Education, Phillosophically Speaking

with Guest Lecturer, Phillip John

Computer Technology: People are all confused about computers. I always see the family stuck to them, scowling & grunting, sometimes even howling. Odd, I tell you! Computers are really meant for showing pictures of Holly and baby animals and "bus-ducks" (thanks Google Images), and for the fascinating games of "Car-Car". (Co-author's note: it is regretful and necessary to point out that, at the tender age of 2, Phillip already shows signs of addiction to computer games, owing to the sad influence of father and uncle.)

Spelling: Is not my best subject. Things started out poorlly with my dear grandma's counsell to Dad and Mom to spellll Phillip "properlly": with 2 "LL"s. I think I'llll ask my grandpa about this one: he's a speciallll ed teacher.

Health: Everything feels better after Mommy kisses it.

Driver's Ed/ Physics: It doesn't matter: everything, even car crashes, can be fixed with a kiss. (Experience based on dinky cars...)

Home Economics: My favourite subject. As my extensive experience has shown, mothers and grandmas aren't too pleased when you shut everything --like the dishwasher, fridge or dryer-- behind them while they're still using it. But they do like help making salad, doing dishes, and that sort of thing. Oh, and sometimes aunts or uncles need motivation to clean their rooms: picking your way through the mess and saying "baach" (Dutch for "disgusting") will do just that.

PhysEd: It's good to run on the spot or in circles around the house, but make sure you do it with the appropriate huffing and puffing noises (even if you're not really out of breath --then you sound like Daddy). And as my other uncles/ aunts have schooled me, "hockey is fun."

Science: Woodweckkkers (better known as woodpeckers): they're not "pretty", not at all. "They're perfect."

Phillosophy: Life is great when you're the only nephew on one side, and you've got doting uncles and aunts on the other :) It'll be even better when there's another baby on the way... Can't wait for "Baby Funner"!

We miss you Phillip!

The Next Few Months... Bulgaria Trip

For the past month or so, I’ve been telling the same story over & over again, so now I figured I’d get it all done and over with here :) On May 1, DV, Louise D. and I will be heading out to Bulgaria for two months! Bulglbu-what, you ask? Is that some sort of disease? Nope, it’s actually a country in Eastern Europe. Louise & I hope to help in schooling some of the families out there, teaching them English, etc.

There’ll even be a little time at the end for a quick, adventure-filled scamper around Europe. Of course, teaching English to children who enjoy having "salutary conversations" will be an adventure all of itself. (Dariel is the salutary young man: at 10 years old, he’s using English words I have to look up! Now Paul, who’s 2 and knows the letter "A", he’s more at our level :) We’re definitely looking forward to it!
If you have any questions, I’ll answer them by message/ email :)

A few facts about Bulgaria:

• Location: South-eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
• Terrain: Mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
• Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census)
• Language Groups: Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
• Occupied by the Ottoman Empire until 1885
• The town of Sapareva Banya has the hottest mineral water spring in Bulgaria.
• Bulgaria has around four thousand mapped caves.
• Varna, on the Black Sea, was a trading centre in ancient times. A cemetery, found in 1972, contained many gold and copper artifacts from around 4600 BC to 4200 BC.
  

Sources: http://www.propertyshowrooms.com/bulgaria/guide/bulgaria-facts.asp%20http://www.worldinfozone.com/facts.php?country=Bulgaria

Quote of the Day

"Never before has so little work been done in so much time." --my wise Father, regarding work on computers and the devices in general.

So true, in so many ways... Dad & Mom exploring the baffling intricacies of computers and email and "maximizing" and "minimizing" and "files" and "folders" and "Argh, I just lost all my work!!" and "Oh, that actually matters?" ...And also true, unfortunately, in my essaying. Which, incidentally, I hope to be finished by Saturday :)