Boy, the week went by fast!

We were suprised to realize that it has been almost a week since our last post. Obviously quite a lot has happened--the biggest news is the UN agreement to help bring an end to the conflict here. As we get ready to leave on vacation on Wednesday we are hoping that the war will also be over before then.

On the personal front, we worked today to start packing for our trip -- we fly out in just 4 days. In addition we took a walk in the gardens and saw these AMAZING flowers that we wanted to share photos of. They can't do them justice but it gives just a small glimpse that even in the midst of crisis there is still beauty all around us.

As Dostoevsky said: "Beauty will save the world."