6 Random Things

I've been tagged!
Good ole' Casey Chambers tagged me and now I must share some random things to the world!

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Random things most people may not know about Shauna:

1. I had cosmetic eye surgery when I was 4. I'm so thankful. It was not surgery to correct my vision, but rather to make my right eye look like it should.

2. I don't like hotdogs/corndogs, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin pie.(People tell me I'm not American).

3. I once ran into a volleyball net in high school while running laps in P.E. It scared me and I fell to the ground. The whole class came over to check on me. Many were laughing. Some fell to the floor in laughter. I didn't really know what happened. It was all so quick and ridiculous. It was embarrassing to say the least. Needless to say, I don't have an athletic bone in my body.

4. In high school, I worked at a franchise restaurant called,New York Burrito and also at a car dealership. Fun times!!

5. I sat next to BIG Jack Johnson on my flight from Amsterdam to Memphis! It was interesting!!

6. In Moldova, I fell off the curb into the road- hitting the pavement face-first. Luckily, I was fine and there wasn't a car coming!! There were however, lots of laughs from myself and my friends who witnessed the fall. I'm not very graceful!!


Well, I hope you enjoyed these random facts.

Hmmm..... now to tag some others:

Liz

Patty

Elsbeth

Sara

Justin

Joni

Last Day in Moldova

My students and I at my goodbye lunch on Saturday. Aren't they cute?

I have no days left in Moldova! It seems like just yesterday that I was typing that from my home in Memphis about leaving for Moldova. Now I am packing and saying my last goodbyes. Wow. Does time fly or what??

I leave on an early morning flight tomorrow for Bucharest. (I forgot to mention in an earlier post that I opted(or was persuaded by my colleagues) to take a flight out of Chisinau, instead of the train ride. The flight is only a little over an hour, so it should be easy.

God has been so faithful to bless my time here in Moldova in unexpected ways. I am so blessed to have been afforded this opportunity to live and work in another country. My life no doubt has been changed forever. How will I ever forget all the faces, sights, sounds, and smells?? I won't. I will carry this time in Moldova with me for life. I will always have fond memories of the Moldovan friends I made, the culture experiences I tried to embrace, and the students that made it all worthwhile.

I won't miss: the crowded mini-buses, the heat (no air conditioning), or the men wearing speedos as they sunbath at the park.

However, I will miss: all of my friends, students, and co-workers, all the great food, the cheap icecream and candy, my times in worship with the Moldovan body of Christ, the walking, the easy and cheap public transportation system, and so much more!!

Thank you for reading this blog and supporting me during my time in Moldova.

What's next when I return to Memphis?
I am not sure. I am praying and looking into several opportunities. At this time I am not worried about, but rather I trust God's plans.

Will I continue this blog? I hope so. I think I will turn this into a 'Life After Moldova blog'. Still thinking that through.

God bless,
Shauna

p.s. Next time I blog, I will be stateside. Woo Hoo!

Saying Goodbye

I'm in the process of saying goodbye to all my friends here in Moldova.

It's hard. It's emotional. It's bittersweet. It's necessary.

I try to say proper goodbyes filled with warm thoughts, thankfulness, and well wishes, but each time, I am brought to tears.

I didn't realize how emotional the closure process would be. I think that I will continue to cry as I pack and say my goodbyes. I am not afraid of the tears though. I just wish that I was able to hold them back long enough to have a conversation. I don't get to say all that I want to say because my emotions won't let me. Hopefully, my friends understand and can sense what I am trying to say.

Today I cried while having a debriefing meeting with my mentor missionaries. We decided that I should just send them an email to tell them exactly what I want to say. The conversation with all the words I want to say is just not going to happen in person.

I started to cry while telling my landlords goodbye. My landlady, Nina did cry. It was a sad goodbye. They have been like parents to me here. They have made my apartment such a comfortable place; a place that feels like home.

I have learned so much, grown so much, experienced so much, and changed a lot here. My life the past 11 months has been here!!

This is tough stuff. I would appreciate your prayers very much.

