Wrapping it all up

It is strange to be on a movie set. In the beginning everyone is sort of shy. Everyone is on their best behavior and tries to make a good impression. It’s a lot like the first day of school. Time seems to go very slowly and you feel like you have all the time in the world. Then it is as if you blink, and those people you were shy around before, are now just like your closest family members. You spend so much time with these people. You spend time in sometimes very stressful situations. You spend 10 hours a day working towards the same goal. Everyone is working towards the same goal; like a team. From the stand-ins to the grips to the sound guys to the hair and make-up to wardrobe to assistant directors and directors and cinematographers and actors and producers, all of you are working tirelessly for one goal… to make the best movie you can. Through that process, these people that were once your co- workers are now your family. That feels really safe and nice.

Then, in an instant, in a blink of an eye, it is over. You all go your separate ways and where it once felt like you had loads of time, it’s over.

The last week of shooting was probably the hardest time I have ever had as an actor. It was also the most rewarding. Our last few weeks we were shooting in the hospital. The scenes were all very emotional. My character begins to have a really hard time health wise. My heart even stops beating in a scene and they have to do CPR, difibrillators, and put me on a ventilator. All of this is very technical. I know it’s all making believe, but it is also very emotional. The producers brought a medical consultant on set to work with me to make sure everything I was doing was based in reality. He also worked with props, and he would hook me up to the IVs and he even played the part of a doctor that brings me back to life after I code. He explained to me what happens when my character’s heart stops beating. He explained how my body would feel and react when I was defibrillated.  

The last week, I also got to meet the actor who plays my doctor in the movie. His name is Anupam Kher and he is the most famous actor in India! He has almost 6 million followers on twitter!!!! This is kind of crazy because he posted a picture with me and the next day I was in newspapers in India. Anupam is also one of the nicest people I have ever met.  We got along instantly. He plays a very gentle man in the movie and in real life he is so kind and generous. It gave me a lot of confidence to get to know him and to talk to him about life. I want to visit him in India one day.

The last week was difficult too because Gerry had very emotional scenes as he says goodbye to my character as I am in a coma. I was supposed to lay still and not move. It seems like it would be easy, but it’s actually hard to still your entire body. It was also important to Gerry that even though I was in a coma, he wanted me to still “ be there spiritually “ for him. I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant, so I just made sure I listened to him. I listened to every word. I heard him crying and I felt him hug me. It was very hard to not burst into tears myself. Every time they would yell cut, Gerry and I would hug and sob our eyes out.

I also had to do a scene where I know I am dying and I am scared. I can’t breathe and I am weak. The director wanted me to try and smile even though I was scared. I tried to smile, and I tried not to cry but I found the tears streaming down my face. In order to play the fear of dying, I actually had to understand what it was to lose everything and to die at such a young age. I used a blog called Superman Sam to research what it was like to battle Leukemia and to lose that battle. It was scary at times to really imagine, but I think I had to do that in order to get into character. Everyone in the room was crying. I guess it’s hard to do scenes like that and not become attached to people.

There was a lot of laughter the last week too. I got to meet The Green Goblin, Willem Dafoe and have dinner with him. It was awesome because we actually have a lot in common. He is a super nice guy. I also got to meet and hang out with another actor I really like named David Koechner. He is in one of my favorite movies of all time, Anchorman. He plays the guy who says “Whammy”. We had a big cast dinner with Anupam, Gerry, Gretchen, Willem and David. It was awesome.

But before long, it was time for me to wrap my scenes in Toronto. I could feel the sadness creeping in as the day came closer to finish. I knew I would have to say goodbye to people that had become like family to me. I guess that’s part of the job.

This experience taught me an incredible amount about life, and work, and even education. I learned that not all lessons can be learned in the classroom. Some lessons happen in the smallest moments everyday, like talking to an amazing man from another culture and learning that we all really want the same things. I learned that hard work pays off. The harder you work and the more focused you are, the more you can actually accomplish. I also learned that it’s important to enjoy what you do. Some of the best parts about this experience were just getting to know people and what their process is. I learned that kindness can go a long way. The boy who played my photo double was so shy. Sometimes it didn’t seem like he really wanted to be there at all. He also had to shave his head!!!! It was a big sacrifice for him because his face will never be seen on camera. I discovered that once I shared ideas and conversations with him, he really opened up. He shared with me how he had been teased at school for shaving his head and his teacher gave him a courage award because he had shown such bravery in shaving his head. I learned that I have a powerful voice even though I am just a kid. If you look people in the eye and state your opinions thoughtfully, people really listen and want to share with you. I also learned that you couldn’t do it all! I fell behind in my studies that last week and my teacher and my mom kept saying not to stress…. I had a harder time listening to that especially as I get closer to returning to school. Most importantly, I learned not to be afraid of cancer. I think I had always looked the other way when I saw sick kids. Now I don’t look away. I want to get to know them and know their story because we are all just kids.

