On Friday we went to Auchen, the huge grocery store right under the mall. Sounds like a boring start to story right? BUT GUESS WHAT. Two people in the store thought I was Romanian! I guess I do blend in pretty well with the dark hair and eyes. But most of the Romanians are significantly tanner than I am. Anywho at least I must not have looked like the typical confused American girl. And while I feel bad that I couldn't help the old grandma find... whatever it was she asked for, I feel pretty proud of that fact.
And I celebrated by taking a very tourist-esque selfie.
"You'll find more cheer in a graveyard."--Gimli, The Two Towers
Now, that is a bit of an exaggeration. But seriously, I don't think I've seen. Single Romanian walking down the street smiling. They just stare at you and avoid eye contact. I'm not quite sure how they manage to do both simultaneously, but they DO. I don't think I've seen a Romanian laughing in public either. I guess that explains why they all stare at our group so much, since we are always laughing and talking (too) loudly.
Another strange thing I've seen? Parents don't seem to worry about keeping their children close. We saw this one little boy get separated from his dad in the mall, and the dad just didn't come back looking for him. We stopped and wanted to help, but we were pretty useless without Romanian and some older women stopped instead. But how do you walk away and just not realize your child isn't with you?? Blows my mind. I guess if you lived in the city, you'd get used to it.
"You know I don't usually hold with foreign food, but this Elvish stuff - it's not bad." --Sam Gamgee
Food update. I feel bad that I seem to be one of the few people in our group who genuinely enjoys the food we are provided. Everyone else seems to be either just tolerating it or buying their own. And granted, this soup did have a bit of difficulty with the whole peas to broth and meat ratio...
"It's been four years to the day since Weathertop, Sam. It's never really healed."-- Frodo
Oh, did I not mention, I got stabbed with a knife as I was walking home the other day?
Pretty gnarly, right?
No, worries, though. It was just my roommate who sliced me.
Still worried?
We were walking back from the store where we had purchased utensils and plates. My roommate had
a steak knife in her bag that poked through. She was walking in front of me and suddenly stopped to take a picture of the adorable old men in the park (they sit and play chess there all day!) and I was right behind her. It sliced me pretty deep haha. Interestingly enough, aside from the pain, my first thought was just, "Now I can say I've been stabbed on the streets of Romania!" Such a tourist.
Awkward moment of the day:
I was buying clothing in H&M (because we still don't have our luggage, hoorah), and I had a bra in the middle of the three items I took into the line to buy. I wanted to be classy and not have the bra flashing around, you know? Well I can't be classy. Not in my nature. The bra hanger somehow slipped to the ground and made the loudest crash on the tile floor, causing 4 or 5 people around me to look. I quickly bent down to pick it up, but here's the thing: people in Romania don't like lines!! They either just skip ahead of you or press up unnecessarily close to you so they are all up in your grill. Well, I bent down to grab the bra, and because of how close she stood behind me, I basically
shoved my butt into her stomach.
Classy, right?
I think I made up some Romanian apology and she just looked at me. And then moved in front of me.
We did some exploring in Iasi last night, which of course means we took a thousand pictures of the palace from every angle and position. This was one of ,y favorites. The flowers here are beautiful (and take away from the common smell of cigarette smoke, sewage, and body odor).
In our exploring, we had our first run-in with a gypsy! They were two little girls, but the oldest was the biggest problem. "Problem" meaning, she was so cute I just wanted to give in and give her all my money and play with her for hours. She kept asking us for "un leo!" I think she sensed my weakness, because she targeted me repeatedly in our group of 15. (Fun fact: I'm ALWAYS the target in haunted houses as well. Gypsies would make great actors in those haunted houses, since they seem to share that ability of sensing us weak souls.)
She kept hugging us and touching our arms, and followed us several blocks. She was wearing roller blades, so running wasn't even an option. I thought of how people say to run downhill if being chased by a bear (I think?). I guess the best way to avoid gypsies on wheels is to go up or down stairs. They can't follow! But to be completely honest, I started to cry. It was so difficult to resist my natural instinct to help/play with a child. If I hadn't been with a group, I probably would have caved.
This is not the most flattering picture of either of us. Trust me, that gypsy girl is adorable. (P.S. Tears began just after this pic was taken)
"Helm's Deep has but one weakness. It's outer wall is solid rock for except for a small culvert in space, which is little more than a drain."
Did I mention that I got in trouble with the Romanian military? Yep. That happened.
My roommate and I just wanted to take a picture of the Romanian flag billowing in the wind on the front of this stone building. When the man in military camo approached us, we didn't even realize there was a problem. Until he ordered us to stop walking and said something in Romanian. He was nicer when he realized we were some silly American girls. Turns out the building was some military building he couldn't even tell us about specifically. He made us delete the pictures and sent us on our way. Probably worried we would pass it on to give someone info about it's weaknesses! But they could probably come see it the selves. Not exactly hidden. So, no billowing flag for you. Instead, enjoy this picture of me and my lovely roommate with gelato.
OKAY LAST STORY. I know I said that I would be posting shorter posts, but SO MUCH HAPPENS I just don't want to miss anything. This is more for my journaling purposes than for your entertainment anyways, so you just have to deal with it.
Anyways.
The night before I left for Romania, I went and sat on the temple grounds to think and write in my journal and pray before I began my adventure. I was pretty terrified of the summer ahead. As I looked at the temple, I began to pour out my heart in prayer to God; I just needed to feel His love. I prayed that Heavenly Father would send me an outpouring of His love, so that I could feel some peace about this next step in my life. I couldn't be alone. I needed to know He'd love me there too. As I prayed, a bird suddenly flew in front of me. Instantly, the following scripture popped into my mind:
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
It may have been a coincidence that the bird flew by right then. Doubt it. But someone could argue that. BUT, it is no coincidence that the Holy Ghost brought that scripture to my mind and touched my heart by reminding me of my worth to Him as an answer to my prayer.
He is mindful of me, no matter where I am and what I'm doing. He will never leave me alone. I felt so much love in that moment. I needed that assurance to step on the plane. I'm here for a reason, whether that be to help children, influence someone I meet, or to mold me into the person God needs me to be. I'm so excited to be here. There are so many beautiful souls, especially in the Iasi branch we attended today. God is God in Romania too. The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints offers truth and peace no matter where you go. I can't wait for my next adventure, and I'm so blessed to know My Heavenly Father is watching over me.
Stay classy, America.
I love all your stories and thoughts! please keep them coming, and don't hold back! And keep an eye on that gaping gash, eek!
ReplyDelete