Daycare

Finally, It seemed he was just not gonna give up this machine. He went to town today to hang out with some folk and try to get paper that’s lighter than 80g in a square meter for folding paper planes. That’s their new hobby with Lili. She is pretty good at it I must say already having learnt to fold a design pretty much all by herself. It’s fun to throw them off the balcony when the weather isn’t windy. Moses went out with them the other day and he spent quite some time outside after that. Sunny days.
I have been out yesterday too. Lili took me to day care! Man, it was a nice day. The other kids didn’t care much about me. I’m just a bear. Nothing Special. But we know better. I am the bear who never had his own child. Unless of course we count Gabor.
She took me to have lunch with her which at first I thought was a really great idea but then I realised that maybe the food they feed kids in institutions is not what a bear likes most. It was probablt healthy and balanced I just didn’t like it. She still forced some down though. That’s the rule at home too. Meals are to be eaten. (unless it’s a rushed evening and food came from the freezer – junk can be left on the plate)
After lunch I slept like a baby. Really. I don’t think Lili did, she told me she never really sleeps at day care, instead she lies bored for nearly an hour. Her choice. We made some crafts later on and she coloured in some flowers for me. I had to hide those from Gabor as he isn’t fun of colouring in. It was nice when he came to pick us up. We have had a nice day.
I ‘m just realising I still owe you dear reader in the rest of the story, as we were nearing Europe...
Maybe some other day I tell you, now I think I need to go. Moses can’t find Little Ted. He gets lost easily especially when near or in the dolls’ box. It’s pink. Sorry, I am not really fond of pink. Whatever. Anyway, from now on I will have to refer to LT (Little Ted) as Theodor Junior. It’s some kind of old bear young bear thingy. No one else has to call him that. But I guess he is old. I mean if Moses is old, LT or Theodor Junior is – as some of Jen’s classmates think of Gabor – ancient!

Morning

To the hell with Moses. No! That’s too strong, this is not what I mean. To hell whith what he said, that I should write about my history because that’s the interesting part of my life. I disagree. Take yesterday morning for instance:
I woke in the bed at first not knowing where I was. Usually I don’t sleep in the bed. That’s only for those special ones who are associated with children. Normally I sleep out in the living room in Gabor’s arm chair or somewhere forgotten in a corner. I don’t mind either although I think it is special to keep in Gabor’s chair, keeping it warm for him reading the news when he gets up and his eyes are still too sleepy to focus on the screen. And yes, it is His armchair although he doesn’t publicly admit to it but makes annoyed faces if he finds sitting there anyone but me.
But last morning I woke in the bed. Lili was there as well and I stayed, enjoying listening to all their snoring. Eventually one by one Lili then Gabor got up and I stayed playing with Jen and ‘Itchy’ the growing one inside her belly. I was sitting on top and he tried to bounce me off but I think he might be still too small. Or I am still too heavy even if my nature is fluffy.

getting over the unexpected shyness

I got a stage fright I realized a few days back. It’s terrible. I thought I was really up for this and yet I find all kind of excuses why I haven’t the time to sit down and write again. At some point I even tried to tidy up Lili’s room but that came to disaster. There seem to be entire universes on the 12 square meters and got lost among them for days completely loosing track of time and space till eventually I even lost track of myself. Moses fished me out from a doll party to which I have no recollection of getting to. Then he abruptly threw me out of the room and thanks to the super massive triple glaze window in the living room I didn’t end up flying all the way out to the playground. And maybe also thanks to my soft nature.

He is a very interesting person, for a bear. I think he is really cool and kind although with me he always seems to be the grumpy old guy. I guess it is a role he assumes over younger ones. Or just some younger ones… or maybe he feels threatened by me? Don’t know. Anyway, I think his constant mocking doesn’t help. But he is out today so it feels nice to write here. Gabor told me I can use the computer any time I wish. Take is he isn’t using it or about to be.

My life story! Moses told me I should stick with that. So be it.

My Life!

