I don't believe in regret.

Why should I regret something I have done that I cannot change? I should clarify that I distinguish between remorse and regret. I am always feeling guilty, I'm really good at guilt, but regret...what's the point? If you can learn from something, isn't it worth experiencing?

Regret does not carry with it the energy of remorse, the sting of
compunction, the sacredness of contrition, or the practical character of
repentance. We even apply the term regret to circumstance over which we have had
no control, as the absence of friends or their loss. When connected with
ourselves, it relates rather to unwise acts than to wrong or sinful ones. --C. J. Smith.

Since I am human, I am unwise all the time. Hopefully I will learn wisdom by making a better choice next time rather than regretting a decision and not changing.

So, next time I will:

Pay the extra $10 to see the Harem
Not eat the second piece of pie
Wake up a little earlier, its not worth the rescheduling fee
Go to class, good grades are worth it
Ask for help
Offer to help
Go, cause I WILL feel bad if I miss it
Pull over to take a short nap
Keep my mouth shut
Be a little bit more organized
Be a little less scared
etc., etc., ETC.!

Spirit of Christmas...at work!

As shopping for Christmas gifts for 84 boys progressed, so had my level of frustration. I'll be honest, its a little hard to shop for gifts you most likely will only hear complaints about later. They aren't enough, the right ones, what I wanted, you fill in the blank! I just wish they knew how much I care, how much all of us who are working to provide a good Christmas for them, care! I want them to open something that will make them smile, that will make them for a moment forget that their life kinda sucks. I decided today that I wont mind if they complain, I still care. Here are some reasons why...

Today the boys put on their winter concert. One boy played the piano, very well I might add, our small choir sung Do-re-mi and Walking in a Winter Wonderland, then some of the boys exhibited their skills on the drums and other percussion instruments. They were all so amazing and I was so proud of them for their courage and effort! Our little cafeteria was crammed full of their peers (who can be brutal critics) and almost every single one of them watched in a respectful manner, surprising and pleasing all of the staff. It was one of those events that reminds me why I do what I do and that it is worth it.

This afternoon, Al reminded me about our first Christmas working at Benchmark. JoJo is one of our favorite boys and he has nobody. His life is a sad story and wont likely get much better. He has never received a Christmas gift from home and this particular year one of our other boys recognized this. He went around to each boy on the unit, taking up a collection. Each kid found something from their meagre possessions to contribute and presented it all to JoJo for Christmas.

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:8-10

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Moroni 7:47

Dress Up

I went to a White Trash Christmas party last night. Party was complete with lil smokies, twinkies, ants on a log and even gingerbread trailers. I arrived dressed in the clothes I wore to work and quickly learned that I had come in inappropriate attire. I was instructed (forced) to find something more suitable. LUCKILY, Danielle has a dress up box (I will be investing in one soon, they are invaluable). We had a ball and anyone who showed up looking normal was sent into the room with the box.

Jessie, Darby, Danielle, Me and Marci livin' it up white trash style...I love Jessie's Marlboro!

They don't get much happier than these two folks! Clint and Jessie are a match made in white trash heaven. And that is GEN-U-INE 7Eleven chili sauce on his wife beater!

And...you guessed it, Analee and Candice showed up looking a bit to professional for our taste. Well, we did what we could!!!

Things I didn't know I didn't know...

I learned some interesting things this week. I was told that a regulation basketball hoop can fit two men's basketballs through it, side by side. I didn't believe it, and it turns out it isn't true. But...two women's basketballs can! Also, I didn't know there are around 9,000 bumps or dots on the surface of a basketball. But...I didn't know anybody cared!

Discovering domesticity?

You have to be careful because I would probably hit you if you called me a home-ec teacher. I do recreation therapy which provides a fun environment to learn therapeutic skills. In my class we cook, sew, create art, play games and generally engage in all things fun (and appropriate). While doing these various activities I encourage my boys to focus on things like team building, working together, following instructions, patience, social skills, etc. Watching individuals participate in recreation can tell you a lot about their personality!


