1st of december *** käes on 1. detsember!

That night, I woke up early. Something was different. A wonderful soft light was shining into the room from outside. It was the first snow of the winter!

I was so excited that I almost didn't notice my windowsill come to life for a moment. I couldn't believe my eyes when a tiny elf looked up at me. Elves aren't real, are they?!

Yet there he was, looking at me and murmuring barely audibly:

"I would slip a little wish into your shoe

that there would always be those who love and care for you.

That peace would come to your soul and brightness to your thoughts

And determination to your actions and clarity to your desires!"

                                                                             ***

Sel ööl virgusin varakult ärkvele. Midagi oli Teisiti. Väljast kumas tuppa imelist pehmet valgust. See oli selle talve esimene lumi!

Ma olin nii elevil, et peaaegu jäi märkamatuks, et mu aknalaud hakkas hetkeks elama. Ma ei uskunud oma silmi, kui tilluke päkapikk mu poole pilgu tõstis. Päkapikke ju ei ole olemas?!

Ometi vaatas ta mulle otsa ja pobises vaevu kuuldavalt:

„Ma teie sussi sisse poetaks väikse soovi

et ikka oleks neid, kes armastaks ja hooliks.

Et hinge tuleks rahu ja mõtetesse helgus

Ning tegudesse tahe ja soovidesse selgus!

I knew exactly what I had to do. I went to the front of my bed and placed my worn, slightly torn sheepskin slipper on the windowsill, then went back to bed and fell asleep. The bringer of happiness had gone by morning, but it wasn't a dream because in the slipper, there was a sweet mandarin and a beautiful Christmas chocolate from home! How did the elf know?!

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Ma teadsin täpselt, mida ma tegema pean. Läksin oma voodi ette ja tõstsin oma päevinäinud, kergelt rebenenud lambanahkse sussi aknalauale, läksin tagasi voodi ning uinusin. Õnnetooja oli hommikuks läinud, aga see ei olnud unenägu, sest sussis oli magus mandariin ja ilus jõulushokolaad kodust! Kust küll päkapikk teadis?!

A little reminder from Wikipedia: According to modern Christmas customs, in many families with children, during the pre-Christmas period (from December 1st to December 24th), a slipper is placed on the windowsill in the evenings, where an elf brings sweets - Santa's helper who checks and reports whether the children have behaved well throughout the year. So be good and behave properly. Let's hope there are many wonderful elves who bring joy to the children!

                                                                       ***

Väike meeldetuletus wikipeediast: Uuema jõulukombestiku kohaselt pannakse paljudes lastega peredes jõulude eel (1. detsembrist kuni 24nda detsembrini) õhtuti aknalauale suss, kuhu toob maiustusi päkapikk - jõuluvana abiline, kes kontrollib ja talle ette kannab, kas lapsed on terve aasta jooksul hästi käitunud. Ole siis tubli ja käitu korralikult. Loodame, et on palju toredaid päkapikke, kes lastel meele rõõmsaks teevad!

One of the Estonian Christmas tradition in families with children is that every child takes their slipper and leaves it on a windowsill every evening from December 1st to December 24th. By the time they wake up in the morning, there is a treat in their slipper if they have been a good kid. Santa's little helpers will bring them sweets and check if the kids have been good this year. Santa will hear from them how kids have been behaving! Kids can also leave their letters to Santa in their slippers too!

Be good! Santa's little helpers are always watching!

Haige

Being sick as an adult is not at all easy. As a child, when a bout of illness struck, I could immediately call out to Mom from the other room, and before I knew it, there was red currant juice and a thermometer in front of me, even if it was 3 in the morning. Although my condition was far from good, being cared for by my mother instilled in me a sense of safety and warmth. Every time I fall ill now, flying the nest, I mentally call out for my mom. Only she knows what I need to get better! Fortunately, I'm mostly healthy. But when I happen to fall sick, like now, in a country far from home, there's no mom to be found! I have to manage on my own. E. and I. are at work - all normal adults go to work, and you're your own caregiver - you have to prepare food, drink, etc. E. usually thinks I'm very bored and looks for activities for me, but I just need peace and quiet. Mom told me how one time she had a high fever, and Dad wanted to make pies for her. Dad kept asking every minute how to do it, and it ended with Mom getting up and making the pies herself.

There's another big difference between being sick as an adult and as a child. A child is allowed to fully recover before returning to kindergarten/school - at least I was. An adult who works is practically forced to return to work while still half-sick; it's not like someone comes knocking on your door and transports you to work, you're "processed" until you voluntarily return to work while sick. My big office is currently like a hospital: everyone is coughing, sniffing, and sneezing. It's quite normal. Behind one's back, it's mentioned that, hey, this and that person should go home, they're spreading their germs. There are cases where people take advantage of the system and simply take sick days: a common reason in such cases is food poisoning (although they might just have a strong hangover). The morale of sick days has been lowered, and if you tell your boss you're sick, you have to prove to yourself that you're really as sick as you say you are. In reality, you don't want to admit to yourself that you're sick, that it's not so bad, and that you can manage. As a child, you just went to your room and bed, called for Mom, or she came looking for you. Nobody asked if you were really sick, and you didn't question yourself either. Fortunately, I have a nice boss and I'm rarely sick. He understands.

