A busy day

Today was my day to volunteer as an adult tutor, and as usual it was interesting and different from my other stints.  We had fewer students than usual today (perhaps the sunshine kept them away) and so I was able to spend the whole two hours working with a couple from Vietnam who wanted to practice conversation.  They moved to the US just a few months ago with their three children, ages 14, 7 and 2, and what they wanted to talk about was the Seattle school system and how it works, how it might be different from the system in Vietnam, and how they could best ensure their kids' needs were met.  They are both college graduates and want their children to be successful academically, but I think the mom is a little bit unrealistic about what her middle child's English skills should be after just two months in school here. Talking about this brought tears to her eyes. We covered a lot of ground in two hours, and I encouraged them to schedule an appointment with her teacher to talk about their concerns and how they might help her at home.  I hope to be able to work with them again.

Then it was over to the hospital to visit my sister.  This photo is of a dramatic carving newly placed just inside the entrance to the hospital - very striking and compelling.  A lovely addition, I think.  May was sleeping when I got there, and had a hard time staying awake.  I think the level of pain medication they give her must interact with her own very sedating psych medications to make it very difficult for her to maintain her attention and focus.  But she is making good progress with her physical recovery, which is encouraging.

Tomorrow Endless Weekend and I are going to the ballet again, so I have something refreshing to look forward to.