While working on his square for the holiday quilt, one boy asked me, "why do you get mad when I call your class home-ec?" Pleased with his respectful tone I responded that it is because if I were a home-ec teacher I would be concerned about the quality of the stitch and the efficiency with which he completed his assignment (he didn't even finish and frankly, his looked like crap). However, because it is rec therapy I am more concerned with his ability to use patience while threading the needle (he used the 'F' word more than once in his attempts) and his ability to follow directions (he had to start over because after applying all his iron on glue he peeled it all off because he wasn't listening).

This is all beside the point. I am not a home-ec teacher. I am not particularly artsy, crafty or domestic. I have been blessed with creativity and the ability to do just about anything I put my mind to. So this year I have learned how to quilt, sew, cook various easy foods, make hats on a loom, narrate guided imagery, and a plethera of other domstic activities. You could probably even call me a domestic goddess! Through these skills I have learned the more important lessons of patients, kindness, being a good leader, being a good listener, being a good example, endurance, dealing with the unexpected, felxibility and masking frustration! Those are not skills you learn in home-ec!

This week I tied and finished the last 3 years worth of holiday quilts. I'm so proud!!!

(I've been hanging onto this blog so I could post pics too but I give up...they'll come later!)

Two friends...two beautiful new babies!

I usually say, "I don't like other people's kids," and by other people I mean strangers. Children that belong to my friends are another story. Having no children of my own and not a single niece or nephew from any of my multitude of siblings, I am always excited when one of my friends has a baby.

Congratulations Dyan and Lars on little baby Nora, she is so beautiful!

And congrats to Mandy and Stan on baby John, he's adorable!

I Heart Them!

Emily couldn't make it to Thanksgiving because she had to work so she requested a family dinner on Sunday. These are always fun but this one was extra large since Taylor and Jill joined the normal group. Mom wanted to get a family picture for the Christmas card that may or may not get sent this year (haha). Here are some of the out-takes!

The boys: Bryan, Chris and Keegan (Brandon is in Samoa of course)

The girls: Emily, Natalie, Cecily, Me and Jacey

And the whole crew, dogs included (Pele and Bruce)

They're the BEST!

My Very Own Soap Box

You know that doll where you pull the string and she babbles on until she has finished her little schpeal? Well, someone pulled my string so here's my schpeal.


I am a sociologist, people and their interactions are what I majored in. I am interested in doing my part to help people, and believe there are many things one can do to make a difference. I preface this with the fact that I think all help and efforts to help anyone should be appreciated and I know there are a lot of people with only the best intentions. I in no way want to devalue their efforts. This is my soap box...


All over the world people suffer and struggle under the oppressive hand of poverty. We usually think about starving, health care deprived, undereducated and underprivileged children and visualize one of those commercials that promises us that for the cost of our diet soda every day we could save a child in Africa or South America. I wonder if most people ignore, avoid or are entirely ignorant of the poverty that exists here in the land of the free and home of the brave. Children, innocent human beings with no control over their environment or socioeconomic status go to bed hungry in neighborhoods all over our country, one of the richest countries in the world. Anytime I hear a plea for my pennies to be sent overseas I feel a very bitter-sweet tug on my heart. While I would never begrudge a child any assistance I have to ask, are the children in our own backyard so undeserving?


Our government has a program called the Peace Corps. Last year they sent out almost 8,000 willing individuals to the furthest reaches of the globe. Our tax dollars paid their travel costs, rent, utilities, language tutors, nearly one month of paid vacation per year, all medical costs, a monthly living stipend and upon completion of two years of service, forgives them 30% of their student loans and pays them a lump sum over $6,000 to thank them and provide an easier transition back to their normal lives. Americorps is another, less publicized, government program, similarly focused on providing volunteer service in needy communities in the states. It recruits volunteers to serve for hours instead of years and depending on how many hours donated, gives between $2,000-4,000 to be used for the payment of student loans or tuition. Now I know that Peace Corps and Americorps have their different scopes and purposes and I do not intend to criticize anyone in their choice of service. It just seems to me that the needy in Detroit are just as deserving as the needy in Bulgaria so why should the compensation for service to a child in Detroit be so much less than the compensation for service to a child in Bulgaria.


