July is More Than Half Over

Time Flies, But Getting To Keetmanshoop Is Hard 

Next Thursday Is the Science Fair competition in Keetmanshoop. (Which Lisa is the Faculty Advisor for) That is if they get a ride. Ahh the joys of life with little transport. As of Friday the powers that be had not been able to arrange for a ride for the 11 Science Fair and 9 Debate Team members to Keetmanshoop. They said they'd try over the weekend - and that Lisa should check back on Monday. Swell. Getting 20 people 90 miles is like getting them to the moon sometimes (sorry all those clips on TV of the moon and the late Walter Cronkite are on my mind).

The Learners work so hard for both Science Fair and Debate and may end up not being able to compete at the next level, all for lack of any kind of transportation. It may be tough to arrange sometimes here in the states - but if push comes to shove usually a bunch of parents can arrange to drive kids wherever they need to get - or they can fundraise for bus costs etc. In Namibia 1) almost none of the parents have any sort of car, 2) there are no buses to rent/hire/whatever you want to call it, and 3) there is no private or public transportation going between Aroab and Keetmanshoop. The one bus line that went through was eliminated 5 or 6 years ago.

Now things may work out for them - I'll know more next weekend -  but I keep dwelling on these things because even I tend to forget how different things have been for Lisa. Here we tend to complain that  it's inconvenient, or expensive, or that we have to wait for a ride, or have to run errands for others (or ourselves - we are big on complaining here I notice). But most of us can if it's important arrange to get 90 miles to somewhere - again paying with our time, money, energy, or patience. Lisa's learners may not have that opportunity - and in lives studded with things they don't have access to - that would be a shame.

 

Other Thoughts on Namibia

It's interesting how much more difficult Sara (World Teach teacher) finds working in Namibia vs. China. The ways teachers are viewed and the ways students are treated are very different - and Sara is trying to come up with ways to change how Namibia teaches and learns. Lisa sees a lot of herself in Sara - at least in how Lisa viewed things nearly 2 years ago when she was just stating out. In China there is a lot more respect for teachers and students are expected to keep in line. As a country they are working on incorporating more creative thought in the process, and while there certainly are issues they have to deal with, classroom discipline isn't a major problem.

It's quite a challenge to move (or even influence)  an already set up vast bureaucracy even a small distance. You have to start wherever you are, working within the system, trying to help wherever you can however you can. All without giving up.

The trick is to keep working within a system without becoming so frustrated that you stop your effort. That's harder than people give credence to. Considering she had no background in teaching I think Lisa is holding her own quite well in this regard. But it's challenging and coming home in December/January  looks better and better to her!

 

Thank you all for those copies of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - I think teaching that unit has been wonderful for both the learners and for Lisa. And knowing that the books will remain in the school for other teachers to use in the future has been a great joy for Lisa.

David in Keetmanshoop applied to work for another year and he just heard his application was accepted. I think Lisa sort of wishes she could stay on too - but 27 months is a long time to be in Africa. Also David is retired and is on his second "tour of duty" in the Peace Corps - the first having occurred in the 60's.

 

Odds and Ends

It looks like the Peace Corps End of Service Training session will be in September - after the third term starts. It would have been nice if they could have scheduled it during the break between terms - thus giving them more time on break in Windhoek - but life didn't work that way. And since the whole country is on the same schedule - it will affect all the teachers and their schools. Ahh well. Some things are universal. GRIN

 

Till Next Week - May Summer weather treat you well -

 

Susan Rothman

Catching Up

Spoke with Lisa Friday and Sunday

We were away at a very enjoyable Science Fiction Convention over the weekend (Readercon in Burlington Mass - near Boston) so we got a short call in to Lisa before we left and a longer one when we got back.

Lisa spent the weekend (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon) away at the farm of a local family - whose granddaughter has subbed at Lisa's school once in a while. She was going to go with Sara (the World Teach teacher) but Sara was in Windhoek for training and she didn't get back. Travel is much more challenging in Namibia than in the States!

Lisa had a great time - someone else cooked 3 meals a day - and they have a wood stove to cook on so it was much warmer at night than Lisa's small unheated house is. It may be hot in summer when they use the wood stove but in winter it's heaven! And they may be able to cook outside in summer - Lisa couldn't get a clear answer to that question. GRIN And we discovered that since the beginning only 1 of the 2 burners of Lisa's hot plate work. I can't imagine cooking with just 1 small burner for over 2 years. My daughter has gone through a lot of cooking challenges in Namibia! And on top of everything else on the farm - she got to sleep in a real bed with a mattress - much nicer than her cot!

