Eurojournal – 30 August 2006 (James)

James visited for about a week which was fabulous. I am pretty down today since he left early this morning. We won’t see each other for almost 2 months now. Ouch. It is so much easier being the one to leave than be left behind.

When he first arrived I was ecstatic as were the children. Byron and I kept it a secret from the kids so that they could wake up and see him. I picked him up on the 24th from the train. He was exhausted from traveling for 24 hours via bus and plane. We went to dinner (Ethiopian!) and returned home. In the night Luna woke up and nonchalantly asks if Daddy has seen the tower outside the window. It was lit. I tell her yes. I ask how did she know he was here. She says she heard him. Liam wakes up and crawls over to us with his eyes really big. He was surprised and happy. It was sweet.

We walked all over Paris the next day. That night Byron watched the kids while James and I went to the Louvre. It was fun to watch James wander seeing the exhibits. I had hoped that he would be interested in the religious paintings. He was explaining the theology around most. Another day, after the skatepark, we ate at a wonderful Chinese Buddhist basically vegan restaurant. It was really good and reasonably priced! We saw the Pompidou and took James into the pink room. At this point Liam was burnt on museums but he handled it well. Luna liked looking at abstract paintings and telling us what she saw or felt.

Throughout the week we saw Paris in the rain and in the sun. Aunt Gayle, James aunt was also in Paris. We went to Musee de L’Orangerie with her. That was really great. It had two full round rooms of Monet’s water Lilies. Liam was excited about that. The kids did some more sketches. Afterwards, we walked to the carnival. This is where we rode the giant ferris wheel a few weeks ago. James and I went there one evening and watched the people ride this crazy ride. Two people sit in this metal ball which is basically held down by giant rubberbands and magnets. Then the magnet is released bouncing the ball into the air up and down. We decide we want to do that this week. So we wandered there with Gayle and the kids. We mentioned we wanted to ride it and now with Gayle and Byron involved wanting to watch we had committed. The anticipation was intense. We do it. It was exhilarating. Quite the adrenaline rush. We bounced up and saw the whole city of Paris, not from a window or highly gated area but almost in the air.

Later that afternoon, we went to Sacre Coeur. That was an experience. The cathedral was gorgeous, the sun was out (it was raining a few hours ago) and we were on Montmarte. The views of the city were amazing. We rode up the hill in the forniculaire de Montmarte. It was like a gondola on the ground. While inside a mass began. Tourists still continued to walk around. We sat down thorough the mass. It was really neat to witness a Catholic mass in French at Sacre Coeur. Liam learned about holy water and communion. We walked around Montmarte. It reminded me a lot of Sighisoara, Romania.

Yesterday we finally made it up the Eiffel Tower. The children wanted to go up with James. This was his last day here and we were going rain or shine. We got the rain and cold. We arrived an hour before opening and were the first to go up. The children loved the elevator ride. Byron spotted our apartment building form the tower. We stayed home the rest of the day while I made some crepes and fruit compote.

That evening, James and I went to dinner and walked around Paris. We ate at this really nice veggie restaurant near centre Pompidou. He had mushroom pie and I had seitan. For dessert we had vegan carmel apple pie and vegan fruit mousse. It was a typical Parisian café with tables very close and lots of conversation. Yet it was incredibly romantic and intimate. After dinner we went to Notre Dame and wandered across the Pont Neuf. And yes we did kiss on the bridge. We ended up on the left bank at Shakespeare and Co bookstore. That was fun. We were both in heaven. So many books in such a wonderful bookstore. We walked around the area where restaurants lined cobblestone alleys. Restauranteurs would approach us asking if we wanted to eat at their restaurant. We came home with about 3 hours until James had to wake up to catch the night bus to the airport. We parted at 3:25 am at the bus stop a block from the apartment.

James came and went and I had my dream date in Paris with him.
We meet again in Barcelona in autumn.




