Working, Reading, Writing, Walking, Falling

Working: Besides the necessary eating and sleeping, the above five verbs pretty much sum up the past week. Not in any particular order, or with any comment on frequency, this has been the past week here in my little village. I have gone to work for a few hours everyday. There is no reason not to, even on Saturday and Sunday. There are kids and old people who like company and there are always things to do. I am surprised and not always happy, although I am working on letting it go, how often and under what circumstances the children are left unsupervised. I think it is a recipe for disaster, so I try to show up often. The other thing about work that I am working through in my own mind, is the regular threatening that staff do with the kids, and the use of corporal punishment. There is a switch. Not kidding. I've not seen it used, but I have seen kids threatened with it. I have talked with the people (staff) I have seen threatening kids about the dangers of emotional abuse, but I don't think that I'm making an impact. It's a tough thing for me, and I'm trying to figure out how to make this point understood.

Reading: Since I last listed my reading list, this is what I have read: Waiting by Ha Jin, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Pact by Jodi Picoult, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Singing Boy by Dennis McFarland and Selected Dialogues of Plato, the Benjamin Jewett translation. Now I'm all out of books until I go into Chisinau this coming Saturday. I just finished the Plato last night, and I have lots of writing to do, so I know I can stay busy and out of trouble.

Writing: I have started working on two different grants, both with lots of writing involved. Enough said.

Walking: Everyday, my usual walking. Again, enough said. Oh, wait, I did want to add that the weather has felt Spring-like since last Friday. Although sometimes rainy and damp, it has been unseasonably warm. Its been a nice treat.

Falling: I don't consider myself a clumsy person. I don't remember the last time I fell before coming to Moldova. It might have been when Dice pulled me around the yard like I was the sled and he was the lead musher, but I really don't remember for sure. In less than one year, I have now fallen here a total of 4 times!! I fell the day of "swearing-in" on the carpet in the hotel, I fell with boiling water and burned my hand in November, I fell on ice in January and on Friday I slipped in the mud on my morning walk. The mud is as dangerous as ice here. I'm not kidding.

Nothing else new from Moldova. Have a good week. The days are longer, Spring is just around the corner, and life is good. I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami