Bunica Vicki

You remember Vicki, right? (my cleaning lady-cum-romanian teacher). Today as she was holding Charlotte, I said to her "Tu esti o prietena de Charlotte." (You are Charlotte's friend.) To which she replied, "Nu sint prietena, sint bunica." You can understand so much from context. I had never heard the word "bunica", but it was clear what it meant: "grandma". (I'm not a friend, I'm grandma!) So the girls have a proud Romanian grandma. And Vicki, who does not have grandchildren, now has three little blond american ones. (Don't worry, Gigi and Nana--you two are irreplaceable!)

Actually, the girls could probably claim two romanian "grandmas". This is Elena, who also comes and cleans. She has no children of her own--I have a hunch she would gladly claim us.

Vicki's room in the basement of the apartment building. Ava asked her where she lived -- I did my best to translate, and the result was a tour of this room, all twelve-by-six feet of it.