Got Allergies?

No, this isn't snow on the ground in May. It's the stuff from Cottonwood trees. Oh yay. Two and three weeks ago, my head hurt SO bad. All I wanted to do was lie down. I went to the ear, nose, and throat doctor because I thought maybe I had an ear infection. No ear infection. Then, I went to the dentist to see if any more wisdom teeth had come in. No more wisdom teeth(for now). The dentist said, " It's outside. The weather and the stuff outside." Okay, I guess I believe him. Sights like this picture just outside my apartment make me believe him. Thankfully, my head is much better now, BUT the ground still looks snow-covered.

Another Stroll in the Park

The weather here has been so beautiful lately. I was able to enjoy a couple of strolls through the park this weekend. YAY!

I love temperatures in the 70s. It's my favorite kind of weather. Not too hot, but some sunshine and a nice breeze. What I like to call: perfect!

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.

Winter in Moldova

Today I woke up to LOTS of snow outside. This is the most snow that I've ever seen! I've definitely never had to walk through this much snow in my life. I am trying not to complain. I am trying to convey the significance of this new experience for me. I decided today after falling 3 times that I hate walking through snow. Hate it. I took a picture for my friend Liz and I thought I would share it with everyone. I'm in my nice, warm coat with a sign for Liz that reads: Hi Liz! I'm in Moldova and it's Snowing!!! My student Lauren and her friend made it. This picture was taken moments before I slipped and fell on the ice that is buried beneath the mounds of snow. I also thought I it would be fun to keep you updated on how many times I fall on the ice here. Total times I fell today: 3. Total times I've fallen so far this winter: 5. Yay for Winter in Moldova.

Freezing in Moldova!!

The temperatures have been dropping like crazy lately. As I stood waiting for my bus for 15 minutes the other day, I decided it was finally time to purchase the Moldovan winter coat(the one I have just isn't cutting it). This was quite the purchase for me. I have been searching for a coat for about 3 months. I haven't been able to find exactly what I wanted. I was also trying to find the right deal and get a good coat for my money's worth. So, I found this coat on Friday! I am so excited. It is longer (which is what I wanted). It is brown so it matches my boots. AND it has fur(which will help protect my head against the harsh wind)!! The nice gloves are a Christmas present from my roommate and the hat is one that my roommate knitted for me! I love it. I am sporting the new purse I bought, too. I needed a purse as well. The little blue-jean purse I was tagging along doesn't have a zipper,so this will be much better. This purse is much bigger than what I prefer, but this is about all you can find here. They like big purses. I was joking with my roommate that I left the apartment looking very American and I came back looking pretty Moldovan. I think I blend in a little better now. The temperature outside right now is about 5 degrees. This is definitely the coldest place I've ever lived. I'll be well prepared for the winter weather now!!

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!