As new parents in Hong Kong, Jaime and I are stunned at what we and our baby need to do in order to get a decent education. At 7 months old, Joaquin is already no. 200+ on the play group WAITLIST that he is supposed to join in 5 months. We were told that many parents put their babies on the wait list of prestigious nursery schools at birth/pre birth while we haven't even figured out what schools to call (which may be moot since whichever schools we call, I'm sure they are full already). For primary schools, we were told that one must have a portfolio of awards, photos of activities and scores of music that he/she can play in at least two instruments plus a reflective piece of essay on education philosophy from the parents. Having both grown up in the less developed parts of the world, both Jaime and I constantly have trouble understanding why kids even need to go to kindergarten at all so it is very difficult for us to buy into this super-competitive culture.
Childhood is so short and I would hope Joaquin's will be filled with memories of only fun and laughters (not sure if this is the philosophy piece I should expand on in the school submission). If survival of the fittest is what governs this world, maybe Joaquin can survive on his big and charming smile...