It all has begun very small I think. My first memory, and here I don’t mean the first thing that I can remember but sincerely the first thing that I remember. As far I know there was nothing before he picked me up and stared into my face for a whole 2 seconds before he turned me over a few times and did a whole bunch of other things, some of it was unpleasant. I didn’t mind though because that look was enlightening. He reached into my soul and I believe made something happen to me that I will always carry within. I was deemed perfect in those 2 seconds, in that moment when our eyes met.

The smartypants in the box at the end of the conveyer belt already said that he looked that way at everyone while we were waiting to be moved and boxed neatly for shipment. They weren’t there when I was. It wasn’t just quality control. I think the guy liked me for what I am. A toy. A bear. I think for a moment he wondered if he should take me home, give me to his little sister. Lots said since I am reading too much into an appreciating look. Maybe I do. But I love being so sentimental.

Eventually we were boxed and got a lift over to the harbor where we were loaded into containers with a whole bunch of other things like some talking dinosaurs who taught me English on the journey. Being loaded on the cargo ship was somehow exciting and oddly comforting, to know that our container was neatly packed among a thousand others shipping an amazing array of items to Europe. We left Shanghai sometimes in September if my memory is correct but it would be hard to say from inside a box.
Europe waited for me.

first entry

My name is Lenard and I will write about my life. It all began on a sunny afternoon a couple of days back. Not my life of course but when inspiration took hold of me to write. It was a pretty day just us many seem to be now that finally it is May and the snow have melted all around us. I finished reading Tobi Blog coming to terms with the fact that there are dragons, real ones not only toys that came out of a container shipped from China. Vow! There is a certain something about toy dragons coming from China now, isn’t there? Because dragons are from China. Supposedly. But this is stupid of course. I know now that Dragons really are from Vietnam. Just like Tobi and Elena. And reading about them I must admit that they aren’t as scary as I first thought they were. But I am blabbering here. Sorry about that. This whole writing a blog is just too exciting!

Moses really against it I certainly must admit that. He tells me that our kind shouldn’t be concerning itself with electronics at all but hey, there is a bit of a generation divide here. I learnt English from a talking and walking Dinosaur. Of course he wasn’t walking much at the time. Excessive packaging you know. However, it isn’t this conflict of generations that drives me to write. To be honest I don’t know what it is but when finishing reading about Tobi I just really wanted to share something about myself too. Gabor asked me why I don’t write a blog. And really? Why don’t I? But it isn’t a question anymore for here I am.

I live in Oulu and I like it so far. At first I was surprised; it didn’t feel right when I arrived. It was mid March, cold and everything was covered with the white staff that is snow, I learnt. I came to dislike it quickly when it started to melt a couple weeks after I arrived. It always froze over the night and quickly packed tight and became useless. But at first it was fun and what was more amazing is that I got to spend some time outside with Lili, this amazing little girl who tried, still tries to adopt me and treats me like her own. We had some good times back then. It feels it was a very long time ago.

Looking out the window, straining my eyes I noticed the bushes nearby look different today. They appeared to have grown some sort of sparkly green net around themselves. Sneaking outside when nobody was paying attention I took a closer look and realized that the green dots weren’t so sparkly, only my eyes were cheating me from the distance, seeing a colour I haven’t seen for some time and they aren’t a net but extensions of the branches. Moses was laughing at me for not knowing what’s going on. Those little green somethings are sprouts that will soon burst into wonderful green leaves. This is spring. I think I’m gonna like it. Gabor tells me that since most of the snow melted some traditional locals /people who grew up around here, as opposed to people who haven’t, they, us are called locals/ started calling it summer. Apparently it’s some sort of defence mechanism of the psyche, just in case this is how far the advance of warmth would get. 10Celsius plus, clouds and occasional rain. If it doesn’t get any better they won’t be disappointed calling it summer to start off. They told me, a great choir of three people, Moses and a bunch of other whiny creatures, that last summer it didn’t get any better. Sounds depressing doesn’t it?

I am hopeful though, spring just does that