Yes, Anya’s day is more interesting than mine, so we’ll start with me.
After walking Anya to school, I settled in at my desk.
I’ve got things workable, with a little creativity. The chair doesn’t adjust for height, so I put a foam backrest on the seat. So, then my back isn’t supported well, so I put Anya’s memory foam travel neck pillow at my back. I don’t have a book rack to hold the books while I type notes into Nota Bene software, so I “MacGuyvered” it (as Anya calls it.) A square basket lid sits upon a big book (The Cambridge Guide to Theatre), and the lid leans against the waste basket in the back left corner. A big rubber band wraps around the entire lid, holding the pages of my Maasai paperback books open. I looked for a proper book rack in a bookstore yesterday, but I didn’t see one. Fortunately, I had the sense to bring a bluetooth keyboard so that I can elevate the laptop and not end up each day with a pain in the neck. It’s great to have a space with a window and lots of natural light.
I’m re-reading Maasai enthographies and entering the notes. I’m tracing themes of blessings and curses, the Maasai worldview and view of God, and reconciliation. They are actually all integrally related.
Tomorrow, I go to MHS to get a critique from Knut on the first 15% of my draft dissertation. I’m a little unsettled, as I’ve never walked this journey before. I don’t know how to self-assess my work. I’ll let you know tomorrow how it goes!
Now the good stuff–Anya’s day!
- She had a long period for Mat og Helse (Food and Health) today, where she made fish burgers. She’s not a big fish fan, but she ate it. She said they were fastidious about cleaning, washing the dishes three times. She’ll learn Norse and cleaning! I like this!
- In PE, she said they were “hard core!” They had to vault over a horse and onto this and that and across the trampoline and see how high they could grab a rope. Vaulting included tricks, like jumping into the splits in the air. She said she was a bit nervous as she had never done this before, but she felt she did pretty good. She thought it wouldn’t be as hard core in the USA, but she didn’t think that anyone in the USA would do this because of liability! I wondered if this is what happens when you have socialized health care!?! The hospitals are “free,” (with 30% income tax and 25% sales tax, except food is “only” 15%), so go ahead and take a risk! All health care is free for those 16 and under! They don’t even ask for insurance information!
- Anya’s friends here have found my website and blog, so I’ll let Anya relay what she wants to, other than saying that her teachers and friends have been welcoming and nice to her. Tomorrow will be the end of the first week of school!