This experience changed my perspective on so many things. I used to think that acting was not such an important job, but this movie can hopefully really make a difference. Maybe it will give someone hope as they struggle to beat cancer. Maybe it will help people realize what the important priorities in life are. I know I will never forget this experience and I am so grateful to have had such a meaningful time in Toronto.

I still have a week of shooting in Chicago. It will be interesting to shoot these scenes. It will be interesting to pick up the character after being back at school and in my real home.

Becoming a research scientist for a day

Sometimes the coolest thing about making a movie is you get to meet really cool people. People who you may never have gotten the chance to meet. This movie has allowed me to meet so many new people. One of those people has actually nothing to do with making movies at all. She is a doctor. Specifically, she is an oncologist at SickKids Hospital here in Toronto, and she works with a type of cancer called Neuroblastoma. Her name is Dr. Meredith Irwin and she is my new friend.

I met Dr Irwin when I went to do my research at SickKids. We spent a lot of time talking in between patient visits. I found out that she went to MIT which is where I want to go to college. She also went to Harvard! She made me feel a lot better about being nervous in a hospital. She explained that being around cancer all day can be difficult and that is why she also does research. She invited me to her research lab and on Monday I went. It was amazing!!!

When we arrived we walked into a very modern building. It was 21 floors. 21 floors of pure research of pediatric disease. Every three floors, was designed as a "neighborhood" Each neighborhood was focused on different fields of study. Dr. Irwin explained that research was really a lot of time talking to other researchers. That is how they got new ideas. Researchers don't just spend time at a microscope in a lab. She also explained that research is very creative. A lot of researchers are also musicians. This made me happy because I am a musician too!

We went to her office, and she had a lab coat for me to put on!!! Then we went into the lab. The first thing we did was meet a scientist named Brent. Brent is devoting his life to studying WORMS!!! Worms have a very similar genetic coding to us, but have far fewer cells. They only have a bout 200 so the scientists can study individual cells more easily. We started by looking at Planarians also known as flat worms. These worms are jam packed with stem cells. Stem cells are what your body needs top regenerate yourself. This is very important in research for cancer. Planarians can be cut and regenerate as many times as you want. They will always regenerate. It is interesting for scientists to study this because maybe one day they can create a way for humans to regenerate damaged cells or lost limbs or damaged organs.

Brent also brought us into his lab to look at GFP worms under his super cool microscopes! GFP worms are injected with GFP (the bioluminescent protein found in jellyfish that allows them to glow). Brent is studying GFP worms because he can test on the worms and then find the worms in bacteria because the worms are glowing with GFP. It was incredible to be in a real lab with real research scientists using their real research equipment! Brent is also in a band. He plays guitar. He said maybe one day he can find a way to regenerate more fingers so he can play guitar faster! He was kidding of course!

Dr Irwin then brought me to her lab and introduced me to Alex. Alex is from Korea and is getting his PHD. Alex is studying a way to get rid of unwanted proteins in the brain such as CTE which causes Tau protein which can suffocate your brain cells. Alex is also researching Neuroblastoma and how it spreads. He is studying this on mice. I got to see  actual Neuroblastoma cells under a microscope. They looked rigid and sharp edged. They looked menacing to me with their jagged edges. Most normal cells have very smooth edges.

I spent two hours there and it was about the coolest two hours I have spent in Toronto. Dr Irwin said I could do an internship with her when I was 16!!! I think I would like too do that. She said a lot of the researchers were people who either had childhood cancers or knew family members with cancer and they wanted to make a difference. I also want to make a difference in the world this way. Right now they can cure up to 80 percent of childhood cancers. Who knows, maybe if I become a Medical Research Scientist, maybe we can get that number to 100 percent.

My family came to TORONTO!!