 
 
 
  

Centre Pompidou is Wi-Fi

We visited Centre Pompidou earlier this week. While we didn't make it through a lot of the peices, it was amazing. When I was here years ago I did not have the chance to go to Pompidou though I really wanted to see it. When we came up from the Metro, there it was, larger than life. I almost cried as cheesy as that is. I realized THIS is why *I* came to Paris, to finally see this place. I had been waiting since i was 15. I love this place. The kids loved it too. It was bedtime so their attention didn't last long. We went into this room with soft relaxing music. Inside it was pink. Pink lights, fuschia flashing lights, white sheets gently blowing on the side of the room and a big read high heel shoe. The kids loved it, Byron was perplexed. We sat and discussed how stimuli works in the brain. This was a combination of almost contrasting stimuli. If there had been techno music it might have elicited feelings of stress. Sicne the music was relaxing and the sheets were gently blowing being in there was relaxing despite the fuschia flashing lights and gawdy overall colors. We are planning to go back. James might even like to go. Outside is a big open cement area. venders are there, people picnic, we even saw throat singers and people surf the net as Pompidou is wi-fi throughout. And they are very clear abou their wifi status as shown by the picture.


 
 
 
  

New Puppy Pictures

James sent us these pictures of the puppies. They are eating solid foods now (no more bottles!) and they sleep through the night. The black one eats well while the brown one climbs the steps well. We think they may be Shetland Sheepdogs.


 

Susan Crane Released from Jail-note of gratitude

This was on my Parentsforpeace mailing list. Susan originally is from our area. Her son and his father do some good work in our local peace movement.

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your prayers, letters, cards and visits while I was in the Alexandria Detention Center these last 30 days. Your suppport made my time easier, and brought encouragement to the other women who were in the cell block with me.
While I was in the jail, several people wrote asking what I had done at the Pentagon: The theme of the Holy Week Faith and Resistance retreat was: Who are we betraying, arresting, torturing, and crucifying today? On the morning of Holy Thursday about 40 of us went to the Pentagon where Betsy Lamb, Brian DeRouen, and I were arrested as we partially blocked a checkpoint by kneeling and holding a banner that said, "No Torture, No War." Others hammered nails into a life-sized wooden cross, and then a hooded person in an orange jumpsuit stood as if crucified. We sang and prayed as workers entered the Pentagon that morning, some visibly affected by our witness.

The arraignment, trial, conviction and sentencing was July 21 in from of Judge Buchanan and I was immediately taken to the Detention Center. While I was inside the jail, I was struck by the continual violence in the movies and TV shows that were constantly on in the cell block. The theme of Violence as the Great Restorer of Order,
was replayed over and over again every hour. Walter Wink's portrayal of the Myth of Redemptive Violence, (the good guy seems to be losing to the bad guy, but then at the end, the good guy does some great feat of violence, and order is restored) was in the cartoons, the movies, the news and the detective novels available to us. It's no wonder that people believe that we need better nuclear weapons, an aggressive military, and more and newer bombs and missiles.

And in the midst of this glorification of violence, I was remembering Dr. Kings words: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and
toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spirial of destruction.

And so in the jail, while talking with jail ministers, guards,and other prisoners, I risked being considered naive, impractical, and simplistic by saying that I think Jesus meant it when he told us to love our enemies. As I am coming out, I hear that Jeff Deitrick is going in. He has a thirty day sentence for occupying Sen. Feinstein's office in L.A. He's being held at the L.A. county jail, and we don't have an address for him
yet.

It is a joy to be here in the Jonah community. Carol is moving carefully on her broken foot, Liz, Ardeth, Eden, Eta, Steve and Gary are all working hard on all sorts of projects. thanks again for all your support.

Peace, susan

Don't forget to visit our website

Eurojournal - 18 August 2006

Today was an easy day. We decided to stay home. I was exhausted and burnt from this week. Luna and Byron went to the skatepark. Liam and I went to La Poste. Again, like in Kolozsvar we prepared for the long line. We got some raisin bread fromthe boulangerie. There was no one there at the post office. I tried the computer. Only 8 euros to send a parcel to the States? Too easy. I should go to the counter. Same thing. Wow. We were in and out in about 3 minutes. We walked around and got some more produce to make a bunch of veggie burgers. We came home and cut veggies. Liam played and talked with me. It was really peaceful. Liam listened well. Luna and Byron returned. Liam and luan immediately started playing peacefully. No children bickering. Ah! A breath of fresh air!

