Merry Christmas !!!

Credits: Quick Page by Jennifer Schmitt

End of Maternity Leave

Time flies! Not only is Kyla growing, work is also waiting. Would you believe it, I'm supposed to get back to work next Monday, December 22! That's exactly Kyla's 3rd month and the official re-start of my career life. Darn!

But nah! I won't start work before Christmas. Ayoko nga. I'll take some paid leave. I sent an email to my boss yesterday to officially inform him and at the same time ask him to sign a leave form for me. Formality side, I need to sign that form for insurance purposes. And since I opened my work email account through web access, I continued browsing through the pages to keep up with what's happening at work well,to be honest, I've been opening my account from time to time. To sum up, my project didn't progress as I hoped it to be and my calendar started to fill up. I know that I need to meet up with a Thai colleague on January 12, a meeting on this and that date and so on. I then continued deleting a love email from our system administrator informing me that my inbox reached its maximum limit. Nonsense. I again continued browsing, opening only those unimportant messages like my boss buying me a backpack for my laptop. That's cool.

An email about winners and awards was also there but I ignored. Our department is organizing a yearly contest on practices and projects which yield great benefits for the company. It's on a global level so it's a good way to know what our Asian and American colleagues do while we drink our coffee here in France, lol. Frenchguy called me up last night to congratulate me he's again on work travel. he found the best method to get away with dirty diapers and nursing kyla at night. Apparently, I won one of the awards. It's a project I did in collaboration with my favorite Thai colleague.

My reaction? Darn! I hate it. I don't work to get awards. I just do what I need to do. Period. Now, I need to go to Paris dressed up I-don't-know-how to dine in a private museum or I-don't-know-where with the big bosses and deliver a speech on how we got such great results. All that to get an award! The problem is, I'm not used wearing formal dresses I love my shirts and jeans! and I hate speeches. And if it's delivered in French, my, get ready with my terrible accent. I have stage fright!

Hayy, ang laki ng problema ko no?

Baduy

Louna starts to have her own fashion sense. She would oftentimes exige the clothes she wants to wear and this morning wasn't an exception. So to not to lose a lot of time, I asked her to prepare herself for school (she knows how to wear almost all types of clothes, except t-shirts). After wearing the clothes she chose, she asked me ça va, maman? (is it alright, mama?). I looked at her and wasn't able to stop myself from laughing. She then asked me, baduy, maman? That, really made me laugh!

Home Alone II

Frenchguy left again this morning. He will be in the US until Tuesday next week. That would mean I need to move double time again. But the thoughtful Frenchguy made sure that I have food to heat in the oven and I have fruits and yoghurts in the fridge at least until Friday. That would already save me a hell lot of time from preparing food.

This morning, I woke up earlier than usual to prepare Louna for school. School starts at 8:45am but Kyla's still sleeping by that time. I hesitated a bit but finally decided to leave Kyla alone at home while I brought Louna to school My! I wish my Mom is already here. That was to prevent disturbing her sleeping pattern and exposing her to the cold winter temperature. 15 minutes later, I was already back at home but Kyla was still sleeping. The little girl changed her behaviour from a fussy Kyla last week to a sleeping beauty this week. In fact, she's still sleeping until now that's why I could blog.

Well, going back to Frenchguy, he'll be spending one whole weekend in the US. That would mean SHOPPING! I made a list for the kids but nothing for me. No idea, as usual. Would you be kind enough to throw some gift ideas ;). If you were me, what would you like for Christmas?

Louna's Drawing

The pre-schooler loves to explore and express her imaginations through her pen. She would proudly present her drawings telling us what object she sketched. Mostly, they're unrecognizable but we encourage her to continue. But now, she starts to draw correctly. See it here.

Weaning Problem?

It's been a month now since I introduced the bottle to Kyla. It was a breeze. No fuss. No problem. But since this weekend, I had been facing difficulties on bottlefeeding Kyla. It started when I changed her milk. She would start taking, like 30 ml, then stop abruptly and scream. It would then be impossible to let her drink the whole bottle. The only short-term solution I found was to introduce the milk through a syringe.