I just heard of a website that asks us to donate $400 and a state of the art laptop will be sent to a needy child in another country. HELLO! Could we possibly focus on making sure all the children in the schools on American soil have access to a computer before we start shipping them to a place that needs a generator to run them. Excuse the cheese metaphor but by strengthening our roots it follows that our branches will reach further and be more fruitful. I'll refrain from elaborating and leave you to your creative imagination to grasp the depth of that thought.

I could go on and on. No one deserves to be poor, least of all a child. I heard once that poverty is like punishment for a crime one did not commit. Why should a child be punished or have opportunity and service denied him because he was born poor? I stopped crying a couple of years ago when I would read charts or hear my patients describe the circumstances of their childhood. I became passionate about prevention and education as a means to put myself out of a job. I get angry now when people presume to judge anyone less fortunate than they are. I almost hit the guy in the polo shirt who was behind me in line at Costco, talking on his cell phone, ranting about homeless people taking the easy road...are you freaking kidding me?


It gets me so worked up. If you want to broaden your understanding of my frustrations, I recommend the book "Savage Inequalities" by Jonathan Kozal, describing the tragic and unequal circumstances in school districts across the country. As this holiday season inspires you to be generous, don't forget the children here. And when you vote, don't punish impoverish children. We have so much! Our constitution also promises them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

I'll leave you with a quote by Charles Darwin which I love:

If the misery of our poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.

Vest Guy

What do you think of when you hear VEST GUY? Well, I thought, "I'm gonna need a picture of that!" Luckily I had my digital on hand and got this shot of the vanity plate on the big black truck so proudly displaying the following:

WOW! I wondered if maybe he is just proud of his vest collection or if he wears only vests. I didn't know or understand until I looked a little closer and realized that he was also proudly advertising that he makes costom vests. So I wondered some more...

Does he make a variety of custom leather vests?

Or...maybe a selection of homemade sweater vests? With skull and cross bones of course because he is the vestguy!

But maybe his wife helps out with special purpose vests like these for the donation and adoption teams at S.P.C.A? I really like the see through money holding pocket thingys!

And of course there is always the good ol' florescent variety. But can't you buy those at any sporting goods store?

After a few minutes of good laughs I pulled up behind him at a stop light and read the smaller print. I admit I was a little disappointed that he doesn't hand knit manly vests. Obviously this vest guy is a guys guy though because he specializes in Police, Fire, EMS, Military and Safety vests. Being one who is very grateful to all who offer these valuable public services, I understood that someone who makes custom vests for them is an asset to all of us. It cleared up all my questions except...

Airsoft vest, seriously, if you need a costom vest you probably shouldn't play!

Spiders

I willingly admit irrational fear of a few things. Here are 2:

1. Scary movies. The last one I saw was The Grudge and I swear just the other day I heard that freaky noise while I was down in the laundry room. I ran back up to my apartment!

2. Spiders. Just tell me about a creepy spider you have seen and I shiver. Hate em! Think about it, they crawl over your body while you are sleeping, they can spin a web inside your shoe, they suck your blood (and that is only sexy if it is done by a vampire!).


This little video cracks me up though! I like the marijuana spider...first, cause I like hammocks and second cause he's willing to sacrifice for what he wants!

Huh?

On my recent trip to Romania I saw and heard several funny things and there is just one more I want to share. You know the movie Knocked Up? Well it is currently playing in Bucharest under the title:

Un Pic Insarcinata

Translation:
A little bit pregnant

Granted, I never learned much slang in Romanian so maybe it really does translate, but...?

The Spirituality of a Child

I was on the phone with my grandma tonight and she was telling me some funny stories from my childhood (6-7 yrs old). She mentioned that I had always seemed to be a spiritual child...well, see for yourself.

Car Trouble
We got into our old silver Volvo station wagon and it wouldn't start. My mom kept trying until I piped up from the back seat, "Mom, just say a prayer and then it will start." We prayed and it did start, but really, do you think God would let down a child like that!