On the ferris wheel; the ferris wheel;Pont Neuf-the oldest bridge in Paris; at the Seine in front of the Louvre


 

Eurojournal - 17 August 2006 (A day at the Musee d'Orsay)

“Mom, I need to bring my Claude Monet book!!!! Do you have it? I must carry it.” Liam exclaimed as we left the flat venturing out to the Musee D’Orsay today. This is the home of Liam and Luna’s favorite artists, Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. We tried not to make a beeline for the Monet and Degas pieces but ended up there anyway. We saw Monet first and Liam and I sat down and talked about it. Luna joined in. They were interested in what was happening in the picture. I had a great time asking them questions and having them compare in their books. It was not the same picture in the book but Liam remembered that Monet painted the same things over and over with changes. This was a scene of a picnic. When Liam first saw it, he shouted and magically got in front of the other people, “It’s Claude Monet’s picnic picture! Let’s look in my book!” We talked about the similarities and differences. Next to it was another painting with the same characters. The children decided it was in fact the same person in both paintings because of her polka dotted dress. Great observations! We found more.

The kids were thrilled when there were ones that matched those in their books. Luna told me the story of Vincent Van Gogh when we wandered into the Van Gogh room. She immediately knew who he was and went straight for the self portrait. “Where is the picture where he cut off his ear?”

We saw more Monet. We saw the cathedral. We closed our eyes and got really close to the painting. The kids saw sloppy paints then stepped back and saw the cathedral. “wow! How cool” they said. Liam saw in the next room over, Degas’ Marie sculpture, the ballerina. That has been Luna’s favorite. She knows the story of both the artist and Marie well. Liam was so excited for her that he no longer cared about Monet’s work. He grabbed Luna’s hand and rushed her into the next room, “Luna, Luna! It’s Marie! Look!” Luna took it all in. There were several other pieces in the glass case but Marie stood out. “She is so small, Mom.” We looked in her book and then she figured it out. She gazed at it for a few minutes.

We finished looking at other works and talked about the lives of the Impressionists. We saw several Toulouse-Latrec paintings. The kids asked what he painted. “Oh he likes to paint about the parties and the Moulin-Rouge.” I told them and moved on. They were not as into Cezanne and I am. Oh well.

After we finished, we went back. The little ones chose a favorite and sketched with crayons. Luna chose, Marie of course. Luna and Liam first looked at the piece and decided which colors they would need. They had a good eye for this. Liam went into the next room and sketched Monet’s turkey picture (Les Dindons). He was very serious about this. He got comfortable and studied the picture for a few minutes. He told me all the things he saw in the picture, the house, turkeys and grass. He sketched and sketched. I looked up and there was a group of people smiling taking his picture. Quite the photo shoot! People were looking over his shoulder in amazement. He told them that he was working on the house right now and pointed at his version and Monet’s version. He finished and signed his sketch. We went over and Luna was finishing hers. She has a lot of detail and the colors were right on. Both were very proud of their work.

At lunch Byron and I discussed the history of art. He felt that art went downhill since 200 years ago. I asked him to elaborate. He felt that modern art wasn’t art at all. He can not see why an exhibit of actual garbage counts as art. We talked about what is behind the art, at least my thoughts around it. The artist who sells a painting with a slash through the canvas for millions gets that because s/he did it before you did and others like it. Many pieces have meaning behind it which is the art in itself. He does like MC Escher though. Maybe that will be enough to get him to the Pompidou!

After the d’Orsay,we walked over to the Ferris wheel and got on. That was amazing. It was sunny and we could see all of Paris. Byron enjoyed spinning our car.

Liam sketching;Luna and Marie; Luna admiring Monet;Liam found his favorite




 

Paris pics

Liam and Luna on the carousel; Pond and Palace at Le Jardin du Luxembourg; Our favorite boulangerie on our street


 

Eurojournal - 15 August 2006 (Le Jardin du Luxembourg)

Today was really fun. The weather forecast was overcast and 30% chance of rain. Instead it was nice with a lot of sun. Luna, Liam and I went to Le Jardin du Luxembourg. Byron decided to go to the skatepark again for the day. We stopped at our favorite boulangerie and got some bread for our picnic lunch. Luna almost ordered in French but was a little shy. Maybe next time. As we walked off the Metro we heard some incredible music. A violinist was playing Ave Maria. Oftentimes at the Metro stations there are musicians with amplifiers playing fabulous music. Luna and Liam were fascinated with the violin. Luna asked if she started playing now would she be as good at that woman when she was a grwon up. Of course! I asked both of them if they wanted to take up violin and they were beyond enthusiastic.

