thoughts from the kids

LEXI

I feel sad that my great-grandpa died, and I feel sad for my grandpa because his dad died. I miss my cousins very very much. It snowed here on Christmas and that was really cool.

DANIELA

It's really different in Romania and sometimes I miss America. There are so many people walking on the streets here. Eating cereal for breakfast is like a treat because it is so expensive, so Mommy says it is only for treats not for every day. We eat lots of cheese and bread. I really miss Oma and Opa (grandparents) and my cousins and aunt and uncle. I feel like a millionaire because I have a million lei in my wallet ($33 that she saved in the States and exchanged into LEI here).

The illusion of being a MILLIONAIRE

Sometimes the little things in life bring the greatest amusement.  Our Romanian bank account shows we have 46,000,000 LEI in it.  No, this is no error - we are indeed swimming in the millions here.  Looking at all the zeroes that follow the 46 is truly amusing.  One would think that dealing with numbers in the millions suggests an important sum.  It is a somewhat important sum, but not as important as we would like it to be.  To be more exact, 46,000,000 LEI is roughly $1600 or E1200 (Euros - the official money of the European Union, widely used both in EU and non-EU states). 

 

So, how does it feel to be a millionaire?  Hmmmm.... how shall we say it....  still not enough!

 

-C

1,000,000 LEI - the BIG gun - roughly $33

500,000 LEI - roughly $17

100,000 LEI - roughly $3.30

50,000 LEI - roughly $1.75

10,000LEI - roughly 33 US cents

The car that suddenly got more expensive

We almost found the car we wanted. We say 'almost' because while we were all set to buy it, the price suddenly jumped by about $3500 overnight. The deal was supposed to be quite simple: we would take over the lease of an existing leasee and pay it off. The seller, however, at the last minute decided he wanted to recover some of the lease payments he's paid already to the lender. The whole thing was a bit disappointing because we were excited about the car, a mini-minivan (that's the right description - mini-minivan) that would have enabled us to transport visitors without needing a taxi.

On the issue or cars and driving, compared to last year, the roads have undergone some improvements and many of the holes have been covered up. It is not uncommon, however, to still see open sewer holes in the middle of roads and see cars abruptly swerve to avoid them. Occassionally, though, these holes get their prey: usually the front wheel of the car. Just today, a car in front of us took to an open hole in full speed. Fortunately, it was able to keep going and avoided major damage.

Tomorrow the routine starts all over again: calling on apartments and calling on cars. Lately, the apartment renting calls have been a bit unproductive as most real estate agents are on vacation. It is very surprising calling on businesses and not getting any type of response. The few unfortunate agents that leave their cell phone numbers and get disturbed at home by our calls kindly inform us that they're on vacation and won't be back in the office until the 6th of January.

-C

from Shannon...

Up until now you've heard little from me-Shannon but today I thought I'd "blog" a few thoughts of my own.  I'm experiencing a myriad of emotions and challenges but since I tend to be on the quiet side, I'd say that at this point I am observing life from many different angles.  I enjoy watching how people interact and it's a great way to learn about the culture.  For example, when meeting someone you know, it is polite to shake hands or hug and give a cheek to cheek kiss on both sides. It is also polite to remove your shoes when entering someone's home, especially since the streets are often muddy or wet.  Often the host will offer a pair of slippers so your feet don't get cold.  I think it's a great practice as it makes you feel right at home! 

 

Besides family and friends I can tell you hands down that the "thing" I miss most is my dryer--no, not my hairdryer, my clothes dryer.  Lexi started crying the first time I gave her an air-dried towel after her bath because it was so rough on her skin.  I guess she wasn't expecting it.  She'll get used to it, we all will, but maybe a little fabric softener might help!

 

Along with looking for an apartment we're also trying to find a dependable car to buy.  From the sale of our two cars in the states we're hoping to find one good car here.  We've heard stories of people getting ripped off so pray we'd have discernment and wisdom in choosing a car.  Eventually I'd like to regain my independence and get behind the wheel once again.  It might be a while though as I learn how to drive in this.....craziness!  (I say that with the deepest of affection) :-)  As it is, I depend on Catalin to get us where we need to go and often he goes out alone and I stay in the apartment with the kids.  Today he was gone most of the day so I ventured out to take the kids to a park (walking, of course).  Mind you this is no easy task but fortunately Daniela and Lexi are big enough to help me, so one carried the stroller down the elevator from the 12th floor, while the other carried Naomi's bag and I carried a well bundled Naomi!  We made it down the elevator but not without the daily fears of being stuck IN the elevator.  We are known to pray often in our elevator as the girls are sure we will get stuck one day.  It is true that judging by appearance only that their fears are justified but I try to assure them that we will be fine....I'm the one who prays.  So we successfully make it down once again and then haul our bundles down a flight of stairs.  Finally we reach the outdoors and it is a beautiful day.  We unfold the stroller, get Naomi all situated with her many layers to keep her warm and we're off to the park.  As we cross busy streets and maneuver around cars parked so closely together that we've no room to walk except on the street, I'm very grateful by the time we get to the park that we actually made it! 

