First Day of School

Today is the first day of School for most kids in Minnesota.  All three of ours started today.  It is a day we are bathing in prayer.

For most kids, back to school day is no big deal.  They know the school.  They know the system.  They have friends to hang out with and exchange stories about the summer.  For our kids, everything is new.

Our oldest two have spent the last few years in the Bulgarian public school system which is vastly different than the Minnesota system.  None of our girls had ever been on a school bus before today.  They are not only the new kids at the school, they are new kids in the country.

In Bulgaria, the school days go from 8:15 to 12:30.  Here they go from 8:40 to 3:10.  They days are much longer.  Our girls have never eaten lunch at school before.  They have never had a recess before.  In Bulgaria, school is something they do during the day.  Here it is their whole day.

There is also the language issue.  Our girls have studied Bulgarian for the past two years.  Though they can read in English, they have never spent the day in all English learning.

Then there are the cultural issues.  Interaction between teachers and students is different in Bulgaria.  Interactions among students are different.  The way people talk to each other and sit next to each other and stand next to each other is different.

Sasha and I have spent much of the day in prayer.  This is new territory for the whole family, and something that our American counterparts probably can't understand.

Please pray for our kids this year.