We arrived at the parc and began at the fountain. It was a classical pond with sculptures on one end, ducks, ducklings and beautiful fish. In the middle was a sculpture of a giant nose and mouth as if someone's face were underwater. We did some French lessons and sketching. Luna liked to sketch the face. Liam liked the sketch the entire pond.

We wen to the center of the park to a bigger pond and fountain. People can rent little toy wooden boats and push them out. Initially, I could not fathom the fun in this. They were not remote control boats, simply wooden boats and a stick we carry around. Everyone else looked like they were having a fun so we gave it a shot. We sent the boat off and watched where it went. As it came to the side we sent it off agin with the stick. Luna and Liam loved taking turns watching and predicting where the breeze would take it. We finished the day with a carousel ride. There is so much more to explore here including puppet shows. We will definitely return here!

We found a sorbet shop and got sorbet cones. Luna had ananas (pineapple), Liam had citon (lemon) and I had pomme vert (green apple). It was a nice treat. At the Metro was more music. It was the same woman only on our side of the station. We watched and listed for a while and Luna dropped a Euro in her case.

Le bateau (boat); Luna sketching the pond;Playing with the boat;Les fleurs au Jardin du Luxembourg





 

Luna's 20 digit math problem

Luna solved this big addition problem after about 2 minutes. In less than an hour we started with subtraction and moved to learning how to add with carrying over. Last night she had no idea how to add two digit numbers with carrying.
The problem is:
36191258212736459947
+
90945678963900009995
=
127136937176636469942
 

Eurojournal - 14 August 2006

At last, no rain! We even had some sun. So we prepared some lunch and headed out to La Tour Eiffel. We dropped by the boulangerie and picked up some wheat bread to go with the curry tofu I made along with some apple treats. We found a great spot in the grass and enjoyed the lunch with the pigeons. The lines were insanely long so we did not even bother with going up the tower. Maybe later this week at opening or when the tourists leave. Instead we hopped on a boat along the Seine river to see the sights. We went all around the Ile de La Cite and Ile de St Louis and back to La Tour Eiffel. We saw Notre Dame, Pont Neuf, Musee D’Orsay. Liam was pretty bored with the whole things because the boat didn’t go fast enough. I was pretty sad about that. Oh well, he is 4. Luna liked the second half and loved hearing all the facts. She liked to tell us after the speaker, “Mom, did you know that…” After the boat tour, we checked out the skatepark. We stayed for about 2 hours while Byron had a fabulous time. The little ones had fun too. It was quiet so they could run about and ride Byron’s skateboard. They especially enjoyed sliding down the bowl. There was an old concrete swimming pool converted into a half pipe. We came home and ate vegan ravioli, salad and a peach for dinner.

Notre Dame;On the boat in the Seine;Liam mailing postcards from La Tour Eiffel; part of skatepark


 

Louvre pics

Luna with Artemis
Luna and Liam studiying the artwork on the ceiling. Below is one of the ceiling works they liked. At the bottom is Luna on a vent at the Louvre. She loved how it made her dress bubble. She became a photo icon as other people would take pics of her! I sent this to James and he said it looked like an modern art exhibit at Centre Pompidou.

 

Eurojournal - 13 August 2006

We woke up to more clouds and a very optimistic Liam. “It’s just clouds, it will clear up then we can go on our picnic under the Eiffel Tower!” It was rain. Oh well. We decided to go to the Louvre. We stopped of at our favorite boulangerie which happens to be organic and on our block. We bought some sesame breadsticks and raisin bread for our adventure.

We arrived at the Louvre. The line was long for tickets but was fast. We went in and saw the inverted pyramid. Byron was pretty excited about that. He saw the DaVinci Code twice and read the book. The little ones liked the statues and we played games around the relics. We talked about how the museum people find these and then have to put them together like a puzzle. Luna and Liam enjoyed identifying what the relics were. They also loved the mummies and petrified body. I had the children look at the paintings and decide what they liked best. Luna’s assignment was to pick one and then research it later. After that we will return to the Lovre and view it again after she knows more about it. She really liked the darker paintings, dark colors and background. I anticipated her liking the pictures of the queens, princesses and women. She and Liam liked Jacque Louis David’s “ Les sabines arretant le combat entre les romans et les sabins.” It was an intense painting. It is a war between the Romans and Sabins. The women are stopping the war by being in front of the swords and arrows and protecting the babies. I thought it told the most clear story of al the paintings in that room. This is the one Luna wants to research. They also loved the paintings on the ceiling. I had them lay on the ground and really look at the artwork. They loved that and other people in the room did the same. I used to do that as a kid at the art museum.