 

At the end of each day I take a deep breath and thank Jesus for another day to experience His provision, His blessing, His comfort and His joy.  The minor inconveniences are shadowed by the confidence God has given us, that this is where we need to be. 

 

Would love replies!   Shannon

 

Even some of the streets had lights hung up from light posts.

Small wooden booths were set up along main walkways to provide passers-by with last minute holiday decorations and other little things.

Decorations adorn some of the buildings downtown Bucharest.

Techy Daniela reading emails from friends.

Naomi standing up on her own, pretty soon she'll be walking.

Early evening traffic in Bucharest. There is a previous picture posted with this same view. The only difference is the absence of traffic in this picture. That's because the city seems to be quite deserted today, Dec. 26th. Most people are spending the day with families and friends and hardly any shops are open today.

The People's House - an enormous building erected by the former dictator, Ceausescu. It is said to be the second largest building in the world. It is a huge thing, now off limits for the public but a museum until not too long ago. This building now houses the Romanian Parliament.

Our little 'gift.'

Christmas Eve dinner with friends.

Christmas Eve snow in Bucharest

Second Sunday

Today marks exactly our second week in Bucharest. We went to an English speaking church of about... 8. We made up half of that church. It usually is a bit larger group, but the other 8 were on Christmas break in the US.

On the way back, we walked to our temporary residence, a walk of about an hour. Being a little warmer it was an excellent day for a walk. The other very nice part was the fact that there hardly any people on the streets. Quite a different story than weekdays.

The news that we see on TV and read in the paper here are dominated by major news in the US, so, in a way, we inadvertently stay in touch with life back home. Today, however, the news are dominated by the strong earthquake and tidal wave originating in Indonesia. We were concerned about Sri Lanka primarily as we have friends visiting the island, though fortunately they are a little more inland than the affected southern coast. With thousands of people dead and the country in a state of emergency, we are praying for our friends' safe return to the US.

Romania is situated over an active earthquake area and in the past 20 years the country has experienced about 3 or 4 major earthquake, one with thousands of deaths and widespread destruction. Unfortunately, what is not know is how earthquake-safe these tall buildings are.

Most city dwellers in Romania live in apartments situated in tall buildings, often 8-10 storeys high. On average these apartments measure no more than 800 or 900 square feet, 1000 square feet being a good size flat for a flat with 3 bedrooms and a living room. Apartments are referred to by the total number of rooms they have: a four room apartment has 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room. In terms of quality, these apartments are rated as "1st comfort" and "2nd comfort." A "3rd comfort" apartment is usually no better than a cave in the side of the mountain. The difference between 1st and 2nd 'comfort' is the access to bedrooms, entrance is from a common hallway rather than chain system where you have to walk through a bedroom to get to a second, etc. Otherwise there is not much difference. Generally speaking, an apartment contains no furnishings whatsoever, whether in the kitchen, bathroom, or elsewhere, besides wall-mounted sinks and toilets. This means no cabinets or under-the-sink storage.

Bye for now...

-C

Published article

Three months after writing an article for the Romanian Christian Medical Association, we received word from the editor that Catalin's article has been published and they enjoyed it very much. The article had to do primarily with the summer annual conference, as well as describing a little bit our plans for being in Romania, namely the evangelistic mentorship program for medical residents, students and young doctors.

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas dear friends and family!!!!!

We're already well into the Christmas day here and chances are by the time you will read this posting, this day will be past us. We've enjoyed being able to spend Christmas this year in Romania and seeing all of the local traditions that go along with it.

