Friday, May 30, 2008
A good funny...
....from the kids. So C broke her foot, and as a three year old, she does not get crutches but is in a cast, so she just has to crawl or be carried for the next three weeks. The rest of the children are, of course, quite curious, full of questions and ultimately they have been so kind and caring, it has been cool to watch. Most of the day we just have most of the children crawling around to be just like their friend C. :) But suddenly today, A had a grand idea for fixing her broken foot. "Miss Diana, we need to give C a gluestick!" "Why, honey?" "So she can fix her foot!"
Friday, May 23, 2008
Even better
And this photo was taken at exactly 10:30 pm last night. Not much different.... Cool, huh?
Thursday, May 22, 2008
This one's for Krix
Dear Anderson family,
While it is currently pitch black in Stoughton, Wisconsin at 9:30 pm, this photo was taken precisely at 9:30 pm tonight in Riga, Latvia. Give it another month and it will be even lighter, when you are here. You are very warmly awaited.
Love,
The Sun
(In light of my nearly total absence during the winter months, I hang out here lots during the summer....) :)
And then there are the efficient ones....
I forgot to write about the other kind of person that you will encounter when planning an event here in LV.... The one who will do it all for you and tell you how it's going to be. (I'm sorry, are you the one who's getting married?)
Actually, for us it is just quite funny and we are going to go with it, because it only affects the "official" part of the day that doesn't really mean much to us emotionally. I don't know if I've mentioned that before, but since we knew we wanted to do the ceremony outside at Jaunvitagas, we had found out we would have to have the wedding take part in two places. Because in Latvia it is not legal to get married outdoors. So we have to sign the paperwork at Pagasta Padome (ie: city hall) - the "official" part - and then we actually get to have the ceremony outside, which is what will mean something to us.
So the people at Padome are so stoked for us. We are the first foreigners ever to be married there, so it has been a lot of excited nervous energy surrounding any of our phone calls or visits. On Monday we filled out the application to be married (it took over an hour to fill out one piece of paper because of all the small talk and nerves - I wavered back and forth between irritation at having this take so long and endearment for these sincerely sincere people) and the little old lady secretary was so excited to talk wedding details with me. She wanted to know about rings, guests, flowers, and on and on. We had opted to just have our own musicians who we had arranged for later in the day play this part of the day as well. She was very hyper about what songs we would pick for them to play and so on.
Today I get a phone call from her. First she lets me know about some details of the ceremony that I cannot disclose here (they are a surprise to certain guests). Then she lets me know that they will be doing the ceremony with their own local musicians and not ours. This is a typical post-Soviet leftover. Any person in a position of "power" (I use that term loosely - "power" can include working at the post office, in the grocery store or selling tickets on the trolleybus) has a right to tell you how it's gonna be, like it or not.
First of all, were this a "typical wedding" this is where I might ask her if that is her day or our day. However, since this part of our day is solely "official" what I really wanted to say was "whatever, do whatever, we will just be there to sign the papers at noon." But instead of course I politely thanked her for her efforts and called KB laughing. He also decided it was not worth our efforts to argue about the music, so this part will be a grand surprise for us as well!
Who would've thunk that when you plan a wedding in the countryside in Latvia, a wedding coordinator is included in the cost? Oooooh, it's a great thing that we have good humor about all of this, because I really await to see the spectacle that will be our civil wedding ceremony. :)
Actually, for us it is just quite funny and we are going to go with it, because it only affects the "official" part of the day that doesn't really mean much to us emotionally. I don't know if I've mentioned that before, but since we knew we wanted to do the ceremony outside at Jaunvitagas, we had found out we would have to have the wedding take part in two places. Because in Latvia it is not legal to get married outdoors. So we have to sign the paperwork at Pagasta Padome (ie: city hall) - the "official" part - and then we actually get to have the ceremony outside, which is what will mean something to us.