Liam has been reading his Claude Monet books and is really wanting to go see his paintings. The impressionists are at the d’Orsay. I want to do more work around other impressionists before we go there. He absolutely adores Monet and talks about “his Claude Monet painting” he wants to see. He decided that this was his favorite artist. Tonight he said, “Mom, I wish Claude Monet were alive so we could meet him here in Paris.” Cute.

















Luna's favorite painting

Eurojournal - 12 August 2006

We spent a few hours doing school work. Liam worked on the letter A in French and English. We played a game thinking of words that started with A and practiced writing it. Luna worked on her math and I tried to teach a few French words. Byron is working on his Algebra II work along with journals, history and vocabulary. I am reviewing more French vocabulary.

We puttered about waiting for the rain to stop. We were pretty disappointed that we could not have our picnic at the Tour Eiffel. Liam was optimistic the whole time “It will clear up later. It might just be fog.” We went out to check out the scene at the Louvre. Not really committed to going in yet. We stayed outside and saw the pyramids and mini arc de triomphe. The Louvre, mini arc, arc de triomphe and grand arc line up perfectly.

While we were there, we heard chanting much like…hmmm…a demonstration! We went out to see what it was and it was in fact a huge demo against the war in Lebanon. Of course we had to jump in and march with them. It was so lively yet peaceful. We marched by people dressed in suits and dresses. Byron noticed how upstanding everyone looked. We marched to the opera house. This is what was so amazing. Hundreds of Lebanese and Palestineans (possibly) lined the steps of the opera house and faced the marchers. They held banners and flags. It was powerful. We sang and chanted. A truck came with a sound system and chanted. Following the truck was a huge influx of what might be Lebanese and Palestineans, children, adults, all ages. They were families. They had signs saying “hier, j’avais des soeurs” or “hier, j’avais des parents.” Literal translation: “yesterday, I had sisters or yesterday, I had parents. Pictures of maimed and dead loved ones were everywhere. The energy was really intense. I saw the pictures and began to cry a bit. I felt this sense of reality that I have never felt before.

We left the demo to find dinner and ate at a Mexican restaurant. Byron and I realized how much we missed burritos. They are such a staple for us at home. It wasn’t as good as -home but it was okay. We went to the Champs-Elysees and saw the Arc de Triomphe. The last time I was in Paris, about 18 years ago, the arc was under construction so I never went under it. It was really amazing. We passed the tour Eiffel as it lit up. When we arrived home the tour Eiffel was sparkling. It was beautiful. Always makes me smile.


dans le Metro

Au Louvre
 

Eurojournal - 11 August 2006

Our taxi arrived promptly and took us to the train station. I had to really work on my French. I was tired and not fast enough but I got the tickets. The train ride was smooth and easy. The countryside looked so much lie home. I was surprised that the farmers used combines rather than bailing hay with pitchforks manually. I thought to myself, “why do they need all of this expensive machines when the farmers in Transylvania are doing just fine?” Oh yeah, that’s what it is like in other parts of the world. We played cards and I tried to journal.

We arrived in Paris at Gare du Nord. We were welcomed by soldiers with machine guns. How nice. Liam asked why they had the guns and I said they were afraid. Oh okay. Welcome to Western Europe. I was happy to be in France nonetheless. We made it on the metro which was interesting. At the time we were pretty stressed out. Which station? Which direction? And what about all of this heavy luggage we have? We get off the train at our destination and go up the escalator. We were greeted by a cool, slightly wet Paris café at the top. Ah! Bienvenu a Paris! Here we are. The kids smiled big. We walked to the pat and met with the owner. She was really nice. She showed us around the area giving us tips on where to shop and eat. She bought us all croissants. We savored them. We have a boulangerie on our street with all organic breads. I went by twice again to buy some bread for us. Our place is situated in a really family centered area. Lots of children, shops and boulangeries on a quiet street. There are parks nearby. The metro is a block away. The apt itself is a bit small but workable. It has one bedroom and a small kitchen. It feels roomy though. We have a washer which is exciting after spending a month washing our clothes and ringing them out by hand in the bathtub.

