I Remember

Uniforms saved us

We went to Diablo Elementary school. We met lots of people and learn a whole new world. Turns out it was the same thing. Just that it was in English. It's crazy how once you've learned the language everything just flows. The mind of a child it's easy to shape. While we are kids we absorb anything. We conform to anything. We accept it and it is just what it is. I wish we would keep that same mind. Life would be so much easier. Anyways, we had an excellent opportunity which I am glad we got to experience. Today I'm fluent in two languages. English and Spanish. I remember my teacher's names Mrs. Greg taught 1st grade and Mrs. Rigsby who taught 2nd grade. Mrs Gregg was a lovely lady, calm and patient. She took her time with me. She knew I didn't knew the language and she didn't speak Spanish to save her life. So I was her challenge. She made me her pet student and would have me running all types of errands. I was her do girl. It worked out very well because I learned the name of everything and knew where everything was located. That's how I learned English. Repetitive learning. Before I knew it I was a spelling Bee champion and let's not forget the national reading champion. Yeah I loved to read and spell, I remember it all too well.
Mrs. Rigsby was young and had zero tolerance. She flickered lights, beat a stick unto the walls and desks, and demanded attention. She fuss, yell and scream all DAY, she substitute for Mrs Gregg sometimes, Mrs Rigsby didnt play the radio. We couldn't wait until Mrs Gregg came back to tell on her, she got sent home for her crazy ways.
My sister was a bit slower to learn than I was, while I was put back on 1st grade my sister started in 2nd grade, they were advanced but she caught up.
Once mom left everything changed, our clothes started to go missing, shoes, underwear etc, it was chaos at grandma's house, no love, survival mode, we would wake up at 4am and travel with Leo who would drop us off at the nearest bus stop from grandma's house which it was near the gymnasium "Nuevo Panama" by the famous restaurant "El Chimborazo". We would wait there with Leo until some other kids would come and then Leo would leave and go on to work. He would buy us breakfast at a little fonda that sold breakfast items like empanadas, ojaldas and coffee. Leo had a soft side every now and then. We will then wait for the school bus there and go on to school. In the afternoons my uncle Leonel, Ricardo or Johnny, would come pick us up. We would wait there until someone came for us. We were too young to get on the bus back home alone. Sometimes when Leo wasnt in the mood, one of them would take us too. It got to be too much for grandma to figure out so we were taken out of school in March. I was in 2nd grade and my sister in the third, but I dont recall finishing.
Grandma transfered us back to our original public school called Republica De Guatemala Primary school in Concepción. Panamanians go to school from March through December. While in Diablo Elementary school, we went through a lot, my grandmother didn't have any money to make us lunch or any of that stuff we were used to, so we started going down the hill. We didn't wear uniforms so it was hard to keep going to school with old clothes. We were growing out of all of our clothes that momma left us with. Kids started to notice and we all know kids can be cruel. They would start rumors of me wearing the same clothes every day or not bathing just because I had three outfits pink, yellow, and blue which were the same cut but different colors. I wore them often. Grandma couldn't afford to buy us new wardrobes so we did what we could until we went back to uniforms. Thank God for Uniforms.
I was placed in 3rd grade and my sister in 4th grade so we were all caught up in school. Everything went back to normal as far as academics were concern. But the deficit was just begining.
Public schools back home have a system. It was mandatory to attend primary schools, secondary education was optional. They have this thing called monthly fee. It requires you to pay $1.00 per school month for a total of 9 months which is the school year. Grandma had 3 kids in primary school so it was $27.00 a year. We simply couldn't afford it. Parent teacher meetings are set up to get your report cards, you have to be up to date with ur monthly fee or you wouldn't get one and couldn't register for the next year unless you were caught up. A hot mess... Minimum wage back then was $0.79 per hour. So do the math. Bills and such took precedence, understandably enough, but it didn't take away from it being embarrassing when your parent wouldn't show up to the meetings nor send the fee. Poor kids...Us. I don't recall if we were ever caught up.