Baptism
Natalie was 8 which means I was almost 7, Natalie had just been baptised in her white dress. My mom apparently turned to me at some point and said, "you can wear that pretty white dress when you get baptised next year!" To which I responded, "I don't want to wear that dress, its full of sins!"

So grandma, I think you are mistaken...its just sass!

Control issues and maturity

It amused me today how much like a 5 year old I can be. Surprised as you may be...it takes a lot of effort on my part to be nice all the time and I know I fail regularly. My efforts are almost entirely selfish as I generally suffer a severe guilt complex when I am mean. Really, who wants to feel bad all the time for treating ignorant idiots like ignorant idiots? That is beside the point...

Today, I almost threw a tantrum over a cart! The RT department has one that is clearly marked FOR RT USE ONLY. It has been missing for quite some time and I went searching for it today. After looking everywhere, I discovered it was being used by one of our new teachers for all of the crap she insists on carting around with her (this is in addition to her little backpack on wheels). I was low on patience by the time I found it and told her that it was my cart and that I needed it (five-year-old-ish I know). She responded by saying, "well, they gave it to me and I need it for all my things." Remember, I was already low on patience and asked her who "they" were. When she told me with that smug little look on her face I almost stomped my foot while I explained that "they" couldn't give her something that wasn't theirs to give and she better get her crap of my clearly labeled RT cart now or I was going to throw it at her. I refrained, opting to maintain my dignity and went to find a new cart.

Strip to the waist

A young man, we'll call him Jay, walked into the small private practice of Dr. Jones, the doctor who would be performing his physical exam for his college applications. Having been a healthy young man, Jay looked around the strange office not knowing what to expect. The nurse obtained the necessary information and showed him into Dr. Jones' office. It was quite large and a little old fashioned, serving as both office and exam room. Before leaving him alone the nurse kindly instructed Jay to "strip to the waist," and pointed in the direction of a small partition in the corner. Emerging from behind the partition he walked past the exam table and sat himself down in one of the formal wooden arm chairs situated in front of the doctor's desk. He waited patiently until the doctor appeared.

A bemused Dr. Jones looked at young Jay and asked, "What are you doing?"

Jay looked down realizing something must be amiss and replied, "The nurse told me to strip to the waist."

"Well son, she meant for you to take your shirt off, now put your pants back on."

Embarrassed and perplexed, Jay removed his shirt as he had been instructed and walked across the room to obtain his discarded clothes. Poor naked Jay, you can bet he never misunderstood what "strip to the waist" meant again!

(Disclaimer: Though the story is true, names have been changed to comply with federal HIPPA privacy laws.)

Cat de mult ne suferim din cauza omenilor!

