TELGEN NEWSLETTER 5.0: June 16, 2000

Dear Family and Friends:

Really, I have been meaning to write another one of these letters about our everyday life in England, since it's been over a year since the last one. But between traveling here and there, getting involved in school and community groups, and working like a dog on freelance assignments since last April, I just haven't found the time. But I'm about to rectify that, since this month I begin a summer of freedom—no work assignments, no activities, no worries! Well, keeping a six year old entertained all summer will be challenging, but not stressful, I hope! So without further ado, here are the headlines:

The name's Telgen—David Telgen: Yes, there's definitely a Y-chromosome at work in our wee one, as I realized when the pictures of disasters started metamorphosing into pictures of James Bond. James Bond attacking a submarine, James Bond destroying an airplane, James Bond generally dismantling anything in his path. David hadn't even seen a James Bond movie when this newfound attraction began, but somehow he knew about all the cool gadgets (and the girl-kissing, although he doesn't really like that part). He says that James Bond has the coolest toys (cars, planes, boats), but has given no opinion yet as to who would win a battle between 007 and Inspector Gadget.

From the man himself, as told to Mom: "I've learned to read. I'm glad school's out because finally I get to play with mommy every day [read: ALL day]. My favorite things to play are cards [e.g. Uno], my train set, and breaking down and building up my Legos. I like to watch TV, especially Wacky Racers, James Bond, and What Went Wrong." (The latter is a disaster show, of course.)

Let the sun shine (yawn!): In my last newsletter I was probably complaining about how the British winters felt weird because it gets dark by 4 PM. Now, as we approach our second summer solstice here, we're experiencing the flip side of our more northerly latitude: very early sunrises. If you happen to wake in the middle of the night, you can get easily confused about the time. Last week, when the phone rang early in the morning, I panicked because I thought my alarm hadn't gone off and I'd missed meeting a bus for a 6:30 trip. After a bit of stumbling and grumbling (the mystery caller hung up before I could answer), I realized it was only 4 am. I still had almost two hours to sleep, but I sure couldn't tell from the light! It's just another way we're occasionally reminded that yes, we are living in a completely different part of the world.

Coming soon, Chevy lettuce and Buick tomatoes: We're almost starting to take it personally, all the commotion over here regarding GM foods. Except it doesn't have to do with car companies getting into the grocery business; for the British, GM stands for "genetically modified." There's been some kind of item in the news almost every week about the controversy over GM foods: test crops being picketed, or their pollen "contaminating" regular crops—even the royals have been involved, with Prince Charles adamantly against them and Prince Philip and Princess Anne supportive of agro-business. What I've never heard mentioned in any of the debates is that people have been genetically modifying crops for hundreds of years through cross-breeding, but I guess you add a little gene-splicing and people think they're getting Frankenbeans all of a sudden. There's a definite purity-of-essence thing going on over here; we actually had an engineer at a water treatment plant tell us they don't add fluoride to the water because fluoridation was a Communist plot to cause brain damage. (Meanwhile, their plot to damage British health through tooth decay progressed unchecked.)

Stood up at the proms: I've said before that you gotta like a country where classical music is so popular, and no time of year brings that home like Proms season. No, it's not scores of adolescents dressing up and dancing in poorly decorated gymnasiums; it's a time for classical concerts all over the country. From June through September, they are held indoors and out—and I've heard of a full audience sitting in a downpour to listen to one—and are broadcast on national television. Even the band I play in has had its own proms concert. A prominent feature of almost every concert, especially at the end of the season, is the playing of numerous patriotic pieces, such as "Pomp and Circumstance," "Jerusalem," and other songs with lyrics about the glory of Britain. Of course, the audience all stands up during the singing, meaning you automatically get a standing ovation at the conclusion of the concert. The audiences are very enthusiastic, as well, and I have to say that I've never performed with a group that has received such applause. It balances out the outdoor gigs we play where no one really pays attention.

You can't have the news without the weather: We're still enjoying the climate here, as the winter doesn't get too cold and the rain isn't constant, ensuring a nice, lovely green environment. May is wonderful for rhododendrons, and you get to see their true size—up to 15 ft and higher—unlike the pathetic small shrubs that have to deal with Michigan winters. As for temperature, it's mid-June and we're still wearing pants and long sleeves, having had only four or five days of shorts weather so far. It'll be that way for most of the summer, too, except we'll probably have a week or two of fairly hot weather in August. We're not complaining, although it does make it challenging to pack for vacations!

That's all for this edition. I should have time in the next months to update you on our trip to Scotland and our upcoming visit to Bruges (Belgium) and Germany. But don't wait for the next update—keep in touch anytime!

Diane, Bill & David Telgen

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