It was the same scenario the next day so I went back to the same milk. The same result. So I changed the bottle, changed feeding position, went back to the old position, went back to the same bottle, had Frenchguy nurse her, etc. In short, I tried almost everything but she doesn't want the bottle anymore. She still likes to be breastfed tho.

My question is, is this a weaning problem? A month after I introduced the bottle? Did you have the same experience? How did you get about it?

PS: I will be meeting the pediatrician tomorrow. Let's see.

Santa, Here We Come!

Do you believe in Santa Claus? Louna does. And at the moment, it's only Santa Claus that counts.

Last night, she accidentally peed on her bed and while I was changing her pajama, she sadly told me that Père Noël va être déçu (Santa Clause will be disappointed). So I told her Yes, he will be disappointed so next time, you have to wake up and call Maman or Papa to help you go to the toilet. Talking about taking advantage of Santa story, lol.

Since this Santa Clause period doesn't last a lifetime, we want her to experience a one-of-a-kind adventure with Santa - something which she will cherish at least during her childhood years. So why not go Paris Disneyland?

I've received an invitation from Paris Disneyland offering me a free entrance ticket. But the ticket is good only up to December 25. Since my mom will be arriving on December 27, we thought we could only go there on December 28. I started to check their site for opening hours and ticket prices. My, the prices made me scratch my head - ang mahal naman ng ticket (50€ for adults and 42€ for kids). My kuripot attitude started to hit me again. Then I received an email from this site which finally saved me from ruining my pocket. I had 4 tickets for only 80€! What a steal.

Now, Louna will surely meet Santa Claus in person. Hope it will be sunny on that day. I don't want my mom to freeze on her 2nd day in France, lol.

Home Alone with the 2 Girls

Frenchguy left for Ireland today and will be back Friday night. My much awaited break after office hour, when Frenchguy's home will be suspended till this weekend. The 2 girls will surely know how to overload my schedule. To start, I have to wake up earlier to bring Louna to school. The cold weather will surely not play to our advantage. Then in the afternoon, I need to stretch my patience so I could attend to their exigences. Wish me energy, patience and enough sleep.

Would You Let Your Baby Cry?

Parenting style had always been a hot topic between Frenchguy and I. Too hot that we often raise voices each time we talk about it. The biggest culprit are none other than the differences in culture and education we received as individuals. Co-sleeping for example, though tolerated at home is not practiced in Frenchguy's family. And since they just can't just shrug their shoulders to such kind of idea, they would talk about the dangers of co-sleeping and how a child could develop a certain degree of dependence to their parents. Why the heck are they so afraid to be too close to their kids? When discussions are focused on such topic, I have this feeling that I need to defend my culture and tradition to the same people who already heard what I needed to say 3 years ago, when Louna was born.

Breastfeeding was half-heartedly accepted this time. No comments from MIL who had a word warning from Frenchguy during Louna's time. But in one of Kyla's fussy nights (pre-osteopath time), Frenchguy asked me if I was sure my breastfeeding was effective. That's a comment too much to an already worried and tired mom. He had his dose of my motherhood-induced katarayan in no time.

Since they know that I would accept but a little compromise in terms of motherhood, they would often accept shut their mouth and let me react according to what I feel and think is right. I'm the mother after all.

But crying is another problem. Frenchguy would often suggest to let Kyla cry. He's afraid I'm spoiling my daughter. But leaving a baby cry should depend on the moment. I wouldn't leave her cry when all she claims is to rock her to sleep, right? And I'm just doing the same as I did for Louna. And honestly, Louna was and is never a cry baby. She's even surprised to see kids cry or throw tantrums in malls or playgrounds. What I'm afraid in allowing babies cry too long is that they get used to it and use it to get what they want.

Hayy. It's during these moments when I want to send Frenchguy back to his mom. Buti na lang, my mom will be here end of December and will stay for 3 months. May kakampi na ako.

The Power of Osteopathy

Kyla's arrival had certainly changed our life. The joy of finally having her around and cuddle her anytime we want is unexplainable. But to say that she brought but joy at home is an exaggeration. She brought more than that.

