Landed!

Up for 36 hours, asleep for three, out to wonderful Russian style restauurant with Warsaw friends. Random thoughts:

Jet lag makes me stupid. Lights in the room wouldn't turn on when I awaoke at 4:45 pm to Warsaw foggy drizzly full-on darkness. I stumbled around with my camping headlamp on, cleaning up to go out...and at the desk they told me there's a slot inside the door where you put your room "key" card that powers the lights. I asked Kasia - Director of the Associaltion of Local Leaders, the national government accountability group that's hosting and the Poland partner in ECON - I asked her to watch me carefully so I don't walk in front of a tram. I hope a night's sleep helps.

These young women - and one young man - who I ate with were key organizers of last February's visit, they're still at it, determined and creative young people. How can I NOT want to help!

Two kinds of herring, two kinds of pierogi, potato blinis with red caviar, lordy lordy can these people cook!

Poland public life is dominated by the story of the catastrophic loss of most of the top officials last year, and the story of why, how, what could have been done, Russia's fault in it, etc etc. It's like a sore tooth they can't stop touching. We have no idea how powerful that was and is.

More soon. Now, to sleep, I hope!