Strange !?

It is interesting that each time I return to Minnesota, there are different things that jump out to me as being very different from the way I live in Romania.

-stairs (don't have any in my apartment)
-large elevators:)
-"free" local calls
-air conditioning
-light switches inside rooms
-toilet paper on holders (mine is on top of the toilet)
-strangers that talk to you as you pass
-Andes mints/mint chocolate chip ice cream (see any pattern)
-my comfort in leaving things visible in my car
-immense number of products at Target (I still haven't made it through the store)
-how wonderful hugs are! (I just can't get enough)
-hawks on lightposts, hummingbirds hovering over flowers, deer wandering through the yard
-fast pace of life
-how "easy" it is to get things done here

Culture shock takes all different forms. These are only a few of the things that have been a bit of a surprise to me!

My Country Tis of Thee

As I sang this song tonight, it brought to mind many different images and thoughts. The first was a sense of confusion-which country is mine? Romania or the United States? Another thought came racing right after-is our country really free? If this song were to be written about Romania, how would it be changed.

In my mind, I also began to wrestle once again with the truth that neither country is truly my home. I will never be fully comfortable in either place. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as some may assume. In fact, it keeps me thinking about my true country-my true home-eternity in heaven. I wish I had the poetic ease to rewrite the lyrics to fit heaven-to adequately describe my eternal home/country. Praise God that this world is not our home!

Gata

"Finished" It was such a wonderful feeling to walk out of school yesterday knowing that things are finished-at least for the summer. And yet along with that feeling of wonder was a sense of loss as I moved things out of my classroom and up to my new office for next year. There are a lot of questions that fill my mind as I think about teaching something else next year. It will definately be different! The teacher's manuals for pre-algebra and alggebra 1 are under my desk with the rest of the piles ready to be packed-hopefully to be looked at this summer.

When I couldn't sleep this morning, I was thinking about how things are changing here in Bucharest-the good and the hard parts of that. I know that God will provide and yet it is a little bit scary to know that tomorrow I will be leaving what has become so normal for me to return to a place that feels so foreign.

Laura with Cazenescu and Margiola

With only so many hands and many babies, you make a lot of things work:) They are all such beautiful babies!

Laura with Bucur at the hospital

Babies usually only have their last names. Interestingly enough, bucur means joy in Romanian. It is my prayer for this little girl that she will know much joy.