Greetings

You remember Stefan, Helen, Barbara and Guy who came and helped us prepare the performance?

Barbara just came back from Liberia (have a look at a map of Africa.....) one of the poorest countries of Africa, where she was working for the German radio, Deutsche Welle.
There, one of her journalist students told her of an African saying which immediately reminded her of you. Therefore, she asked me to send it to you with her love and a personal message to each of you:

"If you want to have some shade when you are grown up, don´t forget to plant a tree while you are still a child!"

And here is Barbara´s message to you:

"Since I saw your performance on the 5th of September 2009 I know that each of you has planted his tree already, at the latest during the Firebird project, if not before. We are now launching an artistic contest, a kind of competition. But an unusual competition, in which each one of you will win. Not necessarily a prize, but something much more precious than a prize. It will be up to you to discover what this precious prize can be.

I suggest that each of you thinks of a creation of his own about the meaning of this African saying for himself.

It can be a drawing, a painting, a sculpture, a poem, a simple text, a dream, a picture, a song, or anything else you can imagine. Or you can suggest to your teacher for Romanian to give this saying as a subject for an essay. You can also start a competition for your friends at your school or your home. You can even decide to get together with some of your Firebird friends and start a competition on a wider scale, school or town. I think it is a wonderful subject. What kind of tree would you like to be? What do you have to do for it to grow strong and stable against storms, lightening and winters?

As soon as Monique gets your contributions she will publish them in the blog. And if many of you participate, we can think of a way of exhibiting your creations when she goes back to Bucharest and the Premiere of Tedy´s film takes place.
I am looking forward to seeing what you create. Now that I know how talented each of you is, you have no excuse!

When you want to, you can be so creative. You showed it last summer, on the stage and with your beautiful drawings exhibited in the hall of the National Theatre which were just amazing. So, do not hesitate: next time you are bored, sit down, think and get going....And do not forget to tell all the other participants of the Firebird.

Guy, Stefan, Helen and I keep a wonderful memory of the few days spent with you in Bucharest and the unique adventure we lived through thanks to you all. Your friendliness and your cheerfulness, your enthusiasm and your energy , your performance and its success are unforgettable.

Get this tree of yours growing and make sure you get some shade when you are grown up. NOW!

Love to each of you and have a very good year 2010"

Barbara

salutari din parte lui Klaus

One of Klaus´s pictures of the Firebird performance

"Hey guys,

I heard about your revival meeting this weekend. That sounds great to me. I would really like to be there!

Even more because of the photo-pictures, that I showed to 30 - 40 people in Bubenreuth. There could have been some more people if you ask me. But they did not ask me. Anyway: those who came have been so impressed about you and your performances, that some of them even cried...

This was last Wednesday. Monique and Wilfried were here too. And mentally I have been even closer to you than ever...

I am convinced that you have a nice weekend together. And I am so happy for you...Say hello to everybody from my side, from Sophia and my family!

Kisses to all of you, Klaus"

When Klaus wrote this mail, he did not know yet that the meeting has been postponed to the end of February. I was sorry to hear that and can understand that you were sad. But if you work hard at school, time will pass much more quickly and the 27th will arrive before you even have time to think!

I am now attaching Klaus´s new year message. I had not published it in the blog because Mihaela was going to read it to you at the meeting last Saturday night. But now, here it is:

"Draga familia Pasarea de foc!

Eu va doresc la toti un an nou 2010 plin de bucurie si impleniri! In anul 2009 am incercat impreuna sa demonstram ce ar putea insemna sa fie "bun".
Talentul vostru, bunavointa voastra, umorul, increderea, rabdarea, competenta, spiritul de echipa, capacitateas voastra de a duce un lucru la bun sfirsit si de a da tot ce este mai bun din voi in orice imprijurare, toate acestea m-au impresionat si in aceasti manera m-au incintat in vara si am ramas marcat in mod placut pe viata.
Eu sper din inima sa ne reintelnim in anul acest, poate la premiera filmului Tedy sau in alta ocasia.
Sofia si eu, impreuna cu „mica“ noastra familie, ne gandim deseori la „mare“ noastra familia Pasarea de foc si sunteti mereu in gandurile nostri.
Va doresc un an 2010 fericit si inca mai bun decat 2009, cu mult bucurie, si experiente placute si bogate.
Cu drag si dor,

Klaus, Sofia si familia"

Craciun fericit!

Dragi mei!

Am fost pana astazi in Paris la familia mea si sin computer. Astazi am ajuns in Germania,in Bonn, unde locuesc Barbara si Guy,si abia asteptam sa ajung la internet sa va scriu cateva cunvinte si sa va doresc cu putin interzire : CRACIUN FERICIT!
Sper ca l ati trecut bine, poate ca a fost un craciun alb ca la noi cu mult zapada.
Va doresc si un an bun, cu sanatate si clipe frumoase, prietenie si bucurie.
Sper ca vom avea in curind ocasia sa ne vedem din nou.
Multumesc tuturor care m-au scris in ultime saptamine. M-am bucurat sa aud noutate si veste lor. Sa stiti ca in fiecare zi sunt in gand alatur de voi si ca mi-e foarte dor de voi toti si de timpuri trecuti impreuna.
Pupici tuturor.
Cu drag si mare dor

Monique