And Dirty thinks I'm Hermione...

So we are looking into a language immersion school for Monkey next year because we aren't thrilled with our kindergarten option and he didn't test into the "gifted" (but really accelerated not gifted) school. Originally, I was turned off of the school because it's a Charter School. In my circle, Charter School=The Devil because when children go to the charter schools, the money that the government uses to pay for their education, is redirected from the public schools to the charter schools. There is a whole moral side to this that I now feel bad about. I am contributing to the decline in enrollment to the public schools and taking away the money that would follow my child through the public school system. I am not completely able to put all my feelings eloquently into words on the subject and therefore, I digress.

At this point in time, there are two language options: French and Spanish. I believe living in America that Spanish would be the most useful. I took French in high school and have never used it. I didn't even use it when I went to Canada to be perfectly honest. The French teachers at the school, and apparently the staff as well, all push for the French option. Their argument, French is spoken in more countries throughout the world than Spanish. Okay...that is true. French is spoken in more countries throughout the world and a heck of a lot of those countries are teeny tiny countries, and larger coutries, in Africa, a few countries in Europe, Canada (And who really counts Canada? I kid.), Haiti, then finally tiny remote islands in the Pacific ocean.

Spanish on the other hand is spoken throughout Central America and South America and by so many people throughout the United States. I wish that I took Spanish in high school. There have been so many instances when I could have interacted with people. The Scientist's friend in first grade's mom was from Ecuador and she wasn't comfortable enough to speak to me in English. His other classmate, J, I don't know where her family was from but again there was a language barrier and her mom only felt comfortable talking to the mom from Ecuador. In both instances, the most interaction we had was saying hello and smiling. Most conversations were stunted after that. Anyway, I decided that the Spanish option was the most practical since Mandarin isn't available yet.

Now, I would like to give a brief excerpt from my conversation with a staff member who was pushing the French option:

Enrollment Lady (EL): Have you decided which school?

Me: Yes, Spanish. I have no plans to move to the Great White North.

EL: Well, it would help with pronunciation of the street names. For instance, it isn't show-tow; it's Shuh-toh, and it's pah-pahn; not pay-pin.

Me:(thinking) It's not win-GARD-ium levi-OH-sah; it's win-GARD-ium levi-oh-SAH. Yes, we live in a French settled city. Yes, we pronounce the street names incorrectly. French is still a useless option in my opinion. It doesn't seem like a strong enough argument to learn a language just so you can pronounce the street name correctly. I've gone my entire life without people pronouncing my name correctly. I got over it by the end of high school.

I apologize if I've offended anyone by my lack of interest in using or learning French or in thinking that it is at all useful. I guess it's also obvious that the way these French speakers conduct themselves in promoting French just rubs me the WRONG way.

Not anything new...

but I'm so very excited to have my acceptance to UMSL's College of Nursing. I had to apply as an undergraduate before applying for clinicals, and even though I had that acceptance I didn't feel like I could call myself an UMSL student. Now, I am proud to say, "I'm a nursing student at UMSL." Sure I haven't actually started my Clinical Major, but I have acceptance to start. Knowing that makes my insides feel bubbly. GOOOOOOOO TRITONS! (Which can I say seems like an odd mascot since it's not living? Are there other inanimate object mascots? I can't off the top of my head think of any.) YAY!

I have my advising appointment in April on my birthday. That is when I'll get to register and get my official UMSL id. I can't wait, but I am also trying to enjoy my time at the community college. It's going to get pretty hectic once I start clinicals. I won't have my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays off anymore. As Jillian Michaels says, "You don't get to the finish line and stop. You finish stronger than you started." That's how I want to finish out my community college career. I'll start by getting back to the four short stories that I need to read for tomorrow morning's class.

SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Today, I hitched up the trailer bike, and Monkey and I rode over to the R.'s house for a morning playdate. The ride was a little brisk but not bad overall. It was one of the first times in a while that AR and I were actually able to sit and talk without child interruptions every 30 seconds. Afterwards, Monkey and I rode home taking a slight detour through the park. It was a really nice morning.

The mailman was delivering mail as we pulled in front of the house. I opened the door and let Monkey in, and when I looked down I saw a packet...from UMSL...it's the piece of mail that I've been waiting for for just over a month!!!!! I opened the packet and skimmed the cover page. It's a packet!!! It has eight items!!! It says it contains an acceptance letter!!! I then moved to the actual letter. "Dear Me, I am pleased to inform you that you will begin the Clinical Major in Fall 2010 at the College of Nursing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis." SQUEEEEE!!!!!! I immediately called Dirty and posted a status update on Facebook.

I am so excited. I got in. I am relieved. I didn't apply anywhere else. If I didn't get into UMSL's program my four year plan would be totally screwed. I didn't really want to go to Chamberlain. At the moment, it isn't one of the schools in the area that is very reputable. I think that is mainly due to newness in the area. SLU and Maryville aren't really an options due to price. Barnes-Jewish admits on a first come-first serve basis and I didn't apply soon enough. I feel like I can take a deep breath. I don't have to worry so much about my classes as long as I can keep up a "B" average, which shouldn't be a problem because I have had, up until this point, straight "A's." I did get my first "B" on a paper today though. I have to admit that I didn't do my best. What was I thinking making page long paragraphs? I am not going to just stop trying in my classes, but the stress of keeping straight "A's" to get into a merit based program isn't quite as necessary. Phew.