Happy Birthday, Heather!!

Action photo: This is Sara, my roommate, Heather, birthday girl and MK, and I. The Raatz girls, my students are in front. Nancy was wiping chocolate off of Elissa's mouth and we were all watching!! The cake was yummy!
The real photo!
Happy 16th Birthday, Heather!!

I don't want to step on anyone's shoes...

Yesterday was a good day. Earlier in the day I did laundry, dishes, vacuumed under the couch, and many other little things around the apartment. Fun stuff....I know!

Later on, I went to pay my internet bill, but the business was closed due to a holiday here. I believe it was a day of remembrance- Day of Victory. I enjoyed my venture out into the city. It was a very beautiful day weather-wise, too. There were a lot of people out and about. There were celebrations in the main square downtown complete with the traditional Moldovan dancing and costumes.

While I was on the trolley bus, I stepped on a man's shoe while trying to scoot into a new spot to make room for someone else. I have been told that Moldovans take great care in keeping their shoes clean. I have witnessed this with my own eyes. While standing on the sidewalk waiting for a bus, a young lady will bend town and wipe her shoes clean with a cloth. My attitude towards the matter is quite different. My thought is,"They are just shoes and they will get dirty again because I am walking on a muddy sidewalk." So, as if I didn't stand out enough with my casual, western dress, one can definitely tell that I am not Moldovan if they look at my shoes. But, I do respect the fact that Moldovans take great pride in their appearance and how they dress-even down to their shoes. So, I would never want to offend anyone by stepping on their shoes! This is bound to happen though in taking public transportation. So, I said to the man, "Sorry(in Romanian)." His reply,"It's okay (in English)."
Wow. It brought such calm to me. I thought...It is okay! Little things are going to happen in life and I should not let them stress me out. Somehow, hearing those words in English, really spoke volumes to me about resting and trusting the Lord with all things. God is in control and He is working my last several weeks out in Moldova for HIS good.
I need not stress or worry about finances, plans, accomplishing tasks, etc.
Everything is going to be alright.

It's okay. It's okay if I don't get everything on my list done. It's okay if I have to be flexible in my plans. And the occasional stepping on some one's shoe, really is OKAY.

(Bump) Plane Ticket Home (Edited)

I am planning to return to America in early July.

Please pray for my travel arrangements.Please pray that:
1) I would find the return flight home that is feasable for my budget and
2) The flight arrangement is exactly what God would have it to be.
3) For peace and calm for me in this process. This is somewhat stressful for me.

I am making travel arrangements this week. So, thank you for your prayers.

Shauna

*Edited: Thank you so much for your prayers!! My plane ticket has been purchased. It is the exact flight that I want!! It is WAY cheaper than I ever thought or imagined. God totally answered all three of my prayer requests in such an amazing way.*

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless.
Shauna

Chocolate Chips and Sour Cream

chocolate chip morsels



sour cream

I try everything once. This is a phrase that I say here a lot. I would never want to offend anyone, so I will always try whatever is prepared(except the fish...I never eat the fish here...).

The other day, a Moldovan by the name of Victor, suggested to me in conversation that I should try sour cream and chocolate chips together. He said, "It is SO good!!" It sounded pretty crazy to me (not crazy as a lot of things though). I told him I would try it.

So, we had chocolate chip morsels in the apartment. Don't be fooled. We cannot buy them here. A team from America brought them in abundance and lavished them upon the missionary community. THANKS. One day I will use them to make some dessert that is right tasty.

But TODAY....I had other plans for those choc.chips.I wanted to try them with the sour cream.

Now, the sour cream here tastes way different to me than it does in America. The sour cream here kind of reminds me more of yogurt. BUT I like it. Strange, because I don't like yogurt at all(here or there). In spite of my dislike for yogurt, I have grown to really enjoy sour cream or smintina/smantana as it is called here. It has been my experience that most Moldovans LOVE sour cream. You can put it on a multitude of things i.e. bread, soup, meat... here.

ANYWAY, I tried it. It was not out right NASTY, but let's just say it wasn't good!!

Lesson: So, if you are ever in the mood to mix two random items just for kicks, don't mix chocolate chips and sour cream.

Question:
What are two things that you eat together that is tasty but unusual?? Please comment...

FrUsTrAtIoN...

This is the oven in our apartment. While it frustrates me to no end, I am thankful for it!! It is a tool that helps me eat, which I like to do!! :)

One of my almost daily frustrations is lighting the gas stove in the apartment.

It is so fickle. Sometimes it will light right from the start and other times it takes many tries.

To light the stove you must first open the oven door, then you must hold in the oven knob, and lastly you must insert the igniter/match into the hole(while simultaneously holding the oven knob in because it's childproof). Sounds simple enough right? WRONG.

Just when you are about to jump for joy because the oven is lit and you release your hold on the oven knob, the flame goes out!! This is due to the fact that it is childproof(nice for those with children)and it requires a good 20-40 seconds of hold once you see flame. So, to succeed one must WAIT and have PATIENCE. Yay.

If a child can light this oven and keep it lit, then he should be renamed Baby Einstein!!

Plane Ticket Home

I am planning to return to America in early July.

Please pray for my travel arrangements.Please pray that:
1) I would find the return flight home that is feasable for my budget and
2) The flight arrangement is exactly what God would have it to be.
3) For peace and calm for me in this process. This is somewhat stressful for me.

I am making travel arrangements this week. So, thank you for your prayers.

Shauna

May 1st= 9months in Moldova!!

Woo-hoo! I've now been in Moldova for 9months! Two months left!

In honor of my 9 month mark I would like to share with you some of the highlights of my time here.

2007-
August- Arrive in Moldova, begin to set up house with the Raatz family, organize home school materials, living with Raatz family, meeting friends, and adjusting to culture, meet Omar Beiler and John Bueno,

September-Continue to experience new foods and new people,have many new cultural experiences, begin language study, meet my future roommate, begin riding on public transportation, school begins,

October-Spend time with teams that arrive from America, move into apartment, language study continues as I switch to a different teacher

November-The Darrins arrive!!,really begin to experience cultural shock, eat at Italian pizza restaurant in Moldova for what would be the first of many times, really begin cooking, enjoying roommate and other friends, Thanksgiving with other Americans here

December- it was really COLD, Christmas doesn't really feel like Christmas, Nice Christmas Eve/Day with Raatz family and other missionaries, surprise package from Mom and Dad, enjoy a really nice break, start going to a different church, really begin inviting Moldovans over for dinner and fun

January- is still really cold, continue vacation break, second semester of school begins, snow,

February- my roommate of 4 months returns to America(NOT a highlight....I miss you, Kelly), Andy and Nancy return to America for three weeks (again,NOT really a highlight, but a happening). So, I am somewhat lonely and bored.

March- Raatz family return, school is back in session, the McClungs join our team for a couple of months

April- new roommates arrive: family of 4, then my new roommate Sara arrives, and we go to Romania for a fun trip

Looking ahead:
May- We will finish school, attempt to get things are on my list done, My birthday

June- prepare for Turkey,and take care of a lot of things to do before I leave, GO TO TURKEY, my Dad is coming to Moldova(that's the current plan), Dad and I are going to take a train to Romania and join up with a missions team from our church, arrive in Romania

July- spend time in Romania on a missions trip, AND arrive in Memphis, TN, America!!

Well, I know it was long, but I hope you enjoyed the run down. :)