Decisions, decisions...

There are so many decisions that go into uprooting lives. We've made most of the hard ones already:
(1) Do we want to move to Germany? Yes, we're still game for the ex-pat life
(2) Where do we want to live? City, country, suburb, house, apartment...? Done, great house in a great area.
(3) What school should we send the kids to? Uh...that's the stumper now. But I think we have finally come to a decision on that one. FINALLY.

There are 2 (actually many, but only 2 we're looking at) International schools in the area where we'll be living. We liked both, and each has it's own pros and cons. At first glance, I was totally into one that is similar to where the kids go now. Then, as I started (over) thinking, the other one that is more academic started to look like the winner.

The more academic 'British-style' school seemed to make the most sense in my head. More learning, less tuition, nearly bi-lingual... all good, but for some reason I just couldn't pull the trigger, so to speak, and send in an application for the kids. The downsides were kind of big ones-Delainey would skip a year of school and be placed in Kindergarten. The population is mainly German and Korean children for whom English is not their mother tongue. The school does tons of testing and not much creative/explorative learning.

But, my gut and heart have chosen the other more 'American' school. Delainey's tuition won't be fully covered by the company (which was Jason's big plus for the other school), but she'll be in pre-school another year. My baby can stay my baby for a little longer :). I also think that socially and emotionally it is the best fit for the kids and for me. There are many other American and British families there. This school is closer to our house. They have a strong and active Parents Association to help me acclimate too. There will be less academic pressure, yet both kids will get more German instruction than they do now.

Finally, I feel at peace with this final major decision of the move. Sometimes, you have to follow your heart instead of your head. Mother's intuition over black and white financials. Our kids are both pretty bright and would do fine at either school academically, but I just feel that they need a bit of nuturing as we build our lives in a new place. I still think that academically this school will be better for them than a normal public school, simply due to low class sizes and better resources. Plus, it will be easier to transition back to American schools from an American-style International school than the more rigid one.

Now that all major decisions have been made, all we have left to do is enjoy our last few weeks in Zurich. I'm really going to miss this place, but I also have a lot to look forward to in Germany and, especially seeing all our friends and family this summer.