On a lighter note,
today one of my friends was telling me goodbye and she said, "Loneliness kills." She was saying all these beautiful and encouraging words to me. She was telling me what she hopes for my future. And she said, " I hope you get married. Because loneliness kills." I have never heard it said quite like that before.

Then, I met another friend in a park to say goodbye. We walked down(not bad) and back up(the hard part) a lot of stairs. I mentioned that I would be out of breath by the time we reached the top of the stairs. My friend who is really thin and in shape said, " This is easy for me. I do this all the time. I walk everyday."
I'll be the first to admit that I am out of shape.
After some time I said, " Wow. I am out of breath. This is hard. My friend kid you not said, " This is no problem for me. You see, if I were round it would be hard for me, but it is not hard for me. HaHa. Thanks a lot. :)

Facing Fear

I am not a fan of ice skating. I have never really enjoyed regular skating and I am just not good at it. Some people, like myself who can barely walk a straight line, should not do things that require ability, agility, balance. etc. Not only do I dislike skating, but I am fearful of it. I am always afraid of falling.

My colleagues and students are fans. They have encouraged me to join them each time they have gone ice skating. Each time, I could easily come up with an excuse.
For my birthday, I invited several of my colleagues,friends, and my students to witness me facing one of my fears: ice skating. I still dislike it, but I can say that I tried it one more time.

Here are some of the pictures from the day.



A Little Help
The knee pads are just for fun..and "just in case"

moral support


holding on....and still holding on

A Meeting with God In the Bathroom

Notes about the picture: The top center is the window(where the green is). The door handle is on the far right.

This will be a LONG,but funny blog, so I give you permission to LAUGH during this story whenever you feel like it!

I slept in today because I can. I have finished my home schooling responsibilities with the Raatz family.( As of Tuesday, June 3rd)Yay! We are all excited to be finished!

The first thing I did when I did woke up: Went to the bathroom.

Last words I heard before going into the bathroom(approx. 5 minutes before as my roommate was leaving the apartment):
My roommate: "Shauna, are you asleep?"
Me: "Yeah, what?"
My roommate:" If Domnul Constantin(Mr. Constantin, our landlord) comes today, will you show him the bathroom door handle?"
Me: "Yeah..."

Background information you need to know:

A week or so ago(maybe longer), we started noticing that the bathroom door handle was REALLY loose and it was getting hard to close and open the door. I nonchalantly mentioned to my roommate(without too much afterthought....will become obvious later),"I sure hope no one gets STUCK in the bathroom!"

We had just had dinner last night with our landlords, Constantin and Nina(who speak NO English. We communicate with them in Russian and Romanian). We had discussed a light that needs to be fixed and a fridge that needs to be moved. We forgot about mentioning the door handle. So, anyways, Constantin said that he might come today or sometime later. We weren't sure. Constantin and Nina are wonderful people and great landlords. We knew that Constantin would take care of the problem, we just had to make him aware of it first.

We have 2 bathrooms separate from each other. One has a toilet and sink. The other has the shower and sink. In this post, when I mention bathroom, I am referring to the bathroom with the toilet.

Now, that you have all the background information....

After dinner last night, my roommate and I discussed the door handle and how we had forgotten to mention it....

DO YOU SEE WHERE THIS STORY IS GOING??

Back to me going to the bathroom...

So, I don't know about you, but I don't usually take anything into the bathroom with me. So, I am in the bathroom and I shut the door and lock it. Everything normal so far. (I guess it wasn't necessary to lock it because my roommates were both out of the apartment. I was ALONE. BUT, I think it is good practice to shut and lock bathroom doors!)

So, I go to the bathroom, wash my hands, and grab the door handle which...ARE YOU READY FOR THIS??
falls
off
and
into
my
hands!(along with all nails and apparent parts...)
Oh boy....What do I do? First, I fiddle(is that a word?) with the pieces left in the door...nothing. Then, I start to grab anything that is removable from the door. The nail that holds the towel, well, I pulled that out. Then, I went for the hinges. Nothing. Then, I realized...I AM STUCK. I opened the window. Thank God for ventilation. Then, I looked at the door. OH NO! I decided I would just try to hit the door as hard as possible. I hit the part of the door where the handle had been as hard as I could. What happened you ask? The handle on the other side of the door fell off! OH yeah...I'm really working my way out of it. Yeah right?!? Then, I just beat on the door with both hands out of FRUSTRATION and ANGER.

