What do you do?

Last week, I met a lovely woman whose first language was not English.  We were having that awkward conversation, trying to figure out what we were about.  I made my introductions first and she happily blurted out, "Oh, you are a housekeeper, too!!"

This week, Grayson shared with me a Latvian phrase that he learned at school, "Ko tu dari?", which means "What are you doing?"

This to me, is the dreaded question. "What do you do?" is always asked very politely, similar to "how are you?".  I should have a simple response but as I've discovered with this move, I don't really know just yet.  Three months ago, I worked full-time in a very satifying job, I spent many hours at the soccer field with G, I walked the dog, maintained the house, and that's kind of it.

Just a random face on an abandonned building

Now?  I am finding a new balance.  I have re-discovered a joy for crafting, sitting in the sunshine, cultivating new friendships, volunteering, taking pictures, sharing my adventures with my friends & family (thank you for all the positive encouragement!).  I am still walking the dog and spending hours at the soccer field. I also need to fit in groceries (many times per week), laundry (again, many times per week!), cleaning and cooking, generally, keeping house (which is not the same as being a housekeeper!).

Picking up balloons for a surprise birthday party

Ducks beside a lake with heaps of ducks!

Small discovery/story:  When Kristan came to visit, we came across a statue.

This Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin, apparently never stepped foot in Riga.  However, he has a lovely, romantic statue in a very desirable location by the canal.  His connection to Riga is by way of Anna Kern, with whom he had an affair.  Kristan "challenged" me to find Anna's statue.

Can you see Anna?

Poor Anna!

Anna was a Russian socialite who eventually moved to Riga.  She died in poverty and her severe and dour statue is found in a fairly obscure location (in my opinion).  So what do I do?  Two weeks ago, I discovered Anna.