Cell Phones and City Buses...oh my.

It has been a big week for us over here. Big changes are happening now that we have a fifth grader. In high school. Oh, goodness. What a change for us. Having P home most of the time up until now and then going to this has been a learning opportunity for all of us. She is new to being in, well, anything like this...and we are new to having to parent in this situation. Germany is different in that there are only two levels of education up until college. Elementary which is Kinder-4th and then High School which is 5th-13th (depending). 

So, there you have it.

She is in high school.

First this happened....

...my baby peanut got her very first phone! 

And then...this happened...

...my baby peanut got on a city bus, in a foreign country, without really knowing much of the language, and went off to school. Without me.

Which you can see really scares and bothers her ;)

Haha. Not really. She was a little nervous. But truthfully, more excited than anything.

This, my fellow US friends, is common practice. There are no school buses roaming the streets. None. I have heard they exist in some cases, but have never actually seen one. All kids who need transportation to their school hop on a local city bus (or TWO depending on where you live) to get themselves to school. Any child who lives "within walking distance" walks. Usually they start to take themselves at a young age...around Kindergarten or first grade. I have seen the cars in long drop off and pick up lines in Texas for most Elementary schools...what a difference in culture!! 

Mind you, we didn't just put P on a bus and send her off :) We really have been practicing for a few weeks now, since school started. I would ride along with her and she would tell me when our stop was next. She also has to hit the button to alert the driver that he/she needs to stop at the next stop for a drop off. If there isn't anyone waiting at the approaching bus stop, they don't stop. So you press a button to let them know in advance to stop and let you exit the bus. She loves that part. As does Everett...who wishes every stop was ours just so he can hit that button!! Lol!

And much to her joy and delight, we equipped her with her very own phone so that if something were to go wrong she could call for help or back up. This also helps me out so I don't have to worry and wonder if she made it onto the correct bus and gives me a heads up of when to expect her home. 

I knew she could make it to the bus stop all by herself this morning. We have practiced and she is more than prepared. It was just mighty convenient that someone needed to walk the dogs this morning and that someone would be walking right past where the bus stops to pick her up ;)

You know...to preserve the moment :)