The New Yard Stick !

*********************************************

Tuesday, May 19, 2009.

This is my first blog post.,

It is my Husband's B'day today,
"Dear,
This is our B'day Gift.,
To You...
With Love :-)"

*********************************************

A New Yard Stick In My Life!

The Mother’s Day …once again…!

Since December 2003,
I find myself more as a mother,
When I thought about a blog,
I thought the best time for me to start
would be around the Mother’s Day…!

The two persons in this world with whom I share
the strongest of the relationships are
My Mother and My Daughter.
If truth be told, they sculpted me they way I am!
My mother is my forever best friend and my alter ego,
And though miles apart, I’ve never felt torn apart from her.
Before my daughter came into my life,
I spent my life just as a daughter laboriously doing nothing…!
We all know, life was so much easier those days…!
And I saw my days changing from the very first day I realized
that she had started her journey with me…!
I really existed through each and every minute spend with her…
Be it an overwrought one or
when we were on cloud nine or
whenever she made my heart really swollen with pride!
She actually did it… Bringing Up… A Mother…!!!

Let me begin with some of my fondest memories…
About my daughter Ammu’s first few days at school…!

I am just posting the jottings from my diary of September, 2007.

We live in a quite quiet corner of UAE.
I and Ammu went to India for my second delivery,
As my son was a pre- mature baby,
things did not work as we thought,
We could not reach back here on time for her admission to school.
There are three ‘Indian’ schools in this place…
All the schools re-opened on a Sunday after the summer holidays,
we went to the school where we actually wanted to admit her.
The year’s admissions were closed months before,
hence, no chance for the year.
As they liked her, they said if the child is competent,
they'll directly admit her to senior KG,
without much formality in the next academic year...!
We got the same answer from the second school too.
Then, the left options were either the third school,
(which was of our last and least priority and they too
were to close the admission process within a couple of days.)
or a play school. So, to avoid the wastage of a year,
we thought it would be better to send her to the real school atmosphere...

Ammu was so excited that she didn’t sleep well that Sunday night.
She kept on asking many a things about her school…
and even I too was feeling so fidgety and
couldn't sleep for hours..!
I was feeling something so heavy is kept upon my chest…
a kind of upsetting thrill???
I could not find a cutoff point for my thoughts...
I’m not able to tell you actually what it was like…
I was thinking...
‘ The easy days of her life are coming to an end...
she is getting responsible...(at least) of her bag, books...
and other properties... much more do's and don'ts...
even lose many of her tiny comforts
like her cozy sleep in the mornings… and
I’ll be missing her company till noon...
(and I really DO..!!!) Are we unfair to her?
Must she be given a little more trouble-free time?
How self-centered we really are…!
When we have kids, we feel so thrilled and fortunate,
We find our own happiness in what ever they do…
Then we decide its time for them to get-up-and-go
to set off their self-absorbed journey of life…
This will go on and on…’

No wonder... true thoughts of a mother...!!!!
I realized...
I started growing up after she came into my life…
and along with her...ha...ha...ha..!!!

Now, the highlights of happenings…

Day 1: Monday.

We went to the school in the morning.
While my husband was completing the admission formalities,
a senior teacher took me, Appu and Ammu
to the KG wing of the school,
Ammu was put into a new division
with the late comers like her…!
Mrs. Mary, (who was taking care of that new division
till a new teacher takes over the responsibility),
showed Ammu her place in the class room.
Ammu kept her tiny bag on her table, smiled,
looked all over the place, sat on her chair while
enjoying being the centre of attraction.
Once we felt she is at ease, we came back home.

We decided that my husband will drop her
at the school in the morning on the way to his office.,
then, Appoose and me will go to bring her back,
Just as a trial for the first few days…

Ammu was sitting so nicely in her place
when I went to take her back...
Teacher found her as a sweet, co-operative girl, and
gave her a heap of chocolates for being so nice in the class.
On our way back, Ammu started -
" ithu good school aanu. Ammunu ishtaayi…
pinne radio-il rhymes kettu... dance cheythu…
chocolates kitti… apple-nte picture color cheythu…
enthinaannu ariyilla kure kuttikal karanjondirunnu…
ammu karanjilya, avarodu karayanda paranju…
pinne Ammunu new bag venam... water bottle venam…"
and much more...!!!
(its like- “this is a good school, got chocolates,
heard rhymes and danced, coloured pictures,
didn’t know why - many kids were crying and finally,
I need a bag, water bottle etc..)
We bought a bag, a snack box, a water bottle,
pencils, crayons etc in the evening.
She is ready for the next day...!

Day 2: Tuesday.

I knocked at the classroom door;
her teacher came and opened it,
Most of the kids were ready to go home…
with their bags packed…
few boys were running around...
and some were still crying...
Mrs. Mary said
"Arundathi is very busy...see, she is helping me...”
She was stacking the small chairs in their class room...
Which means she has started showing out her real stuff...!!!?????

Mrs. Mary told me that
she would try her best to take Ammu to her class...
That would be really good for Ammu…
Mrs. Mary is an old hand in the KG wing.
With her support Ammu would get a good start to learning English.

Day 3: Wednesday.

The new teacher was there in her class room,
a very young malayali Muslim girl,
I felt beyond doubt that it will take at the least 2 years more
for her to master the art of handling these ‘tiny troublemakers’…!!!
In between she opened the door and talked to me,
two boys easily ran out of the class room with their backpacks,
a nanny went after and brought them back.... nice fun...!!!
then, she was talking to Ammu in her soft and sweet Malayalam…!!!
I lost belief in Ammu learning to talk in English soon...