Yesterday, the city center was lined up with huge speakers blasting joyous Christmas music, mostly in English. So, it was sort of like experiencing both worlds at the same time. The music gave the city a vibrant holiday atmosphere. It helped also having about a quarter of an inch of snowfall the night before, snow that was melted quickly by the afternoon sun which warmed the city above the freezing point. The snow is all gone today and the sun is still out shinning brightly. It warmed up a bit and the sun lost its teeth ("Sun with teeth" is a Romanian saying indicating that although it is sunny outside, it is still nipping cold).

A popular Christmas tradition in Romania is going caroling with "Capra" (capra literally means goat). In the past few days we've seen gypsies holding small goats in their arms, posted next to shopping center entrances. The idea is that people go by, touch the goat to receive good luck in the next year, and then give the goat owner some money for this. In other instances, carolers dress up in brightly colored costumes (red, yell, blue, green, etc) and have a goat mask on their head. Again, the idea is that touching or seeing the goat will bring one good luck in the next year.

The major religion in Romania is Eastern Orthodoxy. Churches across town have been filled with people going in for a Christmas prayer and to light up a candle for those dead in the family. For most part, churches are open throughout the day, offering opportunities for parishioners to come pray, light a candle, and even talk to a priest, need be. Also standing out is the tendency of most people to make the sign of the cross over their face and chest anytime they pass by an Orthodox church. Whether driving or walking, the right hand automatically proceeds to doing this ritual no less than three times in a row. Usually, most churches will have a mid-night mass on Christmas and Easter. Last night, after mid-night mass, there was an outbreak of fire crackers throughout town.

Yesterday we spend most of the day at some friends' house having a nice Christmas dinner and catching up on life. Dinner consisted of a plate of cold cuts and other finger food, a very tasty chicken soup, sarmale (stuffed cabbage), potatoes with chicken cordon bleu, and a variety of desert sweets at the end. Every item is home made, preparation which takes many hours. Between each course there was a break of about 1/2 hour, time during which one stops to enjoy a cup of coffee and chat. Lots of food followed by lots of talking followed by lots of food followed by lots of talking followed by...... you get the idea.

May our Lord bless you greatly!

The Popas

Don't let the sun fool you! It had TEETH!

Today was so cold outside, there was no one around at this famous park. We had to try it, though. After all, what's a little bit of cold wind and subzero temperature?! (A combination of extreme mud conditions and punishing weather forced us back to the car only 20 minutes later)

Today, I DROVE in Bucharest!!!!

Yes! After over a week of looking around and wondering what is going on, I plunged by taking a car to a Walmart-type store across town. It was painless and no cars were damaged in the making of this experience. Praise God!

The driving experience lead to another discovery: I hate shopping in Romania! No, hate is not too strong a word in this case, it is the reality. After a 45-minute wait in a check out lane today, shopping all of a sudden stopped becoming fun.

Though we greatly dislike talking about money, this subject comes up constantly right now as we figure out our budget and live with a daily nightmare called: STICKER SHOCK! Almost everything is more expensive here than is in the States, except labor. Given these prices, pumped up by a 20% tax rate, and a low labor rate, both the government and manufacturers must enjoy a good revenue.

-C

Sad news

Today we receive some very sad news: Shannon's grandpa passed away peacefully in his sleep last night, only days after successfully surviving a major heart operation. Grandpa Beach, as he was affectionately called for his beachfront house that was the source of seafood for the family, lived a fruitful life into his 80s and will be missed by his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Please pray for Shannon's grandma as she is left alone, though surrounded by family.

On the subject of prayer, please continue to pray for us as follows:

• Healing for Catalin's dad's foot as he can't bear weight on it following what appears to be cellulitis (and that he'd agree to go see a doctor for it)
• That we'd find a house or an apartment that is reasonably priced and conveniently located
• That we'd find a dependable family car
• For those we come in contact with every day, that we'd seize the opportunity to develop relationships with them and share God's love.

Christmas in Romania

With Christmas literally around the corner, a shopping frenzy is now obvious across town and decorations have shown up in many shop windows and on the streets. But perhaps one of the finest tradition is that of being caroled by kids and young adults. Yesterday, though a few days earlier than usual, we had three groups of carolers make their way through this apartment building, and tonight at least two. Their harmonious and well-rehearsed voices echoed beautifully in the empty hallways. The words of the songs are most powerful and adequately depict the Christmas story. Oh how we wish that these songs are like a blessing poured out over both those that listen and those that sing, and that at least some would meditate over what they mean.

