Road Trip

Eitan is away for the very first time as his class goes to Juniper Hall, a country residence where the kids hike, learn about the natural world and eat junk food in a slumber party atmosphere complete with bunk beds and sleeping bags (I recall the boy's first day of school; Sonnet gets teary eyed). Three day camp, dude! - I feel sorry for the teachers and staff. The school trip takes place every year about this time for the year-fours so Madeleine, duly jealous, will get hers in 2011. Meanwhile we enjoy having the kid all to ourselves - Sonnet takes Madeleine for a bike ride in Richmond Park then strawberry sundays; I pounce on her early this morning (she groans "leave me alone, Dad") before chocolate croissants. So Eitan has been thinking about Juniper Hall for weeks and he tells me beforehand that he is both "excited and a bit scared" which is fair enough. Any deserving adventure should have these qualities at any age. My first separation from home at age-12 at swimming camp in San Diego. Man, that was care free. I write Eitan a letter -- can it be another first? -- which he will read sometime today I imagine. Sadly, we no longer keep a record of each other this way. Emails just don't cut it.

I have over 300 letters from my year in Geneva which I patiently scan and send back to their source (I keep the original). How extraordinary to receive a record of one's thoughts at age 16. A lot was going on back then, no doubt. At some point maybe I will share these correspondences in this blog, observing privacy of course. I don't know. Somewhere in my possession is a letter I wrote to myself in Social Living class in tenth grade (1983) which teacher Nancy Rubin sent to my parent's house in 2000. I have not had opened it (chicken, I be) so maybe I will gift it to Eitan when he turns 16.