the second first day

Yesterday, these two, ages 17 and 19, headed off for their second first day of school, this time to Blue Ridge Community College.

Their first first day of school was ten years ago when we were in Guatemala and they attended Colegio San Francisco Javier de la Verapaz.

That time they were (almost) 7 and 9, and their private school classes were conducted in Spanish.

So this time, the day before their college classes started, my husband said, “Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you, they only speak Spanish at Blue Ridge,” which made me bust up laughing because my husband and I are still shaking our heads in amazement at how we threw out kids into not just school, but an all-Spanish one, cold turkey. But the kids didn’t even get the joke, so I guess they weren’t too scarred by the experience…

Anyway, now after a lifetime of non-traditional education, they are finally heading into the classroom where they’re gonna learn to juggle backpacks, note-taking, textbooks, and lectures. I’m so excited for them. I think they’re gonna love it.

And then my daughter-in-law joined the photo shoot because she is also heading back to school — for nursing!

And so the learning continues…

This same time, years previous: it’s what’s for supper, sundried tomato and basil pesto torte, bruschetta, stewed greens with tomato and chili, grape jelly, photo shoot, this is what crazy looks like.