Lisa joked that she'll seem crazy when she gets back in winter going "ooh central heat!, ooh ovens, ooh pots and pans and the ability to bake again!, ooh a real mattress, ooh computers" etc. Her lack of Internet is really getting to her! She had sooo hoped that Sara would not only train the staff in computer usage but would magically get an Internet connection to the school. No luck - though they hope to connect "some day soon" Lisa figures maybe it will be in a year or 2 - long after she's left!  Double Grin

Back to the farm - In addition to the usual farm animals the family has several cats and dogs as pets - it made Lisa homesick for her cat back in the US. And one of their cats has a love for vinegar and salt potato chips! Blew Lisa's mind - that did! Her cat back here wouldn't touch stuff like that - though I reminded Lisa that as a tiny kitten he was more experimental - grabbing pepperoni off a pizza slice or lapping up a bit of yogurt. And we won't discuss what he did to a stick of butter in an uncovered butter dish.  Now he's much more into Fancy Feast moist and dry foods. At 15 he has the right to be more picky! GRIN

 

Keys - Can't Get Into Your Home Without Them!

The big lesson of Lisa's past week was "Don't plan to leave your tote bags in your classroom overnight if your house keys are in them" You see where this is going -

Lisa was staying late at school working on various projects and decided to leave 2 large tote bags in her classroom overnight since she didn't need what was in them and she didn't feel like lugging them home. They were heavy - she was tired - and she wanted to get home fast to crash. So she blissfully locked them away and set off for home only to realize half way there that there was something she needed in one of those bags. Her house keys.

This discovery did not bring joy to her heart. She walked back to the school - in the dark - to find the main gate to the school locked. She managed to work her way through a space in the fence (she didn't think it spoke well for their security - don't ask what I thought!) and got into the school. The History Club was still there getting ready for a trip to Windhoek the next day so they called someone who could get a master key and waited with her. Her cell phone was home charging itself quite happily in her locked house.

Someone came - unlocked her classroom and she got her key. He then drove her home because it was very late then (it's winter so by 5 ish it is pitch dark out, and it was 8 ish when she finally had her keys) and there just aren't many homes with lights on, no streetlights and no ambient light - astronomers eat your hearts out - you should build your next set of telescopes in Africa - the heavens open themselves to those who look up! So all in all it was a three hour trek - if you don't get it Google Gilligan's Island.

So she was home - later than she planned - tired, hungry, and really ready to crash. She's going to work real hard not to leave her keys anywhere again! If she couldn't have gotten her keys she would have gone to the hostel and slept on the floor there or something. I sort of thought that someone like hostel security should have had an extra key to her house - but Lisa didn't think so. Such an American perspective I have. Ahh well. She coped - she always does.

 

The Past

Lisa mentioned now - after nearly 2 years - that the night reminded her of when she got lost in Mozambique. We cleared our throats and said "when you got lost? In Mozambique?" and she sort of laughed and said "oh yeah I guess I never told you" words that did not make me jump up and down with joy.

Then she explained that early on when she was still in Mozambique and in the middle of language training which was located in a building a fair distance (a few miles) from the home of the family with whom she was staying at the time - she left after dark and without street signs, or even much in terms of roads or anything with names or directions printed on them - she got lost. And I gather it took a while for them to find her. For some reason she didn't make clear if it was the family that found her or Peace Corps or who - and I didn't really push for more info. It seemed like the best thing to do. But . . .  (GRIN)

Lisa did sort of wonder out loud if that episode encouraged Peace Corps to find a spot for her in the Namibia group when her Portuguese wasn't coming along quite fast enough to allow her to teach HS Biology and Chemistry easily in it. Since,  from the moment they asked her if she'd consider switching to Namibia where the teaching was to be done in English - on a Friday afternoon - to Monday morning when they said she was all set to go and just had to pick up her new Visas etc in Swaziland -  seemed to go a bit faster than normal red tape would predict.

But I think things have worked out well for her in Namibia all in all. For all the challenges she speaks with much affection for her town, school (though some learners elicit more affection from her than others), and community.