She'd been fussy. She had been regurgitating a lot, even close to vomitting sometimes. This disturbs her even when asleep, thus, not sleeping a lot especially at daytime. This is also one of the reasons why I started mixing between breast and bottle feeding - I thought my milk wasn't enough and good enough.

But there must be something more aside from regurgitation. She's too sensitive. She could be awakened by the smallest of noise and movement. She cries not even 5 minutes after I lay her down on bed. The only solution I found was to carry her almost all the time so she could get the dose of sleep she needed for her age. At first, I thought, that must be her reaction to what I had undergone after giving birth. Afraid of separation, she wanted to keep me this time.

Her behaviour had made our organization at home off balanced. Louna's jealousy had been intensified by the fact that I was needed by Kyla 24h a day.

When my FIL went here to pay us a visit, I was indirectly criticized because of my method (MIL in particular). They thought I was instauring a bad habit to Kyla. But after days of stay with us, they finally understood why I had to resort to my method. Kyla was crying a lot.

Her fussiness made me a worried mom. I unintentionally repeated several times to Frenchguy my hope that nothing is wrong with Kyla days before her 1st month visit to the pediatrician.

During those rare free time that I got, I search on the net for solutions. When my SIL talked about an osteopath and after reading reactions from the net, I thought I need to give it a try.

It's been 5 days now after our visit to the osteopath. Kyla regurgitates less, sleeps longer and could stay awake for an hour, observing things around her. Whoa! That's a big change. She still cries of course, but I could now decode the meaning of her cries. I could now attend to what she really needs. Calm is slowly gaining place at home. Louna is now enjoying her sister's company. What a joy!

A Month and a Half Later..

During times when Kyla cries unconsolably and I start to cry myself, I wish time flies faster so she could be older and fill our house with laughter - just 6 months older would be perfect. But reality hits me big time when I think that I need to get back to work end of December - that's just too soon. I need to remind myself that the little miss won't stay this small forever and I need to take advantage, especially now that she starts to smile and focus on objects infront of her.

But the little angel is giving me a real hard time. She's regurgitating a lot and that wakes her up most of the time. She's got an agitated sleep too. Even the smallest of noise could wake her up. All that results to a fussy Kyla who lacks sleep which she badly needs for her development.

We brought her to an osteopath yesterday who did a series of massage particularly on her head. He apparently put all nerves which help in digestion in place to spare Kyla from any discomfort. The result could be observed progressively but so far, so good. Proof is, I could blog!

Ambiance at home is starting to get more harmonious than it was when Kyla just arrived at home. Louna got used to having her sister around and jealousy, I should say, is a thing of the past now. She's even becoming a protective sister, not wanting to bring her sister to her pediatrician because the doctor will just do some injections, as how she puts it. Yesterday, when the osteopath was massaging Kyla, Louna wanted me to take Kyla in my arms because the doctor made her sister cry. When I explained that the doctor needed to do the massage so Kyla could stop crying, she just contented herself in asking the doctor not to break her sister. That's just so sweet.

Yesterday, I submitted my request to work part-time to my employer. Since there's no school on Wednesdays, I'll take this day off so I could spend time with my daughters. The boss of my boss was apparently surprised and worried because he'll have less employee of my decision but finally signed the request. He even told Frenchguy that I'd be working on subjects which won't oblige me to travel at least for the coming year. That's cool.

It's Louna's 3rd birthday this Saturday. She already blew her candles last week when the family was here but I would still bake something for her tomorrow as she would be celebrating her birthday at school with her classmates. We would then bring her to an attraction park this weekend. That would be her birthday gift she already have a lot of toys and books, tired of picking them up one by one, the big girl is not arranging her stuffs!

Louna blowing her candles while showing her age with her fingers.

Picture Collections

Well, well, well. What do I do aside from changing diapers and breastfeeding? ... Hmm? ... Any guess?... Oh yeah, of course, I cook lunch, fetch Louna from school, bath Kyla, wash clothes and dishes, etc.. but what else?

Right. I work on our photo book!

I had been wanting to chronicle our pictures into something, you know, tangible. But it's been ages I haven't developped our pictures and I hate having loads of albums of different sizes at home. So when a colleague of mine talked about a photo book, I thought, why not give it a shot?

