Apartment Part 2 - Bucătărie

I know you've all been waiting with bated breath... wait no longer. YES folks... we introduce to you..... our KITCHEN! Enjoy!


As a side note, some people have wondered why we started with the bathroom... Our "tour" seems to lack logic and planning. Well, surprised as you all may be at the answer, indeed, the whole thing was rather spontaneous. I just happened to be in the bathroom when Nils decided to begin filming the apartment tour. Luckily, that was the cleanest room in the entire house after it received a very in-depth cleaning from me the day before.

Ode to a new Nephew

So Nils and I have a new handsome nephew!! His name is William Dennis O'Hara (named for his two grandpas) and was born on Sunday October 19, 2008 at 7:27 am. We were out of town this last week with limited internet access, so we apologize for the delay. In honor of our new nephew, here is a little poem:

What Child Is This?!?!?

What child is this, who still won't rest
While his parents are pretending to be sleeping?
Whom two siblings greet with signs so sweet (who this, Mom?),
While all will be watching the three-kid buggie.
This! This??? is William Dennis O'Hara
Who is named of ancestors of old...
Haste! haste?? you better bring him laud,
The babe (ya know, like baby!), the son of Toby and Sharole-y!

So bring him gifts of gold and other expensive things,
Cuz this kid didn't come very cheap-ly
The cutest of the three, cuz he's small, he's Billy D!
Let loving hearts (only) hold him.
Joy! joy! for the kid finally came out,
the babe, the son of Toby and Sharole-y!
The babe, the son of Toby and Sharole-yyyyyy!

Braila today, Nashville tomorrow...

Emily and I found a new hobby - recording platinum albums. And just because we like you all, we decided to release our first ever cut of us singing our first single "Row row row your boat." I hope you enjoy...

I just can't help it...

Okay, so politics is one of those things that you either hate... or just laugh at. So for those of you who appreciate a good laugh, Saturday Night Live did a pretty good job on this spoof of an interview between Sarah Palin and Katie Couric. The parts are played by Tina Fey (Palin) and Amy Poehler (Couric). As a note, Couric isn't the one pregnant in this sketch. Just the actress.

Tour of the Apartment - Part 1

So yes, everyone's been reminding me that it's been a while since I've posted anything. So... as a consellation, here's a little video for ya! I can't compete with my brother Toby's abilities, but there is some sign language in there!

Nils is speaking and I'm simply interpreting. If the narration doesn't make sense, it's because of Nils... not me!

Nils the Grad Post Grad

Last week Nils finished his final project for his Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). It wasn't until I saw the website where he posted his entire project did I realize how much work he put into it! I'm really quite proud of him. Anyway... YEAH for Nils!!

Anyone who's interested in his final Master's project, you can view the complete project on:
http://notebook.zoho.com/nb/public/nbergeson/book/69926000000011027
There's a lot of really interesting stuff that may be useful to anyone working on future facilitation or evaluation projects.

We've also posted some video footage of Nils' facilitation exercise on Youtube. Go to http://www.youtube.com/ and search for nbergy5 and you'll receive a complete list of all of our film entries (all the ones with Youth Vision in the title are relevant to the project). I even got to play a small role as the interviewer for the evaluation of the exercise afterward! :) Take a look! And here's a picture of the participants.

Again, congrats Nils! You're officially done with school!!! (Unless of course you decide to pursue your PhD... )

Zilele Brailei

"Zilele Brailei" means "the days of Braila"... or better interpreted, Braila Days. This was last weekend and Cynthia joined us for the fun, food, and .... heat. We went on the Faleza (kinda like a board walk, without the wood...) along the Danube and looked at all the vendors with their various trinkets and things. We didn't end up buying anything. We've got to save up for Christmas. Big travel plans in the works.... Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Monte Negro, and Serbia to be exact.

Here were some pictures we took during the days of Braila.

Behind us are the seats in preparation for a concert. Behind the "photographer" is a stage for live performances. Behind us also is the rows of foundains which lead up to the world-renown fountain of Braila. More pictures on that later...

Emily and Cynthia

So Braila is working on a project called "Rebranding Braila" and Nils and I had the opportunity to sit in on some of the meetings. There are very smart and knowledgeable people in Braila. Several great ideas came out of the meeting, from the youth and from the more experienced members, from leaders and from the citizens. It was an experience that got me very excited to be involved in any small projects that may occur in the future that would improve Braila for the benefit of its citizens and its economy. It's exciting to see people take an interest in their community and their future! Great job Braila!!