 

School

This week the 9th graders will be gone all week on a field trip. So Lisa will have 2 fewer sets of classes and thus time to catch up on grading papers preparing for the rest of the term etc. The learners kept asking her to come with them - telling her they'd miss her and asking her if she'd miss them! She told them she wasn't selected to chaperone and that while yes- she'd miss them she was sure they'd have a good time.

I think the concept that teacher's might want a break from the darlings sweet faces and interesting personalities never enters the learners minds. Double Grin

It's hard to believe that exams start August 4 - and that Lisa only has one more term to teach after that! Then she'll come home! We can hardly wait!

 

Odds and Ends

Lisa has finished book number 81 for the year! The learners seem to be really enjoying Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - THANK YOU all who sent her copies! Especially those who sent more than one - you all are truly educational angels! And everyone should send warm thoughts Lisa's way - it is COLD there at night right now!

 

Till the next blog - enjoy summer no matter what the weather!

 

Susan Rothman

Fun at "Marketing Day"

Spoke With Lisa Friday Night

She said Marketing Day was a lot of fun! The Administrator booth selling all kinds of cool foods sold out early so she didn't have to man it very long and she had a lot of time to wander around the other booths and sample foods and look at all sorts of handcrafted items etc.

The whole theme of the day was entrepreneurship and starting small businesses on an individual or community level. The learners sold all kinds of foods and handmade items. This kind of day is a big deal in her school and community since unlike other parts of Africa or other countries in general - they don't have regular farmer's markets, craft fairs, or individuals selling things on the side of the road.

Lisa was talking with Sara (the World Teach Teacher) and I guess whenever Sara or Lisa bring up the idea to the kids about creating stuff and trying to sell it to make money the kids look at them like they have 3 heads and sort of go "why should we?" They just don't seem to have any initiative at all. Nor do the other members of the community - as far as starting small businesses go. Now as far as asking for stuff - from Lisa or Sara or anyone at all who has more than they do - that the learners are experts at!

Sara who's been to more places is very surprised by this attitude since everywhere else people are hustling all the time trying to sell food, crafts, or services to any takers.

I wonder if it's the location - there is almost no "drive through" traffic at all (just ask Lisa about that!) and it seems like the locals come into town to get needed supplies but don't "hang out much while there". Unlike even Northern Namibia where there are more small villages and people go between them on a regular basis by donkey cart or whatever - in the south there aren't as many different folks to mix. It's sort of like having a US lemonade stand out where just your family is around to buy the stuff - sort of a why bother feeling sets in. Well it's just a thought.

 

The Teachers Played Soccer

As Lisa put it - Soccer was played and she was on the field. But she had fun running around a bit. Speaking of running around - a chicken came from who knows where and was running around the field before they started to play. I was nice and didn't ask if they turned him into a snack -GRIN -  We joked that it wasn't a typical way to start a game - then decided that her cousin Justin should be the final arbitrator in the matter since he is an excellent HS Soccer player on Long Island!

Even though it's winter down her way, Friday afternoon was fairly warm and so after her sweaty game she was happy to go home and take a nice shower and not freeze immediately after stepping out of it! She then changed into warm clothes because as the sun set (around 5ish) it got cold again. Then she enjoyed some hot soup and tea!

 

Odds and Ends

Lisa finished her 78th book this year and that included War and Peace! She mused that she probably wouldn't be able to keep this level of reading up when she got home - but that it's been a great experience catching up on the classics she missed in College - Bio Majors read lots of stuff but War and Peace and Shakespeare aren't top on the list! GRIN

Not sure if we'll be able to chat with her next weekend since her Dad and I will be attending a Science Fiction Convention near Boston - and even if we do I probably won't get to update this blog till later on - till then enjoy Summer and Happy Day After the 4th to one and all!

 

Susan Rothman

Marketing Day Is Tomorrow

I Bet You Think You Know What That Means

But you may just be wrong. GRIN - Talked to Lisa today and she mentioned that tomorrow was Marketing Day at her school. It's a giant fundraiser where tons of stuff is "marketed" instead of holding classes, and the profits benefit the school's programs. They sell food, and hand crafted items and just about everything under the sun! And there are sports going on too - in fact Lisa has been added to the teacher's soccer team - so we'll see how that goes! But for some reason a day without teaching brought out the joy in her conversation. Double Grin

 

A Busy Week

She had dinner at Omu and Opu's and they served chocolate cake! Lisa thought she was in heaven!