I started with one book probably 6 months ago. Satisfied with the result, I continued with 3 other books but due to lack of time, I just finished them and received them in my mailbox just recently. I'm now working on another book.. and I know, this is just a start of my cool-lection!

Does It Hurt?

Yeah! Just right there! Not my fault, Cookie thinks I'm a mommy blogger who kicks ass and so be it! But in all honesty and humility, I love the way she reads me inspite my constant rants in this blog. Here's what she said:

Analyse who is a new mother once again. She makes living the expat life look so easy. Never mind that she has a toddler and a newborn baby to care for, not to mention the kick ass job she has. The way it seems, her life is one that anyone would love to live.

Hey, she even thinks that anyone would love to live my life! Would you? So, ok. Here is what it would be like:

8:00am - breakfast

8:30am - breastfeeding

... after breastfeeding, everything would depend on Kyla's mood. During best times, chores would include Kyla's bath, quick shower for me, hand wash some delicate clothes of Kyla, plurk, blog when I can (fyi, this entry has been started 2 days ago, with Kyla in my arms all the time) and read some blog. During bad times, it would mean calming Kyla the whole time.

... breastfeed Kyla before going to school

11:30am - fetch Louna from school

... prepare something for lunch (or most of the time, heat prepared food in the oven)

12:00pm - lunch

... play with Louna after lunch. Breastfeed Kyla before going to school (or sometimes I do it while having lunch)

13:30pm - bring Louna to school

... nap, breastfeed, prepare something for lunch for the next day (when I can), do some household chores.

16:30pm - fetch Louna from school

... deal with the 2 kids while waiting for Frenchguy. Manage jealousy. Spend time with Louna when Kyla is calm. Breastfeed. Frenchguy prepares dinner and bathes Louna.

8:00pm - dinner

8:45pm - prepare Louna to bed (includes reading a story)

9:00pm - bedtime for Louna

... watch TV when we can. Most of the time, Kyla is a bit agitated during this time.

10:00pm - bedtime. Breastfeed Kyla till she sleeps.

3:00am or earlier - breasfeed Kyla.

5:30am or around that time - breasfeed Kyla.

... and another long day starts. Ready?

PS: Dirty diapers have to be changed when needed. Pictures must be taken at all opportunities.

Thanks ;)

I have been receiving calls from families and friends asking me what I need for my dear Kyla to which I always answer Nothing. I kept all the stuffs of Louna so I don't really need anything. Diapers, maybe? Lol.

But there are still some who wouldn't let this grand occasion pass without sending a word or a gift. For those who wished me well through greeting cards, emails and messages in this and the kids' blog, thank you very much. I read all the messages but sorry for not answering. I guess you know why. I'm most of the time lost in bulks of dirty diapers.

I have been receiving bouquets of flowers since last week and honestly, I've run out of vases to put them. There's another bouquet arranged in a bottle of water covered with an aluminum foil. I again received a bouquet of flowers from the boss of my boss this morning which I arranged in a pitcher. He's really sweet. He makes working environment real cool. But boss, I can't be back to work till January 2009. And hey, haven't I told you that I won't be travelling till Kyla turns 1? Lol. Kidding aside, this is highly appreciated. I wasn't expecting it.

I had another surprise when I opened my mailbox this midday. Haze sent a gift not only to Kyla, but to Louna as well (right picture). Thanks a bunch Tita Haze. Plein bisous! Louna already started playing with the puzzles but she wants the lapin as well. Hayy.

Mom-Of-Two

Parenthood has taken another twist with the arrival of our little girl KYLA. Check out her birth story at Ma Crèche Privée.

Since this new family event is on our top priority, blogging will be put on standby.. well, I'll try to keep up when I find the time, which I sincerely doubt at the moment. More mommy news will be posted at Ma Crèche Privée. See you there ;).

A Day at the Pre-School

We attended the first parent-teacher's meeting last Tuesday at Louna's pre-school. The purpose of the meeting was to present the parents the nouveautés, the different schedules and activities this school year, and to explain how a day at the pre-school goes for a young kid like Louna.

