(not so) short notes
Last Sunday we went to the circus! We actually didn't realise that they were in town until we were looking for something to do on a weekend morning and came across an online tip recommending the circus zoo. It wasn't a zoo as such, just a lot of horses, some zebras, a couple of elephants, some monkeys, and camels, which was enough for the kids who also took a pony ride and enjoyed it. We also popped into the circus tent and came across the camels working on their morning rehearsal, which was pretty cool to watch. The kids were transfixed, and J mentioned that he had never been to a circus, so we bought tickets for the following weekend.
Outside the circus tent on a rainy morning.
The Circus Knie is otherwise known as the Swiss National Circus. It has been performing since 1919 and belongs to the old-fashioned, family-run circus tradition. I remember watching a circus show when I was quite young; it had lions, horses, trapeze artists, fire-eaters, and I was spellbound. When we arrived for our show it was very nice to see the tent all lit up and 1930s music playing from a pneumatic piano. We managed to usher the kids past all the concession snack stands (cotton candy was going for about 3CHF per stick (!) and I had brought a bagful of our own snacks and sweets) and took our seats.
The show was excellent. It's hard to describe but there is really something about the atmosphere inside the tent that makes everything extra electric. The performers must have gone through their routines thousands of times but they still had great energy and presence that was infectious. I particularly enjoyed watching the horses, which were meticulously well-groomed and beautifully trained, responding to voice commands with grace and power. The kids, especially Bao, loved the clown, which just goes to show that physical comedy transcends all language and cultural borders. But most of all we loved the acrobats, who were amazing. I found myself staring at each performer in turn, awed by the discipline and the physical training that they must take on in order to perform like that.
Curtain call
Two hours later, we walked away talking endlessly about the show. That afternoon Bao woke from her nap and tried to do handstands on the bed, declaring herself an acrobat. Later that day we went to meet The Bun's classmates for a drink by the lake and the kids ended up playing acrobat - Bao lying on the grass while her brother and his friend jumped and attempted cartwheels over her.
I think that if she knew better, Bao would be asking me for gymnastic lessons as well as dancing ones. She is still fascinated by ballet and dancing, and has asked for dance lessons. Over here they start at three so I've told her that she can only begin after her birthday, so now she's eagerly looking forward to her birthday and keeps asking me when it is. I'd better get her on a pre-registration list soon!
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Speaking of extra-curricular classes, The Bun will be starting a Chinese class tomorrow afternoon. Our attempts to teach him Chinese at home have not been very effective at all. It's one thing to teach oral competency, but the pedagogy of teaching Chinese characters is really beyond me. It's not like speaking Chinese comes naturally to me and my vocabulary has significant gaps.
It was by sheer luck that we found out about this Chinese school. We were at our usual dimsum restaurant at the end of August and picked up the flyer by chance. I contacted them and discovered that this school year, they will be holding classes right on our doorstep, using the premises of the school that is next door to us - we can literally see it from our kitchen window. This is immensely convenient, especially since the other Chinese school that we know of is at least a thirty-minute drive away. We don't really know much about the teachers or the curriculum but figure that it can't hurt The Bun to be exposed to the language in a more structured way; it would be more than we are doing with him right now, anyway.
Predictably, The Bun is apprehensive about this new development. Knowing that he would be reluctant, I had been wondering how to tell him about the school. Then one night last week before bedtime, he said that he was nervous. I asked why and he replied that he was nervous because he would not know how to speak Chinese when we move back to Singapore. That was my cue! He's taken the idea fairly well, considering how he is with new experiences, but in this case I think the fear of not knowing Chinese trumps his fear of a new class with a new teacher and new classmates. I will try to accompany him during the class tomorrow but I hope that he will be able to do it alone, part of it at least. We've been doing a lot of talking about how everyone feels nervous about new experiences, even adults, and all it takes is to take that first step.
_____________
We're more or less back to our usual school-term routine. Playgroup started last week. Now that I'm co-running the playgroup, part of my work involves getting new members to join the group so that we have enough funds to keep it going. The entire thing is volunteer-run and every summer the older kids 'graduate' out of the group, so come autumn we embark on a mad recruitment drive to get people to join us. I spent a few days making a website and posting it on this expat Facebook page I'm on.
I did get quite a few responses, and on that first day met many new people. In fact, on that first day back the other mother who runs the playgroup with me was sick, so I was the only one leading the group - setting up the mats and tables, putting out playdough that I had made the day before, greeting the newbies, reading a book to the children, etc. It was exhausting even though it was only for an hour and a half. I can definitely turn on the sociability switch when I want to, but talking to so many new people (and children!) in one morning really took a lot out of me.
