Newest post!

I am not doing well at all with my posting. Sorry! In the beginning of my trip my often-travelling friend Ilusha said that undoubtedly the posts would ebb away after the beginning, after I get sucked into local life and activities, work and socializing. So it is, it seems. I hoped to achieve the high bar set by another friend, Rita, who writes amazingly funny and insightful posts first from Madrid and now still from Boston, but that is not to be. However, for those who remain optimistic and happen to continue checking my blog, I offer you an update.

I have had a lot of visits and visitors over the past two months: first a trip to Ireland (Dublin and Dingle, a small and very musical town in a Gaeltacht region on the West Coast), then a visit from my mom and from a college friend, Amanda. Ten days after that - a visit from my friend Lena for my birthday, and ten days after that - a visit from the Pindrus sisters, Masha and Bella, on their way to Tallinn for the first time after emigrating 8 years ago (they took me along and I write now having returned after three days in Tallinn).

Also spring has taken over Riga, and it is lush and green, warm and active. The parks are full of people, the Old Town is filling up with tourists and various weekend celebrations, and local people strolling about. (The main streets are full of people, as usual - the city is small and people walk places, no matter what the weather is.)

My work is going well, in high gear (!) and nearing the end. I am currently finishing up interviews with patients who have not been adherent to their treatment regimens, as well as getting additional information from adherent patients whom I had interviewed earlier. Soon I will be completing the analysis of all of the data and focusing on writing an article, which will hopefully have a chance at publication in Russian and perhaps international journals.

I plan to finish my project by the end of June, then stay in Riga for the Song and Dance Festival in the first part of July, then visit Moscow (and maybe, maybe Finland before that), and be back in Boston on July 28!

I promise to follow up with pictures soon!