Realizing that I was so obviously stuck without a clue how to help myself, I fell to the floor in a sitting position. I cried out to God. "God, please help me!!" I had teary eyes, but no real tears. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. My comfort at that moment was that God was(and is) in control(even though I didn't understand or see the solution), I had a toilet in case I needed it(which, since I had just used it probably wouldn't be the case especially since I hadn't had my morning water, cappuccino...etc!) ,and if I became so parched, I could drink from the sink. I was also most thankful for the open window! What I was a little worried about was the fact that I was unsure when my roommates would be home and I could be stuck for hours. I had also read a story online before about a man who was stuck in the bathroom for a couple of days! Yikes.

I do believe that God heard my cry for help. I stood on top of the toilet to lift my head out of the window(BTW we live on the 2nd floor) which had bars on it. The bars made for a nice grip while my feet tried to remained balanced on the toilet. I looked around outside and I didn't see anyone that I knew. I heard a voice from downstairs so I waited. Then, I saw him. The son of the friendly neighbor, Gheorghe. He was on his cell phone, but I didn't care. I am desperate. Also, I knew that this son, Michael(who is probably 20 and speaks English pretty well), I later learned and I had briefly met once before when he started speaking to me in ENGLISH. Oh praise God. So, I started calling out to him, "Hello!?!" (Just like the damsel in distress, you know?) I told him the gist of the story that you've just read. All in English...Oh I am so thankful. How would I ever explain on this in Romanian? I have no idea.

At first, he was like,"Aren't your friends home?" Um, hello!!...if my friends were home, I wouldn't be standing on a toilet and leaning of a window to tell you my problems. No, my friends aren't home and I don't know when they will be home!

Then, he became really helpful and started asking smart questions. He started to understand my dilemma more. He did think my story was really funny and he had to share it with others in the home and those passing by. Thank you very much.
It took him a while to understand that I was really stuck. I picked up the broken handle and showed him that there was no turning the knob. I think he understood more clearly when he saw the broken handle. I asked him to call my landlord Constantin. Neither Gheorghe nor Michael had the number. I thought it was worth the try. Once before when I lost electricity in my apartment, Constantin had called Gheorghe and sent him up to check on me. So, I thought, maybe the two were friends. Well, they couldn't find any numbers for Constantin. I do feel like they dialed a lot of numbers though. Gheorghe and Michael suggested that I kick the door out. "Like in Mortal Kombat," Michael added. I asked him to show me what that looked like. He did some moves.Priceless. Before trying out my karate moves, I asked Michael if there was a phone book with Moldovan residents listed. There is. Great! I suggested that they search for Constantin number there. THEY FOUND IT. Oh praise Jesus.

If he couldn't reach Constantin, Michael told me that he was just climb up. Okay. Maybe that will work. There are bars on my window here, but however you think you can help. I am open to suggestions here.

If I had been outside of the bathroom, I would have all the important numbers listed for my landlords, my roommates, my colleagues etc. All in my cell phone. I don't know any of them by heart.

Back to the LONG story. So, Michael contacted Constantin and he would be on his way to my apartment and probably reach my apartment in a half hour or so. I was thankful for the time frame. I asked Michael what time it was. At this time, I had already been in the bathroom for an hour..at least.

While I waited for Constantin, I PRAYED. I think God wanted my complete attention. Well, he had it. I was talking to him about life and praying for many friends and family members(maybe you). I sang some songs. All in all it was a great meeting with God. I had cried out to Him for help and help was on the way! So thankful...

I also thought about these things: 1)This story is going to be a great blog post. 2)People that know and love me are going to find this hilarious. 3) Bathrooms are really dirty places(Even though I had just cleaned our bathroom 24 hours prior) and 4)I really need to repaint my toenails.