We went to the natural foods store nearby. I forgot the address and only wrote down the metro stop so I had to ask for directions. It was so nice being in a store like home. But also a sad reminder of how expensive food really is. We paid more for that small bag of staples than in several weeks of groceries in the village. Ouch! I need to find a farmer’s market or somewhere cheap. It was nice to have some vegan yogurt, sorbet, tempeh and tofu. We walked home and prepared some lunch. After lunch we took a trip to the Eiffel tower. We can see the top outside our windows in the apartment. The kids were pretty thrilled about that. They really wanted to go up but it was really crowded so I promised we would do it another day and maybe picnic there tomorrow.

We went to bed. I saw the tour Eiffel light up. It felt like Christmas. I am in Paris!





 

Eurojournal - 10 August 2006

We toured Budapest in the daytime. Last time we were here we were severely jetlagged and it was night. So it was nice to see the city now. What a gorgeous city. I think this is one of my favorites. The buildings are pristine and the people are generally nice here. We found a little enclave with cafes and trees. The kids and I stopped and looked at this crazy bull sculpture. I had no idea what the story was with it. It reminded me of the random pigs in Seattle. Every now and again while walking through the city we came across a lifesized pig in different painted colors. It was an art exhibit. In Budapest it was the same. The first bull we came across was red with locks on it, the second was painted green like a watermelon and had a slice taken out of it. That was at the entrance of the chain bridge. Then we saw two while on the bus.

We crossed he chain bridge over to Buda. The Danube divides the city into Pest and Buda. The Buda side is on a hill and beautiful. Pest is also nice but more of the busy part of the city. We didn’t have enough time to explore Buda so hopefully we can in December. We ot around fine without getting lost. I felt so much more comfortable this time around. While I don’t really know Hungarian, the sounds and letters are familiar. I recognize a few words here and there and know some basic survival words.

It was time to meet our ride to the airport to go to Brussels. I was excited (and a bit nervous) about this as they speak French there. The flight was easy and our ride was there for us as we came out of the airport. It was a radically different place than where we have been. Far more rich, far more organized, far more upscale, far less friendly. Our taxi driver was dressed in a suit and drove a brand new Volvo. Brussels (actually Charleroi- about 50km south of Brussels) reminded me of Washington DC. We made it to the motel I booked. That was creepy. The woman at the front desk was rude. But hey I was happy that we could communicate in French and we were leaving at 7am for Paris the next morning.




 

Eurojournal - 9 August 2006 (Luna's birthday!)

Today is Luna’s actual birthday. We sang with her at breakfast and she shared the remainder of her chocolates. It was time to go to the airport to fly out to Budapest. At the airport, a small one, the security was so different than the US. James went into the terminal with me without any problem. A worker came looking for me and realized that he was not supposed to be there. He was really nice and said he will be waiting for James. James stayed until we got on the flight. We weren’t sure if he wanted him to leave now and was being polite or he would be expecting him when I left. We pushed it as we were all having separation anxiety. As we left we saw a guard approach James. Uh oh. Later James said the guard was concerned that he didn’t make his flight and as really nice. No problem. Wow.

The flight was short, 45 min. Our transportation was right there and we arrived at the apt. the apt was really nice. The children napped and we went to find dinner. We ate at this fabulous Indian restaurant with an extensive menu of vegetarian items. It was so good and we topped it off with cold mango juice. We explored part of Budapest until it dark and went back to the apt.

Kids went to bed and I got online with James. We tried Skype and talked for a bit. It was so good to hear his voice.


Parliament bldg in Budapest

Elevator in Budapest apt

 

Eurojournal - 7 August 2006 (Luna's Birthday celebration!)

Today we celebrated Luna’s birthday 2 days early. We had a really great party with about 6 children form the village. It was interesting as just about everyone from the village, adults included brought gifts of chocolate and flowers. Luna was in heaven with all of the chocolate and friends. She had connected with two friends next door, Atilla and Bella who are about she and Liam’s age. They play everyday and love each other. Monica and Alexandra are older, preteen girls who love Luna and Liam. They tickle them and carry them around. The relationship Luna has with them is much like those of the older girls at her school. Monica and Alexandra also adore the puppies. They even fed one of them a bottle once and later put one to sleep. I so wish they could adopt them. I know the pups would be well loved by them.

