Scottish

This week marks a big change in our family.   Asha and Enoch start out at a new school on Thursday the 19th of June: the Powai Branch of Bombay Scottish School.

This set of Eicher siblings have already had 19 years of schooling between them - and they are just starting in on Standard 8 and Standard 6!

We are excited by the new school.  It's much smaller 3 sections of 45 students as opposed to the current one which had 11 sections with 50 students in each class (7000 plus students in the school).  The curicullum is a step up - Bombay Scottish uses the ICSE which is what Sheba studied in her school days (and obviously did pretty well) - instead of the State Board.  The school books look gorgeous compared to what the kids have been using so far.  Being an ICSE board - Marathi is the third language instead of the second.   It has been hard for us to help Asha and Enoch in a language that we really do not know.

This marks the first time our children will be studying in a 'Christian' school.  The parent school in Mahim was founded by Scottish Missionaries in 1847 and it will be interesting for us to see how the school chooses to express (if at all) it's heritage of following Christ. 

Most of all, we are at this school because of a very special family.   John and Nalini Gabriel's two daughters have completed a year at Bombay Scottish and the family has moved to a building right next to the school.  Their encouragement as a family made us take the first steps of applying for admission - and they have helped us out in uncountable ways.

The next big question for us as a family is the distance.

The school is 23 kms from where we live.  The school busses come to a point in Thane 2 kms from our home.

As the reality of it all is settling in, we are embarking on a very big step.   We are actively consdering moving to Mumbai to have the kids closer to school - with Sheba and myself commuting to Thane.

It is an impossible task since living in Powai is steep to say the least.  And so we are giving ourselves 2 weeks.  If we find a 'miracle place' (like the flat we are living in right now in Thane) then we shift.  A flat that is close to the school, that is accessible by bus to Thane, and that is ridiculously below the market rates that homes go for rent in that tony part of town.

It's been done before.  So we are praying and looking and praying.

We are thrilled that Asha and Enoch are starting up as students at Bombay Scottish this week.  It's another wonderful adventure for us as a family.

Onwards!