Yassy baila!

Another International Day, a few weeks later. This time it was for Yassy. Ok, I have to admit the previous one for Sera was still very fresh on my mind and in fact, I was glad we weren't going to be doing much but sit and watch Yassy perform. Yes, Yassy was going on stage for the first time and as much as we were excited, we were also nervous because Yassy, shy Yassy ... perform?

Her pre-kinder campus, all 35 of them, were representing the country of Argentina and I have to say, the styling team really decked them out in lovely typical costumes and they performed so well. The youngest graders but they definitely stole the show with their genuine enthusiasm and showmanship in front of a crowd of at least 1,000. I, with all the other parents, rushed to the front of the stage to get the best view and I really couldn't wipe that fat smile on my face. I'm pretty sure I heard Sera and Johan cheering from up in the stands.

So till next year, I shall now close the chapter on International Day celebrations.

Yassy in her traditional Argentinian dress

Flag presentation

Waiting backstage

Yassy taking her cue from her teachers

Bravo!

Getting a congratulatory hug from papa

Posing with her classmate Alexa

Baile Argentino from Que Sera Sera on Vimeo.

Spring

We welcomed Spring with a bout of illness in the family. Johan was in bed for a good two days for a stomach flu and a few days later, a mild attack of food poisoning. Then last Friday, Yassy came back with a high temperature and that signaled more to come in the following days. Everybody is on the mend now, Yassy just grappling with the recovery stage of her very chesty cough. For me, I'm writing this blog with a fever and a headache. I'm hoping it'll go away this evening because it's Friday ... the husband and I are planning a movie date.

Sera, our little bull, has managed to stay immune to all the viruses around here. She has been doing well. She has really settled nicely into her new school and since three weeks ago, we signed her up for swimming lessons in a nearby school. We had good intentions and she was excited until she realised the lessons were in Spanish. Her first lesson was painful for me to watch. She cried at the start of the lesson, sucked it in for the rest of the 45 minutes and finally had a meltdown at the end of the lesson. Oh gosh, I felt so guilty. I discussed this Johan and we feel that this is just one of the things that she will have to get used to ... I mean, the reality is we are living in a Spanish speaking country. So it was her third lesson on Wednesday and I'm happy and mostly relieved to say she shed not a tear and was smiling throughout the lesson. Phew!

Entonces, que tenga bien fin de semana!

We went to Condesa last weekend. A relaxed neighbourhood with dog-loving yuppies and pretty restaurants.

Oh yes, and 'Cinderella' came to visit the kids at the playground??? Sera made Johan run after Cinderella for a photo!

We lunched at this little cafe that served fresh and organic food. Hah, a true gem indeed! The girls had a packed lunch in the park, so they hung out in front of the TV.

Yassy stayed away from school and hung out with me. Here, we're waiting for Sera's bus

Sera just before swim class. She's wearing the school's swim suit and the swim cap is a must

Kodak moments with Yassy

Yesterday, Yassy stayed away from school as she was nursing a cold. But I think she had good fun running errands with me the whole morning. Oh and photos are a must nowadays with Yassy. She wants me to capture her every important moment. Photos!!!

At Superama ... she was of course thrilled to push her own trolley and she refused my help, but instead laughed whenever she collided into shelves or people. Opps!

Before picking Sera up from the bus stop, she got herself ready

Two of us posing along the way to the bus stop

She took a photo of these flowers by the roadside

Enjoying her yoghurt while waiting for Sera

The End (ok, I don't mean to be cheeky ... but Yassy insisted I took a photo of her toosh!)

One international party

So on Saturday, we took part in International Day at Sera's school. And I mean, we were there from 10am to 7pm. We had little idea of what participation entailed but we knew beforehand that we were going to man the Dutch stand. But of course. The grounds of the school was completely transformed for the carnival. There are apparently over 50 different nationalities in the school, not sure there were that many stalls but there were plenty. There was a centre-stage where live performances by students, parents and local celebrities went on all day. And the two basketball courts were converted into an 'oh wow' play area for the younger children. So that was a snapshot of what I managed to take in when I had time off from the Dutch stand.

Well to be honest, I didn't do so much but to guard the fridge filled with expensive imported Dutch cheese - edam, gouda, old cheese (oude kaas). You see, most of the customers and there were many, were speaking rapid Spanish and I decided to make myself scarce and let the 'professionals' serve them. My important task was to store the purchased cheese for collection later. But I sneaked out every now and then, to visit the other stands with Yassy. Sera, for most of the day, hung out at centres-stage enjoying the performances.

It was close to 7 in the evening when a sudden change in the weather beckoned a coming storm. Johan and I huddled the the girls quickly and said adios to the carnival. We missed the grand finale, which was the fireworks, but ahhh, next year.

Johan giving Yassy a cuddle ... she was overwhelmed to say the least

The few Dutch walked the parade

Other nationalities really made good effort to dress up

There was an unbelievable array of food. Here we have Spanish paella

Nothing homemade at the Dutch stand but still people came for the cheese

Johan impressed me with his salesmanship

From this photo on, Sera took over the camera. Here we have an aerial view of the children's play area

For 35 pesos, we entered a little animal farm where there were little animals - bunnies, chicks, ducklings, donkeys, goats, sheep ...

Sleeping donkey

Sera took a photo of Oswaldo, her bus driver