David's Diary: Friday, May 31, 2002

School Is Almost Out

Yesterday, we returned to Propriano. We have a problem with our generator and we were told that Propriano is where we could get it fixed. It turns out that we should have gone to Calvi instead of Propriano, but now that we are here we focus on school. All of our school material has to be in Vancouver, Canada by the middle of June. Since mail takes about two weeks to reach Vancouver, we are under pressure to get the school year completed.

We work all morning, completing, packaging, and addressing large envelopes. After lunch we take a family trip to the post office. Such trips have been a regular occurrence and all the children have seen post offices large and small during the last year. The French postal system costs less than the postal system in Spain, but each takes about the same time to get a package to Vancouver.

Karalee After School

For Karalee and Allen, today was their last day of school. Allen has completed Grade One and Karalee and I celebrate by stopping at a shore-side cafe for a late afternoon drink. We invited the children, but they were more interested in exploring Propriano than stopping with us. Home schooling has been a real challenge and certainly harder than we expected. Keeping three children motivated each and every school day sometimes seems impossible, but the results of the children's and our efforts are clear in the thick envelopes we mailed to Vancouver. We have to remember that formal school is only a small part of the learning that takes place each and every day. From conversations around the dinner table, exploring new places, visiting churches, or just learning how to navigate and run the boat, learning constantly takes place -- for both children and adults alike.