So...I missed my flight. Regardless of what others believe about being "stuck" on vacation for 2 extra days, I gotta tell you, it is lousy! I left for the airport a little before 11am for my 1:55pm flight. I knew the bus takes an hour when there is traffic, I did not however, remember that in Romania you should always expect the unexpected. Now just one little hiccup, no big deal, but nobody can recover from 2 disasters. Marie walked me down to the bus and right as we got there they were closing all the streets in Piata Unirii. We asked the lady at the ticket booth when the bus would be coming and she explained that the streets were closed and she didn't know why, for how long, or if the bus would come at all. Nice...she pointed us to the next stop on a road that wasn't closed. We waited until the bus should have come again (seeing for ourselves that it was closed because of a marathon) and I decided to take the metro to the next main piata to catch the bus there. It came quickly enough but by this time it was noon...no big deal, if it takes an hour to get there I still have an hour to check in and go through security, Otopeni is not a big airport. As I squished on the bus (when I say squished, you have NO IDEA!) We seemed to be in an awful lot of slow traffic, I knew we were in trouble when I saw boys who had gotten off 3 stops before passing us on foot. Turns out there was a huge car show out by the airport, drawing even more traffic than usual, BAH! Is it too much to ask for there to be a little city planning, huh? By the time I ran into the airport, almost in tears and found the counter and asked to check in it was 1:35. I am fully aware of the across the board rule, no one goes after the 30 minute prior mark, so what did I do, I pulled out all my best romanian and through big fat tears I argued and begged to no avail. I was sent to the ticket counter where the lady told me I could go on the next flight for $200 extra and handed me an itinerary for TUESDAY! It is a really good thing I never learned how to be mean and curse in Romanian because I was limited in the abuse I could fling at this unhelpful woman. She refused to look for a sooner flight, insisting that the direct flight I was on from OTP to JFK did not depart every day and she could not change my route. Another girl about my age ran up at this point having missed the same flight and seemed to have a little more persuasive power. I let her interrupt knowing she might be able to help us both. Bottom line, after more tears from both of us, some yelling from all three parties it looks like the other girl and I will be on the same flight Tuesday afternoon. She is missing exams at her university in Chicago so I cannot complain too much. Though I will miss work I know that Michelle is kind and loves me and wouldn't fire me because of this. The girl offered to let me stay with her if I didn't have somewhere to stay. It made me remember that I love Romania and Romanians, mostly. Luckily I knew I could stay with Sora P. and I headed dejectedly back into the city. I fought for a seat on the bus and listened to my iPod the whole way back. I knew the sisters would be at the capela for conference so I trudged across town with all my luggage in the rain (I know, really, worse and worse). Conference was amazing and I think it even crossed my mind that I was glad I had missed my flight so I could listen to the wonderful talks. I will leave around 9am on Tuesday to catch my 1:55 flight, I'm not taking any chances!

Athens

We have been in Athens since Wednesday and it has been great. We seem to get lost all the time and tonight at dinner I was looking around and it clicked, I get it, I could get around Athens now if I needed to but we leave tomorrow. Pity! Really, Athens is a total maze despite the gigantic Acropolis as a landmark, it has never taken me so long to get my bearings.

think I mentioned in a previous blog that you are either a ruins person or you aren't. By that I mean that some people think ruins are cool, old and generally interesting to see. Those of us that are ruins people (some may find it cheesy) find ourselves walking in the footsteps of people who lived thousands of years ago. How could that not fascinate you? I find myself in awe at the magnificence of the columns and the detail in the sculpture. Maybe it is because I love history so much but I could spend hours sitting at a site just imagining what life looked like back then. When you think about it, America is so young. I have walked this week where Apostles of the Savior walked. I have been transported to a time when massive temples were built to honor Gods and where civilization was not so uncivilized as we often believe. I have loved every minute of it and must say again how lucky I feel!


I know you can look on google images and find pictures of all of these things, probably better pictures at that, but these are my pictures, proving I have been, seen and done amazing things. If
I could only get this excited about my everyday life...

Pictures

Here are a few pictures, we have taken over 400 so far. We have seen some incredible things...enjoy!

Marie in her headscarf in the Blue Mosque

The Aya Sofya in Istanbul

Me inside the Aya Sofya

Marie at the colorful bazaar in Istanbul

Marie and I at the Hamam, not the one we had our bath at, this one has been turned into a carpet shop

Marie loves to take the picture and then keep taking pictures long after your pose is done...Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

How about a cruise up the Bosphoros for a Sunday morning activity?

Our new friends in Selcuk, there was belly dancing, waterpipe smoking and I observed

Ephesus ruins, beautiful but the camera battery went dead before we were finished

Marie insisted I pose...this is St. John's Basilica in Selcuk, Turkey

Self portrait, those blue and green eyes seem to be drawing a lot of attention


Marie, St. John's Basilica

I think I got at least 50 of the sunset at St. John's

First night in Athens, Greece...Marie and me in front of a dark Acropolis

I love my brother and Asian Invasion!

First of all, I love my brother, well all of them actually but I am speaking today about Brandon who is on his mission in Samoa. I just read his letter, thankful for the modern convenience of internet that allows me to know how he is doing on his little island in the Pacific while I am in the near east seeing all that is amazing. He is so happy and such a great example to me. He rocks and I love him!