Like all the other schools, they will open their door to different languages in Europe with a highlight on the English language. But aside from the normal English course included in the curriculum, they propose an immersion to the language with a twice a week (an hour per session) course with an English speaker within 12 weeks. Fee would be 80€ but parents are only requested to pay 40€. The other 40€ will be shouldered by the school and the parent-teacher association. That's really good news as I want Louna to be more exposed to the language. Dora (and her other DVDs) is good but she needs a wider reference now.

We talked about other activities like museum visits, class picture, sports activities (an hour every Tuesday and Friday with an specialized teacher), catechism, birthday celebrations, etc. Louna's calendar starts to fill up too.

Then we talked about the normal day at the pre-school. You know, sometimes, I feel like installing a webcam so I could observe how my daughter spends her day at the school. Of course, after the meeting, I had a clearer view of her daily activities which go as follows:

8:30am - arrives at school with her Papa. She then stays with other kids in a room dedicated for kids who arrive earlier. An assistant will take care of them during this short period.

8:45am - start of classes. Kids will be organized in small groups. The classroom has small dedicated corners like bedroom, kitchen, garage, tables and boards where they could write and draw and a corner where the teacher reads a story while kids attentively listen. The teacher is helped by an assistant especially in taking kids to the toilet, dining area, playground and bedroom.

Learning skills are focused on:

Language - kids are encouraged to tell what he thinks of a picture or a drawing

Mathematics + Socialization - like counting the number of absentees by using picture cards. They first take their own cards (because it's important for kids to recognize themselves in a picture) then give the names of the absentees (it's quite hard for kids to remember their friend's name, apparently) and count them.

Graphics - drawing, shapes, colors

Motor Skills - like cutting with a scissor, holding a pen, etc.

Their activities will of course progress in function of each child's developmental milestones.

9:30am - kids will go to the toilet in small groups then proceed to the playground.

10:30am - story time.

11:45am - fetch Louna from school. We take our lunch together while she recounts how her morning was.

1:45pm - start of afternoon class.

2:00pm - kids will be accompanied to their bed for a little nap

3:00 - 3:30pm - end of siesta. They will then do different activities till 4:45.

4:45pm - fetch Louna from school.

Louna seems to love this new experience. Ask her where she spends her day and she would voluntarily answer école. She learns to socialize and follow rules which is great for her age. We started bringing her only to the morning class but since she loved the experience last Tuesday where she spent the whole day at school, including lunch, we would then bring her in the afternoon too. But she would take her lunch at home while Maman is on maternity leave.

Since schools in France are close on Wednesdays, and I'm planning to take all my Wednesdays off when I get back to work, I thought of enrolling Louna on different activities around the community. We tried music and gym classes yesterday and we will try skating on Saturday. I'm still having second thoughts on the gym classes as she's got sports activities twice a week and I'm afraid it's just a repetition of what she's already doing at school. I think I'll have my decision finalized once I see the benefits of skating to Louna.

Whew! I didn't realize that I could be this busy.. and my, I'm just a mom to a pre-schooler!

Labor and Birthing Positions

I'm 17 days away from D Day and frankly, I'm getting T I R E D of being pregnant. My tummy has been stretched out at its maximum level, me thinks, and no anti-stretch mark cream could ever prevent it from cracking. Too late. Damage has been done.

I'll be attending my last birthing class tomorrow but I'm already happy with the result. I feel more relaxed and confident with the coming labor. I took sophrology classes, a relaxation-yoga kind of thing where control of oneself is being learned. We learned quite a lot of labor and birthing positions during the last session and I've already chosen the positions which seem to be the most comfortable for me.

Labor Positions

Side-Lying - with one leg stretched out and the other pulled closer to the tummy, in less than 90° angle. Apparently accelerates dilation of the cervix.

Sitting on a Large Balloon - accompanied by circular, left to right and back to front movements of the perineum to help the baby find its position for labor. I tried this and not only it positions the baby, it's relaxing too.

Birthing Positions

Semi-Sitting - involves semi-sitting position with spine curved and legs drawn up while holding on a bar attached on the bed. I think I will opt for this position during D Day. It gave me the impression of having more force from my arms and legs to push the baby out. Frenchguy jokingly called it the Harley Davidson position.