Then, I hear my name being called from outside. Michael asked me, "Are you lonely?"
I said, "Well, I am here in the bathroom alone and I'm praying to God." He said, "Very good!" He decided that he would stand there and talk to me, because if he were in a similar situation, he would want me to talk to him. So, he started asking about what I did in Moldova and how I felt about Moldova. I was thankful for the conversation because it took my mind off of my current situation. Then, he called Constantin one more time. I was assured that Constantin would be at my apartment within 15 minutes. Michael had to leave to go swimming. I thanked him for all his help and we said goodbye.

More waiting....Thank you, God for teaching me patience. More prayers. More singing. Then, I heard a beautiful sound. Keys turning in the door. CONSTANTIN! I hear his voice and I can see him approaching the door.(There is now an open hole from where both handles have fallen off either side of the door). He is laughing. He says in Romanian, "Oh, this isn't a big problem. Small problem." Music to my ears. He has a tool that he is turning. I am getting super excited! Then, FREEDOM!! The door is open. Oh praise You, Lord. I am free. You provided help for me. Thank you.

I have never been so excited to see Constantin...I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Thank you very much!" He is looking over the broken parts and surveying things. He says, "These are not good. " I laugh as I say, "I know!" He then moves to put the toilet seat back on correctly. It slid off while I was standing on the toilet. As he is working, he says," Girls, Girls....they need boys!" I couldn't help, but agree with him more.

Sorry this story is so long, but it is truly helping me put the hour and a half I spent in the bathroom in perspective. I'm thankful that God grabbed my attention and then showed Himself faithful. I am. But next time, God, "If I have to get stuck somewhere, can I please get stuck in the kitchen?"

June 1st

The t-shirt reads: God Loves Families. (The guys in the background are in a youth group that I frequently enjoy here).

My friend Natasha(who paints BEAUTIFUL cards) and I enjoying the festivities. Yes, I know....I NEED SUNGLASSES! You can't see my eyes for my squinting. :)


Today, June 1st, marks 10 months for me in Moldova!! Woo-hoo! (I have less than one month left in Moldova. That is so hard to believe!)

It is also my dear friend, Casey's birthday! Happy birthday Casey! I hope you have a wonderful day.

Today many countries around the world will celebrate International Children's Day. Moldova is celebrating today. I just returned from the center of the city. There were TONS of people, lots of balloons, music, and free ice cream(which I especially enjoyed). It was fun to see people from the various churches that I've visited, other missionaries, and friends.

There were many organizations represented today at the celebration. The evangelical churches were well represented. Many churches passed out flags that read: God loves families.

To mark my 10 month here, I'll share a quick story to let you know just how far I've come with dealing with the cultural differences.

As I was waiting for the trolley bus, it began to rain some. It was a light sprinkle and one that caught me unaware as it was an absolutely beautiful day. I knew that the trolley buses would fill up fast as people tried to get out of the rain. After skipping out on the first two buses that I could have jumped on(they were FULL), I got tired of waiting and just got on the third bus despite how full it was. Man, was it full! It wasn't even 80 degrees today, but in those buses it is HOT. Well, it was the typical crowded bus. I will spare you all the details, but let's just say I have never been so thankful for clothes in all my life. Just when my sweaty arm couldn't stand to grip the overhead bar(I'm so short) any longer, the bus approached my stop. I squeezed my way through the people and got off. Fresh air!!

Back in the beginning of my public transportation experiences here, I would have been stressed out by the lack of public space! Thank the Lord that I have adjusted to many things here. It has made my time here much easier!

God bless you, friends,
Shauna

p.s. I am not looking forward to riding the public transportation as the temperatures increase. Lord, help me endure the heat!.

More Birthday Pictures

I think I am listening intently as my friends sing "Happy Birthday" in five different languages: English, Romanian, Russian, German, and Dutch!

Friends Singing...it was really special!

I think I am clapping somewhere in the middle of all the singing or maybe I'm getting ready to thank all my friends. They are all so sweet and kind.

I blew out all but two of the candles(24!) and made a wish!

