Here's a Who's Who.

Hey. So, the plan was to put up a few photos, to give ideas of what it's like over here. But that will have to wait until I talk it over with Mat, whose computer I am using. Oh, laptop sharing. He's cool, by the way -- from Germany, well-travelled and planning to work abroad longer, and is a clown. Seriously. By training. :)

So you get stories instead.

Last night, I went with R to a friend's house. (R's the Clai House mum, a lovely woman, very open about herself and the kind of work we're doing here. Also mothering, which I find very comforting sometimes, even though I'm not one of her actual children (namely, U and K, 14 and 9 respectively). Speaking of, they arrived back from holidays the other day and are nice and I'm excited to get to know them. At the moment, they're stunned that I've seen as many films as I have...likely because the closest cinema is towns (and at least a half an hour drive) away. Provides good conversation fodder, though, me giving them reviews of Sherlock Holmes and what not).
So, yes. At this friend's house (A, also lovely) we had a reading of All's Well That Ends Well. It was an awesome way to meet new people, and to fill a Shakespeare-sized (or at least Shakespeare-like) hole that I didn't realize was there. I think it's missing theatre in general -- but that's ok, cause Mat and I are going to an open meeting of the local drama group on Sat. We'll see how that unfolds.

Unrelatedly (or because this post has turned into an introduction to the people over here) M and M, co-workers from the other house (Inis house), had a baby on the 27th. Little M, who's lustily keeping them awake at all hours, but is also the cutest thing I've seen in some time.
Along with these guys in Inis, there's E (lovely friendly Japanese co-worker, helped me create a Skpe account) and J (resident who's just back from holidays today, I have yet to meet him). And the residents here at Clai are Ric, who's preoccupied with the crazy weather at the moment (he went skating, in his shoes not skates, and loved it) and N (who beams and laughs out of nowhere, and says only versions of the sound 'swah'). I want to get N down in a sketch.
Anyway.

Here's a Happy New Year! to all, unfortunately missed out on last time in all the excitement of a new blog. I hope all is well with everyone, and I love you all to pieces.

- s

PS: thanks for the comments, I love reading them and really need them sometimes. :)