The front and back of the CIC sweater have been finished for a while. Because I don't know how much farther the daffodil yarn will go, I decided I'd better make the neckband before starting the sleeves and discovered I don't have a needle with a big enough eye for the yarn. It's been years since I've attempted anything like this and it's reassuring to know there's plenty of help in the Children in Common knitters.

One of them, Claudia, has a yarn shop in Hudson, New York. (This is a page from Claudia's website.) This morning there was an email from her remarking on a new book, Knitting for Peace, that has devoted five pages to CIC. Claudia said in her email that her family roots are in Lithuania and she can imagine people related to her having to give their children to orphanages because they can't afford to feed them. She feels she's knitting for extended family. I haven't finished one thing for CIC yet but really am drawn to the idea that it's "real." People are genuinely involved in this effort and you don't have to wonder where your money, socks, toothbrushes are going.
And speaking of Russia and eastern Europe, I've had the joy of meeting several university students in the workplace this summer. These kids came from all parts of Russia (east, west and Siberia), Romania and Moldova. They were all smart as anything and came to the U.S. through agencies that sponsor them for four months to work and travel. They pay the agencies to come here, buy their own tickets, pay the agencies part of their salaries while they're here, pay rent, transportation, everything. The agencies put them in housing, move them around and provide the "personal taxi" transportation to and from work. The housing sounds nice. Some are at the beach, some in houses with yards and, since they're young it's probably not strange to them to find themselves living with kids from other countries and of the other sex. I didn't take pictures of them while they were here until the last one, Natalia, was left. This sweet girl from Moldova wasn't the most fluent in English of all the students so I didn't learn as much about her as I wanted. She did tell me that in her country there is no frozen food.

I just fell in love with Russian girl, Sveta, who I knew briefly. Most of the kids will change their names (or even countries as I noticed Natalia became Russian after enough Americans responded to "Moldova" with guesses that it was in the Phillipines and "Where in the heck is that?") Sveta, however, got right in my face, within my limits of personal space, and said her name over and over and over and over until she was satisified with my pronunciation. Then she taught me a few other Russian phrases. She promised to email me a picture and I'd certainly love to get it but as the mother of a teenager, I have little hope.

These kids worked two jobs while they were here, often 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. six days a week. They had two jobs and would get a day off each week from each job but not on the same day. It was tiring for them but some, at least, said they were bored when they weren't at work. Some sent money home. Hopefully, all went home enriched and with positive experiences in the U.S.