We had a blueberry cake made from the blueberries I bought form the Roma family at the market. We got a giant bucket of blueberries the day before. Happy Birthday was sung in 5 languages: Chinese (Liam led that one), French, English, Spanish and of course Hungarian.

We invited the minister from another village and his family. They had some friends from Hungary staying with them so said they would be a bit late. They came about 4 hours late. They were driving back from a daytrip with their Hungarian friends and dropped by with a present for Luna (a cute carved wooden snake box), homebrewed beer and home brewed polinka. The same polinka I drank a few days ago at their village festival and had too much. Oh dear. James thought it was good to have on hand to offer guests as that is what everyone does here. We spent some time with them along with their friends. The funniest thing was that they were interested in our weird vegan ways. They had never heard of soymilk. Melinda, the minister’s wife asked to taste some. Okay. We gave her a small cup and warned her many times over that it does not taste like cow’s milk. She liked it and it got passed around the room. We had a crew of Hungarian meat eaters trying our soymilk. It was funny.

Luna finished her birthday party day with staying up to watch the cows come home. This is a social event here as everyone sits outside to wait for their cows. Monica and Alexandra were out and happy to see Luna, Liam and the pups again. It turned into a big kid party. I went back out to check on everyone and James was talking to Alex. Alex is English speaking and lives across the street form us. Monica and Alexandra are his cousins. Monica, Alexandra, Luna, Liam, Byron and 4 other older girls are out playing with the puppies. Estherneni is out there hugging Liam and chatting away with him in Hungarian. Luna scored a few more boxes of chocolates form the neighbors who didn’t make it to her party.It was time to come in. Luna said she had a great birthday.

James and I were so happy that Luna had a great time. I was a little sad that she made so many friends so recently and will be leaving in 2 days. I did hope for a village party for her though and she sure had one. We laughed at the visual of the Hungarians trying our soymilk and having conversations about it.




Luna in her new birthday dress

 

A Paris!

We are in Paris! Great apartment full fo French toys for the kids located in a family friendly area. Boulangerie really close. My French is passable but I have so much to relearn. We're going to find the health food store and stock up. More to come...

Back in Budapest

The children and I back in Budapest for a short time. We have a really deluxe apartment in the heart of the city, Ikea style with lots of windows. And magical wi-fi, low signal but free nonetheless. The flight was short and mellow. I miss James and the puppies already. Tomorrow evening we head to Brussels, Belgium.

We celebrated Luna's birthday 2 days ago. It was really awesome! She had about 6 friends from the village come. Everyone brought her gifts of chocolate and flowers. I want to write more about it later.

Kids are awake, off to forage for dinner. So many vegan options here! It's indian for dinner. hooray!

In The Pulpit

James did a sermon today on Henry David Thoreau and Unitarian abolitionist struggles. He chose this after Csaba did a sermon on Petofi Sandor who was a poet, intellectual and fighter for Hungarian independence in 1848.

Last night Liam did a sermon Transylvanian style. He made his pulpit behind the pillow, put on his cape made out of his bedsheet and preached with a very serious face imitating Csaba. This was his sermon:
“God of love.
I love you.
Love for all of us.
Thank you.”
And he laid his hands on his book, the book about castles and fortresses of course.

The other two pics are the little ones walking to church this morning.








 

Breast isn't best: readers tell US parenting magazine

My dearest friend sent this article to me sarcastically saying "Breasts for Babies? How outrageous!" I'm sure you know my opinion around this or at least can guess. Being in Europe only confirms my convictions as here it is a way of life. Feeding your child is what you do, no big deal. No one is wrapped up in the male's association of the breast. The uncomfortable husbands need to relax a bit.

Eurojournal - 3 August 2006

We went to the Praid salt mines today. That was surreal and very interesting. It is located in a town about 40 km away from the village. People come from everywhere to undergo treatments for respiratory disorders. The rest of us tour the mine by riding in a bus to the mine and visiting the chapel and museum. After we arrived we went down several steps to the bottom. Lit with fluorescent lights the cave was lined with wooden swings, seesaws, trains, slides, picnic tables, you name it. Csaba had mentioned a park inside but this was more than I could imagine. The children were in heaven. Even more surreal was the jumpy house and the internet café, yes, in this cavernous mine with walls of salt. The chapel was very interesting, They do services in Romanian Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran. The entire time felt surreal.