November 15, 2015

On Tuesday I woke up and felt super excited! My sister and dad were finally coming to visit! I have been having a great time here, but I could not wait to see my sister and to introduce her to my movie family.

I was about to film  a really hard scene when they arrived. In the scene, I had just puked and was supposed to be crying in Gretchen's (my movie mom) lap. I was excited that my sister and dad got to see me do something kind of hard. It was a long day of filming. everyone was so excited to meet Sam. Gerry and Gretchen made it a point to make Sam feel extra special.  I was so thankful for them making my sister feel welcome. My movie sister and Sam got along really well too. They are a lot alike except Sam is a bit tougher than Julia!!! I think they will continue to be great friends.

On Wednesday, my dad came with me to set while my mom and sister had a girl's day. It was fun to have my dad on set. Gerry and my dad talked a lot!!! I think they got along really well!!

Thursday we moved to the hospital. We will shoot the rest of my scenes in Toronto at the hospital. It is a totally different environment than the house. It is much colder and I have to be very sick there. They brought a medical advisor to work with me on set at the hospital. He is a pediatric surgeon and his job is to make sure that we are being medically accurate. It is really helpful to have him here.

We filmed on Friday at the hospital again and my sister and dad were both there all day. It was really fun because it was also Gerry's birthday so there was cake at lunch. The weird thing about "lunch" is that sometimes it actually happens at dinner time! But they always call it lunch anyway.

We had days off on Saturday and Sunday and we got to be tourists all weekend as a family. We went to the CN Tower, The Hockey Hall of Fame, the aquarium, shopping in Kensington Market, and eating dinner in the Distillery District. The best part of having my sister and dad here was that it finally felt like home. The apartment we stay in felt like home because they were here. I wish they could stay the whole time. Sam made great friends with Julia and Gretchen and Helga. I think she will be in touch with them always.

It was hard to say goodbye when they left on Sunday night. I have 6 more days of shooting. I am excited to come home but am also sad that the experience will be over soon. I am glad that I will have more scenes to film with Gerry in Chicago.

Filming my last few days at the house.

There is a place about 40 minutes outside of Toronto. It is called Missasauga. It is a really interesting and pretty suburb of Toronto. It is also the place I have called my "home" for the past 2 weeks. There is a house that we are using that is supposed to be my home in the movie. We set up our "base camp" about 5 minutes away from the home we are using. Base camp is the place where all the trailers stay. It's where I get dropped off in the morning and where I get dressed and into hair and make up.

We first went to the house during rehearsals and it was really nice because it was the first time I met the family who really lives in the house. There is a boy named Alex and he is 11. Alex and I played catch in the street and he introduced me to his friends. It was nice because I got to know more people here and it made me a little less homesick. Alex plays on a really amazing hockey team. He actually had visited Chicago recently to play some teams in the suburbs there. Thanks to Alex, I started to feel at home in my movie home.

Before we started to film in the house, the art department and props department changed everything. They took one of the rooms upstairs and made it into Ryan's room (that's me). They painted the walls orange because they knew it was my favorite color. They also put a lot of things that I would like in the room so I would feel comfortable. It was very cool. They made an erector set ferris wheel on my desk because it's cool and also my character is interested in architecture. The more I spent time in my room, the more it felt like my actual room.

After two weeks of filming at the house, we finally finished on Wednesday. It was weird to say goodbye to my movie house. and to Alex, my new friend. I had kind of lived a life there. I had eaten Thanksgiving dinner, and played with my movie sister and brother. I had taken runs with my movie dad, and cried on my movie moms lap. I had even slept there. I also had to say goodbye to my baby brother Ethan in the movie because he is done filming. I was really sad because I had become very attached. It seems like when you make a movie, you spend so much time pretending that sometimes the way you feel about people becomes real. I cried when I said good bye to Ethan and to Alex. I know I will see them again, but it was still hard.

One thing that made it easier to move on was that on Tuesday my sister and Dad came to visit! I will post more on that tomorrow!!!

Finding My Character November 8, 2015

11/8/2015: Finding my Character

Sometimes it is strange to be an actor. You are asked to put on different emotions and asked to be in different situations than you ever thought you would be in. This movie is different from roles I have played before, yet it’s not so different. It’s not different because I am portraying a boy about my age in Chicago with a family and school and everything else that I normally have. The difference in this case is I play a boy who is very sick. In the beginning of the movie, I don’t know I am sick, but I am still very sick.  I continue to get sicker and sicker in the movie until ultimately I almost die. It has been an interesting process to get into character for this role.

