We just got home from the best day of skiing. Because we got to ski with Kaitlyn.
Since she’d missed the week of lessons during vacance (school holidays) because she was sick, we used the credit to sign her up for two private lessons in English this weekend. She spent all of yesterday’s lesson in the real little kid area… where we think she’s just plain bored. At the end of the lesson, the teacher asked if Kaitlyn has a ski pass, so that today she could take her out on piste. (piste = ski runs) We tried taking her out on the slopes, but it didn’t work. She hung on Bill’s pole and couldn’t stop or turn. We were starting to think that all these lessons we’ve paid for this year have been a compete waste.
But today when we took her to her lesson, she had a different teacher. He asked us if she can stop… and after yesterday’s time on the slopes I knew I couldn’t answer yes. But I didn’t want Kaitlyn stuck yet another day in the Pieu Pieu Club. So I looked at Kaitlyn and asked her. She wouldn’t answer at all. So I told her she’d have to show her teacher. They headed off toward the kiddie area, and Bill and I turned around, shook our heads, and headed off toward the pistes we figured Kaitlyn will never ski.
After a little while, Bill and I skied down to the easy area, to look for Kaitlyn. We really hoped we’d see her on the easy ski run. Nope. So we skied back to the Pieu Pieu Club, fearing we’d see her there. Nope, not there either. Unsure where else to look, we decided to get in one more long run before returning to pick her up.
When we got back to get her, Kaitlyn and her teacher weren’t waiting at the same place where we’d dropped her off. After a couple of minutes, we went down to the Pieu Pieu Club. She wasn’t there, either. Bill stood there watching and waiting; we feared she’d simply been sent inside a hut to watch tv. I went back to the original meeting point, but saw nothing. After about 20 minutes, I was starting to get really, really worried. Then came the announcement over the speaker for the entire mountain: Kaitlyn Radeline is waiting in the ski school office. I hollered at Bill and rushed in there. She was snoozing in a seat behind the woman who signs people up for classes. Apparently, we’d just missed the teacher and he had another lesson so he took her in there. Now we know that’s where to go.
Outside, we asked her where her teacher had taken her. She pointed straight up the mountain and said up there. Up there? Kaitlyn? Show us. We got her back over to the easy slope and, what do you know… she can really ski! From yesterday to today is absolutely night and day. She rode the little butt lift all by herself… only had trouble getting off it the first couple of times but Bill had gone ahead to be able to help her out. She can turn and stop and follow you or lead you…. it’s amazing. Bill was grinning ear to ear. He is so excited his daughter can ski.
Scary part of this story is not knowing suddenly where Kaitlyn was. Good ending, though, and what a fantastic turnaround. Glad to hear she’s got it together. The next lesson should prove even more productive.