6th Grade

I loved 6th Grade. It was the final grade in the elementary school I had attended since Kindergarten, and I felt that I had reached the true pinnacle of life. The most exciting part about 6th grade was being on Patrol, and traveling to Washington, D.C. (from Jacksonville, FL, my hometown) with the entire group of Patrol kids. It was the first time that I had traveled anywhere without my parents, and it was a huge thrill. The Greyhound bus seemed so luxurious, and other than the fact that my boyfriend -- Warren Hinrichs -- broke up with me on that trip, it was a wonderful experience. I still have a scrapbook from that trip somewhere, and I love to look at the photos and think back on what an exciting time that was in my life.

Fast forward 31 years. Our oldest son, who is in 6th grade here in Belgrade, left yesterday for his third school trip this year. This time, he's headed to, of all places, Riga, Latvia for a basketball tournament (anybody know where Latvia is? I didn't until recently!). I've written about his other trips on this blog -- the first to Helsinki, Finland, and the second to Prague, Czech Republic. After Latvia, he'll travel to Vienna at the end of this month for his fourth and final school trip. I can't help being struck by the differences in Wes's life experiences at the age of 12, and those I had at the same age. What truly incredible opportunities he is having at such a young age!

As if the jet-setting weren't enough for a 12-year old boy, Wes also recently had a most interesting and exciting experience right here in Belgrade. It turns out that famed actor, Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List, The English Patient, The Reader, Harry Potter, etc.), is getting ready to make a film here in Belgrade. The film, entitled Coriolanus, will be a modern-day version of Shakespeare's play by the same title, and will feature, in addition to Fiennes who will play the title role, Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave. Serbia has been working hard to promote itself as a world-class film location, and although some lesser-known films have been shot here, this clearly is a huge (and well-deserved, I might add) coup for the country!

As it turns out, the story line of Coriolanus involves a boy, Young Martius, who is the son of the title character. At the end of January, the kids' school sent out an email saying that the casting director for the film was looking for a boy to play the part. Of course, my heart jumped out of my body, and I immediately contacted the casting director to set up an audition for Wes. Wes had his first audition when I was out of town (Eli took him) and we were told that it would be a few weeks before we would hear anything.

And then, while we were away on Winter Break, we got an email from the casting director telling us that Mr. Fiennes had "really liked" Wes' performance (WOW!!) and that he wanted to meet Wes personally. We were also told that two boys were in the final running for the part -- Wes and another boy from his school.

And so, last Thursday, Wes and I went out to the production company's offices for his callback with Mr. Fiennes. Wes had prepared for the audition, and was ready to wow Mr. Fiennes with his acting ability, etc. He spent about 20 minutes in a room with Ralph and the 1st Assistant Director, going over two scenes in which Young Martius appears in the movie. He got to read lines with Mr. Fiennes and to receive direction from him -- clearly, a thrill for a budding, young actor. I, too, was able to meet Mr. Fiennes briefly, and he seemed like a really nice guy.

Unfortunately, Wes did not get the part. A third boy -- and one whom we did not realize was in the running -- was selected for the part over Wes and his schoolmate. A big disappointment, indeed. The experience was phenomenal, however, and one that I imagine Wesley will not soon forget.

My hope for Wes is that when he is my age, and finds himself thinking back on his 6th grade year -- the school trips to Finland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Austria, and his audition with Ralph Fiennes -- he enjoys the memories as much as I enjoy those of my admittedly more modest 6th grade year in Jacksonville, FL!

Erin