When Swiss school sucks

Today I'm angry. I'm angry with the Swiss school system. Because it is a good system but sometimes... Oh sometimes I just want to strangle this school system for being so.... grrrrr... plain out fastidious! Like last week when my youngest daughter came home from school with a math test being just one point away from a higher grade. The error was this:

"Steven has bought 2 bouquets of roses for his mom and they cost 6 CHF each. Tanya has bought 12 daisies and 10 tulips for her Mom. How many more flowers did Tanya buy than Steven?"

Do you know the answer? Well I certainly don't... So how would Emmy Bo know the answer? She is only 8 and of course she makes her best to guess an answer, and she fails.

I wrote the teacher asking: "What is the correct answer as the question obviously is lacking enough information to receive a correct answer, or did I miss something here? Maybe in Switzerland a bouquet of flowers ALWAYS contains 12 flowers as a general rule. Something that everyone should know... Or... Please, just fill me in. Because I don't feel that this is a correct question to have in a test. I'm sure Emmy Bo is not the only one who failed answering this question."

The teacher ignored my question for 4 days and after a reminder from me she finally responded:

"Well, that is a question without an answer and the correct answer should be 'I don't know.'"
Oh, how silly of me. Of course. Why didn't I get that? Of course tests should include questions where the answer is expected to be "I don't know.". I mean, we only study so hard to get it all right and to respond correctly to all questions in a test but of course we all should know that every now and then the school system sneaks in a "tricky one" which doesn't have an answer at all. Especially 8 year old kids should know this.

I'm sorry if I come out as being sarcastic but excuse me. Really??? Seriously???

Well, that trick question cost my daughter a point from a 5,5 instead of the 5 she got on her test. Luckily Emmy Bo is a strong girl and she won't be knocked down by this error, but someone else with maybe just a teeny weeny bit less self esteem could actually be really challenged by that kind of error. For another kid this might stir up some real anxiety for what questions will need an answer and what question will not in the future. There will always be a "trick question" hidden there somewhere... Scary...

I don't like it and I personally think it is bloody stupid to include trick questions in an 8-year old's math test. But that is my opinion and I'm an foreigner so maybe I should just keep my mouth shut.

Today I wish I spoke French fluently and comfortably, including curse words to let some steaming anger out,  because if I did I would not have hesitated to go knock on that classroom door and question the teacher if this is truly within the regulations of a school plan. And I just wonder what she would answer. Maybe she would say "I don't know..."

Note: Thank you all for your comments and support on this topic. I have spoken to the teacher and it is a part of the curriculum so... Well, I guess I just have to suck it up and move on. I still find it strange though to say the least.

Kärlek
Annette

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Lets make butter!

The other day when coming home from running errands, I found Emmy Bo on a chair by the kitchen bench with a bowl, a package of cream and the electric whisk.

"Hi Mama! I'm making butter!"

Emmy Bo is without the most passionate Little Cook of the family, spending most of her online time watching cooking videos and letting the world know that The Great British Bake Off is by far her favorite and her best TV program - EVER!

She is only 8 but knows her way around kitchen utensils, sharp knives, peelers and machines already. So I let her get on with it, while unpacking my groceries.

She whisks the whipping cream (35% fat) for a long time until it gets Chantilly cream thick. Then she whisks it for even longer until it starts to get grainy. And then she continues to whisk it until it suddenly separates into butter and buttermilk liquid.

I help her to squeeze out all the liquid and collect it in a glass to enjoy later. We wash the butter in cold water to extend its shelf life,  and then Emmy Bo adds a sprinkle of salt, kneads the butter with her knuckles until all salt is worked in evenly. She gives it a taste...

"Yep! That is perfect Mama!".

We put the butter in a cup and prepare a crisp cracker. It is good. Very good. And it is homemade! As simple as that. And if you wonder where Emmy Bo got the idea from, I would guess it must have been from one of all those videos she has watched. Internet is not that bad after all.

Give it a go. If homemade bread is good, serving it with homemade butter will make it taste even better. Plus it is fun to make butter with children. It is like an experiment, really exciting. Enjoy!

Homemade Butter
Makes approx: 1 cup

  500 ml Whipping cream, 35%

Pinch of salt
Electric whisk

1. Whisk chilled whipping cream on high speed until it separates
into butter and buttermilk liquid, approx 10-20 minutes.
You will go through 3 phases while whisking your cream:
1, Whipped cream - 2, Grainy mixture - 3, Separation between butter and liquid.