Second item of business and sorry there isn't much time and I don't have pictures but I wanted to update the interested about the interesting. We were in Istanbul for 4 days and I recommend it to anyone loves travel and culture. We are in Selcuk now, near the Ephesus ruins, and it is also beautiful and surprising. We spent the day at the beach yesterday (sustaining only minor sunburns) and went to Ephesus today. This is where the asian invasion comes in, wow, so many tourists and so many of them asian! I love ruins, there is so much "scope for the imagination" when you find yourself wandering around an ancient city that once housed 250,000 people. I believe I saw my first of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis. Maybe it isn't on the list anymore, it was pretty cool and again, wow! We fly to Athens tomorrow for more ruins, beaches and general fun fun fun!

Bazaar...Baths!

It has been a very full day. We started out our morning going to the Aya Sofya, ıt was so beautiful! Our plan was to spend some tıme there and then head to the Bazaar for some shopping. Lonely Planet strictly instructed us to put on a smile and make sure we were ın a good mood before going. Excellent advice! We learned how to make a good bargain, even without speaking the language. Most people spoke enough English and those who didn't often spoke Romanıan surprisingly! While Marie spent a very long tıme purchasing a puzzle ring and learning how to put it together, I headed down the way to another shop. I seemed to be having a lot of luck avoiding the pressure of the shop keeper by smiling and telling them their things were beautiful. In one particular shop I could tell I might have a little trouble when the handsome young man responded, "yes, so are you!" I responded with a hearty laugh and called him a smecher, that ıs what we call those men ın Romanian. He feigned innocence but continued a more appropriate conversation with me. To make a longish story shorter, I left the store with nothing but his card (he wrote hıs name on it for me and then decided it wasn't neat enough, pulled out another one to write ıt nicer) and an invitation to have tea with hım later. I found Marie, stıll working on her ring, and hıd out in the shop with her for a while having a lovely conversation ın Romanıan with a lovely Turkısh man. At one point I stepped out of the shop for a minute and heard ın a sweet sing-songy voice, "Heelaree!" I waved and stepped right back in with Marıe. NICE! The Bazaar was everything we hoped ıt would be and more, we both spent too much money (one of us not really sure how she was manipulated into spending quite so much on something she didn't really want) and were entirely satısfıed with our experience.

After a long walk and a short tram ride we decided that a day of shopping had earned us a massage at the Turkish baths. I for one was a bit unfamiliar with what exactly a Turkish bath is and what it might entail. As Wikipedia's defınıtıon ıs not quite accurate I wıll explain a little and leave the rest to your imagination. Turkısh baths or Hamam are actually places where you are bathed. Note, I did not say places where you go to take a bath. Similar to going to get a massage, one removes ones clothing, wraps in a cloth and then the similarities pretty much end. I am stopping here sınce after several attempts I find I am at a complete loss. Again I persuade you to use your imagination and well, hmmm, would I do ıt again? Of course, ıt was amazing!

We had a wonderful Turkısh dinner that I cannot pronounce and delicious dessert! I love baklava!

(sorry no pictures but they will be coming soon!)

Istanbul was Constantinople (and its nobody's business but the Turks!)

I am surely having more fun than I deserve. Tuesday I headed up to Sinaia where Peles Castle is. Unfortunately, it was closed on Tuesdays and I had to leave before it opened on Wednesday morning. Sinaia however, is like the Park City of Romania. It is a quaint little ski town with great character, beautiful mountains and plenty of charm. In the morning I took the train back to Bucuresti where I met up with Marie.

From there we took the 19 1/2 hour train from Romania, through Bulgaria and into Turkey. Four stamps in our passport and one visa for Turkey later, we arrived in Istanbul. I love it! I could never have imagined how amazing it would be. As the train crept along the coast of the Sea of Marmara, you could see the ancient wall that used to stand as a protection and a warning. The city has simply been built around these ruins and in some cases has included them in the new structure. We spent the day wandering around Old Sultanahmet, where you can find the Bisilica Cisterna, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, various museums, great shopping, tasty food and more great shopping. We visited the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cisterna which is an underground well that I believe was once the basement of a church. It is dark and cool inside and even a little spooky because of the creative lighting and distant music they have playing.

