Last Day of School Drama

Clara is in preschool.

She´s a pretty normal preschooler.  She´s not much into "drama".  At least, not the kind of drama I´m thinking of which stereotypes middle school girls.  Whew!

But I had my own little bit of drama the two weeks before school got out.

The last day of school is one of those days for the classes to show off, dance a dance, etc. for the parents.  I love that kind of stuff.  And it got even better for me, because Clara´s school is apparently a little short on girls.  Clara´s class was the one class which didn´t have a presentation planned.  However, the 3-year-old class was short on girls, so they conscripted Clara to join them for their dance.  And the kindergarten class was also short on girls, so a few kindergarten boys needed a partner for their graduation waltz.

Yes, the graduation waltz.

Quick explanation:  it seems that whenever a class of students graduates from school at any level (well, maybe not high school, but I have no high school experience in Mexico to speak of) they have to preform an elaborately choreographed "waltz" for their parents and other well-wishers.  Paired off, boy and girl.  Personally, I love the 6th grade and 9th grade versions, as the kids look like they´d rather curl up and die than do this waltz.  But the kindergartners?  They´re just cute. No surprises there.

But back to my drama.

The three-year-old teacher has always struck me as a bit of a fussy woman.  When she was explaining what the kids would have to wear for their costume, my fears were confirmed.  They needed  a white leotard and lace socks. A thick ribbon to wear in their lacquered ponytails.  And a circle skirt.  Made out of poliseda.  With tulle--soft tulle--just peeking out from under the top layer.

Where was I going to find this very specific circle skirt?

Right.  I needed to MAKE it.  Of course.

Now, I could have taken the obvious, easy route and taken the material and Clara´s measurements to my friend Olga or any number of houses down the street that offer seamstress skills.  That would have been the rational thing to do.

But I like a challenge.  And I´m stubborn.  And I´m one of the biggest tightwads you´ll ever meet. I´ve really got to learn how to overcome some of these personality quirks.

And so I made the skirt myself.  Without a pattern. Without a sewing machine.  Without even crying to Patty, "Help-I´ve-gotten-in-over-my-head-and-I´m-running-out-of-time-and-I-know-you-can-do-this-better-than-me!"

And the circle skirt was made.  On time.

My real question is, why aren´t these skirts readily available in stores all over the country?  Preschools and elementary schools in this country are OBSESSED with the musical, Grease, and I´m fairly confident that every Mexican child dons a ´50s-style costume at least once in their educational career.

Maybe I just missed them.

But I did learn that my sewing skills can rise up to that challenge.

And that´s probably why I took that challenge in the first place.

Final Flag Ceremony

Clara is STILL in school.

I could handle the narcos running amok.  But this 205-day school year?  I may have to leave the country.

All that aside, we are in the final stretch, as today was the last flag ceremony of the year.

Every Monday morning, every single school in Mexico has a flag ceremony.  A select of that school´s oldest and best students are chosen to be in the color guard.  A month or two ago, Clara´s teacher asked her if she wanted to be in the color guard.  I beamed with pride at my little genius.

She said no.

Typical Clara.  I finally got her to tell me why she didn´t want to do it, and she said she just didn´t want to hold the flag, because it would be too heavy.  I reminded her that only one kid got to hold the flag and that a number of other just walk around it.  She could be one of those that walked with the flag.  With the added incentive that her best friend was in the color guard this past year, she was finally convinced to join.

I think they practiced every day for the last month.  And today, the last Monday of the school year, in a beautiful ceremony full of preschool-aged pomp and circumstance, the graduating kindergarten kids handed the flag off to the incoming kindergartners.  

I eat this kind of stuff up.

The kindergartners, on their final lap around the patio.

The big hand off.

The preschoolers show off the hours they spent on precision marching.

Safely turning the flag over to the principal.

The female-dominated 2014-2015 escolta.  The poor lone wolf on the right!