I am in the middle of an overwhelmingly intensive period right now with work and school. I really thought one of my work assignments would be done by now, but it’s like a boomerang that just keeps coming back and back and back… So I have broken my rule number one of always getting about eight hours of sleep per night, and instead been up working past midnight certain nights. Hopefully it will all be worth it for someone…. When I was in Montenegro a few weeks ago, I was served this juice in a meeting with the Extension Services. Anti-stress juice! I think I could use some right now!

It is almost 10 pm and I am still working. Seems like too many things need to get done at the same time this week, though I am afraid that this is just a prediction of what the next couple of months will look like. Fortunately, as I wrote yesterday, everything I work with right now is really interesting and in periods when I do a lot of writing, it almost doesn’t feel like work. However, working more than ten hours per day is never good in the long run, even though it seems to be life for many here in the US.  When I was in Kotor, Montenegro, a few weeks ago, I found a postcard titled 10 Montenegrin Commandments, with the following text:

1. Man was born tired and he lives to rest.
2. Love your bed as you love yourself.
3. Rest during the day, so that during the night you can sleep.
4. Do not work, work kills!
5. If you see someone resting, help him!
6. Work less than you can, and what you can, give away to others
7. In shade is salvation, nobody has died of rest.
8. Work brings illness – don’t die young!
9. If by chance you wish to work, sit still, wait, you see, it will pass.
10. When you others eating and drinking, move closer. If you see them working, move away, don’t disturb them!

The text on the card was probably translated by google but you still get the idea. I have to say though that the Montenegrins that I work with don’t seem to live according to this as they are extremely hard working. But perhaps it is a good philosophy to take after, at least now and then?

Coming back to Washington a week ago meant getting started with all my personal and professional projects. At work, I have several interesting and exciting tasks to look forward  over the next months. And outside of work – well let’s just say that after a bit of a dormant period, I am back in my normal pace! This means continuing the part-time MSc program in Food Policy that I am doing (my second MSc since I already have one in Economics), continuing with my Romanian studies at Lund University (though I think this will be the last semester of Romanian studies for me), and getting started again with dance classes and the Swedish Choir that I sing in. (We already have five or six performances booked before Christmas.) My calendar for the fall is already full and admittedly, I am a little stressed, but I also like having things to look forward to!

I am out of inspiration so I haven’t come up with anything to write about in a few days. However, I (or rather a colleague of mine) found a really funny blog that I wanted to share with you: Stuff Expat Aid Workers Like. It’s a blog about the preferences and ways of workers in the humanitarian aid industry. And yes, it contains some for me highly familiar situations/topics. For example, just the other day, I excused myself from a happy hour after having endured 45 minutes of airport anecdotes from non-tourist destinations around the world… (see post #95) Other funny posts are #89 on photo ops of traditionally dressed locals with new technology, or #88 on Foreign Language T-shirts (let’s not forget my I Love Moldova t-shirt!) The ToonsEAWL from September 9 is also well recognizable for anyone who has ever worked for in an international organization. Check it out! Even if you don’t work in the sector, you will probably find it quite funny. And to all my friends – despite the above, I hope you don’t recognize your truly too much in the posts…