Highlights of the Week

• We cleaned Slovenia in one day - Saturday 17th - at least that was the title of the whole action. The organizers expected about 200 000 people to take part, 250 000 turned up. Cleaned a lot of mess. I felt proud of all of us doing such a great job and ashamed at the same time: what's the matter with us? Tyres, shoes, beer cans (the winners!), plastic bags, gloves, yoghurt carton - I mean how on earth does somebody decide to just throw these things away by the road? And into the ditch? And in the bushes? Where everything could (and should) be nice and clear!

• My head doesn't give me a break. I've had a headache for about a week - not all the time, but it sure comes by every single day and stays for hours. When I complained about it (I was seen taking an Aspirin), my colleagues said I was getting old. We laughed about it, but they weren't joking really.

• I almost got a 900€ fine because of bad tyres. Our car is only six months old! I actually have to pay 150€ for something else (thanks, officer!). I'll buy new tyres tomorrow. I wanted to on Tuesday, but it is written in the car's papers that it need tyres that can take 240 kmph! Geez! We only own a Chevrolet Aveo (yes, just like this one, only usually it's dirtier and it has beige interior) and we live in Slovenia! I'm not allowed to drive over 130 kmph anywhere! And if I were, I couldn't! Because this is me and because our car doesn't go that fast

• My son asked me to teach him some more English, saying: "Will we study English together, mum? I really don't think I'm learning much at this school of ours." It warmed my heart. This is not that child of mine you know, who studies English and Slovene at the university, but the other one who barely passed many of his English tests in primary school! And failed some of them. I wanted to help him, but he always started preparing for the next test one day before (wouldn't listen to his nagging mum who knew nothing about it anyway) and it was often too late. He doesn't have any problems with it now at age 18 (his grade is usually 4 or 5 out of 5), and he has actually realized it would be good to know more of it. I'm making a plan for him...

• It's Earth Day. Two of my colleagues studied geography at the university (one of them majored in history and teaches history now) and today is actually their birthday! How cool is that? At our school you alway get a flower for your birthday (in a pot) and the B-day people usually bring something good to eat. Same today.
  

• I have finally learned to hit the target from 55 metres. The target, I say, not the yellow part of it, although that happens sometimes, too. And the bowstring only hurts my forearm once or twice in two hours. And because of different anchoring (due to the distance), even my nose is safe. Yay!

• Due to the national holdays next week (27th April and 1st May) we are having a week off - Spring break, so to say. So this is the afternoon before the last working day for some time. Yay again!
  

Let that be all for now. It's been a sleepy lazy week - I have no idea why, but I'm trying to improve :) I'm planning to put some things in order next week. Till then!

A Special Day

Lying in my bed - not mine, really, but you get it - I was trying to comprehend what had just happened. I was just a silly girl, I felt quite serious and yet immature, responsible, but rather childish in a way. Not much different from the sixteen-year-old that I used to be and definitely not much different from that eighteen-year-old I was just two years before.

And yet, they trusted me with this tiny little being that I had just brought to this world. Should I feel guilty? Wasn't it irresponsible to do so? No matter how I should feel, I know I felt blessed. I thought I would be exhausted, but my eyes wouldn't close. They remained wide open almost till morning. Too much to take in.

Her first moments were so special: She just looked around as though she wanted to say: "So that's what it looks like out here..." A hiccup, a sneeze, no crying, no fuss...

A childbirth - an event so common in the existance of the mankind and yet it is so special in every woman's life. A new step in her life, no matter the circumstances.

Wondering if it shoud happen sooner or later, does not really matter. Should you wait till you have a job? And a house to live? Should you hurry and not wait till you're thirty or forty? So that you do not have a teenager when you're over fifty? Is it better to be a young mommy - not too serious - or a bit older - and more mature?

Whatever is better I know one thing: this particular child could be only born at that time, right? Genetics and stuff... And she has always been my sunshine... Wouldn't change her for anything.

