New Place, New School

Moving to the new house in Den Haag had not been an easy one for us. There are more cons as compared to the pros. Our main concern was the school. Ilham had enjoyed being at the International School of Amsterdam (ISA), he loved going to school, he liked the teachers and most of all, he had many close friends. Going to a new school means adjusting to new place, new environment, new friend and new teachers, to mention a few.

In Den Haag, we have a choice of The International School (ISH), The American School (ASH)and The British School (BSN). The ISH has very basic necessities and The BSN junior schools are quite small. There are 3 different Junior schools in 2 different places (2 of them are so close in proximity!!). I love the American School, its big and has a good ambiance. The library and the science lab are big and have many things that children (and their mummy) will love. In terms of curriculum, I think its more similar to ISA, which I like. But ASH is situated in Wassenar, the prestigious area where most foreign diplomats live. Its a beautiful area with lots of trees and canals and rather quite. The problem is there is no public transport in the area. They have bus services but there is no tram, no metro and no train!!! Bus service to Central Den Haag will take approx. 45 minutes. There are also not that that many shops around, and this and the transport element, make it not a very convenient place to stay. Whyyyyyyy !!!!! I love the area !!!!

Taking into consideration these elements and also becoz he wanted it (at the time), we chose BSN - Junior School Leidshenveen (JSL) as Ilham's school. It's a brand new campus situated in a new area. It was opened to students in February 2010. Prior to that, they had been occupying parts of Junior School Vlaskamp(JSV).

BSN Junior School Leidschenveen

Ilham thinks its cool and that it looks like a UFO has landed (his very own word)

The open space where the students play during lunchtime.


It will be a few more years before the trees will be big enough to provide shades in the summer and perhaps some protection against the wind. Lets just say that we will definitely not be here to witness it.


It has been 1 1/2 months since the new term/year started. Ilham still has this "ada benda" in his tummy every time we approach the classroom. When asked wether he was afraid of anybody or perhaps the teacher, he said not really... He likes his new friends except one, well maybe two annoying boys :)


I suppose he is adjusting well to the new school. Its his mama who is still having problem settling in and not too happy with the school