!? (I'm sure I've lost something in translation there!?)
2. The girls are instructed to wear long sleeve shirts and pants in "dull colours" to prevent sunburn. They were also sternly warned that they are not to wear "skirts or frocks". I'm pretty sure neither I or my daughter have ever worn a "frock"!?! Then again, for all I know...I might just be wearing one now!?
3. Food. The menu will be strictly vegetarian. I completely get it. There are too many people that don't eat meat for religious reasons here and I'm assuming it would be a dietary nightmare trying to accommodate all of the "I can't eat that" requests. Hence - They are smart and going to keep it simple "ALL VEG!" They also warned that if you are a picky eater you should bring along "dry snacks"
4. In regards to communication, the teachers will have their "mobiles" if we need to call them but only in the case of an emergency should we be trying to contact our "ward". I may have called my daughter a lot of things over the years...some of them nicer than others but I can assure you I have never referred to her as my "ward"!?!?!?!
5. Dates. How you say the month. - Day of the week etc....it's all different here. In the US I would say, Today is Friday, January 27th. In India you would say that today was Friday, 27th Jan. Nope. Not January. JAN (as in the womans name!) I know it's the abbreviation for JANuary - I just haven't ever heard people say the month in the abbreviated form!? Soooooo! For example sake, Erica is departing on "2nd Feb" and yes, you say the date first then the month.
6. The discussion of the weather is in Celsius not Fahrenheit. I've gotten good enough at figuring out the conversion to know that it's gonna be chilly (by Indian standards) at night and warm during the day. There is also potential for "drizzle/rain sometimes" so "carrying a wind cheater is advisable." I'm quite certain I have NO IDEA what that is!?!? I always thought you got in trouble during school for "cheating"!? Hahaha!
7. They were advised to pack as lightly as possible in a "small trolley bag" (airport carry-on size!)
8. Trekking/Sport Shoes (In MN we would have called those "tennis shoes". In Massachusetts we refer to them as your "sneakers". What do YOU call them!?)
9. It is also "compulsory" for them to bring a "water bottle, sun cap & torch". Did they lose you on torch?! That's the Indian word for a flashlight!
10. I also thought it was very smart of them to ask if my child was a "sleep walker". I would never have thought to ask that and that is a VERY good question!
Some of the activities they will be participating in are:
1. Longest Chain
2. Human Loop
3. Zip Line/River Crossing (Oh Dear God! Children are going to DIE!)
4. Jummering Key Punch (Really!? Say what?! I have NO IDEA what that means but somebody will probably DIE doing that as well!) ;0)
5. Passing the water, Marble Trouble & Balloon Train
6. I'm pleased to see they will be doing some of the traditional camp-ish things like a "scavenger hunt" & the ever popular "campfire". I wonder if I offered to lead "camp songs" if they'd let me come along?! "NO PARENTS ALOUD!" I'm thinkin' it's a "No!?"
7. In true Indian style, dinner will be served at 8:30 pm. Um. Yah. I would like to let them all know that my daughter will be snoring with her face in a bowl full of rice and dahl by that point. Good Luck with THAT!!!
The letter ends with a medical form that needs to be filled out. You know the typical questions....allergies....immunisations....motion sickness (note to self - send a barf bag with Erica b/c she ALWAYS gets sick on car rides).....medications....asthma....epileptic fits......bone or ligament problems....recent fractures.....OH GOOD GRIEF!!!
I told Erica that "Daddy and I would talk about it" and I think that may have unintentionally worked to my advantage because I was worried she'd be scared or nervous about going away to camp but because she detected that she "might not be going" in my voice - That just made her want to GO all the more!
Well, Daddy and I DID talk and she's GOING! (She'll be thrilled!) I already know she'll start her packing list immediately - Lucky for her I'm a "master packer" so she shouldn't have any trouble fitting it all into her "small trolley" :0)
Wow! I really can't believe my 8 year old is going on an OVERNIGHT sleep over in INDIA!! If you told me this a year ago I never would have believed you! In all honestly, Yes, it makes me nervous....I'm sure she will be fine (Actually, I KNOW she will. She's in God's hands!) but my head will be swirling with a million questions to ask her the SECOND she walks in the front door. I'm proud of her. Ready to take on the challenge. My big...INDEPENDENT girl!
And prayers for those teachers too. God Love Them! They truly have to be some of the craziest....MOST WONDERFUL and patient people on the planet!
WELL! Now it's Erica's turn for a class field trip! I just got done reading the letter from the school with all of the details! Her 3rd grade class is going CAMPING next week!!! (While I'm getting 2 of my 4 wisdom teeth YANKED! That's a whole other story for another time!)
They will be travelling about 100 kms south of Bangalore to a wildlife sanctuary for "Leadership Camp." I love how the letter references that the camp is "just about 3 hours normal driving time from the school." Which translates, "You know what Indian traffic is like. It could take us HOURS to get there." I don't think there is such a thing as "normal" driving in India & mind you, the children ride the bus for approximately an hour every morning just to get to school as it is!!
