School for Alex

Many have asked "why don't you know where Alex is going to school?"  So, I thought I would do a primer on school registration in Spain.  At first, it is easy to proclaim that the process is just crazy, but the further into it you wade, the more it "makes sense" in a Spanish sense  We are learning to say "it's different" and embrace the difference without the comparison to what is natural for us.  It sure is a lot less stressful with that mindset.

So, back to school registration.  We knew at the end of last school year Alex would not return to school where he attended last year, but did not know where he would attend.  Lacking the name of a new school we were required to accept a position in his old school - just in case something didn't go as planned he would be guaranteed a spot.

Then, when we finally had a house rented in our new town we began the registration process here.  We gathered all our paperwork and went to the school of our choice and turned it in (this was July 10).  They told us to come back the first week of September to see where we had been assigned.  Side note:  Unlike in the US, you are not assigned a  school based on your address, you are assigned a school based on where there is a vacancy.  You will get a school in your town - but you could pass 10 other schools on the way to yours.  Here in Illescas there are only two choices, so we knew we would get one of those, just not sure which.

Now we were able to officially un-enroll him from his previous school (which by the way was required before we enrolled him in a new school - makes sense, can only be enrolled in one school).  Scott filled out the paperwork relinquishing his place in original school, but again, because we did not have a new school assignment, only a portion of the process could be completed.  They could not issue a certificate of transfer because no one knew where we were transferring.

We returned the first week of September and was told that they had not made any assignments for students who requested schools during the summer and to return the next week.  We returned the 2nd week of September and were told that assignments had still not been made and that although school officially began in the middle of that week, we should return on Friday.

Alex's New School

Finally, today (Friday) we returned and were given a place in our first choice school.  God is good!  We had decided to not fret over either school, to just rest in His ability to navigate the system without our help.  So, now we have a place, but we are not registered.

We then "bought" our registration packet (only 1 euro to help cover the cost of the official envelope and etc) and sat in a corner and completed the paperwork.  We discovered we were short two things - a picture of Alex (there are picture kiosks everywhere as almost all government paperwork requires a picture) and a certificate of transfer (see above).  So, Alex headed down the street and got his picture while I finished the paperwork, but we were unable to finish the registration process due to lacking the certificate.

Next stop, calling the old school to determine how to get the certificate.  But uh oh, it is nearly noon on a Friday and the lady who processes these certificates only works 9:00 - 11:30 and you must request the certificate in person on one day and pick it up the next.  After explaining we were an hour away the secretary kindly gave us directions for how to request the document via e-mail, but adamantly explained it would still not be available until Tuesday and without proper identification we would not be able to pick it up on Tuesday.

So, email is sent and I have received a confirmation that the form will be ready on Tuesday.  Tuesday I will drive to the old school (with documentation in hand) to pick up his certificate of transfer.  Will hopefully make it back to the new school before the end of the secretary hours to submit his registration paperwork and then we will hold our breath as we wait to hear what the next steps are.

We know we will have to wait to be assigned to a group of students (students stay together all day, teacher's travel) and we will have to purchase all of our textbooks.  We'd love for Alex to start school next Wednesday, only a week late, but we will be excited for him to just attend any next week.

It's all a learning process and a chance to practice lots of Spanish.  It's a chance to stop and learn how Spanish minds think and process.  It's a chance to meet new people.  It's a reminder that life moves slower here and it is ok.  It's a chance to put a little more trust in God.  And mostly, its a reminder that I can fuss and fume because life is not how I am used to, or I can embrace my new culture, love each person I encounter, and be eternally grateful that I am blessed to have the opportunity to live in Spain.  I think I'll chose the latter option.

Check back next week - hopefully the headlines will read Alex Went to School!