The Globe that Made it Around the Globe

Best viewed from Scene I to Scene IV...sorry it's not in sequence.

Scene IV: So much for hoping she might not notice, eh Jen Hols?

Scene III: Briana gives the globe its first run.

Scene I: Here comes the final Santa.

Scene II: The end of a journey.

On December 7 a box boarded an airplane and embarked on its journey across the Atlantic, carrying in its cargo hold a box full of love for a little girl in Lupeni from aunties, unclies and grandparents in far-off America. But that wasn't the beginning of its journey, and it certainly wasn't its end. I feel like a small documentary could be done on the miles this box covered (actual distance, emotional energies, and latitudes of love) to get from point A to point B, and prizes should be given to all the Santas along the way who helped move it across the globe, starting with Santa Jen Holly in Iowa and ending with Santa Bart here in Lupeni. (With honorable mention to Santa Diana who had to involve Santa Bookeeper in Bucharest in the preperation of 5 official documents before she could retrieve the package and taxi it across town to meet Santa Bart at the bus station.) By the time this globe reached Lupeni, certainly its retail value had triple- quadrupled twice. But hopefully, as the one commercial goes, everyone would breathe in the end (and not least us, Briana's parents, who are so grateful for our family, and many others along the way, going the extra-extra mile to help Briana feel their love close at Christmas): "Priceless!" Thank you to everyone, and Merry Merry Christmas!

Second First Day of School

Off to school, first day...again

I don't know what the phenomenon is called - the one where you search afar for something good only to find you're sitting on it - but I've had the experience. This morning. At 9:00 Briana and I turned up for her second first day of school at a kindergarten right here in Lupeni. When our collegue and good friend Ilie reported that his 4 year old son wrote love notes to his teacher during his off-school hours, I figured this was enough solid evidence to give another kindergarten a try. (I couldn't imagine any of Briana's previous classmates writing love notes to their teacher.) We spent 3 hours in Doamna Mariana G.'s classroom and both of us were in love too. The class is a bit cold and there isn't as much formal instructional time ("That's the kindergarten where they don't really learn much," commented a friend - no workbooks, no homework, no number or letter testing), but under Doamna Mariana's calm and humored care I can see these 25 little ones learning the things hardest to teach. She is comfortable not being in total control of each of her pupils every second (there is a healthy amount of running about and tunneling under desks), she reasons with them reasonably, asks them to speak to each other when there is a conflict, lights a candle when they pray before their snacktime :) , and can spin a yarn so fantastically that I was spellbound for 20 minutes and wasn't at all surprised when the children could answer every listening-comprehension question asked at the end. She doesn't make any child do anything - some choose to play with trucks rather than join the circle of crawling kittens and bouncing balls - but most of them choose to join in because she's so much fun and she's so non-threatening. I may recant after more experiences - cynic! - but it looks like we've found our place. I can already see Briana turning 13 and Doamna Mariana calling me aside, "Don't you think it's time she moved on?"

Thanks A Lot

Happy Thanksgiving from the Bates'

Happy Thanksgiving! It is good to give thanks and we had a good day of it. 11 students and friends gathered around an abundant table on this sunny, shivery day and 6 more joined us for a second course of desserts. For the occasion, Briana has been learning words and movements to Raffi's lovely song of thanksgiving. She sang out and danced so beautifully for us all as a prelude to our meal's grace - her best interpretation of the week -and wouldn't you know it, just when the song was wrapping up her stockings gave way on our slippery floor and down she went, hard. Gosh darnit. Just before turning in she decided to complete the song. And as we turn in, we sing with her: Thanks for all we've got. Thanks for all we've got.

Goodnight and a Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Here's Briana singing to Raffi's "Thanks A Lot" (Baby Beluga album): Thanks a lot Thanks for the sun in the sky Thanks a lot Thanks for the clouds so high Thanks a lot Thanks for the whispering wind Thanks a lot Thanks for the birds in the spring Thanks a lot Thanks for the moonlit night Thanks a lot Thanks for the stars so bright Thanks a lot Thanks for wonder in me Thanks a lot Thanks for the way that I feel Thanks for the animals Thanks for the land Thanks for the people everywhere Thanks a lot Thanks for all I’ve got Thanks for all I’ve got.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, SWEET JULIA!

