Feelin' Good about The Kiddos School

Feelin' Good

You might find this hard to believe (and I don't think it reflects the attitudes of most of the Americans I know), but when we go back to the States, there's always one or two people who ask, "So, do you think it is worth it?  I mean, do you think your kids are better off learning overseas than here in America?"  My response is usually a 10-second stare of disbelief and then I just simply answer, "Yes.  Yes, it is worth it."  Because, let's face it.  If you have to ask that questions you aren't going to get it.  And by "it" I mean that my kids not only get to experience history (visiting Caral!) and nature (Amazon anyone?) first hand, but they get to go to a stellar school where Performing Arts week is not a book report on Kanye or One Direction.  These kids are living and learning every day.  They are well-rounded and diverse.

Check out this video of the Performing Arts Week finale at The Boy's school by clicking the link under the photo.  He's the nervous one on the end.  Sorry for the shaky bit, I was laughing!  I don't know if they'll be on American Idol anytime soon, but after spending the morning with them, I'm "feelin' good!"

Awesome Video about Driving in Lima

While I still think that driving in the DR is crazier, Lima may have worse traffic only because of the amount of people on the road doing ridiculous things.  Just this morning we were video-taping the goings-on on our street while waiting for The Kiddos' bus.  When we came in, I saw that everyone was posting this video on their facebook pages.  It is worth the 45-minute investment you'll have to make to safely experience the stress and anxiety caused by Lima drivers.  Click the link below the photo to experience Lima on various modes of transportation.

Don't Drive Here - Lima

Guest Blogger: Flat Stanley

I went to visit The Boy.  He is 7 years old.  He lives in Peru with his mom, dad, and his 5-year-old sister, The Girl.  They live in Lima, the capital of Peru. Peru is in South America and they (Peruvians) speak Spanish and Quechua.  The Incas used to live here and the Spanish came to explore. 

 

Today I went to The Boy's school.  All the classes are in English except Spanish class and after-school activities.  The students come from around the world. Some of his classmates speak Spanish, French, Korean, Chinese, and English.  His teacher is from Australia.  The school has a preschool and kindergarten through high school.

The Boy's dad works in the Embassy helping the government have a good friendship with Peru.  I took a tour with The Boy's mom.  We visited the Marines.  They protect the Embassy from the inside.  At the Embassy there’s a post office, a playground, a commissary, the doctor’s office, and other offices.  Being at the Embassy is like being in America so we recycle.


Traffic is very bad in Peru.  People don't pay attention to the lines on the road or the lights.  Everyone honks their horns.  It is very dangerous.  There are 10 million people in Lima so that is a lot of cars, buses, taxis, motorcycles, and bicycle carts!
 


The Boy's family misses doing American things so on the weekends people from the Embassy get together to do American things.  We went to the Ambassador’s Residence for an Easter Party.  We went for an Easter egg hunt and visited the Easter Bunny.  The Ambassador tells President Obama what is happening in Peru.
 

The Boy's family buys most of their groceries at a grocery store.  On Saturdays they visit a farmer’s market.  We bought cheese, yogurt, star fruit, passion fruit, and choclo – which is like corn but bigger.  There are over 3000 types of potatoes in Peru.

Stay tuned for more of Flat Stanley's adventures!