Side-Lying - seems to be the most relaxing position for the mother and it reduces the need for episiotomy. This will be my plan B.

I hope I'll have a safe and easier delivery this time taking into account that I understand better what labor and birthing means. My first delivery didn't really left me with a great experience to share. I wasn't the actor of that moment (add to the fact that I was induced 2 weeks before D Day because the baby was already too big inside). I didn't even know how to push. I kept the lithotomy (flat-on-back) position the whole time because I didn't know that I could actually change position pushing as much as I could but the OB ended up with a suction cup for vacuum extraction and I was left with an episiotomy to heal.

Each mom has her own labor and birthing story to share - varying from one child to another. What position did you choose? What is your experience giving birth in the Philippines or another country? Please share some pointers to live this great experience more memorable.

While waiting for your stories, this expectant mom will be walking around the park to induce labor naturally. See you around ;).

Credits: Pictures from this page.

Hosting 101 for Preggy Moms

If you're planning to host a friend and you're bump is too-big-you-think-you'll-explode-in-seconds, there are 2 important things to note that could save your life:

- Have your car and GPS available then prepare an itinerary for your friend. Save addresses in the GPS - home and maternity clinic as first on the list.
- Bear in mind that your friend is a potential babysitter.

Kidding aside, everything's going wonderfully well to think that we didn't prepare anything. We visited Beaune yesterday and took the scenic drive on our way back to Dijon. Aside from the vineyards covering the hills and plains of Côte d'Or, she was also enchanted by the old villages which completed the decor of this lovely paysage.

It was just funny tho that the bump is already touching the steering wheel and since we took some rough roads during the drive, I had series of mild contractions which forced me to drive on first gear during the visit. She proposed to drive but I prefered to do it so I could control the situation, slowing down if necessary.

Then I had my rendez-vous with the midwife last night. Frenchguy's presence was necessary because we learned the different positions on giving birth and the role of the father in each situation. Louna was delighted to stay with her new-found friend. Not only did she babysit, she also prepared dinner! Now, ain't that great?

Today, Frenchguy took a day off to accompany her in the Jura region while Louna and I stayed at home (well, Louna at school). Tomorrow, she will have the car for her all day so she could roam anywhere she wants. Then in the evening, we will take her to the train station. She will take the night train to Venice, Italy. She will then be back Saturday morning. We still have the whole weekend to catch up.

Filipino hospitality still runs in my vein. Not knowing what to offer her and not be able to accompany her, I finally decided to reserve a 2-day stay in Venice for her. There's a direct train from Dijon to Venice so it's really easy to organize (thanks Lovelyn for the helpful infos).

Hope she will enjoy her stay here in Venice Dijon. She's also hoping that our next vacation destination would be Mexico but that could still wait till the second baby learns how to walk :).

*Our Mexican friend was in fact my classmate at the French Language School 6 years ago. She stayed with us in our former appartment for 2 months when after school, she was able to bag a training contract in their satellite office here in Dijon. She was always with us in all our gimiks including bonfire camping with the barkada, a visit in Paris, an itinerary hike in the mountains of Jura when our French language skills were at its minimum (just the 2 of us), etc. We really had great time together. Inspite the distance, we were still able to keep the friendship alive. I'm sure, once we're again on vacation mode, Mexico would be considered seriously.

Busy Week Ahead.. Again!

I thought my maternity leave could mean relaxing vacation but in reality, I had been real busy since last week. Louna's schedule, 8:45 am to 11:45 am everyday except Wednesdays doesn't really give me ample time to window shop or just lazy around as there's lunch to prepare and Louna to bring and fetch from school. Afternoon means siesta for Louna and Maman when I feel tired so I'm kinda blocked.

This week, I have 2 appointments with the midwife for the birthing classes and one of them requires Frenchguy's presence. So where do we leave Louna?

