And you thought your class list was hard to memorize

I've decided that one of the perks of working in an international school is the exposure to so many different names.  Not that the US doesn't have diversity in names (and Lord knows that parents today are naming their children very unique names along with the traditional ones) BUT having students from so many different countries in one school creates a huge diversity of names around you.   And you get to learn some of the variances in pronunciation as well for languages, like Hungarian, that has other sounds than English.

And it's not just first names.  The last names can be great too!  I've learned that in Russia, for example, the girls add an "a" to their last names, while the boys don't.  So, using my maiden name as an example, I would be "Schwartza while my brother and dad would be Schwartz".   In Hungary, they call people by their last names then their first names, according to Beata, one of my fellow employees.  And there are last names in this school that don't even look pronouncable!

So, for fun, I went through our school directory and compiled a list of girls and boys names, and last names for your enjoyment.  The lists are a compilation of names that I love, names that are unique, and names to give you a spectrum of what each classroom holds.  From Sarah to Shruti, they are all in one room!  American teachers, you shouldn't feel so overwhelmed now!

Girls

Hina

Eeman

Niya

Liana

Talia

Samika

Nabaa

Ruqaya (q's are used here commonly with no u after them, so it makes a k sound)

Rayyan

Nour

Auryn

Taleena

Khanza

Rama

Arwa

Shruti

Yashi

Carwyn

Asya

Nahara

Virag

Tameem

Hanan

Rimsha

Dorottya

Leen

So-Yoon (say-yune) this is a Korean name

Ksenya

Meera

Nannaphas

Phattranij

Ekatarina

Oghenemega

Zaha

Polett

Natphatra

Tegwyn

Akanksha

Nilanjana

Termeh (tear-may)

Anneloes

Bokyeong

Fiorenza

Yagmur

Boys

Hamiz

Laith

Majid

Hisham

Abdulaziz

Waldemar

Vilhelm

Makram

Idriss

Vitaly

Tollef

Ayman

Firas

Stanislas

Shreyaansh

Talal

Lakshya

Marcel

Arya

Cirjo

Maurycy

Akrit

Aleric

Audomaro

Ameen

Laszlo

Mihaly

Donghyuck

Ilya

Kentaro

Frano

Thanakorn

Arjun

Ayham

Efe

Vansh

Jashraj

Last names- points if you can pronounce them!

Abdelhamid

Abdulkadir

Engouang

Ebiwonjumi

Eminkahyagil

Fathizadeh

Gjennestad

Bjelland

Gniatkowski

Jirkovszky

Karazmoudeh

Kusumaningsih

Kusumadjaja

Legostaeva

Meepadung

Nadezdhina

Nadgauda

Omanigho

Pagdanganan

Perdiguero

Rubalcava

Sha Sudha

Sianipar

Skjelby

Tawfik

Toktamis

Ulutuna

Van der Werff

Wijanarko

Zambarakji

Zeybekci

Follow up to mommy woes

It's been 8 days since "the post" and I want to thank every mom who responded and gave me love, encouragement, support, stories, shared feelings, etc...  I felt so thought of and loved. 

Since that day, I've felt better and better and had a very good week.  I know some of that is due to being back and work and not with my kids all day long, but this weekend also went better, despite today being a rough one again with Emalyn.  We aren't sure what was going on, but she wasn't napping well again.  We suspect teeth may be on the horizon but that is just a guess.

But even with the rough day, I felt like I dealt with it a lot better; remember all the different advice and encouragement I got.  Doing my best to find a way to make the day end well, even with it being tiring and frustrating.   I remind myself that with two kids, and especially one being a needy baby, we are going to have ups and downs each day/week/month.  It is just what it is.  And it will pass, it will change, and we will get through it. 

So nothing long and flowery, but just a note to let all of you who read the last blog know that I am doing better and felt the love.  And for those of you who thought I was in serious trouble, please know I wasn't THAT bad and I'm sorry I had you worrying!

All our love... 



 

Mommy woes

It's taken me some courage to write this blog.  Mainly cause I don't want to give the impression that I don't love my kids.  And because I don't ever want to give the impression that I regret having them, or anything like that.   Because I do love them (maybe not always liking) and don't regret having them.  So here it goes.

The last month has been hard for me.  I haven't been enjoying being a mom very much.  Sure, I have been so proud of Aberly going to school and overjoyed at how she is growing, changing, and making us laugh, but there are times she drives me nuts.  I'm glad she is out of the house!  I'm always looking for playdates for her just to keep her out of our hair.  Otherwise, she constantly wants our attention, wants to play, and talks our ear off.  She is exhausting.  Weekends about do me in and I do my best to not snap at her or let her know how annoyed I am by her. 

And then there is Emalyn.  I remember joking with a friend when Aberly was a baby.  She was like, "I've just accepted that pretty much from birth to 6 months sucks".  And I agree.  Emalyn has become a terrible napper.  Just now, she has woken up from a 1/2 hour nap and won't go back to sleep.  We're just listening to her cry in bed.  She cannot get on any kind of routine for when she goes to sleep and wakes up (day or night), so we are having a hard time getting a feeding routine going.  She still wakes up multiple times a night and rarely goes back to sleep without being fed.   When she is up, she is pretty happy, but her interest to play is short lived and we have to hold her a ton.  But she is super wiggly and it's hard to do anything while holding her.

As I write this, I know that she is a normal baby, but I'm on the verge of tears half the time with her.  I know it's compounded by the fact that her sister is wearing me out, but I even as an "easier" baby than Aberly ever way, I feel defeated.  I am tired.  This morning I felt like walking zombie despite knowing I got 8 hours of sleep.  I am worn out by my kids so I don't want to play with them, let alone do anything around the house.  I feel like a blob.  I just want to sit undisturbed for one day. 

There are moments I'd give anything to be one of our kidless friends again.  To be able to go anywhere on a whim.  To not worry about when dinner will be, or when we need to be back from something.  To be able to read or watch TV uninterrupted.  To not have to fight someone eating their meal, or consider what someone will eat when we make a meal.  To not have to consider when we can or can't leave due to nap time.  To eat a meal in silence, or be able to talk about something relevant with my husband.  To not have to pack snacks.  To not have to pack anything besides my purse when leaving the house.  So many "to not have to's".

I know this is a season, and I know it will pass, but until then, I am struggling.  I long for the weekend to be over so I can be back at work and not with my kids.  I don't know how nannies or stay at home mom's do it.  I think I would go mad.  Maybe when Emalyn is in pre-school, then I'll be a stay at home mom.

I know I'm not alone in this but right now I do.  Everyone else seems to be swooning about their families and I'm not.  They love family time.  I don't.  They wake up cheerful and ready to attack the day.  I don't.  They love playing and doing crafts with their kids.  I don't.

So until this season passes, pray for me.  Send me your good karma or whatever you have to send positive.  Pray that Emalyn figures out how to sleep through the night longer and naps better.  Tell me your horror stories of being a mom or that at some point, you feel the same way I do.  Lie, it's okay.  Make me feel like I'm not alone. :-)

 Hahahaha... this makes me feel better