Then the school bus driver came to take the kids to bus.
He smiled at her… She saw him and started "amma pokkolu...
Ammu school busil varaam... uncle nte koode…"
(i.e., I’ll come by the bus…)
“You can get into the bus…
but uncle will not allow Amma and Appu inside …
we’ll see… from tomorrow onwards…!”
I somehow convinced her and the next issue popped up…
"Ammunu vellam venam… ayyooo…Ammunte water bottle marannu...!"
We went back in search of that,
as I was about to conclude that it was lost,
Ammu came with the crushed water bottle.
As I looked at her,
she said "kuttikal vellam okke thoothi…
bottle kedu varuthi kalanju...ammadelu vere vellam undo...?"
(her friends emptied and crushed the water bottle…!)
and I gave her Appu's water bottle.

We started back...
I asked whether she had her snacks.
she said " wafers njan kazhichilya...
oru kutty athu eduthittu ennodu veno ennu chodichu...
njan venda ennu paranju...
appo aa kutty athu muzhuvan kazhichu…"
I asked "then, what about chips?"
she said " athu njaan kurachu kazhichu...
baaki oru kutty kazhichu...”(other children emptied
her snack box with her permission…hahaha…)
I did not ask anything more…!!!

Later I found 2 books extra in her bag...
she said "athu Ammunte bagil oru kutty vechathaa...”
(a girl kept those books in her bag…!)

Me, the ‘mother’ started at once… the same ‘ready made’ monologue!

" Nokku Ammu, aarudeyum onnum eduthu kondu vararuthu…
ammunte book, pencil onnum kalayaruthu....
snacks kondupoyathu muzhuvan kazhikkanam…
class-il nalla kuttiyaayittu irikkanam, ketto…!” Etc...Etc..!
(look ammu, do not take other children’s belongings…
take care of your things…
Eat your food completely… be a good child…!!!)

Flash backs???
Hope you all remember those first days at school... and
How many times did you hear those typical sentences???!!!

We had arranged a taxi,
an elderly gentleman, from Pakistan,
who used to take my husband to his office,
before we bought our own car.
As he speaks only Hindi,
Ammu was not comfortable with him.
She gave us two options…
“Either you come and pick me up or
I will come back by the school bus with my friends…
I am afraid to come alone in the car with that uncle…”
as usual she started the sentiments…
sniffles and snivels… and we agreed...!
The next week onwards she came back by the school bus…!
It was a trip just for KG students,
there was a bus stop just in front of our building,
(and it was cheaper too…!)
Moreover, I was happy
that I need not disturb the small Appoose…
Even though he enjoys the trip,
exposing him to the hot sun every day
developed rashes on his body,
which was really pathetic ...
He was slowly getting accustomed to the new surroundings …!

Day 4: Thursday

Thanks to Mrs. Mary, she took Ammu to her class.
Ammu was with the ‘senior’ students,
who already started writing…!
Teacher said that she found Ammu quite interested in
writing and colouring…
she asked herself for a 'mango' to color and
did that with others… and she wrote 1's in her book.
So, Ammu had a lot of home work to do... to compete with them.
She had many "1"'s to 'draw' and
2 apples to colour that day… to begin with.

The new water bottle too came back in a miserable condition.
"njangal veruthe bishkum bishkum kalichappo
chulungi poyathaa… naale angane cheyyillya tto...”
(means, they fought with each other using the water bottle,
just for fun and I will not repeat it…).
What should I say???

The school uniform of her size was out of stock…
so Ammu went colorfully for a few more days.
She pestered her teacher everyday for her uniform set,
finally, Mrs. Mary took Ammu with her to the stores and
fetched two of the smallest pairs available,
which Ammu could wear only after many alterations.

One of the first things she learned
from the school was the "katti -dosthi”.
In case of any difference of opinion,
she will say “ammu katti with you…!”
She will start that even before
we enter our apartment on her way back.
Whenever they were not allowed to play out,
ammu said “katti with you…!”
to her teacher as well, Mrs.Mary told me once.

ammu got many friends within a few days…
though she didn’t know their names.
Later we knew they were Tony, Danny,
Jathinder, Simran, Aneesha, Nandana, Joe,
Abel, Raashid, Dhaarin, Bithika, Jumail musaal,
Khumail, Aifa kalyani, Inshamol ... and so on…
Ammu was always found in high spirits with her friends…
She was the smallest in her class… and
everyone treated her like a cute toy!!!
Joe called her “molu”… that made her happy…!
Jathinder, a Punjabi boy,
took out his small ‘pagdi’ from his head and
placed it on her head… Ammu was happy again…!
A lot of hugs and kisses…
and many more happy things like these every day…!

By the month of March,
She was able to read the English alphabet,
numbers (0 - 9)and to write most of them.
She won a prize in the action song competition too.
Appu enjoyed her company all the time…
Whenever she starts the story of the - thirsty crow –
he too will start his " kaakka... kaakka...”.
When ammu begins "Johny Johny...”
he will wait for the "ha ha ha...”!!!

Even then ammu sponsored snacks for her friends everyday…
One day Nandana brought ‘poori’ for her breakfast.
The next day Ammu also had ‘poori’ in her Tiffin box.
But she brought it back home untouched…
you know why?
Because… “Ammu didn’t find the same curry in the box
which Nandana brought…!” Any comments???

Ammu is in Std I now,
she won first prize in Dance and Fancy dress competitions,
Second prize in Story telling and Action song and
a third prize in Recitation last year.
She was the Talent (2008-2009) of the KG section of her school.

Now she wants me to stop this...
Appu is enjoying his afternoon nap and
she is getting bored watching me typing for such a long time…!

Love u all...
Me... & Ammu...
Monday, May 18, 2009.