This evening, a Mexican friend of mine is coming over for a week vacation (she was my classmate at the French language school 6 years ago). Honestly, we have no idea how we could make her stay memorable considering my condition unless she witness me giving birth, lol. I wanted to organize something for her but I don't know what she planned during her stay with us, will she stay with us in that one whole week or will she visit other friends? She talked about visiting small villages around Dijon but I have no idea what place I could recommend. Everything seems to be too ordinary for me now.

Frenchguy feels a bit guilty as that Mexican friend arranged everything for him when he was in Mexico City few months ago. He was really amazed by the beauty of the places they visited. But knowing Frenchguy, he's already amazed by our little barrio in the Philippines whilst I don't see anything extraordinary over there.

We're thinking about sending her some place, like Venise or Strasbourg, but I don't know if she would appreciate that we're like getting rid of her, lol. And I haven't reserved anything as I don't know if she'll have time.

Hayy, hirap. What I see now is that, she could play babysitter while we go to my different appointments with the midwife. Talking about being oportunista. Lol.

A Mom to a Pre-Schooler

Today is Louna's first day at the pre-school. The night before, we were able to let her pronounce her teacher's name which is Barbara. The next day, everybody was up quite early, too excited maybe to prepare ourselves for the first day. Even Frenchguy took his morning off to experience this special milestone with Louna.

Arriving there, some kids already started crying while Louna stared at them, holding our hands, quite teary-eyed herself. She was probably thinking if crying was SOP. Does she have to cry too? Then she started to try the new toys around, then moved from one table to another. She was even able to talk to another girl and asked her if she could take the toy camera. Then she started taking pictures till it was time for us to leave.

Teacher B took her hand trying to assure her that everything will be alright. She cried silently when we left. But like a spy, we peeked on the window before we left. There, she was already mingling with other kids. She in fact stopped crying in no time.

She was already smiling when we went back to fetch her. First day was a promise of a fruitful school year. Parents had worried faces when they brought their kids to school. But all those worried faces were replaced by happy faces, excited to know how their kids fared. My, still can't believe I'm one of those parents.

Private vs Public School

We've chosen to enroll her at a private school. So ok, alright. I have been constantly complaining of the amount we're paying for our taxes and how few of those euros we put in the government's pocket we get in return. And now that we get the chance to profit of those contributions by enrolling Louna at a public school, we've deliberately chosen to register her at a private school. Why?

- because with this strike-infested country, we're afraid we find ourselves hostage of this national malady. With the kind of work schedule we have, we can't afford to be absent because the teacher is on strike.
- because the principal at the public school didn't give us a good impression whilst the principal at the private school showed motivation and dynamism - a certain level of competitiveness which was a deciding factor for us.
- because we registered Louna on both schools and whilst we had all the information from the private school, we don't even know if Louna is indeed enrolled at the public school. We had no news.
- because smile is somewhat easier to give in that private school than in the public school (at least that's what I observed).

School Fees

I have written an entry on how school fees (and the cost of living in general) in the Philippines are extremely unproportional to the minimum wage of the Filipinos, wherein I got varied comments ranging from ok lang to grabe, sobra nga. I even expressed my sentiments on how we make education inaccessible to most of the Filipinos, and that alone is a start of discrimination.

This raging sentiment is fired up by the fact that if I were an engineer in the Philippines gaining an average salary as practiced today, most probably, I won't be able to send my kids to Mapua, my alma mater. Depressing, right?

Here in France, Frenchies complain about their prevailing system which for me remains reasonable. Well, they complain all the time, anyway. Let me illustrate:

For a private pre-school here in Dijon, we will pay 414€ (P28,040 at 1€ = P67.73) for a year fee distributed as follows:

Yearly Tuition Fee : 282€
Sport Activities : 58.5€
Inscription Fee : 47€
Catechism Contribution : 26.5€

Now, stop converting to Peso. Be factual. Minimum daily wage in France amounts to 60.79€ (1321.02€/month) for a 35h/week legal duration. A yearly fee at a private pre-school would represent less than 7 days of work.

Minimum daily wage in the Philippines amounts to P345 - P382 (~P10,000/month). Did I hear P100,000 yearly fee at a private pre-school still considered cheap in the Philippines? Well, at that rate, a yearly fee at a private school would represent 10 months of work in the Philippines.

Logical? Think again.