Monday, February 1, 2016

A Day in the Life in Perm

A typical day in Perm looks like this:

We get up at 6:30, get the kids up at 6:45, make sure everyone gets breakfast, scriptures and clothes.  Then about 8 am one adult and the two smaller ones (K and A) put on outside clothes (sweater, snow pants, coat, hat, warm socks, boots, mittens) and the adult (mom or dad depending on the day) takes K and A to detskiisad (daycare/preschool).  They are supposed to be undressed and in their places at 8:30 in order to get breakfast (and to avoid a scolding) but we do not always make it.  It takes 20 minutes to walk to detskiisad from our house.  It is only one bus stop, but if we see a bus coming (there's an app for that!) then we get on the bus, including sanka (sled).  The bus costs 20 rubles now (worth about 25-30 cents, depending on the day).  Dropoff at detskii sad involves going to the classroom, where each classroom has its own coat changing area, the parent and child taking off boots (they don't allow boots on the floor in the changing room) helping A get undressed (K doesn't need help), and sending them in class.  They both enjoy going, A all the time, K most of the time.

Then the parent who did the dropoff takes a different bus (another 20 rubles) to the campus, about 20 minute ride (with waiting and walking on both ends, about half an hour commute).  The two adults share an office in one building, but we teach classes in a different building, 10 minute walk apart, through alleyways and spaces not cleaned off of snow, so it can be quite a trudge.  The one who went to campus usually stays all day, at least until 4 pm, which is the earliest the children are allowed to be picked up from detskiisad.

Detskiisad schedule, almost identical to the one we had in Moscow (hurrah for standardization):

Breakfast 8:30
Freeplay
Lessons 9:00 - 10:30
Get dressed for outside playtime
Outside play time 10:45 - 11:45
(in a dedicated enclosed space, each class remains on its own piece of the territory, so our two children don't get to even see each other during that time)
Come inside
get ready, free time
Lunch 12:00 or 12:30 depending on the class (one of the teachers brings the food up to the room from a central food prep area (ie kitchen), and it can be a bit imprecise when that gets brought up)
13:00 to 15:00 "тихий час" "tikhi chas" = quiet hour, ie nap time
(the big kids like K do not always sleep, and it can be reallllly boring to wait for the "its okay to get up" signal, but A often sleeps or isn't bored)
Snack time 15:00 or 15:30 depending
Freeplay (inside)
"Dinner" (small snack like cooked carrots or beets) 16:00 or 16:30
Secondary lesson time (finish up from the morning, or optional extra classes for an extra fee)
17:00 or 17:30, get ready for outside play
Outside playtime until parents come pick up, or (in this detskiisad) 18:00 at the latest (the other one was 19:00)

Then one parent goes to pick up K and A then it is walk home the 1.3 km or wait for the bus one stop.  Sometimes they get to play by the tank on the way home, sometimes we are in a hurry for something.

Home 6 or 6:30 pm, play, dinner, story, bed (we try by 8:30 pm but do not always make it).  Very little time for them to do their "home jobs" (ie chores) or anything else but rush rush....