As a small child she could always surprise me. As only little children can. I remember one day (she was about to get a brother, so she wasn't three yet), drawing and asking me:

"Mum, why do we have bell buttons?"
"Well, when the baby is inside, they cannot eat, so there is this cord from mum to the baby. That's where the baby gets the food."

She draws and after a moment or two she adds:

"But then chicks don't have belly buttons, do they?"

I never had to help her with her homework... and yet, we sometimes "study together" now that she's at the university... I'm glad to listen to the stuff I should know but have forgotten... How many mums can have that pleasure? And this is just one of the many little things I like about her.

She's all grown up now. She thinks with her own mind - as she always has and as I've always wanted her to. I don't always like her opinions... but that's anoher story. I'm not supposed to, right?

The only problem now is - what should I get her for her birthday? I'll try to cook something nice (but that's not a present yet), but I'm not much of a cook...

I'll try to think of something. However successul or unsuccessful I may be, I do wish you

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

dear!

A New Life

Wonderful news came on Thursday: one of my nieces has just had a daughter!

My mum has 12 grandchildren and now, at the age of 70, she has the first great-grandchild.

My niece is only a year older than my daughter. It lets me know that time is flying, but so does everything else around me. This baby girl is the first in the next generation. As I remember my own childhood, I also remember that of my children and their cousins. We talk about one incident or another with nostalgia. The very clever things one or the other said, how naughty they could be sometimes and how they made us laugh. If there was a confirmation or a first communion, one of the ways of celebrating was also a small and cosy concert - by my brother and his daughters and anyone that was willing to sing along - my sister's daughters or my kids. In summer my kids sometimes had some holidays at my mum's and they pulled out the couch and some five or six kids slept there - not because of lack of space, mind you. Things like that. It happens that one of my children or myself start a sentence: "Remember that time when..." and say something about one of the cousins and the time they spent together.

Well, one of them is a mommy now. Not the oldest one. And the baby is called Julija (pronounce: Yuhliyah). And my not yet 45-years old brother is a grandpa and the granny, his wife, is even younger (41) and there are FIVE new aunts and so on and so on. What am I? I guess I'm a great aunt like from one of Charles Dickens' novels... My daughter couldn't wait for this baby to be born and was and is very very happy to hear about her. The only thing tat annoys her now is... she is still just a cousin... of her mum... well, it's still so nice to know abut that little princess, isn't it?

(Julija on her granddad's blog)

April Fool

- Did you hear about the Pisa tower? my colleague asked me... It has collapsed!
- No kidding! Collapsed?
- Yes, I heard it on the news this morning
- On the news? Wow!
- But then, of course, they have something like tis every year...
- DANG! It dawned on me... Of course! How din't I get it right away...?!

And he smiled naughtily... Hey, you got me there... and yes, it was on the news... for suckers like me.

But then I decided that was it. I was sure the kids would try something, so it was good to be ready.

It was the fifth graders that made a plan.

We come to the classroom and the tiniest the shyest girl says: Teacher, I don't have my English stuff with me today, I took Social studies!

Me too...Me too - it was echoing from every single one in the class. Aawww, I thought to myself..How cute! They can actually do it with a straight face! Good for them!

Never mind, I said calmly, I will just give each of you a piece of paper, dictate you a short text and mark the dictation. It will only be good to have one grade more, you don't have so many...

Oh, I found my book, said one of them and soon all the stuff was on their desk. Everybody was ready to work.

Except for this one girl. She was sitting her head in hands and her friend told me she was feeling sick.
Well, I told her, if you are not well, go to our counsellor and there you can decide what to do and if you are alright, just remain here. Saying this, I turn to my computer to find the right audio clip as I catch a glimpse of one of the students prompting to this "sick" girl to do something.

In the very next moment the sick girl falls from her chair and lies on the floor.

I turn to the brain of this "scam" saying: I must admit few people can faint at request! Wow!

They laughed and we continued our lesson.

I must say I like them a lot. Mind you, they are only ten!