So the people at Padome are so stoked for us. We are the first foreigners ever to be married there, so it has been a lot of excited nervous energy surrounding any of our phone calls or visits. On Monday we filled out the application to be married (it took over an hour to fill out one piece of paper because of all the small talk and nerves - I wavered back and forth between irritation at having this take so long and endearment for these sincerely sincere people) and the little old lady secretary was so excited to talk wedding details with me. She wanted to know about rings, guests, flowers, and on and on. We had opted to just have our own musicians who we had arranged for later in the day play this part of the day as well. She was very hyper about what songs we would pick for them to play and so on.
Today I get a phone call from her. First she lets me know about some details of the ceremony that I cannot disclose here (they are a surprise to certain guests). Then she lets me know that they will be doing the ceremony with their own local musicians and not ours. This is a typical post-Soviet leftover. Any person in a position of "power" (I use that term loosely - "power" can include working at the post office, in the grocery store or selling tickets on the trolleybus) has a right to tell you how it's gonna be, like it or not.
First of all, were this a "typical wedding" this is where I might ask her if that is her day or our day. However, since this part of our day is solely "official" what I really wanted to say was "whatever, do whatever, we will just be there to sign the papers at noon." But instead of course I politely thanked her for her efforts and called KB laughing. He also decided it was not worth our efforts to argue about the music, so this part will be a grand surprise for us as well!
Who would've thunk that when you plan a wedding in the countryside in Latvia, a wedding coordinator is included in the cost? Oooooh, it's a great thing that we have good humor about all of this, because I really await to see the spectacle that will be our civil wedding ceremony. :)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Looking for a new trick...
I'm entering one of those periods in my life when there's just way more going on than you can hold in your head at one moment. End of the school year is often this way (luckily, the only thing that really helps you get through it is knowing that summer vacation is just a few short weeks away), but this year I'm coupling that with being the staff representative in a school environment that just keeps getting more complicated and less put-together (that is putting it very nicely) and I'm getting married in less than six weeks (which just really hit me on Monday when we filled out our application).
The point is, my organization and patience usually really pay off in times like this. The strategy I've developed for myself over the years is to make lots of lists - one for every day of the week, every week of the month, etc. - and then to follow them religiously. If something is not on my list that day, I'm not allowed to even think about it. I really pick everything apart, focus on one task at a time and then move on to the next.
Sadly, in LV, this strategy doesn't really work. I'll tell you why. Just because I put something on my list for that day or week, does not mean that it's going to get done when I have scheduled myself to focus on it. Point and case, we STILL have not been able to meet with the people from restaurant where the wedding reception will be. She doesn't answer her phone or she's too busy to talk or she's not working on the days when we are available etc, etc, etc. Now anywhere else in the world, I would've panicked a long time ago, totally put this place out of my mind as unacceptable for such an important event and moved on. But see, here that is just normal. It won't be any better anywhere else we go, so we just deal with it.
Now I ask you, how is a person supposed to keep sane at a time like this??
While I am organized, I am also flexible. Extremely and extraordinarily flexible. This is the name of the game of being a teacher, a preschool teacher in particular. You can have the best and most interesting lesson planned, but if A tell B he doesn't want to be her friend so she starts sobbing, and C sneezes and blows glowsticks from her nose at the same moment that D has to run to the bathroom (and gets angry at himself in the process, because "why does my pee have to come so fast and all the time?????" - true story - and then doesn't make it to the bathroom on time because he was so busy getting angry at his pee), meanwhile X, Y and Z are playing spiderman again so they are running around the room like maniacs dropping into the spiderman pose.......then yes, you learn a bit of flexibility.
But this whole thing of not being able to make lists and stick to them, is just too much for me to handle....my brain gets too full.
If anyone has any suggestions, I am so very open.
Until then, yeah, let me get back to that list I had written for tonight. Writing on my blog definitley wasn't on that list.....
The point is, my organization and patience usually really pay off in times like this. The strategy I've developed for myself over the years is to make lots of lists - one for every day of the week, every week of the month, etc. - and then to follow them religiously. If something is not on my list that day, I'm not allowed to even think about it. I really pick everything apart, focus on one task at a time and then move on to the next.
