Some events between December 2008 and June 2009

Here's what we wrote last week to the Sri Lankan adoption authorities:

After a final holiday in Ethiopia, the most dramatic event was undoubtedly our move to the Netherlands. Most of January we were busy selling household goods and getting ready. We tried to keep the last days as relaxed as possible, by moving to a bungalow at the campus of mum’s work. In this way we did not have to sleep on the floor and the movers could do their packing work without two little children in their way. Saman and his brother went to school as normal till Friday 6 February and on Tuesday 10 February we left Ethiopia for good.

After a day of rest, we went to have a look at the new school in the Netherlands, where a music festival was held on Thursday 12 February, just before a holiday. Saman enjoyed it very much and after a week of acclimatisation, he was eager to go to his new school De Kievit in Maartensdijk (http://dekievitschool.rijnheuvelland.nl/). This is a public school in a village close to where we live now, with small-size classes (15-20 children) and a very friendly atmosphere. Because Saman and his brother always speak Dutch at home and were also familiar with the Dutch language education at the Dutch school in Addis Ababa, the transition was relatively smooth. After the first school day, Saman and his brother, though tired, could hardly wait for the next day to come so they could go to school again. During the 5 months attending school in the Netherlands, many events were organized in which Saman and his brother participated, such as a joint Easter lunch at school, a school sports day and a school outing to the zoo. Saman had the unique opportunity to pet a real adult giraffe on the head from a balcony.

A less pleasant and very impressive event during this period was that Saman’s mother had to undergo an operation early April. Saman felt very intimidated by the hospital and was rather subdued for a while. Luckily he recovered quickly and regained his full self-confidence after a month.

Being in the Netherlands also allowed us to participate in an annual meeting of Dutch parents with children adopted from Sri Lanka. Saman enjoyed the day very much and proudly took the group photo to school the next day. It was especially important to him to spend time with three children of his age who had been in Tikiri Sevana in Uda-Peradeniya. He considers them some sort of cousins.

Saman continued his horse riding lessons till the very last week we were in Ethiopia. In January he was allowed to go on a longer ride outside the paddock and thus he made several 2-3 hour horse rides in the country side. Of course he was very tired afterwards but always recovered within a few days and then asked when he could go again.

In the Netherlands Saman enjoys intensive cycling, often riding his bicycle to school, 4 kilometres away (15 minutes). The Dutch school, similar to the international school in Addis Ababa, offers physical exercise classes twice a week. This longer stay in the Netherlands offered an excellent opportunity for Saman to pick up on his swimming lessons again. We enrolled him in a special 4-month intensive course. During this period he had 3 lessons of 45 minutes each, every week. This was very intensive, but also extremely rewarding because at the end of the period Saman managed to pass his exam for two swimming diplomas.

Unfortunately we found out that the recurrent diarrhoea that bothered Saman every now and then in Ethiopia, did not go away in the Netherlands. We decided to consult a physician. The first tests did not yield any results so the investigations will be extended. For the time being, we have banned the consumption of milk products to see if that will improve the situation.

Though Saman was very happy to go and live in the Netherlands and very quickly liked his new school better than the one in Addis Ababa, it was not always easy for him to adapt. Not only did he have a new teacher and new class mates, but he also had to get used to new methods for mathematics, writing and natural sciences. The new school puts more emphasis on working independently, which was completely new for Saman. Also, in the Netherlands children are expected to be much more assertive than Saman was used to. After 3-4 months, Saman began to improve and his performance was very good. Over the full period from half February to end June Saman a good end of year report (in Dutch, so only, so not enclosed) and has passed to second grade. We believe that Saman has done an excellent job under difficult circumstances and are very proud of this result!

Saman and his brother Yekuno enjoy inviting friends from school over at our house but also individually visit the homes of class mates to play after school. They have also together spent a couple of weekends with grandparents and other relatives, much to the enjoyment of all parties. Saman and Yekuno also share the hobby of watching trains together.