Parents of the HS Class of 2009

[woody]

D turns 21 today. It is also the last of day of exams for her and most of her friends. :0

[CBBBlinker]

Belated Happy Mother's Day wishes to all, as well as birthday greetings to NM (although I did get the timing right on the latter via Facebook!)

We were down on the CT shore on Saturday evening/night to celebrate a friend's 60th birthday. D took the train out from New Haven, and then rode back with us. (We ended up staying in New Haven since all the reasonably priced hotels local to the party had pretty horrible reviews.) But it all worked out since the 3 of us then went to brunch yesterday for Mother's Day.

S actually sent me a "Happy Mother's Day" email from London -- which particularly impressed D since she had forgotten to remind him. We think S is now in Manchester, but we're not sure. The only other news we've received from him is that his debit card isn't working in the ATM's there. I have no idea what he's doing from money, but that's his problem to solve. He'll be back a week from tomorrow.

I agree with mp -- this thread is absolutely the place to brag away! Congratulations to all getting awards, internships, great grades, etc. S is an Electrical & Computer Engineering major and I have to admit his courses are totally outside the realm of my knowledge.

With S abroad, I admit to being particularly freaked out by the news of the BU students who died in New Zealand.

[jptmom]

Hi all! Haven't posted here in quite a while, just to recap, DD, my only child, is a communications major at a school in NYC. We live in FL, and it's been quite an experience to see her flourish through her three years at school. She is graduating early, this coming Dec, so I guess she is still technically Class of 2013 since she will walk with her class next June.

I've noticed a number of your kids have done the semester abroad thing. D is going to London in June for a 1 month program, and has received very little to no information from the school regarding the practical aspects of being abroad for one month. I've culled info on cell phones, internet access, etc., but have some questions about money, debit cards, etc.

I read in some other posts that a Bank of America card used at Barclay Bank will yield no additional ATM fees, but when I called BofA, they said they have no partner banks in London. (??) Any ideas how she can use her current ATM card (from TD bank, should we open an account in another bank?) in London and probably other countries that she may visit while she's there?

How does the money exchange work? Should she arrive with some British money in hand, or exchange it at the airport or somewhere in London?

Any ideas on what she should and shouldn't take for a month in London in June?

I've tried to get these answers by posting in the Study Abroad forum and the Parents Forum, but I know how helpful you all were as we were dealing with letting our children go back in '09 and dealing with our first year jitters, so figured I'd seek your experienced advice!

Thanks!

[kmcmom13]

First, this is my dream goal

but she has a very ADD son who graduated in 4 years with a decent GPA. Brag away!!!

Secondly, Missy, those choir awards take just as much time, commitment and talent as the math and science awards. I know, because McSon achieved both academic and artistic awards in his senior year -- (in his case, it was the Louis Armstrong Jazz award) and frankly, his work there consumed him and he had without a doubt earned it. It's not that he didn't earn the academic awards (he actually managed 3 for a previously unheard of tri-fecta of mc-accomplishment -- he earned those too, but the commitment to the band program extended far beyond anything that looked like a school day! So kudos to your d!

JPTMom, my son has not studied abroad, but I would be inclined to buy a few of brit bucks in advance, and to consider converting the ATM card to a CC so that it functions everywhere. Yes, there are fees...but they'll be less than having to figure out a wire transfer if DD runs dry abroad Best wishes!

[RochesterMom]

jptmom - D has not studied abroad but if your D is going just for a month I wouldn't worry about opening up an account. My D went into her bank and lt them know that she would be in Greece and Spain during the month of May and they made it so she can withdraw funds. She will pay a fee but that's okay since she probably won't use it any way. She went with plenty of travelers checks (yes old fashion but saved us last year when she was in Peru for a month and one week into the travels she lost her ATM card). So the travelers checks even though the bank says that they are outdated seem to work great still. Just my .02.

As far as the flowers go the company still hasn't gotten back to me even though I have left 2 messages that indicate that I'm not a happy customer. I used to just call a local florist where MIL lives but she is so picky (or substitute another word here ) that many of the florists in her area (and it's not a small area) will no longer deliver to her. Yes -- she is ONE OF THOSE people.

[Zetesis]

Cheers for PieSon, and for the choir awards! Reason to celebrate on all counts.

JPTMom -- we've never had difficulty getting money from ATMs in Europe. As you probably know, on the back of an ATM or credit card there are symbols (Cirrhus, Interlink) that show you what networks you can get money from (you just need to find an ATM abroad with the same symbols). I remember once having to try a couple of different machines that should have worked, until we found one that did. We have typically done this at the airport. We also typically have a few leftover Euros or pounds on hand that we take with us until we get cash (if needed). But there are times we've arrived with nothing -- and never had any issues. Others may prefer a different approach! There are often fees, so it's best to get money out in bigger batches -- but not too big so that you are uncomfortable carrying it.

