I didn't expect...

...to be a minority in our own local elementary school. Naturally, living in Southern California, our county has a high Hispanic population, but our suburb is more predominately Caucasian. Our home is in an odd pocket of a neighborhood situated between a very affluent area and one that is decidedly less so. All of that to say, I expected that maybe half of the students in Alyssa’s class would look like her that the other half would not. I was wrong. In actuality, she is one of only 4 Caucasians, and two of them are twins – that makes a total of 3 white families! Of course there is nothing wrong with those ratios, but it’s not at all what I thought elementary school would be. For many reasons I am grateful for an ethnically diverse educational environment. I’m glad that Alyssa and Parker will be exposed to different cultures and a new language. I hope they learn how to interact with people who are not just like them, accept and appreciate both their similarities and differences, and maybe even pick up a little Spanish (in addition, of course, to that which they’ve learned from Dora!). I am especially glad that when it’s Reagan’s turn to go to school, she won’t be the only non-white student. However, selfishly, I had hoped that school would provide opportunities for me to get to know and develop a ministry among the other moms. Thus far I’ve found that quite challenging since the majority don’t speak English and yo hablo un poquito Espanol (and yes, my accent is just as bad as my grammer and spelling!). They actually had two different back-to-school nights (one in English, one in Spanish) and a translator on hand for the assembly on the first day. Alyssa’s homework has instructions in both languages, and every flyer that comes home is two-sided. In speaking with moms who have been around longer than I have, I get the impression that it’s almost as if it’s two distinct schools – a kind of de facto segregation. Of course, all of the instruction is in English, and the kids are in no way segregated – even the children from Spanish-speaking homes become bi-lingual very quickly. It’s the parents that are separated by language, and I don’t know what to do about it. Of course, there are other English-speaking moms, and I’m doing my best to reach out to them, but what’s a girl to do? I’d love to say that I would just sit down and learn a new language, but being able to make myself understood and actually developing a friendship based on my ability to communicate in Spanish are two totally different things. Perhaps I should just embrace this as an opportunity to experience a little of what Reagan will face every day of her life. Looking different, feeling different. Or maybe there are other options. Any ideas?