Life Has Carried On

It has been quite a while since I have written. So much has changed! After returning from Romania it was a long transition back to life in Iowa. I had a hard time being around people and adjusting to life in America. My reverse culture shock was much worse than my culture shock.

I'll give a quick overview of a few months

May: Returned from Romania, Graduated from college, Worked a 60 hour week, Got Engaged!

June, July, August: Planned a wedding, Trip to San Francisco and California

September 18: Married my best friend! It was a wonderful day except for the rain that ruined our plan of an outdoor wedding. Besides that it was everything I could imagine and more.

End of October: Josh was offered a job in Bismarck, ND. He took it and we planned to move two weeks later.

November 7: Moved to Bismarck, ND.

It has been a crazy past 6 months. However, I would not change them for anything. I love my husband and love being with him. God has blessed us beyond our wildest imaginations.

It might take me awhile to adjust to a place that I have never been before or thought about going. Bismarck seems like a very nice city that I am sure I will come to like and call home. For now I am waiting for Christmas and trying to remember that God is with me through all things.

Volcanic Ash What?!

Well, it is Sunday, 18 April. I am sitting in April and Kelly's apartment in Madrid but should be on my way back to Romania. Who would have guessed the thing that delayed my travels back would be a volcano? God works in strange ways. I am glad I get to be with family and spend more time with them.

It has been a wonderful week. I was able to visit Toledo which is a smaller city outside of Madrid. It was beautiful weather and we had a very pleasant day with the family.

I am now going to be spending a few more days with April and Kelly in hopes that the volcanic ash will clear and I will be able to fly back to ROmania.

This has really put a damper on my last two week plans for Romania. It has been an emotional adjustment and will continue to be. I still believe that this is some how God's plan and it will all work out. If there is one thing I have learned above all others this semester it is flexibility and adaptability. I have continued to learn this over and over again. This is another wonderful example of how I can learn these attributes.

Happy Easter Everyone!

We serve a risen Savior!

It was wonderful to spend a holiday like Easter in Lupeni. I was able to see an experience the traditions of the season. The coloring of eggs in the traditional red color. The knocking together of two eggs and seeing whose cracks. Hearing of the service that takes place at midnight and the walk up the mountain with the stations of the cross (I didn't participate in either of these...sadly).

Last week was a crazy one because I spent many hours with young people talking and learning more about their experiences here. However, it ended in a wonderful way with celebrating the resurrection of Christ. On Friday night I attended a special service for the Pentecostal youth from the Jiu Valley. This was a wonderful time to see many young people in one area sharing a common faith and feeling the presence of God there. Mari, my wonderful supervisor, translated for me. She did an amazing job and really helped me to get more out of the service.

Tradition

This week has been a whirlwind of events. It started out with gaining a new roommate last week Saturday. She is from Wisconsin and it has been nice to be able to talk with her.

This week one of the IMPACT groups I am involved with completed their business plan that they have been working on. The big thing that they pulled together was a Show. It was amazing to see how these kids worked together to pull of this really amazing show off. The crowds here really get into the show also. It was fun to see how everyone still gets really energized by the traditional dances and songs here. I wonder what Tulip Festival would be like if we all got that energized for our traditions.

This show was on Thursday so it was a wonderful way to sort of end the week.

I am continuously reminded of the blessings relationships are for me here and the people God has graciously put in my life here.

On a side note, Thursday afternoon I ate pizza that was named, "Fruit of the Sea" It had small octopi on it. I truly enjoyed them.

I have added both two short videos of the traditional dancing and singing for Romania and a picture of an octopus on my pizza.

Crazy Past Week

It is amazing how quickly the weeks are passing here. This past week was no exception. I can't believe it is Sunday once again. It means that I am getting closer to seeing people at home but it also means I am getting closer to leaving the people I have constructed relationships with here. It is a bittersweet feeling to be honest.

This past week has been a crazy one filled with many events. On Saturday I was able to visit Deva with two IMPACT groups. It was fun to see a new part of Romania. We saw European Bison, a castle, and a fortress. This was quite fun for all of us (even though it was a bit cold)

Then later that night my parents arrived! They stayed until Tuesday morning. We were able to spend time with my host family, make it to Straja, and eat with my fellow colleagues at NHF. It was wonderful to be able to share a glimpse of my experience here with family from home. They will understand a little more what I am talking about now.

Wednesday morning I left for Cluj-Napoca! This was quite the experience. It was so different from Lupeni. It was different in the scenery and the people I saw. I was very blessed to share this time with my instructor, Mari! She is just amazing.

I arrived back in Lupeni on Friday afternoon and had class. Then the weekend was relaxing which was much needed! I was able to go to my home stay family's house to celebrate the little girl's birthday. This was a wonderful time to share with them. They have also been such a blessing for me while I have been here.

Transitions Continued

Well I have made the transition to the apartment. It will be an interesting change. I am excited for the potential growth that can happen in this environment. It will be challenging and wonderful all at the same time.

Tomorrow I leave for a short day trip to Deva. After this my parents will be arriving for a few days. This is a nice step in the transition. It will be great to see them again.

Then it is off to start another week. This week I am traveling to Cluj to visit another branch of NHF. I am excited for this trip.

Transitions

One more week has passed. It is crazy how quickly time seems to be going while I am here. I move from my host family's home today. This is a really strange feeling for me. I feel like this whole semester I have been in transition and the transition never stops. I came to Romania (huge transition), spent one night in the apartment, moved to my host family's home, started working, began attending the two clubs regularly, and now I am moving back to the apartment. There are 6 weeks left in Romania. It is such a strange position to be in. I really feel like I am beginning to understand what I am doing here and now I need to begin preparing for the transition back to Iowa.

This was a short post just of my feelings as of late. I move in a few hours. I'll post after the move again.