First drop off class

Today Madison attended her first drop off Mandarin class.

She's been attending the accompanied class for almost a year now, and the lessons were starting to repeat.

Also, her classmates were gradually getting younger as the older ones left for the next class up.

Hence, the decision to start her on classes that she attended on her own.

Wow. The screaming lasted a really long time. I guess the teachers are used to it; they didn't even bat an eyelid with all the cries that came from the classroom. I thought I should stay around outside just in case the teacher decided she couldn't cope, but boy, was she determined! In the end I had to go take a walk to escape the noise.

The lesson went on for 2 hours, and when I went to check in 45 minutes later there was peace. Wow.

At pick up time she was all smiles and didn't want to leave. Lao Shi ( teacher ) was smiling when she came out too. And then she mentioned that Madison REALLY liked the cakes that were served for tea. ( GASP .. the class runs from 4-6PM.. there goes dinner! )

The Botanic Gardens is just next to the school, so we went to Casa Verde for dinner. As expected, she was not hungry and didn't eat much. But the rest of us had a great meal. A mini celebration for a small milestone.

Well, I am hoping for the best for the next class, which will be on Tuesday. I'm expecting another showdown, but hopefully it'll not be for as long.

And yes, I think I should tell the teacher to try not to give her too much snack just prior to dinner! She missed a good meal at a nice cafe!