Cavaillon 10 February 2009

Today we went to enrol the kids in school. We started at the village school down the road at Les Taillades which would have been a similar size to the school at Carlipa. But we were told that our address wasn’t in the zone for that school. We’re dreading the kids going to a big school because we’re not sure how they will handle it after being in that lovely little school at Carlipa.

So then we ended up back at the Mairie in Cavaillon who directed us to the Services Scolaire where they were very wonderful and so helpful. (Let's remember that Andrew and I have limited french language ability but somehow we manage to bumble our way through most things.) We filled in a form and they made some phone calls and then asked us to come back at 3pm when they would know which school we could go to.

In the afternoon we went to meet the director of the school, filled in another form and the kids start on jeudi (Thursday). We need to go back to the Mairie and buy a carnet of tickets for the canteen so the kids will be able to eat lunch at the school canteen. The school canteen meals are a proper 3 course lunch usually with a hot main meal which the kids really enjoy.

The school is in centre ville so it involves driving to school every day which we didn’t have to do at Carlipa. The Director said the kids have two sessions for lunch and 2 play sessions which means the older kids and little kids are kept separate. The school has 300 kids and they’ll go to school from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. The kids can be picked up as late as 6 pm which must be a great thing for working parents.

Samuel and Ella don’t want to go to school at all. I think how terrifying it must be for them but then I think they’ve got through the hardest part at Carlipa already where they knew no French at all. It should be easier now. They understand what people are saying to them more than Andrew and I do.

The kids have two days of school this week, 4 days next week and then we have 2 weeks' school holidays again. There's lots of school holidays in France.

We fly to the UK at the end of February to watch Andrew's team, Manly play Leeds Rhinos. I hope the weather will be okay by then. There’s been terrible weather in the UK - snow, rain, winds. In Paris it’s the first time they’ve closed both airports in 34 years because of forecast bad weather.