They walk a little behind me in the big room. Two friends during the holidays. Amazing how fast it goes with children. They see each other, like each other and, hello, friends for life.

So easy to become friends during the holidays

Now Melody is a very open girl. I noticed that during the mosaic workshop that I did with her and her brother. Open minded children. Very easy to converse with them. They know a lot, I notice, but maybe they are interested: Melody wants to be a vet, and Nick quantum physicist.

Melody begins to sing during the mosaic workshop – “All Menschen werden Brüder”, not a usual melody for a girl of 8. Could it come because the church’s clock next door has chosen to use it to indicate the hour? Most have the “Avé Maria” standard on the repertoire, and change it only by Christmas. For example, they put on “Jingle Bells”, and forget that, so that by the end of March you still have sleighs sliding through the snow.

“It’s your name, of course,”

I say to her, “Do you have music lesson?” Yes, how else, violin and ukulele. Oh, any, ukulele! “Do you have music lessons at school?” I ask. “No, our mother teaches us, we are homeschooled. We can take our musical instruments on our world trip,” Nick says, “we’ve been traveling the world for a year now.”

“How nice!” I answer, “you have probably seen a lot. And maybe that’s why you know so much.”

Their mosaics are a reflection of their future plans: she makes a portrait of our Donkeydog, and he makes the galaxy. It’s very cosy. And it’s even more cozy when a family arrives on our little campsite with two daughters, also English. Therefore, the language does not prevent the girls from getting into the FancyDressingRoom immediately, whereupon a lot of giggling comes out.

Nothing for Nick

He may go on his Kindle, and likes to read, like Elena, the more serious sister. Lisette and Melody walk along the village to try everything. Ping pong, table football, the piano, the library, the board games – it’s as if they were a test team to see if it’s child-friendly. Apparently we are good, because they are and stay very excited and happy.

You can understand it badly if you walk in front of someone in the big room. However, it’s more difficult to talk to someone behind you, but the acoustics in the room are quite difficult. There are few damping elements, so when you sing, it’s a great sound box, but for a normal conversation you need to be closer to each other, with your ears in the right position.

What do you mean … old, me?

In spite of that, I accidentally catch up on some of their conversation: “You can ask the old lady” “What do you mean, who is the old lady?” “Over there … she’s walking over there …”

They stop at the table football, I walk through the door, When I feed the donkeys the old bread, I realize that that’s me – “the old lady”  – and I need some time process that. Like many old ladies, I do not see myself like that.

But two girls of 8 see that, of course. With a big grin, I shake the bread out of the bag. Bread for the donkeys and the crumbs for the birds.

Very appropriate job for an old woman. Now I just have to wait till I become senile, like a child again. I hope I’ll be as nice and open the way these children are over here!