Monthly Update June 2012

UKRAINE CONNECTIONS

I write this update the night before I jump on a jet plane to head to Ukraine (via Dubai).

I am happy to report that Natasha skyped me last week and said that she has decided to continue running UTSIM for another year. I am really happy about this and I am sure both students and Sveta, the teacher, are also glad. I will be helping them move into new premises this week when I arrive. The town council have helped provide a better room in an even better location at a better price. (Sometimes it isn’t wrong to overuse a word, ‘better’ sounded really good just then)

My house. I am excited to go back to my house. It is easy to become attached to a place or a piece of real estate. It got me thinking about the first time I went back to this house in 2005.

LIVING DOWN UNDER

May was a full month. I have had only 4 weeks back in Sydney but seem to have packed a lot into that time. I am thankful for a reasonable amount of work at school and for the appointment I signed tonight for a maternity leave position in Term 4 teaching Grade 4. It is an answer to prayer.

Today a bunch of us had Yum Cha for lunch. I love being able to hang out with my community. I challenge you to make sure you regularly spend time – all sorts of quality time – with a group of people. I like to call it ‘doing life together’. Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry, often you eat, there will always be talking, sometimes you can be quiet, sometimes it’s planned, you can also be spontaneous. Togetherness is important.

I have 30kg allowance to Dubai but only 20 from Dubai to Kyiv. My bag is 27kgs mainly with gifts for people. I have written to Aerosvit and asked for leniency on the grounds that they changed my flight causing me to stay an extra day in Dubai at my own expense. I have not heard back as yet so please pray for a favourable response.

WHAT YA READIN’?

Hopefully the summer time will bring about a decent amount of reading. I’ll let you know next month.

THANKS

To the Weldon family for being my Tuesday night home.