4TH GRADE FIELD TRIP: PELES CASTLE

Yesterday, Lisa and I took my 4th graders (of which Mikie is a part) to Peles Castle in Sinaia, Romania. Unlike a typical US field trip, we rode the subway to the train station (gara de nord) and then took a train for 2 hours. It is a beautiful former "summer home" of Romania's former Royal Family. Currently, it is under ownership dispute (as are many other properties here due to communism and the way they took over land) and no one knows for sure how it'll end.

Here is a link to learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele%C5%9F_Castle

We had a great time and I hope you can "enjoy it" a little through our photos!

THE BCA STAFF

CHRISTMAS TIMES

To be honest, I never thought I'd find myself being a 4th grade teacher again..... the last time I did that was when I was a student teacher "way back" in the mid-80's. Now, here I am at BCA with my five 4th graders and I'm enjoying the heck out of it. You can't hardly go wrong with that number of kids in a common environment. For our class, we're a little different from the normal "missionary-kid" dominated class. I have two MK's (mine included) and then three who are not. Our mix of American-Romanian-Chinese-Nigerian influences creates an interesting thing most days. The most mundane of school activities can be a new experience for half of them any given day. Or a discussion about segregation in the South in the 1960's will get responses about how you'll go to prison in China for certain things or how everyone is so poor in Africa that it's almost impossible to discriminate.

Here's a few glimpses into our elementary Christmas party where we had kids from all over the globe. We made gingerbread houses (a very American tradition), ate 'kim bop'(which is a delicious Korean sushi-type appetizer), played 'foot tag' ( arecess game created in Romania for tight spaces) and ended the day with a 'gratar' (a Romanian BBQ) where we ate all sorts of delicious grilled Romanian meats.

MY 4TH GRADERS

BCA

THE GANG'S ALL HERE

CONGRATULATIONS BCA SENIORS!!!

ONE OF OUR FAVORITES

Miss Diana at BCA.... we'll miss you when you head back to "Banatul."

LOVIN' IT!

These are some of the great kids at BCA before the prom last weekend! I love it and am SO SO SO SO proud of them and to be a part of the team there.

EXPECT GREAT THINGS

Here's our "artist's rendering" of our incredible new facility we hope to build for our BCA students in an eastern Bucharest suburb.... one of those "expect great things from God" things!

THE GETAWAY

On Friday, we took the BCA Seniors and our family, along with another family from school, to an old palace on the edge of the city named Mogosoia. It's a beautiful green enclave that is a breath of fresh air in the gray, crowded city. Here are some views of the place and us as we made our way through the grounds.

THE PROGRESSIVE DINNER

Emma and Grace, a friend from school, spending the night tonight and playing on the computer




About 25+ BCA students broke into small groups for a Progressive Dinner through the city. They all met at Piata Unirii (a main plaza here) and headed in all directions with a leader. Each group went to a family for appetizers (we hosted this group for that), then to another for the entrees. Later tonight, they all will meet back up at school for dessert!

I'M IN A "YOU TUBE" MOOD

These are our 6 seniors at BCA and they are showing off on "You Tube" this week! I teach them for a class everyday, but they did this in a different class (senior Enlgish). They all had to write and sing a ballad. They are great (the ballads and the kids). What a privilege to know them!



Lauren -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M53qI-Zqyy0

Kyle -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5873hb8nLw

Kyle -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIud7BjQOPA

Christina -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70ncNuCXCYo

Rachael -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUJr8RG5Jno

Sean -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73WSiUc2Rq0

DOMNUL DANIEL

Domnul (Mister) Daniel works at our school ...he's an all around "handyman, custodian, fix everything" kind of guy. He's also one of the kindest souls you'd ever meet. He loves my girls and they love him. He speaks very little English and they carry on big conversations in Romanian! His daughter was baptized last Sunday and he invited us to church. We also went to his apartment and his wife made a fabulous Romanian Sunday Lunch! Little Sofia was kissed almost to death that day!

GO FIGURE

Our hometown of Anderson, SC has a big hot air balloon festival every year. You can see one of them hoovering over a neighborhood in the photo. Well, my co-worker and friend, Tony (from BCA) is from Miami. But .....his parents moved to Anderson (go figure) and sent this photo.

What are the odds that a family from Miami would retire, move to Anderson and then a family from Anderson would move to Bucharest and work with the guy whose parents moved to Anderson?

CLICK!

I'm all into school websites these days.... must have something to do with my role at BCA! Here are some I LOVE.... I like clean and clear and simple.....


THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF NAPLES: www.communityschoolnaples.org

ALBUQUERQUE ACADEMY: www.aa.edu

SAINT GEORGE'S ACADEMY: www.stgeorges.edu

RIVER OAKS: www.robs.org

WHAT A GOOD LOOKIN' BUNCH

The BCA staff for this year.... what a crew!

LOOK OUT WORLD

Everybody (except one ...where is he??) poses for their picture around their graduation cake Friday night.

THE B.C.A. FAMILY