Finding Solutions

 birthday celebration

There are positives and negatives to research and I generally enjoy finding the information I need, except when it's not out there or I feel I am just one click away from the answer. So two hours in front of the computer turns into four, then five with nothing really solid to present for all the time spent. That is how I feel today and it will probably be the same case for tomorrow. I am looking for resources on programs for training adults with intellectual disabilities for the workforce. The US government has centers in place, called Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and I've read and read....there's a lot of great services in PA for one reason or another...but the info is just basic. I know people don't want to spell out their whole program online...maybe some one will take the idea. Or laying everything out might lead families to think they can do it on their own, taking away income flow to the professional centers that are set up for this. But when you are in a country where these resources do not exists at all it's slightly frustrating to try to find the needed info. So I've emailed a few people and will probably reach out to some others after talking with co-workers tomorrow.

All this to say that research can be very taxing especially when you are working on day two of a headache.

Project pictures

Before: Right side of building

Before: Front of building

Before: Left side of building

Before: the Center from the street

The Build: Cleaning new cement floor

The Build: Beams going up

The Build: Another view of beams

The Build: Cleaning

All of our project donators

Finished front with sign

меша: mix

mixing, Macedonian pancakes, which is what the French call crepes

My mom has encouraged me to write here more frequently without feeling I have to write a whole lot. I think I will attempt to intersperse longer thought-out stories and shorter drops-ins, where I just mention what I am doing at the moment - to mix things up. Right now it's late morning and there is yet another dusting of snow, making it almost two weeks of constant snow cover and temperatures in the negative Celsius here, while all you Staters that I know are running around with limited clothing.

I am not at the "office" because I am working on a fact sheet for the Federation of Russia for a project here called Model UN that I am helping to facilitate here in Kumanovo and eventually this Spring throughout the whole of Macedonia. I'll head into work later where we are beginning to work on our own little grant.

my street with snow

my host brother's five year old birthday party

Feel free to give Sharon Van Etten a listen...I just did