The first thing I did when I got to Toronto to get into character was I began rehearsing with my “parents” Gerry and Gretchen. I also rehearsed with my director for the movie, Mark Williams. During rehearsals, we would sit in a room and talk about all the feelings we have about each scene. Feelings that aren't necessarily written in the lines. The emotions that are happening underneath the lines. I was also asked to do “homework” on the script. For each scene, I would write down how I feel, what I wanted from the people in the scene, and where I was feeling with my sickness. I developed a system from 1-5. 1 meant I felt pretty good, 5 meant I was near death. Under each number, I wrote symtoms that I would likely be feeling based on my research of ALL Leukemia, side-effects of chemotherapy, and side effects of a special immunotherapy my character has called CART 19.

All of those things helped me in the beginning of filming. It also helps me to sit in the makeup trailer and look in the mirror as they put makeup on me to make me look unhealthy. It is sometimes really hard to see my reflection in the mirror. It makes me feel very different than Max. Sometimes it makes me very sad and I have to remember not to feel sorry for myself. But this weekend something happened that changed my entire perspective about my character and my life.

This weekend Gerry and I went to Sick Kids Children’s Hospital. Specifically we went to the Oncology ward. It was set up that we would meet with doctors and physcologists to talk in detail about what our characters are going through once my character is diagnosed with ALL Leukemia. We also met with patients and their families that wanted to share their experiences with us so that we could bring a more truthful performance to the screen.

We were to meet a coordinator at SIckKids at 1:00pm in the lobby. Gerry wasn’t there when we got there, and the staff decided to start with me anyway. We went upstairs to the visit coordinator’s office. Her name is Amrita.

As I walked through the lobby of the hospital, I was surprised that it looked more like a mall than a hospital. There was a wide open lobby with play areas, a coffee shop, gift shops, and even grocery stores. We got in an elevator that looked like it was out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! It was sticking out of the wall, mostly glass, and bright mustard yellow steel. We zoomed to the 8th floor within seconds. When we stepped off the elevator, I felt a little nervous because Gerry wasn’t there and I didn’t really know what to expect.

Amrita escorted me into an office. Sitting at the table were two Oncologists (doctors who treat cancer), Dr Sarah Alexander, and Dr. Meredith Irwin. There was also a really nice psychologist there named Riann. Her job in the hospital is to help the kids feel happier and help them process what is happening to them. When I sat at the table they began to talk to me about what I could expect if I were a 10 year old boy with ALL. I had a lot of questions, and they had answers to all of them. I was surprised as we talked that I began to feel emotional. I felt like there was a lump in my throat and I needed to cry. I didn’t want to cry because I know I don’t have ALL, but it all felt so real to me. After about 30 minutes of talking, the team told me that there was a teenager named Theia that wanted to share her story with me.

We left the inside of what felt like the inside of a tree, closed up, safe, and protected, and went into the hallway which was cold, and bright and open. We walked past the nurses station to get to Theia’s room. I felt my heart begin to beat faster as we got to her doorway. I was nervous. I didn’t know what I would say to her. I didn’t want to make her feel bad. I guess I was afraid.

They asked us all to sanitize our hands and we walked into the room. There sat Theia on her bed with the tv playing. She sat criss crossed apple sauce in the middle of her bed. She looked like a normal teenager except the tubes going into her arms and into her chest. She had long black hair. She was smiling. She seemed totally normal, and calm. She began to tell me her story. She had been at Sick Kids since July!!! She talked about how she felt when she was diagnosed. She talked about what it felt like to lose her freedom and independence. She talked about losing control over her life. She talked about what she wanted to do in the future. She talked about her drugs and how she felt when she took them. She talked about her good days and bad days. She talked, and I listened and I questioned too. I asked her how she adjusted and she took off her long black hair and showed me her few strands of green hair clinging to her bald head.

“I didn’t have the heart to shave off these last bits. I had just started to grow my hair back before I needed this next round of chemo. So I dyed these few last strands green in protest.”

I didn’t feel much when I saw her bald head, because I see my bald head every day now. But I did feel bad that hers wasn’t a choice and mine was for a movie.