D2 was home for 4 days, and is already gone to summer research (back on campus). She really didn't want to leave again. There is some solace in the fact that we are acquiring a car for her for this summer and senior year. If all goes well, she should get it today. I expect this will lift her mood, as she was getting pretty claustrophobic on her campus.

And she is traveling with us for 3 weeks in the middle of the summer. The kid has a pretty good life, I'd say.

[FallGirl]

Happy 21st Birthday to woody's D! She and her friends should be ready to celebrate after finals.

My birthday is tomorrow, it was always during finals.

RM- didn't realize that your mil was so "picky". That can't be easy for you.

[NorthMinnesota]

Happy 21st to woody D!It is a big day for her with finals being over.

And an early Happy Birthday to you FallGirl!

[missypie]

I used to just call a local florist where MIL lives but she is so picky (or substitute another word here ) that many of the florists in her area (and it's not a small area) will no longer deliver to her. Yes -- she is ONE OF THOSE people.

Oh, my. They would get along great with my inlaws.

[shawbridge]

Congrats to MissyD.

I'm not religious although I find spirituality in places like big mountains like the Rockies or powerful rivers like the Chattooga. La Sagrada Familia, the extraordinary church that Gaudi designed in 1910 and is still being built -- optimistic completion date 2026 -- gave me the same kind of feeling I get in the Rockies despite the crowds (it is the most visited church in the world, according to the guide, with his estimate of 3.5 MM visitors per year, but the Vatican appears to get 4 MM per year, but OK).

missypie, I salute the mom/son with serious ADD who graduated with good grades in 4 years. We know what went into that from the parents' end as well as the kids' end. Probably the best Mothers Day present she could possibly have received.

ShawSon appears to have done it again. When ShawSon was struggling to read in 3rd grade through 10th grade and struggling to write in 4th grade through 11th grade and was exhausted all the time, the fact that he would have an A average at an elite school taking hard courses would have been pretty unimaginable -- for me, and I was the one who insisted to ShawWife and his teachers and SpEd people that he was exceedingly bright and with the right remediation, accommodation and matching of work to capabilities, he would be able to succeed. I suppose the neuropsych who tested him would be less surprised. After the first testing in 2nd or 3rd grade, he said, "I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be a theoretical physicist or a philosophy professor." Grades are not and should not be the be-all and end-all of life, but it has got to be nice for him to know that he can succeed at things people might never have expected of him if he sets his mind to it. Plus, he's enjoying his classes and having fun.

[college_query]

jptmom, I saw your post earlier as I was leaving work and sent your questions to D, who is currently studying in London this semester. She also has Bank of America. Then I went to the grocery store and picked up some items for S's tennis team potluck, then did some graduation-related errands. In the meantime, D replied with these answers:

1) Barlcays doesn't give ATM fees, it's the UK partner of Bank of America. Their staff is clueless sometimes. Free cash withdrawals is all they do though. You can't use any of their other services. On continental Europe the BOA partner is BNP Paribas, known as BNL in some countries. It's the same deal with Barclays, no fees on withdrawals.

2) I've never used money exchange, so I'm not of any help here.

3) I'm not sure what the weather will be like in June, but it's the middle of May and i"m wearing a sweater and corduroy pants. A strong umbrella is always a good thing to have. Good walking shoes are always useful.

Hope this helps! She's had an awesome experience; hope your D does too!

[downtoearth]

Well one D is happy and the other is miserable. D1 was accepted into a prestigious scholars program at her school.Stipend and being published. She is very excited.
D2 is completley overwhelmed still, I have never seen her like this. Two of her friends are being idiots so she is sad. She injured her foot dancing, so we are trying to get a doctors appointment between all her activities.
I feel bad this is supposed to be a good time.

[shawbridge]

Congrats to DTE D1. Sorry about D2.

[kmcmom13]

...says shaw, writing perhaps from some fabulous BCN cafe

Hugs, dte. It might be frustrating to her knowing that this is supposed to be a good time. In truth, I think it's also an emotional and hard time. Are her friends who are being idiiots going far away next year? I had a friend who was an idiot at the end of senior year, who eventually figured out she was being an idiot in preparation for the changes coming -- pushing people away because she was having trouble dealing with the goodbye. I think that happens a lot.

If I recall correctly, mcson may have had a touch of that too -- where he was the pusher. Which is kind of funny because three years later those same kids are always here when he's home, lurking about the house! One just brought over enormous speakers last night, which means I probably soon will need a remote power interrupter for the pool house

[lefthandofdog]

Jpt mom - have D speak to her bank to tell them dates and where she'll be traveling and how best to access cash when she's abroad. Commercial banks (like TD) will sell you foreign currency but it takes a couple days. It's probably not necessary but make give you peace of mind - airports have ATM, but ifmyour card isn't working you're out of luck. Have at least one ATM card and one credit card so if either method fails she has a back up. She should not wait until she's out of cash to use the ATM - I would use it at the airport upon arrival to make sure it's working.

And never use an ATM machine outside a convenience store, or on wheels, etc. Use ATM machines inside banks or airports. She's going to have the time of her life!