Back In Romania

On September 10, 2007 I left Boise to head back to Romania for another 14 months. I flew first to Minneapolis and then to Amsterdam and finally into Bucharest where I was picked up by a van of friends to make the final 8 hour drive up to Bistrita. It was the smoothest trip I’ve ever had!

I had no problems with my luggage…even though I paid to take two extra bags. I checked them in Boise and didn’t have to touch them again until I got to Bucharest. Fortunately, they have free carts at the airport in Bucharest, so I was able to easily load everything onto a cart myself…which is good since only ticketed passengers have access to the luggage carousels in Bucharest.

I had never been to Amsterdam before, and even though I didn’t get to leave the airport, I still had a chance to experience a little of the culture at the airport gift shops. I had several hours to kill, so I wandered from one shop to another and basically found lots of wooden shoes…from tiny ones on refrigerator magnets and key chains to full size for any sized foot. I also saw lots of little Dutch boy/girl figures, tulips, and windmills; all the traditional symbols of Holland. It made me wish I could actually see a little of the country!

I made myself stay awake the entire trip because I had been told (and had personally experienced) it is the best way to acclimate to the new time zone. By the time it’s bed time in your destination location, your body is ready to crash and somehow resets itself to the new time zone faster. I did cheat a little though and tried to sleep in the van on the way back to Bistrita...I figured since it was midnight it was okay.

When I got the house at 1AM, I found that everyone (except the kids) had waited up for me! It was wonderful to see everyone again and it made me feel so special that they would stay up so late to welcome me!

I’ve now been here almost 2 weeks and I am adjusting well…to the cooler temperatures, 9 hour time change, seeing old friends and meeting new ones, and jumping back into the ministry opportunities. Life is good here in Bistrita!