Visit from America!

Petru and Masha my Moldovan friends welcomed Danielle, Mike, and baby Elijah with bread and salt at the airport (a Moldovan welcome tradition)

Central Piatsa. Chisinau, Moldova. Sunflower oil stand. Sunflowers are everywhere here in the summer. While we were walking around the piatsa, an old baba lady came up to Danielle who was holding Elijah with a blanket on top and lifted up the blanket and asked Danielle what she was selling underneath the blanket....haha...sorry lady! I don't think Dani will be selling baby Elijah! ;)

Visitors from America fresh off the plane. Mike, Dani's fiance, Dani!!!! and sweet baby Elijah

The apt rented in Chisinau. They are funny and have fake printouts on the wall....Dani and I never turn down an opportunity for a photoshoot!!! haha

Or maybe it's ME who never turns down a photoshoot!!!!! haha



Hi.

I am not one of those that hate feet…what’s the big deal? So many people hate feet, spiders, and snakes. Jumpy spiders are a little creepy. Like jumpy dogs. Snakes that can wrap around you and kill you, I can understand the fear if it’s not in a cage. But feet? They don’t really bother me, unless they are obviously smelly or have an illness that’s contagious.
I think it’s cute to tickle feet that were sticking out from a blanket or something.

The other big one is people with their eyes….. Lots of people tell me they could never do contacts b/c they can’t handle anything coming near their eyes.

I can handle putting drops in my eyes. Yeah, I’m a tough girl! Haha
Actually, I just had a blood vessel problem in my right eye and have to keep putting drops in there to make the ugly go away. And it IS ugly. No big deal said the doc, most likely stress or contacts related. I look like a crazy person right now though. I have one weird eye and a swollen lip. This last weekend we were playing basketball with students and I got jacked in the face with an elbow, which gave me a swollen lip. Haha I look rough. Too bad I’m far away from home, I want my mom!

The last few weeks have been really busy, I wouldn’t say I was stressed, but I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep. This last Thursday-Saturday was my first Travel Club weekend for the spring semester! It went well, I think the kids benefited from it and it’s always nice to go visit another volunteer’s site.

Speaking of visiting, Danielle my best friend (from Kansas, whom I met while studying abroad in Australia during college) came to visit me with her fiancé and their 3 month old baby Elijah. We had a great time. It was challenging to get around this place with a little sweet baby but I think we did well. They are the only ones from America who came to visit me and I appreciate it so so so very much! I know it’s expensive, time-consuming and not exactly a hot spot to go when using vacation days. It really means so much to me though! This place needs to be seen. And it was nice for me to show them around my school, meet my host families and friends here, my apt, and fun for me to translate for them…it made me feel nice. My Romanian skills aren’t as perfect as many of the other volunteers and I am hard on myself about it, and having them here reminded me of what an accomplishment it has been to learn it to begin with. We went to a winery called Milesti Mici, the 2nd largest underground wine cellar in the world! I bought an ’88 bottle of Sauvignon for $15. I’m saving it for one of my last days here. I heart Moldova.

I am getting really nervous. Big changes always make me pretty nervous. But nervousness has always been a motivator for me. Soon, when I figure out exactly what the next step will be, I will feel better and the nervousness will turn into excitement.

Here are some photos…..