Mom, I miss your food so much when I'm sick! Number one was always chicken stew and boiled potatoes, second was borscht soup, and I also remember sugared cranberries! I don't want to remember mustard plasters and vodka socks, disgusting-tasting cough syrup, and intense ear pain! You see, sometimes it's good to be sick as an adult - you can choose whether you want to put vodka socks on your feet or not :D.

Stay healthy!

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Täiskasvanuna haige olemine pole sugugi lihtne. Lapsena, kui haigusehoog peale tuli, sain kohe emme teisest toast hõigata ja kohe ilmusid mu ette punasesõstramorss ja kraadiklaas, isegi kui kell oli 3 öösel. Kuigi enesetunne oli kõike muud kui hea, tekitas ema põetamine minus turvalise ja sooja tunde. Igakord kui nüüd pesast väljalennanuna haigestun, hakkan mõttes ema hüüdma. Ainult tema teab, mida mul tervenemiseks vaja on! Õnneks olen ma enamasti terve. Aga kui juhtun haigeks jääma, nagu näiteks nüüd, siis pole siin riigis, mis on kodust väga kaugel, ema kuskilt võtta! Tuleb iseendaga hakkama saada. E. ja I. on tööl - kõik normaalsed täiskasvanud käivad ju tööl, ise oledki enda põetaja - tuleb süüa-juua teha jne. E. arvab tavaliselt, et mul on väga igav ja otsib mulle tegevusi, tegelikult on mul lihtsalt rahu ja vaikust vaja. Emme rääkis, kuidas ta ühekorra kõrges palavikus oli ja issi tahtis talle pirukaid teha. Iss käis iga minuti tagant küsimas, kuidas teha ja asi lõppeski sellega, et ema vedas end püsti ja tegi pirukad ise valmis.

Täiskasvanute ja laste haigeks olemise vahel on veel üks suur vahe. Lapsel lastakse enne lasteaeda/kooli tagasiminemist täielikult terveneda - vähemalt minul lasti. Täiskasvanu, kes tööl käib praktiliselt sunnitakse tööle tagasi minema poolhaigena, mitte, et keegi tuleks ja koputaks sulle uksele ja transpordiks su tööle, sind "töödeldakse" nii kaua kuni sa ise vabatahtlikult haigena tööle tagasi lähed. Minu suur kontor on hetkel nagu haigla: kõik köhivad, luristavad ja aevastavad. See on täitsa normaalne. Tagaselja ikka mainitakse, et kuule, see ja too peaks ikka koju minema, et mida nad levitavad oma pisikuid. On juhtumeid, kus inimesed kasutavad süsteemi ära ja võtavad lihtsalt haiguspäevi: sage põhjus on sellisel juhul toidumürgitus (kuigi tegelikult võib tal lihtsalt olla tugev pohmell). Haiguspäevade moraal on sellega alla viidud ja kui sa ülemusele teatad, et haige oled, siis pead ennast tõestama, et ikka oled nii haige kui räägid, et oled. Tegelikult ise ka ei taha tunnistada endale, et haige oled, et mul ikka nii paha ka pole ja, küll ma saan ja. Lapsena lihtsalt läksid tuppa ja voodisse, hõikasid emme, või tuli ta sind ise otsima. Keegi ei küsinud, kas sa ikka päriselt haige oled ja sa ise ka ennast ei küsitlenud. Mul on õnneks tore ülemus ja olen väga harva haige. Ta saab aru.

Emme, igatsen väga su sööke, mida tegid kui ma haige olin! Nr üks oli alati kanaguljash ja keedukartul, teiseks oli borshisupp ja mäletan ka tuhksuhkruseid jõhvikaid! Ei taha mäletada sinepiplaastreid ja viinasokke, vastikumaitselist köhasiirupit ja tugevat kõrvavalu! Näed, täiskasvanuna haige olles on mõnikord ka hea olla - saad ise valida, kas tahad viinasokke jalga panna või mitte :D.

Olge terved!

Ka lumeta...(this post is in estonian only)

(Maarja, “Lumeta”- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odkgdnNlLRk)

