Circus!

Yesterday evening we took Gio to the circus, which is a big tradition in Kiev.  There is actually a building right in the center of town that holds one-ring circuses all year long.  The show last night was from Moscow.  From the moment we entered the building Gio was entranced.  We bought him the requisite cheap toy on the way in, two boxes of popcorn from a babushka near our seats and sat down for 3 hours of  fun.

Before the show started and at intermission the horses took willing children around the ring.  Gio preferred to watch...

...and eat popcorn.

It would not be Ukraine without some scantily-clad dancers.  The singing and dancing throughout the show was my least favorite part (think tacky American pop songs made even worse by singers who do not understand the words they are singing), but Gio was completely mesmerized.  Perhaps something to worry about?

These three men were the first of many acrobatic acts.  

Two clowns who performed throughout the show.  The man in the hat doubled also as the leopard tamer.  And the crazy-haired fellow will appear shortly in a ballet with a kangaroo.

A monkey act.  I know that animal acts in circuses are frowned upon these days in the US, but here in Eastern Europe the tradition is going strong.  

This was Paolo's favorite act of the night.  The man on top built an enormous tour of chairs and wine bottles in order to get high enough to change the light bulb in the chandelier.  

My photos do not capture how amazing this feat truly was!

A dog act.  These dogs were mostly obeying this woman but I secretly liked it when they were a bit naughty and ignored her commands.  The black dog just stood there and smelled the floor the entire time.  Even Enzo could have pulled that off!

This was incredible.  The young boy (maybe about 8 years old) was tossed up in the air from his father's feet where he did flips and spins.  He was flawless.  Loved also the Harley theme.

At intermission they set up a huge net around the sing for the leopard act.  

And here is the promised kangaroo ballet.  I could not help laughing at the antics though I felt sorry for the poor thing. 

Overall the circus was a big hit.  We will definitely go again when the next circus comes to town. 

In the Icebox

This week's forecast is grim...at least for all of us but Enzo.  The high today of +10F is actually the high for the entire week!  By Wednesday the high will be -10F (yes, that's a minus sign) and the low -22F.  Yikes.  

Grandmother Day

Last week I flew back to Washington to be with my grandmother who had fallen ill just after our visit in November.  As her condition worsened I knew it was time for me to see her and to say goodbye.  I left Paolo, Gio and Enzo back to battle an enormous snow storm and was able to spend many days next to Grandmother's bedside.  She passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday morning, January 24th, at the age of 94.
Below are some images over the last few years during our visits back to Washington.  She was a truly wonderful grandmother and friend to me.  I will miss her terribly.  I am so glad that she and Giovanni were able to spend three special years together.  Rest in Peace, Bisnonna.  We love you dearly.

This was the first day Grandmother met Giovanni.  We were visiting from India.  Gio was 6 months old and 25 pounds.

I remember that she began giggling when I first placed Gio in her lap.  

Gio's enormous size was not really obvious until you saw him in person!

What was remarkable to me about this day was that Gio had never liked strangers to hold him.  Even though he had never met his bisnonna, he was instantly comfortable and happy in her arms.

I think he could have sat here all day.  

This was just after we moved back to DC.  We celebrated Gio's 1st birthday at Grandmother's.  

Gio was just learning to stand and Grandmother's walker was a huge help.

I love this "angry Italian" expression!

Oops.  Sorry.  Pictures out of sequence.  Here we are back in June of 2008.  Gio 6 months old.

Grandmother always had a little something in her purse to keep Gio happy.  Her measuring spoons were always a big hit.  

This is my favorite MLBD-Gio photo.  I love how comfortable they both seem together.

These were taking in March of 2010. Gio was just beginning to walk (he took his first steps at Grand Oaks!).
Here they are leaving the dining room with their walkers.

This procession out of the dining room always drew a crowd. 

This is the last picture I have of Gio & Bisnonna.  November, 2010. 

Below is what my mother wrote for her service today...

We have begun to receive thoughtful warm notes of condolence from our Mother’s friends.  One said ‘I loved her shrewd common sense approach, her wide interest in so many things and her wicked wit.  That grin and twinkle in her eye will stay with me always’.

And from a woman who acted as her advocate at the bank ‘I really enjoyed working with Mary Louise…well it wasn’t really like working.  She asked for so little, I often wondered what more I could do for her.  Work was always mixed with stories and laughs.  Some afternoons I would just call to ‘check in’ and I would get the latest scoop on what was happening with friends or with her crazy computer, or most often what was happening with her family.   Talking about her family was when she really sparkled’.

I found Mother’s voice talking about that family when I discovered a draft of a Christmas letter composed with her granddaughter Serena a year ago but never sent. 

2010 was a very special year for me because my great-grandson, Giovanni Belli, spent most of it in Washington. He learned to walk on the carpeted floors of ‘Grand Oaks’, the assisted living facility that has now been my home for seven plus years.  Born in New Delhi he soon became a favorite of both the staff and residents here as he enjoyed Sunday brunch sitting in a high chair eating or toddling happily among the admirers.  Alas, in mid-November the Bellis moved to Kiev, Ukraine, for Paolo’s new assignment with the World Bank.

We were all saddened when Mom suddenly became ill and disappeared from the dining room at Grand Oaks.  Friends tried to reach out with phone calls and visits but she knew she wasn’t herself and wanted to be alone.  What is amazing to me is that this is the first major illness that I knew my mother to have and that I shared with her.