This morning the children played at the neighbor’s. His grandchildren were there and they have connected with Luna and Liam. Tonight we made attempts to invite them to Luna’s birthday party in Hungarian. I think James was successful. Her party is on Monday. We are working on languages. I heard Luna talking in her sleep in Hungarian the other day. Luna, Liam and Byron are building this extensive sand castle in the yard. It is pretty neat. It has an unfilled moat, bridge and a lot of pillars.

Last night Byron went to an Aikido class in the nearest city about 15km away. He resisted going on Monday but I made him go this time. He loved it and wants to return on Friday. He said the level is about the same as he is and he liked how relaxed the class was. It was much like his class at home.

The puppies are doing great and growing fast. They grew out of their trash cans and now have a bricked in area in the house. We made another area for them outside where they spend most of the days. We introduced a bowl with milk yesterday and they are getting it occasionally. James is trying to train them to go to the bathroom outside by running them out as soon as they wake up. They have been walking which is really cute. And best of all, last night they slept through the night, a whole 8 hours!

I am mentally getting ready to go to France. We leave next week and will stay in Paris for a little less than a month. I will miss the village, the warmth, people and of course James and the pups. James is making plans to come see us for a day or two. That will be my dream date! Byron is getting excited to see the Louvre and insists that we must buy passes and spend at least 3 days there. Liam and Luna want to see the Eiffel Tower and the ferris wheel nearby. I want to see Jim Morrison’s grave and Centre Pompidou. I’m reviewing my French. I know much more than survival French but I forgot the tenses other than present. I will get us around just fine or at least better than I can in Romanian and Hungarian!! I am trying to decide if I will enroll the kids in French classes. After being here and meeting people who are almost always bilingual if not trilingual, I am committed to keeping the children learning languages. At home they can continue with French and Spanish easily. James will continue with Hungarian and can teach the kids. I am pretty committed to learning more Spanish and reviewing my French.




 

Eurojournal - 30 July - 31 July 2006

30 July 2006

Ahh… home. We had a lazy day with naps and gradual unpacking of the van. James went to church. We stayed behind. The puppies are moving from their little box (really they each have a plastic trash can) to a bricked in area on the linoleum by our front door. They love to be together. Eyes are fully opened. Both have a beautiful violet hue. They are walking and exploring.

31 July 2006

We went to town today to get the van door fixed. James and I went to the market/store and got some produce. While we were there an older woman asked for our help in Hungarian. At the market we bag the produce and weigh it to get the pricing sticker. The codes were listed except for apricots. We have no idea what apricot is in Hungarian in the first place but can clearly see (from the pictures) the codes are not on there. Somehow with a few words and gesteures we communicate. I finish with pointing ot the apricots and the codes and say “nem” (no). She smiles and says kosonom (Thank you). James and I are shocked. Did we actually help or pretend to help someone? We can barely help ourselves as this was only the second time we went to the market without Csaba. After the market we drove to another village to return the Metro membership card to some friends. They are a really nice family. He is the minister at that village’s church and they have two daughters. Their older daughter is a lot like Luna though she an Luna haven’t really connected. We have a good connection with this couple and really enjoy talking with them. They have been to Davis as their partner church is there.

The children have been wanting to participate in more care of the puppies. Luna is like an overattentive mother. Everytime the pups wake up, she wants to run for the bottles or have us feed them right away. We started some training today by taking them outside as soon as they awaken to go to the bathroom.

“But Mom, we have to feed them. Can’t you see they are hungry when they whine like that? They need their bottles now.”
“Yes Luna but they also pee after they wake up and we want them to learn to go outside.” “Okay mom, but let me take out the bottles. I am worried they won’t eat soon enough.”

Pups spent most of the day outside and Luna did some feedings. She did a really great job and gave a detailed report of how much they ate, what they did and how it was for her. Liam did some feedings too. James and I spent some times with the pups outside after the children went to bed. I saw them actually walk a long distance for the forst time. Byron clapped his hands and called them and they came right to him. It is amazing how much they have changed in a week. They only wake up once at night as opposed to every hour last week.

We received our wood for the winter last week. All of it need to be chopped and split. Byron has been taking pride in chopping the wood and doing some each day. Today he was proud that he chopped more wood in less time than yesterday and commented on how much easier it is getting. Now the wood basket for the hot water heater for the shower is overflowing! Hot showers for everyone now! Woohoo!