Expat School Interview

We visited a possible school for the kids -- The International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL). Boom went for his "interview" consisting of them asking his colors, etc. It's a real bus ride for the kids -- probably 45 minutes each way. It's hard for us to consider such a long bus ride, especially at Boom's age, but there's a reason why it's such a long shlep outside the city center. It's nestled at the base of jungle-filled hills with a huge soccer field, racing pool, and a smaller soccer field and great playground for Boom's age group.

The kids hit the soccer field as if they'd been chained up for weeks. They begged me to play a game with them. It made us realize how much they'll need an active outlet with friends, at a school like this, when they'll be living in a glass and marble high rise in the city center with no soccer fields nearby.

As far as we could tell, the curriculum seemed solid. What diversity, though! Kids from all over the world. More competitive than the kids' old school -- They have swimming and track races for kids from 2nd grade and up, with photos and winning racing times posted. A Hungarian 3rd grader dominated each swim stroke back in the late 90's. And, an African ringer in 2nd grade ruled the 100m dash among other track races, looking suspiciously like she'd been held back a year or two, in order to set some records.

The kids' reaction -- Griffin was nervous saying "There's so much more pressure in 3rd grade. I'm not going to try to beat the school record in swimming." Alice said, "I love it."

We should hear whether or not they all get accepted in a week or so. They take their time here. Cross your fingers for us!