International Schools, etc.

Prior to our assignment to Belgrade, one of the things that intrigued me most about living and working overseas was the whole international school thing, and having our kids exposed to kids from all over the world. In my mind, I had conjured up an an image of international schools being these little utopias -- amazingly diverse and enlightened places. While not all international schools may measure up to this standard, I am pleased to say that the schools that our kids attend, in fact, are really cool, special places. Indeed, they are full of children from all over the world, but also are filled with open-minded and adventure-seeking teachers and families. We just love that our kids are having the experience of going to school with and becoming friends with kids who speak different languages, have different cultures, and different perspectives on life and on the world. (I know, all of my liberal friends and family are thinking that this doesn't sound like a Republican talking -- well, wonders never cease, do they!!)

One especially unique aspect of the international school experience is the panoply of interscholastic events and competitions sponsored by various associations of international schools. The association to which ISB belongs is called CEESA, which stands for Central and Eastern European Schools Association. They sponsor all kinds of events, like the Middle School Boys' soccer tournament that will be held in Helsinki, Finland this weekend. The event is being hosted by the International School of Helsinki, and seven other teams, I believe, from around the region, will be competing. Our Wes will be one of 11 boys representing ISB at this event, and actually was selected as one of the teams 2 co-captains. Quite an honor for him!

So, tomorrow morning, we will say bon voyage to Wes, who will leave mid-day from school with his teammates and two coaches, travel to Budapest by bus, and then by plane to Helsinki, a place that Eli and I have never been. Even though Wes has been away to camp several times, this seems like a slightly bigger deal, since it involves a plane ride, and staying in a place we know very little about. Scandinavians, generally speaking, though, seem to really have their act together, so I am confident that that event will be well-organized and super fun for the boys.

We'll let you know how the tournament goes -- in the meantime, our numbers here in the Richardson household will be diminishing dramatically over the next 36 hours. Eli's Dad has been visiting for several weeks, and we have friends in from Chicago, as well. Last count, there were 10 of us under the roof, but by Thursday morning, we'll be down to 6, since Eli's Dad leaves on Wednesday, and our other friends leave Thursday (all returning to Evanston, IL). We've enjoyed having guests, though, and would encourage any of you who get a wild hair and want to visit us here in the former Yugoslavia to come on out!!

Ciao.

Erin