Hazy, hot and humid

It's now the middle of Summer, and the weather has been REALLY hot. I'm not complaining, merely stating the fact. The temperature has been in the 90's for most of July, and for sure all weekend. It is the way Summer should be. Last year we had the rain and flooding that seems to have landed in Maine and New Hampshire this year. The only time that I struggle with this warm weather is on a very slow moving bus, over-crowded trolley, or any other mode of public transportation. I love contact with people, I just prefer a little more space, deodorant, and maybe even air conditioning. Adding to the discomfort is the belief held by many people here that windows should not be opened near small children as the "current" will make the children ill. Since I have not heard much about children getting ear infections here, there may be some truth to the superstition. It does, however, make an already hot journey even hotter.

So, weather is the big news this week. Work is going well. My days are spent working, walking, reading. The kids are so cute, and I really enjoy what I am doing. That is good. I really thought that as a Community and Organizational Development volunteer, that I would probably focus on more macro kinds of change. I have found the greatest contentment in the littlest kids, and the littlest changes. I still know I am making positive changes in my life and the lives of others, and at the end of the day, isn't that really the best reward?

This past weekend was another trip to the training house in Ialoveni for a gathering of the chronologically advanced volunteers. We call ourselves the "Old Farts", and we have a couple of "Geezer groupies". The "groupies" aren't old enough to qualify as OF's but we like them and invite them to join with us for whatever the group gets together to do. The monthly events usually involve a fair amount of eating and imbibing in adult beverages, and Saturday was no exception. Jen prepared a great dinner, there were adult beverages, and we had some of the new trainees join us. Lynn and Jen are finishing their service at the end of this month. Jen will be heading home and hopefully moving into a job in Washington, DC. Lynn is planning to spend the rest of the Summer in Budapest before returning to California. Macie, Craig, Pan and I are the representatives of our group, and there are six or seven adults in the new group of trainees who might at some point want to be included as an Old Fart. There aren't many of us, but its nice to have a peer group. Now I think I am done with the traveling for a while. We'll see, as something always seems to come up.

So that's the news from another week. I am looking forward to coming home with Natalia in November. I know we'll be busy, but I can't wait to see everyone. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami