A Typical Day

Emma came home from school in tears today and sunburned to a crisp. Well, that's not entirely true. When I picked Emma up from school today, she never came out. So after searching for her, I found her out on the field, crying and scared.

Turns out today was athletic tryouts. This we knew, but what we didn't know was that athletic tryouts are mandatory for ALL Grade 4 students, it goes until 4:00 p.m., and each student was supposed to pack food, a water bottle, sunscreen and wear the color of their school "house"... none of which Emma did. How were we supposed to know this? Nothing was announced, nothing went home, other that the calendar of events listing "athletic tryouts" today.

When I approached one of the teachers, she said, "Ag, shame! Didn't one of the teachers tell you? " No, I replied, they didn't. "All the learners just know what to do because they've been here since Grade 1, you see." Yes, but surely we're not the only ones new here? Maybe we're the only ones new to this country, but surely there are other new students? "Ag, shame. Well, Emma must come again on Friday and Saturday for the finals. If she doesn't make the teams, she must sit and cheer for her house. Maybe you can talk to Emma's teacher." Yes, maybe. Except that more often than not, we don't know which questions to ask. We don't know what we "don't know" until it's too late.

This is a typical day in the life of an immigrant. When you hear people talk about culture shock, this is exactly what they mean. It's when everyone else just knows what to do, while you plod through each day trying to figure out what's going on, looking for a friendly face in a crowd of passers by. I don't know who cried more today - Emma or me.