![Quarantine! Teachers donning their protective masks in the teacher's lounge.](http://emmaandalex.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/quarantine.jpg)
Emma and I are in week 2 of our 3 week national “quarantine”. An outbreak of Swine Flu in the western part of Ukraine led the government to cancel classes in every educational institution in the country.
So we have 3 weeks off!
Well, not exactly. My school had already scheduled a “fall break” for last week during which teachers work, students stay home, and they crank up the massive central heating unit to slowly warm up the school for winter. So, ironically, the first week of my “flu-cation” was robbed by a fall “break” during which I still had to go to work. Oh well, такова жизнь (takova zhizn) – that’s life.
Emma was working hard on and just sent in a PEPFAR (HIV/AIDS project) grant proposal. She wants to build a nice resource center at the Lyceum where kids will want to hang out and where she can do HIV/AIDS trainings. Now I’m working on a “Small Projects” grant to get some sports equipment and start a sports club. So, to keep myself from relaxing too much, I’m trying to get that largely finished before classes kick back in and the swine flu finally gets passed around.
Well, that explains why you haven’t been available on the internet, whereas I thought you would be at home and we could Skype you all week! (We also usually forget to check if you’re on during the right time of the day…..or have you changed your setting so that we can’t tell if you’re on? It seems you never are…..?) If possible could you Skype us when you are home and have some time?
Sure hope you don’t get the flu once classes start up again : ( Dad and I got the H1N1 shot yesterday, and had the seasonal flu shot earlier…..hopefully that will keep us from getting sick before our big trip to NY to sing at Carnegie Hall over the Thanksgiving weekend. Also want to keep from giving the flu to the new baby when she arrives in December, as we plan to go down to see her right away.
Good job, you two, spending your time writing grant proposals. Hope it doesn’t consume your whole “flu-cation”, though. Let’s talk before your work starts back up in earnest!
Love,
Mom
We are thinking of you both as Thanksgiving week is here. Hope you get to eat “bird” of some kind and think of all your family & friends stuffing ourselves over here.
Love you bunches, Mom G.