Our Kulasa

And so after taking the qualifying exams in three different all-girl schools, we settled for St. Scholastica's Academy in Marikina.

PAREF was a nice school, in my opinion. But we felt that it wasn't really for us (or for her). First, the tuition fee is a little bit over our budget and it increases significantly every year. They offered us scholarship but we didn't qualify in terms of financial capability. Second, and most important deciding factor for us, is the distance and proximity. Travel time each school day is a total of three hours, at least, plus the waiting time if she would join the carpool (which is also pegged at four thousand pesos a month!). That would mean she'd be waking up three hours before the class starts and would be arriving home at least two hours after dismissal. That's five hours wasted every single day for one whole school year.

So we were left with two choices- Assumption Antipolo and SSAM. It was difficult for us to decide which one to choose. Distance from house to AA is not that much and so is the travel time. Tuition fee, I guess, is manageable. But Gabbie was set on St. Scho. It was like she fell in love with the school the moment she set foot on it months ago when we were still scouting for big schools for her. I never. Thought she would remember. She told me the chapel was awesome. She got excited with the huge playpark and the greens (which were never present in her pre-school). She got excited with the thought of having nuns in the campus. She got excited with the girly girly uniform. She got excited wih the idea of riding a school bus. And she got excited knowing some of her pre-school classmatea are also going to the same school as her.

But during the "deciding time", I would talk to her and lay the comparison between the two schools for her to think over. Both have spacious campus and play area, both are run by nuns, both are all-girls, both are nice schools and both offer school bus services.  But she was set on St. Scho. I even asked her for the last time, before I went to SSAM to pay for the tuition fee, if that was already her final choice. Her answer was a resounding "Yes!"

And so we went to the interview, orientation, uniform measurement and books and school supplies sale. And now, with four days left before the big day comes and four days left of her summer vacation, she told me (and her baby sister) that she is excited to go to St. Scho already.

(The books which I have labeled already)

(Fitting her uniform after it was sent to mananahi for some adjustments)

(Practicing her writing skills everyday for two weeks prior to school opening)

(And the bags that are packed and ready to go)