(Sanlitun Kindergarten west gate)
As we walk to preschool choice number three, I ask Sabrina about the background of the schools. Amanda immediately objects by covering her ears with her hands. She’s not objecting to the conversation but rather not being the center of focus. Like all good parents, I learned this from ChatGPT.
Preschool number three is the furthest from our apartment, about one mile away. It is tied to a construction company, in the Danwei tradition. It is also located near the old US embassy and one of the older embassy districts in Beijing. Sabrina is worried that after we submit the paperwork, Amanda will be accepted and won’t have a chance for our top two choices. We arrive at the east gate and can hear kids playing inside. The gate is barricaded like most schools here.
Sabrina makes a phone call and then a door of the east gate opens and we are ushered into the playground. I watch the 30 or so kids and they are letting out a lot of energy. A lot of energy. I zoom in on the few foreign kids who seem engaged and happy. The playground is covered with a green netting which I guess deflects the heat and falling objects from surrounding apartment buildings. The paperwork review is conducted while standing in the playground. Sabrina asks if it will impact acceptance to the other schools. It does not. We head out of the east gate as another prospective parent comes in.
The next day we hear from our first choice, a city run kindergarten relatively close to our apartment. I have fond memories of the school as it is the same one Aidan and Lydia went to back in 2007/8. We arrive at the west gate the next morning for paperwork and a three year old review. This one is more formal. Only one parent is allowed in the school (Sabrina) for the review. They have three desks set up. One to review the original documents, one to review the copies, and one to review the medical checkup results. As I wait outside, a young couple (at least compared to me) arrive and the man says “Hi”. I don’t recognize him. He says he’s the owner of the two Corgis in our apartment complex. The very two that bark at Kobe like he’s their last meal. Turns out he also has a three year old applying to the same school. The paperwork review is fine. Some questions about my Chinese name which appears on the apartment title. Sabrina thinks Amanda is likely to be admitted. The admission selection is a bit of a mystery and the city has worked to clean up any favoritism. Best we can tell, priority is not given to those who live close to the school and have lived in the area the longest. We should qualify.
Preschool is generally just called kindergarten here and covers ages 3-6. It’s subsidized by the government and our monthly cost will be about $140 USD per month plus $5 a day for meals. School dropoff starts at 7:30am and is out at 5:30pm. It all goes well, Amanda will start in September. About the same time as Elisa flies off to college.
Here’s a throwback photo to Lydia having lunch at said preschool.
