When we moved here, we very quickly put our children in local school. Every single thing about it was new for us and the learning curve was steep for everyone.
The kids were AMAZING. There were only 2 other foreign children in the entire school, and Arabic was spoken almost the entire day. My children are inspiring.
While they were at school being stretched and making new friends and expanding their minds with a new language and new culture and maybe wondering why their parents had chosen this for them... I was at the store slamming MY head against the wall trying to decipher their school supply lists!
Okay, the list above wasn't too bad. At least it was written in English!
Later on, I was given lists like this. In Arabic! (I cannot read Arabic).
First I had to try to translate the words. To do this, I would either use google translate's photo option (a recent wonder) which meant I had all kinds of photos like this...
...to try to get Google to translate only the exact line I was trying to decipher at the time. I couldn't even tell when one item was stopped being listed and the next one started! It was maddening.
Translation via Google:
" Green switcher for chairs, transparent book switcher with tick placed on tools"
Okay. Thanks for nothing.
Even Google doesn't understand school supplies here, I guess I feel better?
I also sent my weird photos like this and around to all sorts of my local friends to get their interpretation of that certain line. I didn't want to overwhelm any one friend with all of my school supply woes, so I spread the love...
This says "2 matching two-color thin satin tie-reel. One meter cloth with a kitchen cloth"
huh. I'm stumped.
Google translate also translates the same thing
"Jabra thin strips of two harmonious colors. Meter cloth UVFT kitchen apron (esf).
and
"Meter canvas UPVC Bib Laskey Kitchen"
Sooooo, yeah, this took me awhile.
Once I feel like I had the right translations (2 spools of ribbon, different colors and a roll of plastic table cover I eventually deciphered), then I had to try to figure out what those items actually ARE and where to find them! School supplies are very different here than in the U.S. Especially the notebooks.
Squares. 30 pages. 60. 90. Thin lines. Fat lines. 9 lines. Big squares. Little squares. Spiral. Copybook. A4 size. Other sizes.
Then there are the files. Files are instead of folders. Zipper ones. Flap ones. Snap ones. All colors... A4, A5, B2, F9, I have no idea.
And notebooks and copybooks have to have colored plastic covers. Of the correct size. Colored covers must match the colors of the files, each color to it's own subject.
Then there was the ribbons and specific paints and a certain kind of clay and an apron and a plastic plate and certain pencils and a lab coat and and and.
This says "White Sketch & Canson Sheet, One color, any color"
Uhhhhh what?
AFTER I had what I felt like would be the best translated list I could come up with, then I headed to the store, which was an entire different story. Luckily, the sales people here are usually the most helpful, and they are so patient and kind with me. I slowly crossed things off my list and my basket grew more full. Eventually I headed home to sort it all out!
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In the end, I learned so much. Now I adore the stationary stores here... they're the best! I've come a long way. And throw any school supply list at me and I can handle it!
And, they love gathering their supplies just as much as their Mama always did when she was little...
(No supplies for this one yet, but she loved it for the big kids!)
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