A Full Heart

(I don't know why these pictures are showing up so poorly.) Here are the names of my friends. L to R: Irina, Julia, Olga, Nina, Me, Rodyca, Nelly, Nadia, Heather, Mariana, Ina, and Vica. Not pictured, but also at the party: Alida, Aliona, Ana, and Sara ...and Jessie is the bottom one, but not the top one.


I am writing this blog with a heart full of JOY.

A heart full of THANKFULNESS.

A blessed heart.

Ziua mea de nastere este pe 16 mai. (My birthday is the 16th of May in Romanian).It was so special to celebrate MY DAY in Moldova. I had a wonderful time celebrating with both Moldovan and American friends. This is the run-down of my day:
Friday morning Nancy backed chocolate muffins. Yummy. I had a short day of school with the girls. Friday afternoon I ate chili with my roommates. My roommates and I cleaned the apartment and prepared for the party.
Friday evening I had 16 girlfriends come over for pizza, snacks, cake, and ice cream. When it was time for cake they sang happy birthday to me. It was so fun because it was sung in 5 different languages: English, Romanian, Russian, Dutch, and German. Have you ever heard of such a thing? It was really fun. We had such a nice time of fellowship. I really wanted to share cake and ice cream with all the friends I have made over the last year. I have been so blessed to be a part of the lives of these special girls and young woman. They have poured so much into my life, helped me in very practical ways, encouraged me, and they have spoken wisdom into my life. I am blessed to call each of them friend.

I was blown away by their thoughtfulness on my birthday. They presented me with gifts, prayed over me, encouraged me with lots of beautiful words, and there were lots of hugs and kisses. Thank you, Lord for the blessing that each one of these women are in my life. My life is richer for having these women in it.

I am blessed.

I am thankful.

My heart is full of joy.

El Paso with the McClungs!!

The McClungs, missionaries to Lithuania have been working with our team in Moldova for the last two months. It has been a lot of fun to get to know them some and spend time fellowshipping with them. One of my favorite ways to fellowship is to EAT. So, we went to El Paso, the Moldovan-Mexican restaurant here in Chisinau. I was able to eat Mexican food in Iasi, Romania a couple of weeks ago, but I had not tried this Moldovan restaurant until yesterday. So, I was looking forward to trying this place out. I was not disappointed. Now, for some this may not be close enough to the American Tex-Mex restaurants, but I thought it was super. I definitely recommend it. Here is some chicken fajita goodness:


MMMmmm...good!

Wendell and Patti (sorry about the red eyes!)

Patti and I outside the restaurant

Now, the time has come for the McClungs to return to Lithuania. Thank you for sharing life with us in Moldova. It was wonderful spending time with you. God Bless!

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!!

Trip to Iasi,Romania (Part 1)

Monday through Wednesday, our team took a retreat/team-building trip into Romania. It was my first time leaving Moldova since last August. I was super excited to visit Romania. It was my very first time to see Romania. It felt like a different world compared to Moldova, but in many ways the countries are still very similiar. There were 12 of us traveling in three vehicles. Everyone got through all borders just fine. It was my very first experience crossing borders of different countries, too. Here are some pictures from my trip.

In Iasi, our first stop was a mall. The mall had a small food court so we ate at KFC! How exciting to have American fast food other than McDonalds.

I don't recall ever eating a lot of KFC in America, but boy was it TASTY. I had a chicken sandwich with fries.
We stayed at a hotel called "Little Texas". It was a wonderful place that was decorated with all things Texas/cowboys/Western style. The owner is an American from Texas. He opened the hotel and restaurant as business as missions.
Front of restaurant. The restaurant served MEXICAN food, of course. Oh, it was so tasty. They also served the most amazing complimentary breakfast ever. I definately took advantage of the restaurant and enjoyed all the delicious food.
The part of the hotel my roommate Sara and I stayed in.
Natalie and Lauren climbing a tree.
My new roommate Sara and I.
Elissa, Natalie,Lauren, and I
Heather, Heidi, and I.(My eyes are closed, though). They are a lot in pictures. What do you do?

Taco Night and Good Friday!!

