well it's been awhile since my last post. Things have picked up quite a bit since Ramadan ended and I seem to be insanely busy these days with everything EXCEPT my research :) Most exciting thing I'm trying to get launched is a project at the Community Center I volunteer at that will involve photography and focus groups with the women and children that live there. I want to hold some discussions with the kids about gender roles in their community and maybe teach them a little photography, a colleague of mine will be speaking to the women. So lots of work there in terms of more grant writing and pitching the proposal to various organizations in the area. I've also started volunteering at the Red Crescent hospital under the head nurse who's from Iraq. He's had some amazing experiences and it'll give me a great chance to keep up some medical skills as well as work on my spoken Arabic as I follow patients. The docs will be rounding with me in English on the 20 or so patients there. So, it's been fun, lots of Arabic classes still and I'm still teaching English to young kids at the community center. I'm so behind on my work!! Anyways, hope all is well in your worlds....take care...Abi