Discover is my current word of the moment! I am loving being in a new city and while the weather has been chilly – the coldest winter Vancouver has had for 10 years – it has been blue skies which is perfect for me and my love of walking with my camera! My iPhone tells me that on Wednesday last week I walked 11km and on Thursday I walked 10km. – 6 degrees both days and that was 10am – I most certainly have never walked when it has been that cold as it never gets that cold in Sydney! The rain is set to return so that is set to put a dampener on my walking!
So this week it was back to school for Sienna. She was nervous and anxious which as to be expected – when you are in a new country, going to a school that is not the “traditional” style of school and you are 12 years old, anything different is stressful, but she is a trooper and learning to trust her mum and dad in this new direction we have taken for the next few years.
Sienna is still very reluctant to talk to others about her new school – she says she is embarrassed as it is not a traditional school so she doesn’t want anyone knowing about it just yet. I get why she feels this way – nobody wants to be seen as different, but I am sure over time she will embrace her individuality and be happy to tell others about her experiences – well my fingers are crossed anyway.
For those who have not heard about Eaton Arrowsmith I would recommend you jump on the website and have read – they have an incredibly unique method of teaching for kids who just don’t “get it” in mainstream school. There was a fantastic 60 Minutes story by Charles Wooley back in 2014 which is the best way to grasp what they do at the school (you can click here to watch it). Also visit the main Arrowsmith School website for loads more reading and information about how it all started. It was while watching this story 2 and a half years ago that the seed was first planted in my head about this style of school. I still can believe that we have taken the plunge and moved our entire family to Canada so we could enrol Sienna – but here we are, feeling ever so grateful for the opportunity!
So today a few photos of Sienna on her first day at EAS – As you know through my involvement with the Stillbirth Foundation I am all about talking about these things – with awareness comes acceptance and understanding and hopefully a way for others in a similar situation to learn more, so while Sienna is still not yet ready to talk about EAS I will continue to add snippets about the program here during our time in Vancouver. Please feel free to ask any questions if you have any – I am always happy and willing to share our experience!
After what was the shortest Christmas break my girls have ever seen they are back to school here in Canada! We had a short 2 hour orientation on Tuesday and on Wednesday is was back to a full day of classes! Sofia and Indi are attending a local elementary school and will be getting the real Canadian school experience! They came home happy and excited and have made some new friends already! Their teachers all seem lovely and happy to have some new girls in the class! Sienna starts at her new school next week! So funny to see snow covering the playground and no school uniforms!
I took my first morning walk Vancouver style today – lets say it was quite a contrast to my regular Sydney walks of the last few weeks! All I could think was I am glad Scooter isn’t here yet as there is no way his little paws would have enjoyed the cold snow I had to crunch through! Lets say this was probably the sortest and most clothed walk I have been on for some time! Brrr …
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2017 which for us comes with big change and challenges as we have just picked up our family of 5 and moved to the other side of the world. If I think back just a year ago I could never imagine the changes that 2016 would bring us and now here we are living in Vancouver Canada for the next 2 years. As with any big life changing event it was not without serious thought and consideration but one we know will be a fabulous experience for our family. Our main reason for the move is for a school for Sienna which I will talk more about once she has started.
We are now on day three having left Sydney on the 29th December – so far so good! We are staying in an air bnb in the suburbs of Vancouver with beautiful views over the city. We are only here for a few weeks until we move into a rental in Kitsilano for the remainder of the girls school year. After settling in on night one (without our luggage that was delayed in San Francisco) we did wake up the next morning to clear skies allowing us to get out and pick up a car that we had purchased before we left Australia. We took a drive around the area to see the girls schools and get our bearings!
Day 2 and new years eve and we were in for a treat! Snow! The snow began at around 11am and by mid afternoon it was fairly heavy and blanketing everything. The girls had the best time playing the backyard building a snow man and just having fun. They have never been in falling snow before so it was quite a special way to spend our new years eve. We cooked up a delicious roast dinner and snuggled up inside watching a movie waiting for the new year to arrive! Certainly a different experience to what we are used to in Australia.
So here we are on the first day of 2017 and day 3 in Canada. I am really looking forward to embracing my time here and hope to bring a bit more to the blog – I am not sure what that will entail but I am hoping to use my time to get out with my camera and discover this amazing place as well as write a little more about the school system we are embarking on with Sienna.
In the meantime here are some photos from our backyard on new years eve! Happy New Year to everyone!
