Christmas Day Fun (Click on the Image to make it bigger)

Everyday Life: A trip to the grocery store and other thoughts

I realized today that most of my blogs are very simplistic. Not a lot of deep thinking here. I'm just writing about everyday life. This is where I am right now. I am over culture shock, but there is still a certain amount of adjusting that it takes, I believe, to live in a foreign country. Most of the adjusting isn't due to drastic changes in life, but the little differences. I think that sometimes my blogs aren't very exciting on the surface because the day to day stuff in my life just isn't that exciting(blog worthy). My days include: riding the public transportation to and from the Raatz, where I teach the girls, teaching the girls (excitement depends on the day!), eating, cooking, reading, language lessons, church on Sunday, and the occasional trip to the grocery store. I try to go to the grocery store only when it is completely necessary. Just going to the grocery store takes a lot of my energy.

I thought I would fill you in on what an experience at the grocery store is like for me. I try to catch a ride to the grocery store when I know others are going, but this is not always the case.If I am going to the store on foot then I like to go to the grocery store on Saturdays. I have a nice, quiet walk through a park on the way to the magazin(store). This store is more modern and has a lot of things to offer the customers. Just about every time I am there the store is pretty crowded. Thank goodness the baskets are a lot smaller than the ones back home. There would be no where to walk. I usually have a very basic list consisting of the essentials: milk, butter, bread, eggs, cheese, and some kind of meat.

Being in the store is overwhelming for me. 1)There are people everywhere 2)I am the foreigner that stands out 3)I am bombarded with voices speaking Romanian, Russian, and who knows what else....most of which I cannot understand and 4) I am trying to figure out exactly what I am buying(the writing on the package could be in Romanian, Russian, English, Arabic, Dutch, or something else.) I have found certain brands that I really like of certain products, so that makes those purchases easier anyways.
The most exciting part(s) of the experience: 1) sometimes there are songs in English over the speakers. Imagine my excitement at hearing Elvis! 2)I usually get to witness one heated conversation in Russian between two frustrated customers waiting not-so patiently in the forever long line.
Record time from my apartment to the store and back: One hour!

Today was no exception to my usual grocery store experience. Like many of you back home probably experienced on Dec. 23/24, that is what I experienced today. You see, most Moldovans don't celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25th like we do. Christmas is officially Jan. 7th. (they go by their old calendar). New Years is a huge deal though. It was evident today by the fact that there were no available carts. There was an increase in customers and the volume of items in their carts. As I scanned the carts around me, I noticed lots of alcohol, cakes, sausages etc. They are getting ready to celebrate big. In fact, New Year's is so big that most places will be closed on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day! (Nothing was closed on Dec. 25th. It was just a regular, work day here.)

The most stressful part of the grocery store for me is paying. I always hope that I am able to get by with the Romanian I know when asked any questions. It always works out fine, but I don't always know exactly what the cashier has said. The stress is amplified by the fact that I am trying to bag my own groceries, pay, and keep hold of my purse at the same time. Interesting.

So, I am not a frustrated shopper, just an overwhelmed shopper who still needs time to fully adjust to the shopping experience.

I am not bored though with my non-exciting(on the surface)day-to-day life. I take time to find things to laugh about, to ponder life, to try to figure out what other people are saying around me, and I like to analyze situations and guess what people are thinking.

I don't want my time here to fly by without taking time to soak all the differences in culture in. Five months have already come and gone. I still have 5 plus months left. I want to find ways to enjoy the walking, the riding in the public transportation, the fact that I can't understand everything being said, but that I have learned so much, the fact that God has blessed my time here so richly, the fact that God has called me here, and certainly the fact that God cares about and is present in the everyday events of my life.

Dentist Visit #2

So, I went for another dentist visit on Friday. I had another wisdom tooth pulled. Two in one week. How fun. Once again, it was a quick procedure with no pain. Even now, thirty something hours after...I am pain free! Only a little soreness.

I was more ready for the initial shot( to numb the gum) this time. I still cringed and had a death grip on the chair, but I was a BIG GIRL. The dentist and assistant are very efficient and got right to business. As soon as I sat in the chair they were ready with the shot. They were speaking to one another in Romanian and I was preparing myself for the shot. They started laughing. I was thinking to myself, "You (the dentist) have a needle in your hand getting ready to stick it in my gum. I think this should be a really serious moment. Could we stop the laughing please?!?" Then, the dentist says, "nu opriț(no stop), OPEN." He was laughing because he had tried to say,"OPEN" in English, but instead said something completely different in Romanian. Once my gum was numb, it took less than a minute to get the tooth out. The dentist is a very kind man and he says to me when he sees me, "Relax, don't be afraid." Now, I have reason to believe him. He has gained my trust. Both of these wisdom tooth extractions have gone smoothly and I have suffered no pain. I am thankful that I was able to have these minor issues taken care of. I originally went to see the dentist because my teeth/head have been hurting for awhile. I thought I had a couple of cavities. Little did I know.....Anyways, I hope that these recent procedures have alleviated the cause of the pain in my ear/head. Please pray that once the soreness goes away, I will have no other headaches etc. Enjoy the pics.

First BIG Snow!!!

So, it snowed really big here last night. I took a few pictures for you to enjoy. I actually walked for about an hour in it today. It is really strange to be around all this snow. I don't feel very used to it being from TN and then MO for college. This is a lot of SNOW in my opinion. It is beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy it from inside, but I trotted through it today just for fun and to go to this expo where they were selling all kinds of arts and crafts from different countries. I bought a fun t-shirt that has the words" Where is Moldova?" on the front and a map on the back. I thought it would be fun to wear back home because everyone asks, "Where is Moldova?" At the USA booth, I bought some canned tomato soup. I think I will be making tomato soup with grilled cheese pretty soon! So good... Also, at the expo there was a SANTA and he would walk around to the different booths and wish them a Merry Christmas! (Crăciun Fericit! )He is a rather interesting looking Santa, so I thought I would take a picture to show as well. Enjoy!

Tator Tot Casserole

I did my mother proud(I made my mother proud!)!! I attempted to make her version of tator tot casserole last week. I had to tweak the recipe a little as it is hard to find some items here. I actually made homemade cream of mushroom soup since we don't have the canned soups here. I was so excited that I figured out how to make homemade soup! I cut up the mushrooms and everything. I was so excited to find something very similar to tator tots here! Up until recently I hadn't seen any tator tots here, but the week before last I saw them here. They're actually called Croquettes and they tasted more like mashed potatoes than tator tots, but they give the same look. I took it as I sign that I was suppose to make tator tot casserole. Anyway, it turned out great. My roommate and I were pretty excited about it. Here's a couple of yummy pictures. This experience moved my confidence level with my cooking skills up to an eight out of ten. Yay for cooking.

Dentist Visit

On Friday, I went to the dentist to have one of my wisdom teeth extracted. I went for the initial consultation on Wednesday. I thought I had a couple of cavities that were the reasons for the tooth pain I've had lately. One of the dental assistants spoke English, but I had a translator along as well. Apparently my wisdom tooth was growing in wrong, needed to come out, and was causing pain in the neighboring teeth. So, at the visit on Wednesday the dentist wanted to pull my tooth out. You can imagine that I was a little reluctant. I needed some time to process this. So, I scheduled the appointment for Friday. Nancy went with me on Friday to help with translating, but the dentist also knew some English. The worst/best part of it was the shot they give to numb the gum. Just a quick ouch and that's all. I am thankful for the shot because I didn't feel anything, but pressure of course! It was a real quick procedure. The dentist and assistants were very professional and the facilities and equipment were very similar to what I'm used to in America. Just in case you were wondering, it cost about 35 dollars. I am happy to report that I've experienced no pain, just some soreness. I am resting and eating lots of soup. Guess what? The dentist wants me to come back and have another wisdom tooth pulled next week. I have another wisdom tooth that needs to come out. Hopefully, I can get a picture up here if me in the chair at the dentist office.That would be fun.

Thanksgiving in Moldova

So, I had a nice Thanksgiving here complete with two celebrations, turkey, and all the traditional fixings. By the time the second celebration came around, I could hardly move I was full, so I didn't each much at the second shinding. The food was so delectable-I especially enjoyed the green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, turkey, and stuffing. I basically got to hang out with most all of the Americans I know here. It was a good day. It felt so much like Thanksgiving usually feels that I didn't miss home all that much. The turkey was Moldovan and had lost its life the previous day-skinny thing! I thought I would share a couple of pictures. Enjoy.