Well, the day finally arrived--the kids' first day of school in Taiwan. They have all expressed major fears and misgivings prior to this morning, but with thanks we finally reached the threshold of what we all hope will be a transformative experience.
Having had the opportunity to visit the enormous school (1500+ students) yesterday for a full tour, I was incredibly impressed with the kindness and nurturing attitude of the teachers and students here. We went around to each class and introduced ourselves to each of the kids' classrooms. Personifying so much of what I love about the Taiwanese, the faculty and students all welcomed the children with such graciousness, taking a genuine interest in our family. They were thrilled to see each and every child, know their names and ages, and clapped profusely when the kids spoke even a few words in Chinese. Big-O's entire class sang a welcome song they had prepared specifically for his arrival. The kids felt overwhelmed with the immediate acceptance they received.
After showing us where the many rooms for art, music, computers, science, and the school art galleries were, the children went to the office and were loaned used uniforms. As we left, the kids felt a reassurance with what would transpire the next day.
When we awoke this morning, we all felt genuinely excited. At breakfast, we prayed specifically that each of the children would feel comfort and peace in their time there at school, and that they would be blessed to understand the language and successfully navigate things socially as well.
Then, taking all the kids in tow again, we rushed out the door and arrived within a few minutes, only to be ushered into the principal's office. We entered there with several other faculty and individuals, who were connected to Li-ling, and wanted to ensure that this arrangement with our children would be acceptable to everyone involved. It was an interesting reminder of the Chinese art of guanxi, (meaning literally, "relationships"). As we sat around a traditional serving of Chinese tea, each interested party spoke in very polite, and somewhat indirect terms about the connections and relationships that they shared, and then subtly expressed their desires for the proposed arrangement.
Finally, with the close of the meeting we walked each child to their classrooms. Mr. Bitts' classmates chattered with excitement at his entrance, and as he walked to his desk, I thought of how blonde he looked amongst that room full of shiny black heads. He definitely stood out, and I could feel his nervousness as he tried to draw as little attention to him as possible since every eager eye was on him. Sassy's entrance was similar, but very sweet.
The most touching example of the kindness here was that of Big-O's classroom. As he appeared in the doorway, the children eagerly clapped at his entrance, and one of them walked immediately to the front to present him with an enormous card with all the of the signatures of his classmates, with personal expressions of welcome to their class. When I looked at Big-O's eyes, I was surprised to see just how touched he was by this, as he appeared to hold back tears. This was for him the answer to many prayers of worry attached to this experience, as he had been so concerned about how things would go in such a foreign environment.
Deciding to hold off hot lunch for a couple days, Li-ling and I picked the kids up for lunch and walked fifteen minutes to the local McDonald's. As we ate our french fries and red bean pies, the kids downloaded their experience so far.
"It is so annoying to be so popular!" Bitts exclaimed. "There is this girl who is as tall as I am and won't stop touching my shoulders. It's driving me crazy! The kids all say I'm the best at basketball, though."
"My class is really, really nice, but I feel like there's so much I don't understand." Big-O commented, "Plus, it's really wierd when I cough or make any little noise, because all of the kids just turn around look at me."
"Yeah, I feel overwhelmed, Mom, and I really missed Big-O. I really missed you. I really missed everyone." lamented Sassy.
It felt great to decompress with the kids and reassure them of their need to just try their best, and allow the rest to follow. We also talked about how much more appreciation each of them felt for students at home who were attending American schools despite the fact that English is their second language. I also felt grateful for the sense of solidarity we felt together in that moment.
After lunch, we walked the kids back to the school, and smiled at the thought of what they would have to share with us by the end of the day. At 4:00 p.m. when they all emerged, they looked pretty tired, and I didn't even try to attempt speaking exclusive Chinese with them, although they were forced to when so many of the other students called out their excited goodbyes to them.
Ultimately, however, they all seemed to say the same thing: this is a lot more attention than they've ever been accustomed to. It's like watching a swarm of bees gather round honey, really, and they felt like they were being chased or followed the whole day. Bitts' remark made me laugh the most though. "I do not want to see any more kids for the rest of this day!" he blurted out, "I have had enough! I can't handle any more kids. Seriously!"
All I could do was laugh. After all, who knew it could be so rough being popular?
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