Thursday Thirteen: The School Run

There are so many things about English culture that I have fallen in love with. In fact, I dare say, if all our family and friends weren't so far away, I would be happy staying in England forever. One of the things that I really love is, as they call it, the school run. There are no school buses in London, and parking is limited everywhere you go (meaning there is NO parking anywhere near a school), so it is custom that children are walked to and from school everyday by their parents or carers.

On the same street as Antalya's nursery school there is also: a Jewish school, a elementary school, and a middle school. It means every morning and every afternoon the small sidewalk is bustling with strollers, kids on scooters, dads on their way to/from work carrying briefcases and quizzing their children on the multiplication table, moms chatting to other moms as they walk with their children hand in hand, and greeting other moms that pass the opposite direction. I always feel such a sense of community during the school run.

Here are thirteen reasons why I love the school run:

1. It gets me out of the house by 8:30 every morning.
2. I start my day with some exercise.
3. I get to spend time outside with my girls everyday - rain or shine.
4. No missed buses - if we are running late, it just means I walk faster.
5. Less pollution
6. It provides me with daily quality one-on-one time with Victoria - after we drop Antalya off, I leave the stroller at school and Victoria and I take our time walking and exploring things as we head home or run errands on foot.
7. I get to know other moms.
8. Antalya is visually reminded that all children go to school in the morning and that children go to different schools.
9. As I pass Jews, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims I am reminded that people can live peacefully together.
10. My girls get some daily outdoor exercise even if its chucking down rain.
11. Watching the pigeons.
12. Daily opportunities to practice safe walking techniques in big city - stopping before we cross the road, waiting at the 'green man' at crosswalks, holding hands when neccessary, etc.
13. Taking part in such an English tradition makes me feel just a little bit English everyday.