Mrs. Shirley Nathan- more than a mentor, more than a friend, more than a teacher to my daughter, she is a true blessing for me, from Almighty.
It was sometime early 2006, in Malaysia, my husband and I were desperately looking out for schools with child care. Sukayna was two plus years old then. The baby sitter who had taken care of Sukayna since she was five months old until then, was not able to continue. Left with little time to look out for play schools that also provided child care, we were also emotionally stressed as to how Sukayna may be able to take the change.
We had spotted one school loacted 0.5 km from our home. There were other schools in the neighborhood, but they did not have flexible timings for child care. So we were left with just this option, and that too was closed, upon enquiry as they were houseful for the year. Looking at our desperate situation, one teacher in the school called my husband and told him to try for admission in the school situated opposite theirs.Now this was NEWS! Because until that day we have never known a school to exist in the posh bungalow opposite this school. It was then we noticed that there was a school, in the shape of a train cabin, located beside the bungalow inside the compound.
Sceptical about the size of the school, yet left with no option, my husband approached the teacher. And the moment he saw her and spoke to her, he was convinced, that however hard it was going to be, Sukayna should study there. This was the first time, we got introduced to Mrs. Shirl . Her school was not a very big school, and her cabin even today, can accomodate only a handful of students. But each student would be a product like Totto Chan from the Japanese School Tomoe Gakuen.
Nearly a decade ago, Mrs. Shirl ran a school for foreigner's children, with the experience she gained from teaching in international schools. She was a big success and her school too. As years passed and her children grew up, she down sized the school to what it is today- The Cabin.
The cabin is a place full of only happiness. Kids learn more than what they might in regular schools. And we were happy to secure admission for Sukayna in the cabin. Now the child care part was a little complicated, as Mrs. Shirl was not providing child care for any kids then. When my husband told her about our situation-working parents desperately in need for a secure place to leave their kid, she said she will give it a try. She told us ,if it was tiresome, she would recommend elsewhere.
So the next day, Sukayna was in the cabin- her first school, Mrs. Shirl her first teacher. The first two days, Mrs. Shirl agreed to take care of Sukayna on a trial run, and the third day, she told us, she would continue to take in Sukayna as Sukayna was a more independent kid and it was easy to take care of her. We are ever thankful to her and her family for being there for us, and most of all God Almighty for His abundant blessing.
The entire family was kind to us. They had never once forgotten to invite us over to their place for any celebrations. Mrs. Shirl's smile was enough to make your day. Theirs was an extended family, with Mrs. Shirl's sisters, Aunty Malar, Dato Ramani with her husband Uncle John and her brother Uncle Loga all residing in the same house. To them people and genuine relationships was what mattered most.
To this day, I am ever grateful to God for having shown me genuine love through Mrs. Shirl. This New Year, I want to gift this post to Mrs. Shirl - as a token of my love and appreciation, for I take you as my mother in a foreign land.
It was sometime early 2006, in Malaysia, my husband and I were desperately looking out for schools with child care. Sukayna was two plus years old then. The baby sitter who had taken care of Sukayna since she was five months old until then, was not able to continue. Left with little time to look out for play schools that also provided child care, we were also emotionally stressed as to how Sukayna may be able to take the change.
We had spotted one school loacted 0.5 km from our home. There were other schools in the neighborhood, but they did not have flexible timings for child care. So we were left with just this option, and that too was closed, upon enquiry as they were houseful for the year. Looking at our desperate situation, one teacher in the school called my husband and told him to try for admission in the school situated opposite theirs.Now this was NEWS! Because until that day we have never known a school to exist in the posh bungalow opposite this school. It was then we noticed that there was a school, in the shape of a train cabin, located beside the bungalow inside the compound.
Sceptical about the size of the school, yet left with no option, my husband approached the teacher. And the moment he saw her and spoke to her, he was convinced, that however hard it was going to be, Sukayna should study there. This was the first time, we got introduced to Mrs. Shirl . Her school was not a very big school, and her cabin even today, can accomodate only a handful of students. But each student would be a product like Totto Chan from the Japanese School Tomoe Gakuen.
Nearly a decade ago, Mrs. Shirl ran a school for foreigner's children, with the experience she gained from teaching in international schools. She was a big success and her school too. As years passed and her children grew up, she down sized the school to what it is today- The Cabin.
The cabin is a place full of only happiness. Kids learn more than what they might in regular schools. And we were happy to secure admission for Sukayna in the cabin. Now the child care part was a little complicated, as Mrs. Shirl was not providing child care for any kids then. When my husband told her about our situation-working parents desperately in need for a secure place to leave their kid, she said she will give it a try. She told us ,if it was tiresome, she would recommend elsewhere.
So the next day, Sukayna was in the cabin- her first school, Mrs. Shirl her first teacher. The first two days, Mrs. Shirl agreed to take care of Sukayna on a trial run, and the third day, she told us, she would continue to take in Sukayna as Sukayna was a more independent kid and it was easy to take care of her. We are ever thankful to her and her family for being there for us, and most of all God Almighty for His abundant blessing.
The entire family was kind to us. They had never once forgotten to invite us over to their place for any celebrations. Mrs. Shirl's smile was enough to make your day. Theirs was an extended family, with Mrs. Shirl's sisters, Aunty Malar, Dato Ramani with her husband Uncle John and her brother Uncle Loga all residing in the same house. To them people and genuine relationships was what mattered most.
To this day, I am ever grateful to God for having shown me genuine love through Mrs. Shirl. This New Year, I want to gift this post to Mrs. Shirl - as a token of my love and appreciation, for I take you as my mother in a foreign land.
It is so nice to hear your experience. I can understand how a mother figure in a foreign land must be so soothing for you and your daughter. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Swapna, for leaving comment, it feels nice to have readers too.
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