Some people think that travelling across the world with children is not possible. We do not agree with it! Everything is possible. You should only take care of schedule of your location changing. Switching countries each month is possible only in summer. During other seasons, you have some time to understand the life and the culture of the country you wish to stay in.
This year, our daughter goes to school in Turkey!
We have just started learning Turkish. Currently we know about 800-900 words together with my wife. Daughter knows about 200 words 🙂 So any paperwork becomes an adventure for us.
It is strange, but the complexity of communication does not really depend on your knowledge. It mostly depends on the wish of the second participant for conversation. For example, we could easily speak with a headmaster’s assistant. We understood everything: where to go, which papers to take. But after gathering all papers, we had to finish our quest with the headmaster itself and it was not so easy that time…
Anyway, we have spent just 2 days of August to complete all paperwork. Also we found out that school year begins on… September 28th! Usually it starts in the middle of September, but this year it was shifted because of holidays.
The first day at school. We do not really know where to go and what to do… So we’re looking around and wait… Older pupils are playing football on the sports yard. Mothers, fathers, first-formers, their brothers and sisters are crowding in front of the school.
Looking around was efficient! We found Russian speech nearby!
Turkish-Russian family. They were living in Saint Petersburg for quite a long time. 3 months ago they moved to Antalya. So their daughter doesn’t speak Turkish as ours. We are not alone! Now we have friends like us.
And Ali will be our “ears” 😀
Solemn music, everyone is getting closer to the porch.
We are getting closer too.
The headmaster is making a speech.
Older pupils are researching newbies from above.
Younger participants are knocking out 😀
Headmaster is reading lists of pupils, first-formers are gathering in bunches. We are in the last group – 1-E. Luckily, girls will be studying together! That’s our turn to make a bunch 🙂
Enough staying outside! Let’s capture the class!
We have not only foot guards, but also motorized infantry.
Our class is marked. “1-E” 🙂
Happy parents and children are crowding the room.
Everyone can get in!
What I can say in advance is that there are a lot of pupils who are not on this photo. Many families applied for studying at school at the first day of the school year. Everyone was accepted. So we have five groups of first-year pupils with 40-45 children in each!!!
You are free to go, dear parents!
Leaving for a while. Children are meeting their teacher. The sports yard is empty. There is no gym by the way. Sports classes will be held outside. It is possible when temperature is +15 and higher all the year. 🙂
It’s a break. Children are running out. Like in Russia, but it seems to be much louder. Or I forgot my school? 🙂
Everyone received “Сhupa Сhups flower” and a badge. Sweet 🙂
Let’s try these desks!
Desks look the same as in Russia. 🙂
We’re listening to the teacher. “What to buy”, “take some food for lunch” and some more blah-blah. We understand almost everything even without Ali’s help 🙂
Everyone received this list. It contains some usual stuff (which rulers, pencils and copy-books to buy), and THE LIST OF ITEMS TO BRING FOR LUNCH!!! Some more equality in life – everyone brings same food from home!
What’s in the menu? 🙂
Monday: Bun, Milk or Ayran, Fruits, Leblebi (huh… it is “roasted chickpea” – we do not have it in Russia)
Tuesday: Bread with jam/honey, Milk or Juise, Hazelnuts or Walnuts.
Wednesday: Pasta, Ayran, Fruits, Hazelnuts or Walnuts.
Thursday: Toast with cheese, Ayran, Fruits Leblebi (again 🙂 )
Fridat: Cake, Milk, Hazelnuts or Walnuts.
And a notice below, asking not to bring stinky cheese and sausages, as well as kiwi and bananas (these two fruits are considered to be too expensive for some families).
We’re going home. Kids are going home 5 hours later. School is empty.
First aid kit. It couldn’t survive even a day in Russian school exposed like this!
We’re back after 5 hours. First-formers are running to us!
Let’s go home?
That is our first day at school. And here are items from the teacher’s list that we bought in the evening 🙂
Flights to Antalya:
Hotel prices in Antalya:
