More Farewells

An email from Yael to the other Chateaulites:

Dears,

We would like to have a family dinner on our last "official" night here (we may already be sleeping over at the new place by then depending on when we move our bed).

We would like to request that one, two, or all three of the following games be played:

Are you there, Moriarty?

Mao

Celebrity

Also, we would like to have at least a short singalong, with as many small and big instruments as we can possibly play.

And we want lots of pictures.

We feel immensely blessed to be able to expand just in the nick of time -- two days ago Ori began crawling in earnest, and pulled up to standing, all in one day! We also feel very bittersweet about leaving this sweet nest in the beautiful treehouse village we've shared with you dear friends for almost two years. Over these last two years we have felt so, so lucky, on a constant basis, to live with such a special family of friends, and to have had the immense honor of living with the one and only Ellen Margron (whose real estate prowess and adventurous spirit was part of what inspired us to go for it, and who we imagine has been smiling upon our journey). Our new home is only 2 miles away, so we've decided it's just an east wing of our beloved Chateau L'Orange, and just an extension of the fun and community and creativity and love that has been such a profound part of our lives here. Ori will always be able to visit this magical home (his exact place of birth!) and to hear the stories of his first eight months of life from those who watched him grow day by day.

We love you. We are going to miss living with you. But we are not going to miss being with you because we'll be over all the time and you will be over all the time. So there.

Yael, Addie, and Sproutus Maximus

News from Brazil

Fabio and Sacia have moved back to brazil. We are so blessed to have lived with them for the last year. Here is an email sent by Sacia, titled "Yesterday"

To give you a sense of a day in my life here:

Start the day doing yoga, then make coffee and beijú for breakfast with Fábio. Take it downstairs to watch the news at his parents' house. Guga is having breakfast there, too. Neura is getting him ready to take to school. Bianca arrives with Bethânia and Jorge, carrying a new puzzle that she insists Tio Fabio and Tia Sacia help her with when they finish breakfast. Robson (Guga's dad) and Flavio (Fabio's brother) pass through to ask others some questions about the day. Lots of noise and movement.

Fabio leaves for work and I walk to the main plaza, where I'm meeting Lu-Lu, one of my old students and a volunteer, along with Charles and Jamile. Charles is from Kansas and has been at AEC-TEA for about 2 years. Jamile is from Salvador and is visiting this week to give some Theater of the Oppressed workshops with youth in our Ponto de Cultura. She's a psychologist and actress who volunteered at AEC-TEA for a good part of last year. We are all going to visit Lu-Lu's work in a neighborhood on the outskirts of town, a center/school for "exceptional" people through the Dept. of Social Welfare. Lu-Lu, who is 18 and still in high school, has told me that she is a teacher there and I'm really curious to see what it is. She got the job through her mom, who is a cook there and, like all city jobs, with the mayor's approval.

When we get there, it's breakfast time and quite chaotic. We're greeted with lots of hugs and handshakes. Lu-Lu's mom offers us a cafezinho and gives a tour of the building. It's only been functioning for about 3 mths. Before this, the clients had to take a bus to a center in Jacobina, an hour away (or didn't go). So, who are the "excepcionais"? From what I observe, they are about 20 people in 2 classes who are deaf/mute, developmentally delayed, autistic, have cerebral palsy, and/or have some mental health issues. Lu-Lu, who doesn't know sign language and has never taught, is in charge of the deaf/mute group (+ 1 delayed boy who had behavior issues in the other class and was moved) whose ages range from 12 to 25. Some can read and write, others cannot. She has them all coloring out of elementary school reading books.

We move to the other classroom with 2 teachers and all the other students, aged 9 to 40's. The resident psychologist, in a white lab coat, and physical therapist come through, checking in with everyone. They are both from other cities and are dressed tudo chiqué. Both professionals say that they are unable to do their work because of lack of resources (offices), so unfortunately they haven't started yet. I'm thinking about the salaries the city is paying them to do nothing, when the building is actually quite big. The psychologist and teachers describe each of the clients to us in front of them. At this point, I'm still having a lot of internal shock, but then start to relax and just visit with everyone. We end up staying about an hour, during which they sing us a song, one student leads a prayer, two make speeches to thank us for the visit, and the whole atmosphere gets really fun as they are clearly excited to have visitors. We make a plan for the group to visit AEC-TEA next week. The physical therapist gives us a ride home in her new car and is really interested in the the yoga classes I'm starting this week. Says she may be able to hook me up with projects in other towns that would hire me to give workshops.

Back at the association, Vitor and Megan are making lunch. Megan is from the US and has been here about a month. Vitor is a 19-year old from Belo Horizonte who just arrived last night and is already so motivated and involved, I just love him! He has been at boarding school in Norway and wants to volunteer for a few mths. before starting college in Canada. I go home to cook lunch---chicken, rice, greens, salad, and mango for dessert. Fabio gets there at 12.30 and we eat fast, remembering the new cleaning lady is coming to AEC-TEA at 1 pm and has no instructions----yeah! We have a cleaning lady paid by the city!! The excitement is enough to get our tired bodies back out the door.

In the afternoon, Vitor and I attend a workshop Jamile is giving on storytelling with children. A school principal and pre-school teacher also come. At the end, we follow the pre-school teacher back to the creche to watch her tell stories with about 20 kids---they love it! I recognize some 5-year olds who were 2-year olds the last time I saw them. The creche looks great--so organized with really motivated teachers. I tell Jamile some of the horror stories of our volunteer days there, but it feels like I'm talking about some other place or century. Vitor makes a plan to volunteer here on a regular basis. He'll also be in charge of the Cine-Club we got. AEC-TEA was selected by the state to receive equipment to show movies in our new patio---a big screen, speakers and projector---with the goal of showing Brazilian films in places with no cinema. He and Jamile start selecting films to order for it.

At sunset, Vitor, Aija, Megan and I go for a walk to the outskirts of town, my favorite activity of the day---getting fresh air and exercise, feeling the wind as it starts to cool down, having time to speak English with other volunteers about whatever is going on. When we get back, it's bread and coffee time in the patio. The capoeira teacher stops by, complaining about what a headache it is to teach women, then encourages us to come to his group. I go prepare for my Yoga class, the first one I've taught to locals since I left in 2006. I sweep and light candles in my same old room, enjoying the sound of the crickets. Aija and 3 news students come, along with Cirley, my friend and first yoga student, who really taught me how to teach---so happy to have this reunion!

We leave in a group that starts to dwindle down after lengthy conversations and goodbyes along the way....and I walk home, along the streets I know, in my town, so grateful for my life here---the comfort and community, along with the constant change and activity.

And now grateful for this morning coffee and Internet access that allows me to connect and share with you!

Have a great day!

Abraços,

Sacia

Work Day at Chateau L'Orange - Slideshow!

Happy Birthday Ellen

Happy Birthday Ellen, teacher and mentor to many, mother of Rami, founder and patron saint of Chateau L'Orange.

Today

it's

steak

for

breakfast!

Blue balloon may be fading, but blue pot is exploding with new life! Ellen's poppies make a comeback
...spring is here!

Storytime

Kele reads from The Phantom Tollbooth

a poem for the inauguration

All My Life I've Been Waiting

All my life I've been waiting

for something unusual to happen.

I may yet come into a windfall,

a National Endowment of the Hearts.

All my life I've been expecting

a grand finale, an awakening,

love erupting in the streets,

in the bars, in classrooms,

everyone dropping their guard,

their pants, their skirts,

cops weeping tenderly

as they snap off your cuffs,

bankers giving away their money,

politicians telling the truth,

literary critics confessing

that they know nothing about writing or life.

All my life I've been waiting

for something unusual to happen.

Harold Norse
BENIDORM, SPAIN, 1956

Chateau Life 3

Are you there, Moriarty?...

Adam vs. Fabio. Rushkin as referee, insuring a clean fight.







Sacia vs. Raheemah



Addie vs. Kele



Yael vs. Rami

This is Ram's dapper dad, Jean. He appears often in Chateau photos, but sadly he couldn't make last night's house dinner.

Here we hold an impromptu rehearsal for A Very Jug Band Solstice Special, coming in June.

small yet chic:

We made a toast to honorary Chateau resident Chichi, who was conspicuously absent last night. She will be living in Mexico for a few months. We love her!!!!

A time of Transition

Well...
Blue Balloon has been with us since that night in November, three months ago, when President Obama was elected.
It has seen many things in its extraordinarily long life... witnessed history...
It was looking forward to seeing the first Balloon-American president in its lifetime, but now it looks like that might not happen.
I don't know how much longer Blue Balloon will be with us, but I promise that in its last days it will be surrounded by the love and warmth of Chateau L'Orange.

-rami

The barack hussein obama inauguration adventure

Sorry it's taken a bit of time to compose this but it's been crazy since we've returned.On January 19Th Rami,Kele and I flew to Washington D.C. to be witnesses to the swearing in of our first African American President Barack Hussein Obama. Boy that's a mouth full. We stayed with a friend of Rami's Sahara Moon. (She is awesome!) I'm just going to add pictures and captions elaborating if I feel the need.
-Raheemah