Almost two years ago I got texting.

Three months ago I got WhatsApp.

Usually Daniel picks the kids up from school.  On Wednesdays, the SYA students often have excursions, so I can pick up the kids from school.  Han and Con are out at 1:30, and the big kids are out at 2pm.  So I picked up the little kids and hung out with them for half an hour.  Two other moms were in this same position, picking up elementary grade kids and waiting for middle school kids.  They were wonderfully friendly.

(Waiting outside a seventh grade birthday party weeks ago...a Friday night at 10:30pm, we stood outside the pizzeria for the party to end; a circle of parents was nearby; one looked over at me, nodded to the others and said, La mamma de regazzo Americano.   I walked over the ten feet, introduced myself and put out my hand, "Buona sera.  Mi chiamo Maureen."  I shook all their hands in turn with a "Piacere."  One woman's face lit up and she cried, "Ciao!  Mi chiamo..."  I can't remember her name, but I remember her kindness. 

So pick up on a Wednesday.

Sonia is the mom of Francesco, and she is delightful and funny and friendly.  She offers to add me to the WhatsApp group for Hannah's class and for Mary's class.  Daniel is already on the WhatsApp group for Sebastian's class.  (We should hook ourselves up with Connor's class...when a boy in his class wanted Connor to come over to play, his mom called the SYA director to get our contact information.  This family is hosting an SYA student for the year, so they could contact SYA.)  I am thrilled: how kind of her!  I'll know what's going on!  We can help the kids know what's going on!  Maybe I can practice my Italian -- reading and writing.

Alas.

Fifty-six messages daily from Hannah's class.  What's the math homework?  There are seven October birthdays.  Please bring money for the birthdays.  What's the English homework?  Here's an invitation for Leonardo's birthday.  What's the Italian homework?  We'll bring a snack tomorrow to celebrate the feast day of St. Francis, so the second graders don't need to bring snack.  Did your kids write down what pages to do in the blue book?  or is it in the red book?  There's another birthday next week.

Some nights I sit on my bed with WhatsApp on my phone and google traduttore on my laptop, and I read all the texts.  Other days, I am lazy, and I ask a colleague to listen to the message (troppo veloce per mi!), and they tell me, "There are birthdays.  Bring cash."  Or they tell me, "Yes, ask me.  You do not need to read all these messages.  Ten just say, 'Grazie.'"

Last night I rsvp-ed for Hannah for Giorgio's birthday party next week (at McDonald's...apparently McD's here uses real and local beef...and KFC uses local chicken...while I've not yet tried either, I am still quite pleased by these small details -- go, Viterbo!). This morning I bragged to Hannah, so pleased to be on top of things for her.  I showed her the WhatsApp message I sent.

Alas.

It's the party for Giorgia.