For our cousin and our niece, Julia Abigail Kirchmaier, on her first birthday. Happy birthday sweetest girl. We love you and we miss you terribly.
Aunt Brandi, Uncle Dana & Cousin Briana

Happy Birthday and "Bonjour ma Cousine" ("Hello my Cousin") video:

"Little Red Caboose" video with special gymnastics:

Julia's Birthday Album (compiled by Briana and Brandi):

Little Red Caboose - The Laurie Berkner Band
Julia – Chris Rea
Old MacDonald Had a Farm – Parker Bent (for Uncle Greg)
Bam Bam – Father Goose
Little Pumpkin – David Levene and Judy J
Little Red Caboose – Elizabeth Mitchell & Lisa Loeb
By and By – Father Goose
Flying Machine - Father Goose (with Sheryl Crow & Dan Zanes)
Bonjour ma Cousine – Petit Ours Brun
Free Little Bird – Elizabeth Mitchell & Lisa Loeb
Happy Birthday Julia – Lunchbox & Friends (hope this one doesn’t creep you out…Briana was insistent)

Day 17 Without the Sun and the Injustice of Science

Depressing weather calls for...

desperate measures.

The 8, no 9, planets in Briana's bedroom sky.

We've been sitting with a cloud on our heads for 17 days now - sometimes dribbling rain, sometimes not. Today we went up the mountain to visit our staff leading a training on service-learning and adventure education to a group of 25 youth workers from Bosnia, Estonia, Armenia and Romania. Then we came home and...well the weather made us do it. While Briana dozed on Dana's arm and he flitted in and out of a movie, I hatched a plan to suspend the planets from Briana's ceiling and I made a solar system soundtrack (with our new friend iTunes) to go with it. Briana's been smitten lately with the human body and space and sometimes blends the two, like today when she told me the solar system was in her blood. And then of course she's confused about the terminus of her food tube and the 7th planet from the sun. When she awoke from her nap we together created each planet with materials on hand (we're most pleased with our version of Saturn) and then went up to her room to suspend the galaxy from her ceiling with invisible fishing line while listening to moon and star songs.

It was going fine until we got to Pluto. Our sun and moon soundtrack* was singing along, "Forces greater than math control us...We’re swimming in a cosmic bath, don’t you know it" and
"Nine planets in the solar system. Some are so darn small you might have missed them, Like my favorite one, that’d be Pluto. It’s so alone and far away you want to put it in your pocket for a rainy day." When we got to a song called "Pluto" by Rocknoceros the sky fell for Briana:

Now after intense debate

Scientists say of planets there are eight

Pluto’s fame will soon decline

Now that it’s not planet nine...

Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, Earth

But poor Pluto lacks the girth...

Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, Earth

But for Pluto there is no mirth.

Briana had just gotten attached to poor little Pluto, tiny little planet out there shivering farthest from the sun, and to hear of Pluto's fall from space's grace? It was too much. She started crying. "Daddy, why isn't Pluto a planet?" And then 1/2 an hour later, more tears: "Is Pluto a planet?" So, for now, Briana's sky has 9, and Pluto is her favorite.

* Briana's Solar System Mix:

Moon, Moon, Moon – The Laurie Berkner Band
The Planet’s Song – Ira Marlowe
Clouds – Dogs on Fleas
Rocketship – Justin Roberts
Mr. Moon – Orange Sherbert & Hot Buttered Rum
All About the Moon – Ira Marlowe
Nine Planets – Justin Roberts
Pluto – Rocknoceros
The Moon Song – Dog on Fleas
Sleep Under Stars – Dog on Fleas
Hey, Mr. Moonlight – Brady Rymer
Fly Me to the Moon – Ralph’s World
Nightlights – Lunch Money
Last Night the Moon was Full – Justin Roberts
I See the Moon – Mae Robertson

First Day of School

Off to school, first day...

How was it?


In her own words...

Take 2