Pen starts Kindergarten

It's September in the northern hemisphere, and that means the start of a new school year. And this year our little Pen started Kindergarten. As an expat family living in a non-English speaking country, this has come with its fair share of challenges. In most places I have heard of, you apply for your child to attend kindergarten directly at the kindergarten, but not in the city we live. All school applications are done online and the city council makes the placements. No one is guaranteed a spot and it is a very stressful time in a lot of families lives as they wait to see if their application was successful. To top this all off, all of this application process is done in German (not my mother tongue!), thank goodness for Google translate! We were delighted when we heard that Pen had a place in our top choice of kindergarten, so delighted that I shed some tears. My effort and time was worth it. Pen gets to go to kindergarten, socialised and integrate. All very important milestones in a child's development.

Pen was so excited to start kindergarten. She was well and truly ready. So ready that she asked me everyday when she would start. So far she is still as enthusiastic as ever. Her Kindergarten teachers have all been very welcoming and complimentary towards Pen, as well as very patient with me and my ever improving German. Languages have never been my strong suit, and learning German has been a challenge for me. I am now forced to practice my German daily.

I hope that Pen keeps this enthusiasm towards learning and school. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you Pen!

#TheSarsonFamily #PenandLia #kindergarten #startingkindergarten #secondlanguage #expat