From what I can tell the primary purpose of this trip is to foster independence and responsibility within these children as the school recognises that most of these children will never have spent the night away from home before. They are going to be away for two days and one night! Tenting it and NO PARENTS ALLOWED! These teacher must be NUTS!!! ;0) Hahaha!
I will highlight some of the disturbing, interesting and confusing items in the letter:
1. All tents have "adjoining built up toilets with solar water heaters"....hmmmmm not quite sure what that means & since when does the toilet need to be heated!? (I'm sure I've lost something in translation there!?)
2. The girls are instructed to wear long sleeve shirts and pants in "dull colours" to prevent sunburn. They were also sternly warned that they are not to wear "skirts or frocks". I'm pretty sure neither I or my daughter have ever worn a "frock"!?! Then again, for all I know...I might just be wearing one now!?
3. Food. The menu will be strictly vegetarian. I completely get it. There are too many people that don't eat meat for religious reasons here and I'm assuming it would be a dietary nightmare trying to accommodate all of the "I can't eat that" requests. Hence - They are smart and going to keep it simple "ALL VEG!" They also warned that if you are a picky eater you should bring along "dry snacks"
4. In regards to communication, the teachers will have their "mobiles" if we need to call them but only in the case of an emergency should we be trying to contact our "ward". I may have called my daughter a lot of things over the years...some of them nicer than others but I can assure you I have never referred to her as my "ward"!?!?!?!
5. Dates. How you say the month. - Day of the week etc....it's all different here. In the US I would say, Today is Friday, January 27th. In India you would say that today was Friday, 27th Jan. Nope. Not January. JAN (as in the womans name!) I know it's the abbreviation for JANuary - I just haven't ever heard people say the month in the abbreviated form!? Soooooo! For example sake, Erica is departing on "2nd Feb" and yes, you say the date first then the month.
6. The discussion of the weather is in Celsius not Fahrenheit. I've gotten good enough at figuring out the conversion to know that it's gonna be chilly (by Indian standards) at night and warm during the day. There is also potential for "drizzle/rain sometimes" so "carrying a wind cheater is advisable." I'm quite certain I have NO IDEA what that is!?!? I always thought you got in trouble during school for "cheating"!? Hahaha!
7. They were advised to pack as lightly as possible in a "small trolley bag" (airport carry-on size!)
8. Trekking/Sport Shoes (In MN we would have called those "tennis shoes". In Massachusetts we refer to them as your "sneakers". What do YOU call them!?)
9. It is also "compulsory" for them to bring a "water bottle, sun cap & torch". Did they lose you on torch?! That's the Indian word for a flashlight!
10. I also thought it was very smart of them to ask if my child was a "sleep walker". I would never have thought to ask that and that is a VERY good question!
Some of the activities they will be participating in are:
1. Longest Chain
2. Human Loop
3. Zip Line/River Crossing (Oh Dear God! Children are going to DIE!)
4. Jummering Key Punch (Really!? Say what?! I have NO IDEA what that means but somebody will probably DIE doing that as well!) ;0)
5. Passing the water, Marble Trouble & Balloon Train
6. I'm pleased to see they will be doing some of the traditional camp-ish things like a "scavenger hunt" & the ever popular "campfire". I wonder if I offered to lead "camp songs" if they'd let me come along?! "NO PARENTS ALOUD!" I'm thinkin' it's a "No!?"
7. In true Indian style, dinner will be served at 8:30 pm. Um. Yah. I would like to let them all know that my daughter will be snoring with her face in a bowl full of rice and dahl by that point. Good Luck with THAT!!!
The letter ends with a medical form that needs to be filled out. You know the typical questions....allergies....immunisations....motion sickness (note to self - send a barf bag with Erica b/c she ALWAYS gets sick on car rides).....medications....asthma....epileptic fits......bone or ligament problems....recent fractures.....OH GOOD GRIEF!!!
I told Erica that "Daddy and I would talk about it" and I think that may have unintentionally worked to my advantage because I was worried she'd be scared or nervous about going away to camp but because she detected that she "might not be going" in my voice - That just made her want to GO all the more!
Well, Daddy and I DID talk and she's GOING! (She'll be thrilled!) I already know she'll start her packing list immediately - Lucky for her I'm a "master packer" so she shouldn't have any trouble fitting it all into her "small trolley" :0)
Wow! I really can't believe my 8 year old is going on an OVERNIGHT sleep over in INDIA!! If you told me this a year ago I never would have believed you! In all honestly, Yes, it makes me nervous....I'm sure she will be fine (Actually, I KNOW she will. She's in God's hands!) but my head will be swirling with a million questions to ask her the SECOND she walks in the front door. I'm proud of her. Ready to take on the challenge. My big...INDEPENDENT girl!
And prayers for those teachers too. God Love Them! They truly have to be some of the craziest....MOST WONDERFUL and patient people on the planet!
She'll do great...Mommy on the otherhand might need some assistance (a-hem) to get you through it. Just tell her to pack her SNEAKERS!!!!
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