She shared with me that losing her hair was the hardest part for her. She said she felt like she wasn’t even a girl anymore once her hair began falling out. She began to cry. I felt myself beginning to cry inside too as I listened to her struggle with that memory.  She was so open in talking about her journey. She complained about missing her friends and prom and her senior year of high school.

“It really sucks”, she said.

I just nodded and listened. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to be her.

I had brought some “You Are Beautiful Stickers” to share if I felt it was appropriate. My mom had given them to me in the morning. They were in a tin in my pocket. I decided to give her one. As I reached into my pocket for the tin, I felt the room spinning. My ears seemed almost like I was hearing things under water. My eyes began to flicker with darkness. I handed her the sticker and I felt like I was choking. She thanked me and I looked at my mom. She knew right away something was wrong and she got me out of the room quickly.

Once we were in the hallway, I thought I was going to pass out. The doctors could tell something was wrong and they brought me back to the room and gave me juice. They talked to me about how overwhelming cancer is for everyone. Even medical students. My head was pounding. I felt sick and sad and scared. Then Gerry came in the room.

I was relieved to see him. Gerry has a way of coming into a room and making everyone happy. He sat at the table next to me and gave me a hug. We spent a little while there with the doctors as Gerry asked questions about how parents react to their kids getting ALL. It felt good to have the focus be on someone else for a little while. Gerry said he wanted to meet Theia, so he went in her room, and I went with Riann to see how she would explain leukemia to a ten year old. We played with a doll that had IVs and a “central line” coming into it’s chest. I began to feel queasy again. Then she brought out play dough and demonstrated how leukemia works

She made red and white balls of playdough which represent red blood cells and white blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen through the body. White blood cells fight disease. Then she made yellow balls and called them platelets. Platelets make scabs. Then she made many blue cells. The blue ones are leukemia cells and they have no reason to be there. They clog the veins and arteries and don’t allow your other blood cells to work properly. Riann also explained to me what it feels like to “code” I have to code in the movie. She explained that kids describe it as what I was feeling in Theia’s room, except much worse. When they wake up they feel tingling all over.

         By the time we finished, I felt much better. I decided to go back to Theia’s room and invite her to the premiere of our movie. We also took pictures together and swapped Instagram information.

         After Thiea’s visit, the team took Gerry and I to another girl’s room. Her name is Britney and she is 12 years old. She is also very very sick. Britney has been at sick kids for 3 weeks and already has filled up two chains worth of “bravery beads” Bravery beads are what you get when you go through a procedure. She already has had over 80 procedures and it’s only been 3 weeks. Britney is interesting because she is close to my age but she seemed so much older in some ways. I definitely think she is stronger than me even though she is very sick. She doesn’t let anyone cry in her room.

“If you want to cry, get out. I don't need that right now. I need positive energy” , she said.

She also shared with Gerry and I that the first few days in the hospital “Sucked! They were really bad for me, like whooooa….” and as she said this her eyes got huge. She shared that she makes goals. Her goal now is that she will go home someday. She just wants to go home. I think she will because she is about the strongest most determined girl I have ever met. I talked to her about the book “Smile” that she was just going to start reading. I also talked about crafting (she is amazing at crafts). We took some pictures with Britney and she asked me and Gerry to sign her copy of “Smile” and we did. I felt touched that she wanted my signature because Gerry is  famous and I am not. But I signed the book anyway. I wrote, “Thank you Britney for sharing your story. Best wishes, Max”

When we left her room, we met with nurses on the floor and talked about the movie and took pictures. Everyone always wants a picture with Gerry. I felt kind weird that they wanted my picture too.

We left that part of the hospital and as we did, I saw some more bald kids walking the hallways with their parents. I didn't feel as nervous or afraid looking at them. I smiled as we went to the procedure rooms and isolation rooms. The doctors wanted me to see every room that my character might have to be in. I was glad to see it, but the highlight for me was talking to Theia and Britney.

Gerry decided to visit more kids. Kids that were there for transplants and other diseases. As he was visiting, I talked in detail to Dr. Irwin. I learned that she went to MIT for graduate school, and Harvard for college. I have always wanted to go to MIT! She talked about the research she was doing. She is very excited about all the advances they are making in curing kids cancer. She said they can cure about 80% of all kid cancers. That’s pretty good!!! She learned that I love science and she invited me to her lab to look at cancer cells under a microscope. She also said we will look at worms and viruses and other cancer related treatments. I can not wait. I think one day I could be a medical research scientist!