Sadly, in LV, this strategy doesn't really work. I'll tell you why. Just because I put something on my list for that day or week, does not mean that it's going to get done when I have scheduled myself to focus on it. Point and case, we STILL have not been able to meet with the people from restaurant where the wedding reception will be. She doesn't answer her phone or she's too busy to talk or she's not working on the days when we are available etc, etc, etc. Now anywhere else in the world, I would've panicked a long time ago, totally put this place out of my mind as unacceptable for such an important event and moved on. But see, here that is just normal. It won't be any better anywhere else we go, so we just deal with it.
Now I ask you, how is a person supposed to keep sane at a time like this??
While I am organized, I am also flexible. Extremely and extraordinarily flexible. This is the name of the game of being a teacher, a preschool teacher in particular. You can have the best and most interesting lesson planned, but if A tell B he doesn't want to be her friend so she starts sobbing, and C sneezes and blows glowsticks from her nose at the same moment that D has to run to the bathroom (and gets angry at himself in the process, because "why does my pee have to come so fast and all the time?????" - true story - and then doesn't make it to the bathroom on time because he was so busy getting angry at his pee), meanwhile X, Y and Z are playing spiderman again so they are running around the room like maniacs dropping into the spiderman pose.......then yes, you learn a bit of flexibility.
But this whole thing of not being able to make lists and stick to them, is just too much for me to handle....my brain gets too full.
If anyone has any suggestions, I am so very open.
Until then, yeah, let me get back to that list I had written for tonight. Writing on my blog definitley wasn't on that list.....
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The Outhouse
Finally I am posting the very long awaited photos from the weekend of the outhouse talka. This is the hazard when there is only one camera, every time I had a free moment in the last week, it was in use. But all is well that ends well, exactly a week to the day of the talka, the outhouse is finished. Drum roll please....be prepared to be amazed by the first building standing in Jaunvitagas in sixty years... A big and huge thanks to all of our friends who gave up a Saturday and put in their blood, sweat and tears to make this happen!
The first set of photos shows what the girls were up to that day. We were of course in charge of the all important food breaks, but we also were on raking and burning duty (luckily, no branch duty that day). Raking was no walk in the park. By the end of the day I could literally not even use my right hand to pick up and drink a beer. Ouch! Here are a few action shots of MP, IG, GO and I at work. MP and I got a flashback to our Eko Klubs days at Garezers (that would've been the ONE afternoon we were cleaning the woods instead of the rest of the afternoons we spent napping....shhhhhh.....)
Yes, that is me, saimniece, hard at work supervising....Hey, someone's gotta do it! :)
And now....the series of photos of the outhouse going up. No commentary necessary - all the way from the hole being dug to the finished product. In the first picture, the blue dot is JS starting to dig the hole, also pictured are ES and UH, and of course saimnieks KB.
Finally, the branch duty continues. I swear it will be a never ending job and I'm **LOVING** it more and more every week. This is the Red Branch Smurf in front of one afternoon's worth of work. Oh, the joy.
By the way, the branch duty song has been expanded and more verses are being composed each week, but they are not nice enough to be published on my rainbow blog.
Tomorrow we are going to complete the application for marriage and are also hoping to meet with the owner of the restaurant to discuss our reception. Maybe get a menu going, maybe put in a downpayment - I don't know....the wedding is still six weeks away, may be a bit to early to discuss these things. I'm open for bets on whether we'll even be able to get a hold of the woman. But let's just keep our fingers crossed (or hold your thumbs, as Latvians would say). :)
The first set of photos shows what the girls were up to that day. We were of course in charge of the all important food breaks, but we also were on raking and burning duty (luckily, no branch duty that day). Raking was no walk in the park. By the end of the day I could literally not even use my right hand to pick up and drink a beer. Ouch! Here are a few action shots of MP, IG, GO and I at work. MP and I got a flashback to our Eko Klubs days at Garezers (that would've been the ONE afternoon we were cleaning the woods instead of the rest of the afternoons we spent napping....shhhhhh.....)
