Snapshot: Friday

I realized recently that it is the little things that make my life different here. And the same. So many details of my life are similar to life in the US. And so many of those details are very different. So, I thought I should document some of them! :)

Yesterday was a surprisingly quiet day at work. Many students were in the library but few questions. I was able to get a few things done, which was so nice. I even cataloged 20 books, which is a huge accomplishment these days!

But one of the things I enjoyed yesterday was repairing a few books. When I was an undergraduate student at Houghton College, one of my work study jobs was Book Repair. Yep, 10 hours a week I repaired and mended the library's worn books. And I discovered that in the midst of craziness [in college 'craziness' meant writing papers and studying...now it means trying to run a library] there is something calming about gluing and sewing pages back together. I have never thought myself particularly crafty but yesterday there was something so calming about gluing pages and seeing instant accomplishment.

But I guess that's how life is, isn't it? Amidst crazy times, when other things seem overwhelming or circumstances are 'unsolvable', there's something about accomplishing a small task that helps you get back on track and feel like the world isn't quite so overwhelming.

Book Repair Improvised. Thankfully, I found Book
Binding glue here. And I found bamboo skewers at the
supermarket that are perfect for applying glue (no
water in the library means paintbrushes are not a good option).
A large Dictionary works as a book press as the glue dries. :)