As we came out, a turkish man we had met right before going in grabbed us and invited us to come into his shop. It was a specialty leather shop with expensive jackets and purses. He served us apple tea and despite our honesty about our budget was convinced we needed something that he could sell us. We are becoming more and more aware of the attention two american girls can draw, most of it unwanted. It is driving Marie crazy as she has been fighting the cat calls in Romania for the last year, poor girl.

The Blue Mosque is beautiful, crowded and not what I expected. It is so great to go into a building that is specifically set apart for the worship of God it commands a reverence that not all choose to observe. So many tourists!

We also went to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts and of course, did some shopping. We are staying in Istanbul until Sunday night when we will head for the coast and the ruins at Ephesus. More to come...

Some funny stuff I've seen and heard...so far!

1) Hot guy at the airport in hot pink and bright orange camo capris and a horizontal striped (in various colors of green) shirt.

2) Road work. Why is that funny you ask? It's Romania, they do everything by hand and it is not always so improved when they finish.

3) This sign and then another, the other said: SORRY WE ARE NOT CLOSED!

4)Woman walking down the street in normal pants and shoes and a knee length, hot pink bath robe.

5) That man coming out of the bushes, pretty sure he had just gone to the bathroom.

6) Not so hot man in jeans and a bright yellow shirt with bright yellow matching leather jacket and pointy toed ankle boots.

7) The look on my face and squeel that came out of my mouth when I was walking back to my pensiune in Sinaia by myself in the dark and a dog started chasing me. Natalie, I put you to shame!

8) On the train this woman said to her son (all in Romanian), "come back here or the gypsies will take you. Don't you know that they steal kids?"

9) Turkish salesmans was being pushy so Marie and I started speaking Romanian. As we were leaving he said to us, "Te iubesc, girls!" (Romanian translation, I love you girls)

10) And finally, yes ladies and gentlemen, that is a vending machine for BEER!

Something about the smell...

This city probably smells like garbage the ordinary nose but those who know and love Bucharest will roll down their windows in the car as soon as they leave the airport. Let me back up a little. I had a very uneventful trip and despite two layovers, one in Houston and the other in Paris, I didn't have even one extra minute between flights and slept the entire flight from Houston to Paris since no one was in the seat next to me, NICE! The office elders picked me up in Buc and after dropping off 80 lbs worth of goods from my luggage for missionaries at the mission presidents home we headed toward Unirii where I would be staying. Courtesy one wonderful sleeping pill I slept like a baby until church the next morning. Though I tried to keep my expectations realistic I was still so sad at how few faces I recognized. I was also sad about how much of the language I have lost but I am improving each time I open my mouth, hooray! I am still looking forward to some of my favorite foods and a taste of Transylvania. Marie will be here tomorrow night and off we go to either Athens or Istanbul, itinerary still in the works...For now, la revedere si va iubesc!

3 Days!

I feel like a five year old on Christmas Eve! I have jumped up and down while clapping enough times in the last few days to be really embarrassed but I have a good reason. I leave in 3 days! I already have it all planned out...stay up all night Thursday packing, work till 2 on Friday, be at the airport by 3pm for my 5pm flight, read for as long as I can on the plane to stay awake and then sleep for the remainder of the 21 hours! Sounds good eh? I actually have 2 connecting flights that will interrupt my nap, one in Houston and the other in Paris, not a fan of either airport but it is a means to an end. I also have sleeping pills!

I get to Bucharest at 2:30 Saturday and will be in Romania till Wednesday, seeing all Transylvania has to offer! Wednesday we're off to Athens and several days of Greek Isles! We'll hop all the way over to Ephesus, Turkey and then we'll be on a train to Istanbul! A few days in Istanbul and then we fly back to Buc. Two weeks of pure bliss (and hopefully no pickpockets)!

Jessie's mom advises, "kiss a man in every country you go to!"

My mom advises, "be careful , and watch out for pickpockets!"

Natalie advises, "watch out for vampires."

Thanks for the good advise ladies, I'll see what I can do!