February

Well, it's been a month since I last wrote. But the truth is that I haven't finished the site I am working on yet and am feeling "written out" anyway. I'm sorry! Please don't make me stay in for recess!



Just a quick update on what is going on over here:

The girls and I got to join Ron & his group to visit one of the villages they work in. It was a real pleasure to see the functioning well, water pump, water tanks and other things that brought indoor plumbing to a school for the first time ever. Later we got to participate in an arts workshop they put on here.



A few weeks ago our winter-weather run that started in the beginning of September continued with two blizzards in one week leaving 4-8 foot drifts everywhere. Our car was stuck for 4 days, but the girls had great sledding on the dune-like drifts in the back yard!



Since then, we have had lovely blue skies and warm temperatures leading the girls to say "IT'S HOT!" even though there is still snow on the ground.



Gerald has been working very hard with classes, advising and accreditation issues. It is fun for him to meet all the students he knows on campus. After 2 1/2 years of being here, he got in the AUI pool for the first time as a way to exercise his ankle and keep fit since he can't jog yet. He's also giving the girls swimming lessons once a week since the local way to do this is to drop the kids in with a few floaties and hope they stay up. Gerald had 10 physical therapy sessions this winter and is feeling much better.



Katrina has a two-week vacation now. We already finished the homework she was given so are gearing up for a trip down south when her vacation coincides with Gerald's.



Kendra goes 4 mornings a week to school and I work with her at other times. She enjoys it, but complains that recess time lasts only "20 seconds."



After over a year of not seriously working on language, I enrolled in a French class at the university and got a French/Arabic tutor. I'm really enjoying this and wish I had done it earlier. I also managed to hit black ice while biking two weeks ago and ended up with 5 stitches in my head which are healing very nicely by now.

Well, we're off now in search of spring!