Einschulung!

There are some words in German that are impossible to translate, and this is one of them. Einschulung is the festivities for the first graders before they start school for the first time. The new first graders get a 'schultüte' that the parents usually make themselves, and are filled with all sorts of goodies, from candy to school supplies. Each one is unique, just like the kids themselves. I think in most smaller villages it is a time for the families to celebrate their kids starting school, grandparents and other extended family members come and enjoy a day together. The kids meet their teachers for the first time on Einschulung day and get to see the classroom for the first time too. It is usually on a Saturday so that the parents and everyone can be there without having to worry about work conflicts. There is even a church service to go along with it. In fact, the local newspaper did an article on the start of school for first graders in other countries and interviewed Becks and Jesaiah about school in America. We'll try to scan the article in and post it soon.

Our school did it a bit differently this year and had Einschulung on a Wednesday evening. The other difference is that the school is huge (for German standards)! There were around 180 new first graders, and that is just from our neighborhood! We know people whose kids are starting school in a nearby village and they only have around 60 (i think). So needless to say the Einschulung today was a major event! When you consider parents, siblings and extended family members, there were a lot of people there - at least 1000!!

Jesaiah's 'auntie' Anja and Dariah's 'auntie' Doro came also and afterwards we had dinner together. It was fun, and a unique experience, for all of us. I just can't believe he is actually in school now, it is such a major step!

Tomorrow is his first day and he finally gets to take his schulranzen. A schulranzen is a special backpack that all the first graders carry, they are pretty big and bulky but they stand up by themselves (not like a traditional backpack). We found one that was a bit lighter so he doesn't have to lug too much extra weight. The schulranzen is also a big milestone, it has all the pens and pencils and everything that they will need for school in it.

Our little boy is growing up! He is SO ready for school, I am excited for him, I know how much he enjoys learning and discovering new things. I just pray that school will be fun for him and not a bad experience. His teacher seems very nice, I look forward to seeing how the school year will be (the kids have the same teacher from 1st thru 4th grade).