2. Pour buttermilk liquid into a glass. Very tasty and fabulous for baking.

3. Wash butter in cold water to pro long its lifespan.

4. Add a pinch of salt to butter and knead it into mixture with your knuckles.

5. Serve butter in pretty container and store in fridge.

Bon Appetit!

Kärlek
Annette

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Mustique Part 3 - The People And The Houses

Mustique - a hide away for rich and famous.

The fruit and vegetable stand.

This man is an avocado expert giving me avocados for today, tomorrow and "No Mam, that one is for Wednesday, 3 days from now. ".

The fisherman's market

It is what it says: The Food Store.

It is what it looks like: The Pink House and The Purple House. Filled with souvenirs and beach clothes.

The main bay.

The palm tree drive way to Mister's house.

Mister's house. Or lets call it palace shall we.

Oh yes. I could cuddle up there with a good book. Or crochet for that matter. :)

Mister's private beach.

What the kids were ooohing over the most, was the outdoor TV screen coming up from the ground.

Lets have lunch on the water shall we?

Dinner parties is a common happening in Mister's house. And many people are always invited.

Our villa with tons of character and charm. Loved this villa.

In the back was a small cabin for Anne and Syl who were our maids, cooks and chat boxes for the week.
The sweetest girls ever.

The kids were doing acrobatic water shows every night in the pool.

Backgammon. What a fun game. And little Emmy Bo won every single time. :)

Jay showing the kids and Syl's son Reggie how to make a lizard trap from leaves.

Nelly Bo caught a couple of lizards with her trap. This was seriously tricky business.

Macaroni Beach.

Going back home with this little airplane to St Lucia where we changed to British Airway and the big plane.

Mustique airport. Very charming and teeny tiny!

Mustique is an island for the rich and famous. It is truly surreal to walk over the properties of Jay's employer, who is a very rich business man. There is the welcoming Palm tree alley, the private beach, the movie screen TV coming up from the ground outside for entertainment. There is the main house, looking more like a palace, with large lounging sofas, dinner areas for big parties... A lunch terrace right on the water and a large restaurant kitchen with a handful of staff for Jay to work in.

But where there are rich and famous you also find hard working servants. Most workers come from St Vincent, which is one of the larger islands of the Grenadines. They come to live here and take care of properties, cook, clean and maintain high level service. Often they are away from home and families for months on end. The salary is not big but good compared to local wedges back home. They come here to give good education to their kids, to take care of their parents or sick family members. Many women leave their children with their parents or aunts at a young age. When I hear Anne and Syl tell me their stories I am struck by the difference in the cultures. For them this is not a great sacrifice, for them this is a great opportunity. Both of them have children at home in St Vincent and they go back home only a couple of times a year to see them. And still they laugh and have a smile on their face all-the-time!

After 6 days on the island we are starting to get the restless itch. There is not much to do and no entertainment part from the 3 restaurants and the 200 m long shopping street down at the main bay with one grocery shop, a couple of souvenir shops, a hard ware shop, and the local fisher men and fruit and vegetable supplier. You can enjoy water sports and diving of course, but that is not for us normal vacationers.

We have spent hours on the beach and in the pool, snorkeled, Jay has shown the kids how to catch lizards with lizard traps, we have had backgammon tournaments in the evenings, explored the island on the width and the length with hikes. The kids are ready to go back home and celebrate Christmas. They miss the kittens and the Christmas tree and I have to admit I do too.

We spend 300 dollars on T-shirts with a MUSTIQUE print on the front for the whole family, we spend another 50 dollars on souvenir bracelets and I resist the urge to buy yet another beach dress when I read the 400 dollar price tag...

We return home leaving the man of the family behind to work hard and earn our living, and it is hard to leave him there. We have had such a magical time on this island. And being together and experiencing this together as a family has been the best part. Once in a life time... What an adventure it was. Mustique in our memories forever.

PS I'm so sorry about the photo overload. But you see, every picture is special and I share this with close family here on the blog. I hope you have enjoyed it. From now on my blog posts will go back to a decent normal. :) Thanks for joining me on my Mustique journey. This was a very special trip that I never in a million years ever thought would happen to me in life. I feel very privileged.

Kärlek
Annette

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