I still can't quite believe that I've gotten to a point where I'm helping to lead a playgroup. Admittedly, I'm doing it mostly for me - it keeps me active and makes me brush up on some basic organisational and administration skills, like book-keeping. But most of all I do it because I like meeting the people in the group and many of them have become friends. It was a lifesaver when I first moved to Geneva and had no social life to speak of, especially when baby Bao was alone with me at home while The Bun was in school. That's why I'm putting so much effort into keeping it going, so that newcomers to Geneva will also find it a source of advice and friendship, like I did.
Outside the circus tent on a rainy morning.
The Circus Knie is otherwise known as the Swiss National Circus. It has been performing since 1919 and belongs to the old-fashioned, family-run circus tradition. I remember watching a circus show when I was quite young; it had lions, horses, trapeze artists, fire-eaters, and I was spellbound. When we arrived for our show it was very nice to see the tent all lit up and 1930s music playing from a pneumatic piano. We managed to usher the kids past all the concession snack stands (cotton candy was going for about 3CHF per stick (!) and I had brought a bagful of our own snacks and sweets) and took our seats.
The show was excellent. It's hard to describe but there is really something about the atmosphere inside the tent that makes everything extra electric. The performers must have gone through their routines thousands of times but they still had great energy and presence that was infectious. I particularly enjoyed watching the horses, which were meticulously well-groomed and beautifully trained, responding to voice commands with grace and power. The kids, especially Bao, loved the clown, which just goes to show that physical comedy transcends all language and cultural borders. But most of all we loved the acrobats, who were amazing. I found myself staring at each performer in turn, awed by the discipline and the physical training that they must take on in order to perform like that.
Curtain call
Two hours later, we walked away talking endlessly about the show. That afternoon Bao woke from her nap and tried to do handstands on the bed, declaring herself an acrobat. Later that day we went to meet The Bun's classmates for a drink by the lake and the kids ended up playing acrobat - Bao lying on the grass while her brother and his friend jumped and attempted cartwheels over her.
I think that if she knew better, Bao would be asking me for gymnastic lessons as well as dancing ones. She is still fascinated by ballet and dancing, and has asked for dance lessons. Over here they start at three so I've told her that she can only begin after her birthday, so now she's eagerly looking forward to her birthday and keeps asking me when it is. I'd better get her on a pre-registration list soon!
______________
Speaking of extra-curricular classes, The Bun will be starting a Chinese class tomorrow afternoon. Our attempts to teach him Chinese at home have not been very effective at all. It's one thing to teach oral competency, but the pedagogy of teaching Chinese characters is really beyond me. It's not like speaking Chinese comes naturally to me and my vocabulary has significant gaps.
It was by sheer luck that we found out about this Chinese school. We were at our usual dimsum restaurant at the end of August and picked up the flyer by chance. I contacted them and discovered that this school year, they will be holding classes right on our doorstep, using the premises of the school that is next door to us - we can literally see it from our kitchen window. This is immensely convenient, especially since the other Chinese school that we know of is at least a thirty-minute drive away. We don't really know much about the teachers or the curriculum but figure that it can't hurt The Bun to be exposed to the language in a more structured way; it would be more than we are doing with him right now, anyway.
Predictably, The Bun is apprehensive about this new development. Knowing that he would be reluctant, I had been wondering how to tell him about the school. Then one night last week before bedtime, he said that he was nervous. I asked why and he replied that he was nervous because he would not know how to speak Chinese when we move back to Singapore. That was my cue! He's taken the idea fairly well, considering how he is with new experiences, but in this case I think the fear of not knowing Chinese trumps his fear of a new class with a new teacher and new classmates. I will try to accompany him during the class tomorrow but I hope that he will be able to do it alone, part of it at least. We've been doing a lot of talking about how everyone feels nervous about new experiences, even adults, and all it takes is to take that first step.
_____________
We're more or less back to our usual school-term routine. Playgroup started last week. Now that I'm co-running the playgroup, part of my work involves getting new members to join the group so that we have enough funds to keep it going. The entire thing is volunteer-run and every summer the older kids 'graduate' out of the group, so come autumn we embark on a mad recruitment drive to get people to join us. I spent a few days making a website and posting it on this expat Facebook page I'm on.
I did get quite a few responses, and on that first day met many new people. In fact, on that first day back the other mother who runs the playgroup with me was sick, so I was the only one leading the group - setting up the mats and tables, putting out playdough that I had made the day before, greeting the newbies, reading a book to the children, etc. It was exhausting even though it was only for an hour and a half. I can definitely turn on the sociability switch when I want to, but talking to so many new people (and children!) in one morning really took a lot out of me.
I still can't quite believe that I've gotten to a point where I'm helping to lead a playgroup. Admittedly, I'm doing it mostly for me - it keeps me active and makes me brush up on some basic organisational and administration skills, like book-keeping. But most of all I do it because I like meeting the people in the group and many of them have become friends. It was a lifesaver when I first moved to Geneva and had no social life to speak of, especially when baby Bao was alone with me at home while The Bun was in school. That's why I'm putting so much effort into keeping it going, so that newcomers to Geneva will also find it a source of advice and friendship, like I did.