I participated in a charity event at the end of November, where we had to inspect Christmas packages sent to orphanages in developing countries and poorer European countries. Irish children are required to prepare a Christmas shoebox in school, which is called a Christmas shoebox (shoe, shoe, shoe :D). Actually, packages are not only prepared in schools; Christmas boxes are also collected in government offices and homes - it's entirely voluntary. A regular shoebox is taken and wrapped with Christmas-themed wrapping paper - lid and box separately. Items such as necessities, winter accessories (gloves, scarf, hat), and school supplies can be put in the box. The package must include at least one small soft toy and non-chocolate sweets. Children's drawings, pictures, and Christmas wish cards can be added. It is forbidden to include money, chocolate, and liquids. We had to remove those. Another box was designated for money. Charitable organizations across Ireland collect stacks of packages in storage rooms, which volunteers then inspect, repack if necessary, and supplement. In the storage room where I worked, 18,000 packages were sent out last year. The packages are made according to capabilities and distributed to girls or boys in age groups: 2-4; 5-9; 10-14. Boys aged 10-14 are obviously in the minority. I felt so touched while working with the gift packages in that storage room. There were indeed so many different packages, but some exuded special warmth. It's not for nothing that these packages are called "love packages." One of my colleagues said she didn't like being associated with this charity work. I asked her why, and she replied, "It's sad! That gift package is the only thing that child gets on Christmas Eve, but Irish children's tree skirts are full of large gifts, some even up to 50 pieces." Yeah. All I could say in response was that this little package is more than what I got for Christmas back in the day, and I would be super happy with such a gift! I really would be! New things are so exciting, but actually, things are not what that child needs. They need understanding, tenderness, and closeness! Actually, a nice heartfelt person should be put in the package, who spends the whole day with the child! That probably isn't an option? Anyway, I inspected my 100 boxes in that warehouse and got a very good idea of what to put in the package and who to give the gift to. I hope that 10-14-year-old boy enjoys my shipment! Among other things, I included souvenirs, playing cards, and a piece of Irish luck!

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Osalesin novembri lõpus tööraames heategevusüritusel, kus pidime kontrollima arengumaade ja vaesemate Euroopa riikide orbudekodudele saadetavaid jõulupakke. Iirimaa lapsed peavad koolis valmistama jõulukingikarbi, mida kutsutakse jõulu kingakarbiks (kingi, kingi, kinga :D).Tegelikult ei valmistata pakke ainult koolides, jõulupakke kogutakse ka ametiasutustes ning kodudes – see on täiesti vabatahtlik. Võetakse tavaline kingakarp ja pakitakse jõuluteemalise pakkepaberiga - kaas ja karp eraldi. Pakki võib panna esmatarbeid, talve aksessuaare (kindad, sall, müts), koolitarbeid. Kindlasti peavad pakis olema vähemalt üks väike pehme mänguasi ja mitteshokolaadilised maiustused. Võib lisada laste joonistusi, pilte, jõulusoovidega kaarte. Keelatud on lisada raha, shokolaadi ja vedelikke. Need pidime välja korjama.  Raha jaoks oli teine karp. Üle terve Iirimaa koguvad heategevuslikud organisatsioonid laoruumidesse virnade viisi pakke, mida siis  vabatahtlikud kontrollivad ja vajadusel ümber pakivad ning täiendavad. Laoruumist, kus mina töötasin, läks eelmisel aastal välja 18 000 pakki. Pakid tehakse vastavalt võimalustele ja jagatakse kas tüdrukutele või poistele vanusegruppides: 2-4;5-9;10-14. Ilmselges vähemuses on poisid vanuses 10-14. Minul läks seal laoruumis kingipakkidega toimetades meel nii härdaks. Pakke oli tõepoolest nii erinevaid, aga mõnest kiirgus erilist südamesoojust. Ega ilmaasjata neid pakke ei kutsuta “armastuse pakkideks”. Üks mu kolleeg ütles, et talle ei meeldi  selle heategevusega seotud olla. Küsisin ta käest, et miks siis, ta vastas, et “See teeb kurvaks! See kingipakk on ainuke, mis see laps jõuluõhtul saab, aga Iiri laste kuusealused on suuri pakke täis, mõnel koguni 50 tükki”. Njah. Mina oskasin, selle peale kosta vaid, et see väike pakk on rohkem, kui mina omal ajal jõuludeks sain, et ma oleksin sellise kingi üle super õnnelik! Tegelikult ka oleksin! Uued asjad on ju marupõnevad, aga tegelikult ei olegi asjad need, mida see laps vajab. Ta vajab pigem mõistmist, hellust ja lähedust! Pakki tuleks panna tegelikult üks tore südamlik inimene, kes lapsega terve päeva koos veedab! See vist ei tule kõne alla? Igatahes kontrollisin seal laohoones oma 100 karpi ja sain väga hea ülevaate sellest, mida pakki panna ja kellele kingitust teha. Loodan, et see 10-14 aastane poiss tunneb mu saadetisest rõõmu! Panin sinna muu hulgas ka suveniire, mängukaardid ja killukese Iiri õnne!

Homesickness is a frequent visitor in my heart, but during the Christmas season, I keenly feel the absence of Estonia, our crisp snowy winter, and most of all, my loved ones! Although I cannot be with you as much as I would like, I think of you every day! Remember that for me, time is more precious than gold and silver - please don't give me gifts. When we meet, we'll take time off together. This doesn't apply to you :D, I really enjoy giving gifts!

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Koduigatsus mu põues on sage külaline, aga jõuluajal tunnen eriti teravalt puudust Eestimaast, meie kargest lumisest talvest ja eelkõige oma lähedastest! Ma ei saa küll olla Teiega koos nii palju kui tahaks, aga mõtlen Teile iga päev! Pidage siis meeles, et kallim kui kuld ja kard ning hinnalisem kui hõbe on minu jaoks aeg – ära tee mulle kingitusi. Kui kokku saame, siis võtame koos aja maha. See Teie kohta ei kehti :D, mulle väga meeldib kingitusi teha!