After 5 hours, it was time to leave the hospital. 

As we drove home with Gerry, mostly all of us were quiet. We were all really tired and emotional from the experience. I know I will never forget that day. It changed me forever. I started the day being nervous and almost feeling guilty that I was playing a character when other kids were actually living with the disease, but I ended the day feeling like I have a responsibility to tell a truthful story. I want to do a good job in honor of the kids who fight the disease every day. I invited Theia to the premiere in Toronto at the Toronto Film Festival. I look forward to seeing her again when we both have a full head of hair. I hope hers is green.

Aw Yeah!

Hi Max!

Today we went on our first field trip to Aw Yeah Comics.  We learned how to draw comic figures and make them look like they are in action.  We also had time to develop some of our own characters.  Zoe M. made a character called Ness that looks like a modern Loch Ness Monster. Miles made two characters called Beaver Man and Lightening Bot.  Augusta's was Springy Devil and he had springy arms!  Lily S. created a girl named Daisy who shoots bursts of electricity from her fingers!  Josie created Fred the evil dentist and his sidekick Steve the anemone. Also, Jeffrey created four charcters, Super Manatee, Super Lion, Super Falcon, and Super Spider Monkey.  They are going to join forces to take down the evil robot army!  Elora created a character named Sylvia and she is a bright orange cat/human hybrid.  We had fun and got inspired by different comics in the store.  Kurt, the owner, was an amazing artist and drew several characters while we were there.  Maybe we'll get some of our own comics published one day?!

Hope you are having a great week!  Talk to you soon!

Hi Guys,
First of all, I want to thank you guys for the awesome PUMPKIN!!!!!! It was so sweet to come home and see all the messages. You guys rock! Also. I Love to read your responses. I am sorry I can't reply to all of them, but I will try to answer some of the questions.

Hair and Make up Department!

I am sorry I didn't get to see all of you on Halloween. I had a fun but very tiring time. We had to get up to catch a flight at 5:00... am!!!!!! Then we came back here the very next day. On Monday my call time was at 5:30...AM!!!! So I was really really really tired.

We are filming scenes everyday now. It is a lot of work and very long hours. When I am not in front of the camera, I go into the classroom, but if I am there for less than 20 minutes, it does not count towards my 3 hours of school a day. This was happening A LOT on Monday!!! It really stinks when you are doing the work but they don't count it. So now production talks when they break me and if they don't think it will take at least 20 minutes, I get to relax between shots. Sometimes they are wrong as they can only guess. I have about 4 people that handle me directly besides the director and other actors. They are really cool. Helga is the first person I see every day. She brings me to hair and make-up, she calls my transports, and in the morning even brings me breakfast!!!  She is AWESOME (My favorite for sure) I also have a person named Jenn. She is a lot like Helga except she is on set. She makes sure I get breaks and lunch and she tells me where to go to find my mom. Then there is Vibs and Jordan. They stay with me on set and tell me whether or not to go to tutoring or when we are reshooting. I go to them when I have special requests that I don't want to bother the director or Gerry with. All four are awesome!

Yesterday I went to set in my captain america costume! It was fun! Vibs and Helga helped me get a picture with Shelly  in my Cap coat! Shelly is the DP I told you guys about that shot Captain America The First Avenger! I was really excited to have that picture.

Shelly Johnson

Today we shot a very long holiday scene with lots of "relatives" It was weird because they cast twins so that they could have doubles for all the characters. There were so many twins walking around it was freaky!!! It was a really long day. They also reshaped my head today because I was doing a scene where I was really sick. Before they shaved it, they made an avengers "A" in the back! It was pretty awesome.

Tomorrow I get to shoot a really fun scene with Gerry and the girl who plays my sister. It was the scene I auditioned with. I am also gearing  up for the weekend when I will go to a children's hospital with Gerry to meet some kids with Cancer. I am nervous because I feel weird having a bald head and going in to meet kids who didn't have a choice to shave their heads. I don't want them to feel bad.

That's about it from me.... I will hope to have more pictures and fun stories later in the week.
How are you guys doing? Is school fun? How is the weather? I hear it's really hot there! Today it was 21 degrees Celcius (They do the metric system here!! I love it much better using bases of ten!)

Talk soon,
llewxam sniknej