And from my perspective Mom was thoughtful to the very end.  When she and I went down the corridors from Grand Oaks to the ER at Sibley two months ago she looked up at me and said,  ‘I’m sorry, Jerry’.  Even as she fought the demons from the psychosis from the steroid treatment for her shingles she found her voice to comfort.  ‘Don’t cry, Jerry.  You are so wonderful to me’  or ‘This is the worst thing I have ever been through.  Do you really think I am getting better’?  When the atypical behavior disappeared she was too weak to recover.  But her smile returned and also the thoughtful responses.  ‘I love you…I’m so glad…good’.

And the care-givers here at Grand Oaks loved taking care of her.  They had known Mom for eight years as a smart, considerate but always independent resident.  She knew their names and always asked about their families. Once Mom had 24-hour care she had as many as 18 different care-givers with 8 hour shifts in a week.  I said to Brenda, the Care Coordinator, "Either no one wants to do this shift with Mom or everyone does".  Brenda smiled knowingly, "Everyone does".  It was a gift to our family that they were there to take care of her when she needed that care.  

In October our family joined together to give Mom a new computer.  Last Sunday our family was gathered in her room around that computer as her 3-year-old great-grandson Gio showed up on the screen from Kiev.  "Where is Bisnonna?"  His mother Clara told him, "She is here in bed.  She is very sick, honey."  I asked Mom if she had heard him.  She nodded and smiled.  We will all treasure that afternoon.

-Jerry Day Zurn, January 28, 2012

Our first snow!

Yesterday and today have finally brought some snow to Kiev.  Both of our boys are thrilled with it and we have spent most of the daylight hours throwing snowballs and building snowmen.  Here are some imagines from our trek up to the park this morning.  Upon our return home we ate bowls of borscht.  How Ukrainian is that??

Gio was determined to bring this shovelful of snow from our alley all the way to the park, eating it all along the way.

The walk up to the park took a long time, with many stops to build stick trees.

Enzo was, as always, very patient.

Snowman building

The final result.  Carrots from home, metro tokens from pockets and trash from the ground.  

Sometimes carrying Gio around does feel like hauling a giant bag of potatoes!

Happy winter, everyone!  

Natale in Italia!

We just returned from a wonderful 20 day vacation in Italy.  Paolo and Enzo made the 3 day drive with little trouble and although it seemed a bit crazy to do all of that driving, seeing how happy Enzo was to be at our new house with freedom to roam was worth the effort in the end.  Gio and I made the journey by airplane after a 2:30 AM wakeup on Monday (it is two-hour drive to the Bologna airport) to make our early morning flight. Our only hitch on the trip was a bit of trouble with the passport control in Germany.  Apparently my passport is too full and the officer finally let me go after I promised to get more pages added before my next trip.  So off to the embassy I go this week.  It might actually be a good idea for me to do this for Gio's passport as well as it has very few free pages in it.  Not many 3-year-old's can say that, can they?! School begins again tomorrow and it was easy to jump back into our lives here, a place that now really does feel like home.  Enzo bounded up to the park last night eager to return to his old spots (and to mark every single one of them!).  I was quickly back in touch with my dear friends here and already have quite a few lunches and coffee dates on the calendar.  So while our hearts truly lie in America and Italy, we are happy to be back in Ukraine.
Below are some shots of our time in Italy...

Our seasoned traveler, passing the time in Munich with iPad and Big Tom (and thumb).

Here is one of Enzo's new-found friends at our house in Italy.  Size seems not to matter to E.

The front of our new house.  We battled a LOT of mud this vacation.  Work began on the landscape the day we left, so hopefully when we are there this summer there will be a lot more grass and trees and less sticky mud!

The road up to our house, up which many village dogs trotted to visit the new resident.

Chess with Angelo at Nonna Luisa's.  Never too young to learn. (All of the pieces ended up on the floor 5 minutes after this photo was taken, so no signs of prodigy quite yet.)

Christmas morning in our new house.

No tree (we arrived only the day before), but Santa found his way.

Awaiting his beloved bowl of cappeletti at Nonna Luisa's on Christmas.  Note the velvet Christmas overalls and fancy shirt.  Might be the last time you EVER see Gio dressed like this.  Just had to do it. 

The boys...Pippo, Willy, Paolo, Gio, Guido & Nonno Renato (Mauro and Matteo not visible)

At long last, a bowl of homemade cappeletti!

Luisa and Silvana (sisters of Paolo's late mother).  

A brief video around the table to get a feel of a family meal.... Sorry I could not share the taste and smells!

Gio's first power tool! Showing it off to Willy and his son Matteo (Gio's personal hero!)

And now back to the table for...CAKE!

And guess where Enzo was this whole time!

Post-Christmas shopping.  Here we are picking out a bunk bed for Gio.  

He was thrilled with this, but not so happy when I told him he would have to wait until February for his new bed (made to order).

Napping in the store while Paolo and I designed his new room.  It is going to be, according to Gio, "sooo cool!"

Back at home assisting men putting a satellite dish on the roof.

Is there anything more fun than romping in the mud?

Yes.  Doing it with your dog.

Enzo spent most of his time outside.  He was thrilled.  It was hard to bring him back to our apartment in Kiev, but we promised him two months of freedom this summer in Italy.  He seems okay with that deal!