Almost three years ago, in late August of 2015 we relocated to Czech Republic. Azul had just turned 6, had just proudly graduated from Kindergarten, and had become the sweetest, most independent, caring little girl. As daunting as the move seemed, she embraced it with her best attitude and took on every single challenge that this huge change brought to her tiny being.
The first few weeks and months were a total adventure, where we got to explore what would be our new home, settle in, try to grasp the language, and travel around a bit, which little did we know would become an absolute passion for her in the next few years.
The school system proved to be the absolute opposite of what she was used to back in Mexico, but Azul was so excited to start the first grade like the big kids that she didn't even realize what she was getting into. She got enrolled in the Czech public education system, so everything she needed, meant fighting a new language; making new friends, learning to be responsible of her school things, doing homework, and above all, not just learning the language but adapting to a culture so different to everything she knew. It took her about 6 months to feel comfortable with the language and from then on, she has been unstoppable -while I still struggle on a daily survival level.Â
People always say that "kids adapt so fast to everything" but honestly, we don't give kids enough credit for everything that they go through and how amazingly they overcome it, while remaining their happy wonderful selves. They are separated from everything they know, and we just expect them to deal with it and move on. And they do! But, same like grown ups, they also need to be able to express their frustrations, discomfort, and sometimes utter rage and not being able to go back to their old comfortable lives. During our time in Czech Republic, Azul has been my absolute anchor, my guiding light. We've had ups and downs, tears and laughter, lessons to learn and paths to discover. She was so young and yet so brave, nothing less than the greatest inspiration on how to take on life, and every day, I look at her with absolute awe at how wonderful she is.
