It has been a long time since I've written a real post. A lot of things have been going on besides the loss of my father just over a year ago. I still miss him every day though.
I have been super busy trying to support H in preparing for his junior high school entrance exams. For those of you who are not familiar with the Japanese educational system, required education in Japan is only through 9th grade. Therefore, even to go to a public high school, one must take entrance exams. My son will only be going into the 7th grade next April, but we decided to try and send him to private school that continues all of the way through university so he can enjoy his teenage life and all of the activities that go along with it. In order to do this, he has ben attending a cram school since the end of 3rd grade and now will have only 6 months left until the actual exams. Each school has their own exam and entrance is all dependent on the tests. These all take place in the beginning of February.
We were able to spend about 2 and a half weeks with my mother in Idaho which was really great It is so peaceful there and the weather was wonderful. S had a great time paragliding and H had fun at filmmaking camp and soccer camp. The summers there are so beautiful and it is not muggy like it is here in Japan. Also, during the time that we were there, our friend Honza took 3rd place in this year's Red Bull XAlps race! He is the guy that took H on a paraglider ride in Idaho last year. You can see the story about that below.
Anyhow, life is good at the moment. Please, everyone just keep my young man (he's definitely not a little boy any more) in your good thoughts the first week of February. The system here is a real kind of torture for kids his age when they'd rather be outside playing with their friends instead of studying!
9 comments:
Welcome Back!
Wow, hard core cram school! We don't even have the option down here. I hope it pays off and fingers crossed for February.
I can't even imagine Shou as a 6th grader. When do boys start to listen to you? Obviously age 3 is complete carnage. I so can't wait for a few more years down the track.
Thanks for your comment GW! Actually, I don't think that they ever listen! It is a constant battle in our house every day to get my son to study and get everything else done that he is supposed to do. He was actually much easier to deal with when he was 3 now that I think about it. In a year or 2 he will be as tall as I am and then I'll be in real trouble!
No Carol, please don't tell me it gets harder than this!! For some reason I just presumed boys would be easier as teenagers than girls - what with all the girlie bitchyness we go through.
Hmmmm, maybe I should try and enjoy the terrible two toddler years a bit more.
It's true, they stay little for such a short time and when they get bigger the problems seem to get bigger too! I can't imagine having 3 under the age of 3 like you do though! One is enough for me to handle right now!
Oh Carol- you're not meant to say it gets harder!!! I have all my hopes pinned on sunshine and roses as soon as my munchkins start school and the discipline begins!
Good luck to your son! Are you aiming for international school? I find the life changing decisions that need to be made so young really quite daunting. Quite happy we don't have any choice at all here until high school! On the other hand I love the idea of the escalator system...
Thanks for your comment as well thefukases! It does seem to get harder but in a different way. We are not aiming for an international school as those break the bank and also my DH does not speak much English. We just want DS to go to a nice escalator school where he can enjoy his school life as a teenager and young adult. Where we are there are lots of private schools and for some reason at least half of the kids from our public elementary school go on to private school which is, i guess, because of the area we live in. DS is not enjoying going to cram school and the whole process right now but in the end hopefully he will appreciate it.
Thank you for your good luck wishes and I will keep you all posted on the progress. I sometimes wish we live out in the countryside so we wouldn't have to go through this!
Hi Carol! Been thinking of you! Nice to see an update! You sure are busy as a bee eh? Sending you good vibe wishes that your young lad passes with aces...
xo
April
Thanks April! The system is really different here. A god friend of mine is back here visiting after moving back to the US and she was telling me that the system here is based on the German one. That really surprised me. Anyway, I just have to put up with it for a little longer and ten hopefully our household will be peaceful once again!
Hi Carol,
Long time no comment but just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear about your father passing away. It must be really hard (I lost my father when I was young) so I know the pain of not having him around when you want him to be there.
All the best,
Kelly xx
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