Tonight we gathered together as a team and ate yummy tacos complete with all the fixings: salsa, cheese, onions, sour cream, cheese, etc. They were delicious. This was especially exciting because you can't buy tortillas here. They do have unleavened bread/pitas, and lavas available though. Almost the same...but not quite. So, the tortillas were homemade!! There were also movies playing, fun games, and we even broke out the Wii(newer version of Nintendo, if you didn't know). Side note: I was just introduced to the Wii this week. It is fun-filled game that provides a lot of laughter and a good workout(the first time, at least). I have been so sore since I started playing. :)

The best part of the evening was when we celebrated Good Friday together. Easter is celebrated here this weekend(Orthodox calendar). We prayed, had communion, and sang songs.It was so great. It is always a humbling experience to take communion and remember the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross. It is so incredible to me to think of His pain and blood that was shed to wash us white as snow. I am so thankful that my sins are forgiven and remembered no more. I am also so blessed to serve a Risen Savior.

My Decision

I don't think I have updated everyone on my decision regarding whether or not to stay in Moldova for another year or return to America.

So, I will take the opportunity now to share.

After a lot of praying, talking, thinking, weighing all the factors involved(and there were a lot), and wise counsel, I decided not to return to Moldova in the fall. (There are too many details regarding how I made my decision to go into detail here. Just know that my experiences in Moldova have been wonderful and life-changing. I had to make a decision though and this is the one I came to.) I will be staying in America for the time being. Who knows what God has in store? Only God right now. I am still seeking and praying about any further plans.

I will most likely return to Memphis sometime in early July. I will most likely be staying there for at least a couple of months. I have some ideas in mind, but that is all they are-just ideas.

I look forward to seeing family and friends, sharing about my time here in Moldova, and transitioning back into American life(although I think it might be difficult now that I have life experiences outside of America).

It is strange to think about coming home and not really having any plans. I have had a plan or known the next step since I was in high school (2002). I knew I was going to college. I knew which college. I had my degree to work towards. Since 2006, I had Moldova to plan and look forward to. Now, I have no for sure plans, but to go home. So, this is both exciting and scary at the same time. I look forward to what the Lord has in store.

Thank you for your support, encouragement, and prayers.

I still have 3 months of this exciting journey. The journey is far from over!!

God bless,
Shauna

Rain, Rain GO AWAY!!

Today I went to meet my friend at my favorite restaurant in Chisinau: The Patiseria. It is a nice french restaurant that serves quiche and great desserts.

After lunch we had planned to take some pictures around the city, BUT it started to RAIN. Nothing new about this. It rained all week. I meant to get a picture of one of the many puddles of mud, but I forgot. So, instead of taking pictures we had to go to plan b and go inside to a bookstore. Here are a couple of pictures from outside the bookstore after I was caught unprepared(yes, I forgot the umbrella) by the rain.

I can't wait for the rain to go away and the sun to come out! I am ready for nice spring weather, walks in the park, and more picture-taking opportunities.

New Shoes

These came all the way from America...
Thank you to my parents for sending them and a dear friend who purchased them. I like them a lot. I first saw these shoes online back in October and I wanted them. I never lost the desire to have these shoes. Now, I have them on my feet here in Moldova. My mom thinks they are ugly. We have opposite taste in shoes! I had only seen them online. So, she saw them before I did. She told me that they were so ugly. I said, "Then, I know that I will LOVE them!" And I do. They are fun and I am excited to wear them this spring/summer! The picture doesn't do them justice. So, check them out online at:
http://www.skechers.com. They are called: Dimple and they are in brown.

Celebrating Women's Day

I feel special....

Today is Women's Day in Moldova. I received a phone call today wishing me a happy holiday and many blessings. When I went to the market today, I had several people wish me a happy holiday. I received flowers from my fellow team members. I received chocolates from another friend.

Information about Women's Day from a friend's blog:

IWD(International Women's Day) is now an official holiday in Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The tradition sees men honoring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. While there are many large-scale initiatives, a rich and diverse fabric of local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

WOMEN'S DAY IS A BIG DEAL HERE. This isn't a holiday for moms only. This isn't Valentine's Day. This is a separate holiday. This is for all ladies. The flower markets were jam-packed. There was at least one flower per couple walking down the street. The girl was holding the flower(s) or they were both holding flowers probably because they were taking flowers to their moms.

