Woe is Mo, a victim of ”cultural conflict” – again!
It turns out that when Malassie returned to school after the “Christmas” holidays one of the teachers asked round the class what everybody got for Reyes. The kids responded enthusiastically, listing full Hipercor catalogues of toys, electronics, computer games, ipods, ipads, books … okay, well maybe not books….
Then came Malassie´s turn.
“So what did you get for Reyes, Sara”, asked her teacher kindly.
“Well,” began my shy girl, ”my Daddy gave me four Spongebob Squarepants biscuits and said Feliz Reyes. And burst out laughing.”
All she got for Christmas
I can imagine the tears in the eyes of the seasoned educator in the face of such wickedness and deprivation. Perhaps it´s a British thing, he might have thought. A Dickensian thing. And, of course, he never thought to ask if she got anything for Christmas. Despite teaching at a bilingual school, perhaps his own cultural assumptions got in the way.
Malassie, unencumbered by any desire to protect her parents´ reputation, proffered no further information.
Like the €300 video camera she got on December 25th.
About Mo
Lol! I can just imagine the look on the teacher’s face! Ours got their presents at Christmas this year, although sometimes we do them at New Year’s (we’re just that weird), but we always say “los Reyes” brought them (even though they don’t believe any more), so they probably would have given the expected answer, although with kids you never know. I guess that’s what having a multicultural family is all about!
Yes, New year is weird, though who cares? Any time over the long, long festive season is fine! My daughter doesn´t believe in the Reyes or Santa Claus – or even her parents by the looks of it. Maybe we should do what a Jewish family I lived with used to do – give out a small present for ten days or so up to the 25th. Maybe next year we should buy in a big box of Spongebob Squarepants biscuits and hand one out every day!
So funny! I can imagine this happening in my classes. Last year I stopped asking kids what they got because some would say “socks” or “underwear” and others would say “nothing”… and then there were kids who answered “mobile phone” “computer”… etc. But knowing that your daughter is British should have caused the teacher to ask about Christmas! How strange!
This is a comfort Lauren. I was imagining all her teachers huddling in the staff room and gossiping about how stingy we are! Hopefully they´ll surmise that perhaps we gave her something for Christmas. And that her daddy likes to joke around with her, like a good father! And for the record, I HATE Spongething bobpants or whatever it´s called – and so does my daughter!
Kids will always get you hung!! Mine included! I’ve had a many a laugh over the years by what children reveal……………..!!!
I know Karen, and you don´t always have access to a way of remedying it. So we´re going to come over as a pair of heartless, miserable scrooges! (And I´m the hard, Scottish mother who´s nothing like the beloved Spanish Mum). Will anybody ever play with Malassie (My Lassie) again?
I don’t believe she actually said that in front of everybody in class!
In Fromlostiano, that’s what they would call “Being shorter than the sleeves of a waistcoat”. She could’ve at least explained the cultural issues involved. Time she was setting up her own blog!
She did go up to the teacher later and explain she also got a Justin Bieber CD _ she hadn´t wanted the class to hear that and laugh at her! Fortunately the teacher had never heard of him! What ARE they teaching them in the supposedly bilingual school? Y sí, es más corta que la manga de un chaleco.