Yes, that is me, saimniece, hard at work supervising....Hey, someone's gotta do it! :)And now....the series of photos of the outhouse going up. No commentary necessary - all the way from the hole being dug to the finished product. In the first picture, the blue dot is JS starting to dig the hole, also pictured are ES and UH, and of course saimnieks KB.
Finally, the branch duty continues. I swear it will be a never ending job and I'm **LOVING** it more and more every week. This is the Red Branch Smurf in front of one afternoon's worth of work. Oh, the joy. 
By the way, the branch duty song has been expanded and more verses are being composed each week, but they are not nice enough to be published on my rainbow blog.Tomorrow we are going to complete the application for marriage and are also hoping to meet with the owner of the restaurant to discuss our reception. Maybe get a menu going, maybe put in a downpayment - I don't know....the wedding is still six weeks away, may be a bit to early to discuss these things. I'm open for bets on whether we'll even be able to get a hold of the woman. But let's just keep our fingers crossed (or hold your thumbs, as Latvians would say). :)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Pilates
Finally photo evidence of my exercising cat. Mima LOVES pilates. In the morning when I wake up she plays speed bump at my bedroom door (when the door opens she lays down in front as quickly as possible) and she goes totally nuts when she hears the pilates music kick in. While I scroll through the DVD menu, she quickly lays down on my mat and is ready to start.
Then I push her aside and she lays next to me and stretches her arms and legs as I do my workout. Please just ignore my morning hair in the photo... This is different from what my cat Chuchee used to do, which was attack my arms and legs and hang from them as I kicked and stretched. Mima is a true girl and also trying to keep her figure.
After a few minutes, she gets tired and goes to eat or drink. Then she does yoga on the wall, which is laying right up against the wall with her arms and legs up. I tried to get a photo of that, but she moved at the last moment. It actually looks like she's doing her sit-ups here.
This is very much our daily routine, weekends definitely throw her for a loop. I don't mind having an exercise buddy in the mornings! :) And for the record, the photos are taken at 5:30 AM when I exercise....yup, it's already so light out, and the sun sets after 10pm now!! :)
Then I push her aside and she lays next to me and stretches her arms and legs as I do my workout. Please just ignore my morning hair in the photo... This is different from what my cat Chuchee used to do, which was attack my arms and legs and hang from them as I kicked and stretched. Mima is a true girl and also trying to keep her figure.
After a few minutes, she gets tired and goes to eat or drink. Then she does yoga on the wall, which is laying right up against the wall with her arms and legs up. I tried to get a photo of that, but she moved at the last moment. It actually looks like she's doing her sit-ups here.
This is very much our daily routine, weekends definitely throw her for a loop. I don't mind having an exercise buddy in the mornings! :) And for the record, the photos are taken at 5:30 AM when I exercise....yup, it's already so light out, and the sun sets after 10pm now!! :)
Monday, May 5, 2008
Fishing
I bought a new fishing pole here in LV because it's been I don't even know how many years since I had gone fishing - the last time was either when I got hooked in the hand or when we were fishing for catfish late at night (I'm guessing it may have been when I was hooked) - either way, we're talking 15+ years ago. It was time to start fishing again. The day was beautiful, the lake was absolutely gorgeous and quiet. Seven hours in the boat....and not a single fish for us all day. Two highlights of the day.... We dug up our own worms at Jaunvitagas, and here I was hooking the worm, major concentration. (Krixee, do not even get mad but we also used the insides of a pirags for bait... Don't worry, in less than two months you will be able to eat all the piragi you want!!) Second highlight of the day, as we were getting ready to wrap it up, there was a full rainbow over the lake directly across from a beautiful sunset. That alone made that day worth it. I was unable to capture it on photo, but the image will definitely be with me for a long time. I am actively and consciously burning these images into my brain to be drawn up at a later bleaker time of year. This time of year is the best.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)