First Day of Portuguese Preschool

Almost since the day we arrived, we have been exploring our options for a preschool for Alex. We wanted to send him to school while we are living in Portugal, not only for the social interaction, but to give him a jumpstart on the language. After several weeks of looking around, asking questions, and determining what we could afford, we finally settled on O Peixinho Azul. It is a great little preschool with friendly and flexible teachers and staff, some of whom speak English. Alex also has a little girl in his class, Sofia, from Australia who speaks English and is helping to ease his transition. So far, he really seems to enjoy it -- he's making friends and learning some Portuguese. He goes for just a half day right now and comes home after lunch. But it's five days a week, so he is in school while we are having our Portuguese classes. It works out well. The most difficult part is getting him to and from school. There is no bus (that we can ride with our passes) that goes near his school. So, we ride a bus, walk through a parking garage, and then cross a field in order to get him to school. But the exercise is good for us, and thankfully, Sofia's parents give him a ride home most days.

Here is Alex on his first day of school. He was so excited! He didn't even want to come and say goodbye to me when I got ready to leave. I can't believe what a big boy he's becoming!