Aubie is back! Glad you had a good trip! I noticed that about Los Angeles too, they not only had a lot of homeless people, but some of the filthiest homeless people I'd ever seen, they were so dirty.
The begging population has increased around here too though, they stand at highway intersections holding cardboard signs, hoping people in cars will give them money. I'm surprised none get hit by cars. Some of them are young and fit-looking people (it seems) too. Sad.
Ekua teaching is very hard, with lost of 'homework' for the teacher too! I hope it will get easier as you adjust to it, and get systems worked out - everything is new so you are inventing the wheel ever week!
Oh gosh, I feel so bad for all those people in all those tropical islands (that I've visited sometimes on a cruise ship) - US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Antigua, Barbuda, St Martin, etc - devastated by the hurricanes, and a lot of the people were poor to begin with. And they are islands, so replenishing food and supplies etc isn't that simple. People there (and also in Texas and in parts of Florida) have just lost everything. My friends and family down there all seem to be okay so far - phew! Terrifying storm. And my husband was making me so mad, pooh-poohing the storm and saying the weather people were just exaggerating and it wasn't that bad - while I'm watching footage of flooded towns in Key West and waves splashing over the roofs of houses!
(He has been getting on my last nerve a whole lot lately.. )