Since I last blogged - the Beauty Pageant went well, the kids were their typical selves -sigh- and Lisa got what may be good news - the 9th graders may be going on a field trip week after next - which would lighten her teaching load for the better part of a week. She has all her fingers crossed that this trip doesn't get canceled like so many others have. I'll cross mine for her too!

She received another copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from Grayce Burian (Many Thanks) - did I mention last blog the 3 she received from her great-aunt Anne Marie in Canada - if not I mention it here! Also from Anne Marie were some Nestles Noir Dark Chocolate envelopes - since it's very cold in Aroab right now she's enjoying them - and Lisa says they are excellent! So on days when a lot of learners are absent there are almost enough copies to go around (24 I think)! In any case no more than 2 have to share a copy. Bliss!

Things are going OK with Sara - the World Teach Teacher - I guess Lisa doesn't see her much - but at least no problems have popped up!

 

Planning For Life After Peace Corps

Lisa's been trying to work on some of the GRE practice materials we sent her. She's decided she has a long way to go to get ready for the GREs - 2 years out of college and she feels like she's out of the test taking loop. I think it will get easier to prep when she gets home and has access to a computer, DVD's etc. And she can pick up more study guides - we just don't feel like mailing them to her only to have her leave them on the other side of the Atlantic!

 

Odds and Ends

We talked about national, state, and local politics - she was more up on the SC Governor and his escapades than she was on what the NYS legislature was up too - or our local Schenectady City School District - all were beyond comprehension for her. Her conclusion was that all three were good examples of how not to behave.

It's been very very cold for her - but she's enjoying all the soup mixes, tea, hot cocoa mix, etc that people have so generously sent her. She wishes to thank you all! Till my next blog - Bye!

 

Susan Rothman

No Internet Blues

Chatted With Lisa Today

She want's to apologize to all the Father's out there who she would have sent Father's Day e-greetings to - but her cell phone Internet has been down since last Saturday. It's still down and she isn't very happy about it. At least the cell is handling phone calls (thus we got to talk to her) and within country text messages - so if Peace Corps wants to get in touch they can. But still - she's not happy. I hope she gets it back soon!

 

Still Running Around Like Crazy

The local Science Fair was Monday, and I gather it went well. Next step is the regionals in Keetmanshoop. We'll see how her school does then! Tomorrow night is the Beauty Pageant - and Lisa is shall we say quite tired of hearing how important it is to walk a certain way and move a certain way etc. A model's life she was not cut out for (GRIN). I hope the pageant goes more smoothly than the talent show when I guess a ruckus occurred over one learner getting stabbed by another and having to go to Windhoek for treatment.

Now I never mentioned this to you all in earlier blogs- since Lisa never mentioned it to us. I guess enough time had gone by so she decided to share the info with us. I'm trying to decide if waiting to tell us was a good thing or a not so good thing. -sigh- Lisa will be very glad when Friday comes and she has a weekend to relax.

Today was a long one (not even counting Pageant practice!) She sent seven boys from her classes down to the office. They just wouldn't stop talking. All the boys came back and apologized to her. Which while nice didn't really seem to change their behavior much at all. -SIGH-

 

Writing Exams Already

Teachers are supposed to be done writing their term final exams and  they are supposed to be turned into the Principal by Friday - though most of them may not get them in till Monday. Seems like they've just started the new term but exams start August 4th and it takes time for the exams to be approved!

 

Sara

Lisa has been enjoying talking with Sara - the World Teach teacher from Canada. Sara looks cool, collected and as if she has it all together but while she's bubbly and very enthusiastic believing all children can be taught and that they are all good at the core - even she is finding teaching in Africa challenging. She seems to feel their Education System is broken and she wants to figure out how to fix it! Lisa understands the concept but after working there for almost 2 years knows that taking small steps is worthwhile too.

I gather Sara is the "I want to take these kids home with me to give them a better life with more opportunities" kind of volunteer. Admirable but not always practical. SMILE

It has been interesting to learn about her though. When Sara taught in China - that program required that the teachers pay for their own airfare and other transportation to and from China, but all their expenses in country were covered.

And at least in her neck of the woods in Canada all the classes (up beyond elementary school) seem to have teacher assistants - which makes teaching easier - someone can go round and keep tabs on the kids. Since many of our local schools seem to be cutting back on teacher aids to cut costs this seems almost a dreamlike concept!

And while things seem to be going well for Sara she's had technology disappointments too. She bought some super 3G PDA or such that was supposed to get Internet in Namibia - but Aroab is too far from the beaten path and she can't pick up a signal. Even things on networks designed to work in Namibia don't work in Lisa's neck of the woods. Ahh well. Lisa's learned that lesson well.

 

Odds and Ends

At home here in America,  Lisa got a Juror Questionnaire for Jury Duty. So I called them since Lisa wouldn't be making any trips back from Africa in the near future - and they said they'd take her name off the list for now. In college several kids had to jump through hoops when called to Jury duty several states away - going to college out of town wasn't a good enough excuse to get off but I guess Peace Corps Service is! GRIN

Since Lisa hasn't had any info about the outside world for a while we filled her in on Iran etc. and her comment was - "America can still be the bull in the china shop and it sounds like Obama is trying to keep us from breaking all the china!" Our daughter thinks interesting thoughts in interesting ways! We miss her!

 

Hope all is well in your worlds - Take Care

 

Susan Rothman

Happy Father's Day

Lisa Spent The Day In Keetmanshoop

It was nice talking to her today. She sounded great - very happy and upbeat! She said getting away to Keets was very good for her since life has been very very busy. Lisa described it so well -"When you're still walking around after you've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off it's quite an accomplishment."

She got in a good hour plus of Internet time - and it was heavenly! She doesn't get any graphics on her cell phone so going to web sites and seeing the pictures and graphics we all take for granted was a lot of fun for her. Since she can't get her e-mail anymore on her cell phone she spent a lot of time catching up on that too. She doesn't know why she's having so much trouble with Hotmail - but it's hard to troubleshoot such things in Namibia - and she's extra cautious since she doesn't want to wreck her cell phone and lose all communication abilities! Since she wouldn't be able to get a new cell phone till she got to Windhoek in August - she's managing to do without e-mail.

A bonus was that since today was June 19th and since most people get paid in Namibia on the 20th the shops were still full of goodies (she had a great selection - the best so far!) and low on shoppers - she picked up lots of different kinds of cheese, some frozen stuff that kept everything cold when she came home (even if it sort of defrosted on the way back) and another towel since she wants to shower once in a while and it's hard to dry towels out when it's so cold and you have no heat! She doesn't want her cold to get worse by getting wet and staying that way.

 

School Is Keeping Her Busy

Among the activities keeping her on the go are the school's local Science Fair - which is Monday, the Debate Team, and the school's Beauty Pageant which is Thursday. She really doesn't understand the appeal of Beauty Pageants but the school gets very excited about them - the whole town does! And they're for both the girls and boys!

The Regional Science Fair has been a real pain since the learners were trying to fill out required elements that asked computers and printers to talk to one another and they weren't playing together nicely at all. A real headache. I think the computers were behaving worse than her learners on a bad day!

Sara - the World Teach teacher is busy fixing the school's computers and working on the teacher's computers - only a few teachers have computers so it isn't a large number to work with. Lisa wishes Sara had the ability to bring Internet to the town - but that's beyond World Teach's ability! -SIGH- Do any of you readers of this blog even remember when computers were used without being connected to the Internet for instant Google searches and e-mail, blogs and Face Book etc.?

 

Odds and Ends

Lisa is still working on War and Peace - she's really getting into it and wants to know all about the Russian History behind it! Keeps Chuck busy answering her questions! I just listen - I always found Russian History a bit confusing, myself. GRIN

She got 3 more copies of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from Anne Marie in Canada - many many thanks! She's now up to 23 for her 42 learners to share! And she got a package of magazines we sent her. We try to keep her up to date on the world with the Atlantic, the Economist, the Nation, and assorted other magazines including Dr Who Monthly - to keep her up to date on the TV she's missing (smile).

Lisa chatted about Obama and his push for Father's to step up and act like Father's - telling her Dad how great he was! Something Dad's always like to hear - GRIN

Then we were cut off -SIGH- but we had a good chat all in all.

Take Care - and Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

 

Susan Rothman

Happy Flag Day (2 Days Early)

It Was A Good Week All In All

Lisa sounded much better this week - she just has a slight cold left. When we called today she filled us in on her flu shot saga.

Lisa called the Hospital in Keetmanshoop and explained how Peace Corps wanted her to get the flu shot but that she had a cold etc. She arranged for her Principal to pick up the vaccine on Tuesday. She gained an ice pack in the process since the vaccine had to be kept cold! She stored it in her fridge till today (Friday) and took it to the Aroab clinic since someone is there I'm not sure if it's every Friday or every other Friday to see people.

She went to the clinic to have someone administer the shot, which at first they wouldn't do since they're not supposed to administer vaccines of "unknown" origin, ie stuff brought in by anyone other than an authorized person. Since it was properly cold and in Keetmanshoop medical packaging they eventually decided it was OK.

All in all it went fine and Lisa figured it would have been much more complicated in the States - what with having someone just picking up the stuff. And I agree - if someone just showed up at the average hospital and said "I'm here to pick up some flu vaccine" - there would be quite a bit of paperwork to deal with! I gather Lisa was well enough to teach which is why her Principal went off to pick the vaccine up himself rather than giving her the day off since she wouldn't be getting the shot till today.

There really are no subs other than the Principal - let's see - the Principal could let her classes go unsupervised all day, teach them himself, or drive into Keetmanshoop and be cooperative as far as Peace Corps is concerned. He made the logical choice! (GRIN)

Right now anything Peace Corps requests gets her school's full attention and cooperation. Boy they really want another Volunteer next year! GRIN - too bad Lisa can't finagle a raise out of this desire of their's to be seen as good guys - but her school doesn't pay her - Peace Corps does.

Since she's never had a bad reaction to a shot of any kind (knock on wood!) Lisa figured that getting the flu shot even with her very slight cold wouldn't be a problem.

 

World Teach Teacher - Sara

Sara - the World Teach teacher has arrived. She's from Canada, is 26, and married (hubby is home in Canada). She taught in China for 6 months, is an ESL teacher, and is working on teaching computer skills to the school's teachers. She'll be there for around 3 months.

Lisa says her accent is interesting and she's still getting used to it. Lisa notes that every English Colony "took English and played with it" each country ending up with different accents, different word usage, and different terms for things. It's almost hard to believe that they all are called "English". As Mark Twain or Henry Higgins would attest to! SMILE

So Sara is living with a family in town and Lisa hopes to run into her now and then. Sara I gather is very upbeat and eager - sure she can do a lot to teach computer skills in Aroab etc. Lisa after nearly 2 years wonders how long that enthusiasm will last - SMILE- Amazing how Lisa considers herself such an old hand at living in Namibia! My thought is if Sara managed 6 months in China she'll probably do quite well! I wish her well!

 

Other School Stuff

There was supposed to be a debating competition tonight but since the powers that be only got around to telling the schools this past Monday - everyone complained there wasn't enough time to prepare so it was postponed! I'm not sure till when - I don't think they've been told.

This is a 4 day weekend - I lost track of what Namibian holidays were included in it - but Lisa will be at the school Tuesday anyhow. Her Science Club members need to work on some projects and they really want Lisa's help. So good teacher that she is - Lisa will go in and help them. GRIN But she'll still get some rest in - and since she has tons of grading to do she assures us she will keep quite busy.

 

Reading War and Peace

Lisa is working her way through War and Peace - which since we're being honest here - her Dad and I have never actually read ourselves. Sending it to her just seemed the right thing to do since it's known to be rather long and since she has a lot of time to read right now! GRIN

So she keeps trying to talk to us about the novel and we're doing our best - but it's like trying to cope in class discussions after a brief skim of Cliff Notes (I honestly never used them myself - I was one of those students who read the books as soon as they were assigned - and I started my papers as soon as they were assigned too - Chuck on the other hand was more normal I believe -grin-)- Chuck is using his knowledge of Russian history and literature (with lots of Google support) to answer her questions - and I listen (DOUBLE GRIN)

While really enjoying it she has some editorial suggestions - since large chunks are written in French she thinks these passages should be translated in footnotes. And she finds it very funny to read things written so long ago that terminology and language have changed the meanings - ie performing one's toilet -while she understands what it meant then she still finds seeing the term as used in the book amusing.

War and Peace does seem to be living up to it's name as a "LONG" book. She says it feels like several books squished together. But at least there is a lot of restating "X who is son/daughter/whatever of Y" etc. So it's easier to keep everybody straight!

 

Odds And Ends

She didn't receive any mail this week, and we ended our call (before getting cut off -sigh-) with a chat about the Iranian elections and politics in general. Oh - she lost power for a while this week which as it grows colder is less and less convenient - but she managed OK. She's down to about 7 months before heading home - I can hardly wait!

 

Have a good week - and Happy Flag Day!

 

Susan Rothman