Camille is trying to make us feel sorry for her that she is going to Belgium and not back to Kenya for her school trip this semester.
We are waiting to hear back from schools she has applied for. It's not as bad as applying for kindergarten in San Francisco, but still, excruciating. Her interim math grade is a B+ -- need to let the world, or at least prospective schools--know!
Peace treaty signed last week between Ukraine and Russia calling for a ceasefire which started last night at midnight. War is not healthy for children or other living things, says my John Denver necklace. Let it stop.
It's cold, with snow on the ground, but not brutally so. The dollar is so high compared to the grivna that I got an insane new shearling coat.
I booked a trip to Cyprus for Easter.
I had a scary week as grants coordinator: for the first time, I had to present all our projects to heads-of-all-the-sections at the Embassy. But it went exhilaratingly well--hello approved young-people-teaching-old-people-how-to--use-the-internet project (and not rely on Russian-media heavy TV as their sole source of news) and seventeen other projects-- and I sneak in design projects and media monitoring when I'm not busy with grants. I'm so lucky.
A set back in my MFA program that I thought I was done with--my advisor wants more paintings from me before he will give me my diploma. I was sad for a while, but I won't give up. Really, more of the same as far as that program goes. And so, I paint.
Last night Stefan spent the night at a friend's house. Hopefully Kyiv is feeling more like home for him. He makes me laugh with his Sam Smith impression, room organizing, Rhett and Link watching and the fact that he can grow taller than I am on a diet comprised solely of mac-cheese, pizza, potato chips and turkey bacon.
I stopped playing Words with Friends, which I really loved, but now I'm reading again. I didn't seem to have time to do both. I joined a rowdy, international book club and I've really enjoyed their opinionated and culturally slanted thoughts about Big Little Lies and The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian.
Valentines.