Tonight I went to youth group. They had some special skits,songs, and games. During one game there were three boys who had to go around and give compliments to girls. If the girl liked the compliment, then she would sign a piece of paper. The boy with the most signatures won the game. So, one boy came up and said to me in Romanian, "You are like a very pretty flower." How nice. I signed his paper. I don't think he won the game, but it was a nice compliment!! (Why don't we have this holiday in America??)It felt kind of like I was 15 again and we were doing a special Valentines Day service at youth group or something. It was really funny.

After youth group I went to a nice restaurant with a few other girls. We tried to go to this fantastic Italian restaurant that has great pizza and good dessert, but they were too crowded. At the second restaurant we had to wait several minutes for a table to open it. Everyone was out celebrating and the places were packed with people. Overall, It was a very fun and special day.

7 months in Moldova...and counting.

March 1st marked seven months in Moldova for me. I still have days where I cannot believe I am here(even though the signs are all around and obvious). There are still days where I miss the comforts of home. And everyday I am thankful for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Everyday I am aware that this time is part of God's plan for my life.

I wanted to jot down a list of things that I havent' experienced in 7 months. Some of these are obvious, but it's my list.

It's been seven months since I've:

sat foot on American soil

driven a car

held my neice

attended a church service where the entire service was in English

eaten any American fast food other than McDonalds

seen my Memphis/Millington/Missouri family and friends

picked up my cell phone to call my mom at anytime of the day

eaten my mom's cooking

been to Walmart

listened to K-love

used an American dollar to pay for anything

drank water out of the faucet

So, this is just a partial listing....I could go on, but I won't. This isn't supposed to be a sad, Shauna-is-homesick-today-kind-of-post, but I just wanted to share what I was thinking about. I think it's interesting to see the little things that we give up to experience something else. If I was still in Memphis, I wouldn't have experienced the richness of what God has wanted to show me and teach me in the last seven months...and counting.

In the last seven months I've:

flown overseas for the first time in my life

taken public transportation for the first time in my life

immersed myself in a culture and a language other than my own

used a foreign language in conversation outside of a class in school

made many new friends

lived in an apartment for the first time ever

learned to cook (something I didn't know I could do)

learned to appreciate all the comforts I've been afforded growing up in America

faced my fears on a daily basis

boiled water to drink for the first time ever

experienced God's faithfulness and mighty hand at work in my life and those around me

Thank you for reading and God bless!

The Coming of spring and joy

Here's a picture of my two pins:




Tomorrow, March 1st marks the first day of spring in Moldova. This will be celebrated by "Martisor." People wear these red and white pins on the left side of the chest beginning on the first day of March. It is common to give these pins as gifts. Exchanging them with friends is a sign of friendship, respect, appreciation, and love. I have had two very sweet friends each give me one, so I will proudly wear mine starting tomorrow.

You can read more about this tradition here: http://www.marisha.net/martisor.htm

and here: http://www.haverford.edu/newsletter/march05/moldova.htm

and here: http://www.moldova.org/pagini/eng/59/

It's really a fascinating and interesting tradition.

Thankful for My Friends in Moldova! (Part 1)

Me with Ana

Me with Aliona, Ana's sister

Me with Adriana, my language teacher


Me with Alida, a Dutch teacher

Me with Alida again

Kelly, my former roommate and I at the airport before she flew home.
(our last picture as roommates)


Kelly and Tanya at the airport

Thanks for the Mail!!

I have enjoyed keeping in contact with so many of my friends since being in Moldova. I love all forms of communication: emails, snail mail, phone calls etc. I wanted to say thank you so much for keeping in touch. Your letters, emails, and phonecalls mean so very much to me. These pics are of a few of my dear friends that have been very faithful in their letter writing. (Just because your picture isn't here doesn't make us any less of friends. :))There are many more, but I don't have space or pictures of each and every one. I just wanted to take some quick minutes to say thank you and let you know that you really do make my day any time you contact me and let me hear from you and how you're doing. It helps me feel like I'm not really on the other side of the world!!