The truth is that being smack in the middle of the city, and without too many residential buildings around us, we're getting only a small picture of what is actually taking place in the more residentially-oriented neighborhoods. On Christmas eve eve (two days before Christmas), hoards of children spend many hours on the streets carefully planning their caroling assaults for the next three days - how many buildings, the exact locations, past generous residences, etc. Then on Christmas eve the event starts - armed with home made musical instruments, rehearsed songs, large bags, and in groups of about 5 or 6, they proceed door to door. Those that choose to listen give small tokens of appreciation in return to each of the singers: apples, oranges, candy, pretzels, money (this is what carolers really want :), and some just don't give anything. It is considered to be of good luck for the following year to receive carolers and to be generous towards them. In the country side, caroling is an even bigger event lasting well into the night and providing a good reason to stay up late to celebrate around a keg of wine and delicacies made from freshly slaughtered pork. Which brings us to a very good point: FOOD. As in the States, food is a central piece of the celebration. Except in Romania, food is about three times as big in importance: the type of food to be had, how and where it was prepared, how fresh it is, how traditional it is, etc. On Christmas day, people celebrate with friends and family well into the night hours and eating several meal courses. Here are only a few of the most traditional dishes:

Sarmale - cabbage rolls filled with a mixture of beef, pork and rice. They take many hours to prepare, but once made, they last through the holidays.
Cozonac - a type of sweet bread sometimes filled with nuts, or cocoa, or poppy seeds, or raisins. They too take a long time to prepare, and they too last through the holidays because they're made in large quantities.
Cirnati de casa - sausage made fresh after slaughtering a pig and using the intestines of the pig
Piftie - a cold dish made of gelatin, heavy on garlic, and containing gelatinous pig body parts: hoofs, snout, joints, etc. Mmmmm... shall we send you some?
Friptura - grilled pork

Needless to say, Christmas is a big holiday in Romania. Generally, most business end up closing for about two weeks until after the first of the year. This year, with both Christmas and New Year falling on Saturdays, only very few will close down as in the past, this causing a general feeling of discontent among the workers.

- C

First week

We've been in Romania exactly one week now. Time has flown by so rapidly, so many things have happened and yet there is still so much ahead of us. We keep hearing stories of the challenges facing the healthcare system in Romania, primarily the corruption that affects the daily lives of all citizens.

As we had dinner and a nice get together with some of our close friends here in town, we were reminded of their unfortunate loss of their baby during the 7th month of pregnancy due to spontaneous labor. They went to the hospital, were checked by their obstetrician, and were reassured that everything was fine. Afterwards, the OB doctor informed them he was going out of town for a few days. In his absence, the labor continued and no other OB doctor agreed to check them out in their doctor's absence. It appears that this is sort of a routine protocol here because the doctor of record is the one who was paid the bribe money and for anyone else to intervene implies that they will not receive part of the money - so they choose not to become involved.

Today we went to the International Church of Bucharest, an interesting group made up primarily of ... Romanians. We had a great time meeting a few other missionaries in the city, meeting a real estate agent who appears to specialize in finding apartments for mission groups (we're told she's very good at finding reasonably priced places), and even meeting Daniela's new teacher at this church. As it happened, today was a Christmas concert and all of the kids in the audience received gifts.

Some of the angst that we had coming to a new country and to an overcrowded city is beginning to slowly disappear (Shannon may say otherwise still :). Having a set of cell phones contributed greatly to this by helping us know that even when we're apart, we're still in contact (how did we ever survives before the cell phone era?). One could say our spirits are calming a bit and the jet lag is finally over, except for Naomi who started a unique sleeping schedule and developed new going-to-bed demands. Yesterday's ice skating experience really helped Daniela and Lexi as they begin to see that there are some positive points for being here. We're thinking about getting them ice skates for Christmas to help with the adaptation process.

Daniela and Lexi have made a couple of pigeon friends and have even given them names: Nutty Polish and Pepper. The first name comes from a common pastry here that is called just that: nutty polish. Being on the 12th floor of this 16-storey building we're in the flight pattern of pigeons, who frequently take small pit-stop breaks perched on outside window ledges. It appears they each have preferred spots, because the same pigeons return to our window - unless they have other twin siblings taking turns fooling us.

Overall, we've met very friendly people, opinionated but friendly and helpful. We feel pretty safe and have noticed people going out of their way to help us when we hold Naomi in our arms. At the bank, we were taken to the front of the line and were offered a seat because of the baby. If this continues, we might just take Naomi all over the place as a way of assuring we'll get some immediate attention :). In reality we'd prefer not to take her places as it is no fun at all going through the bundling process, hopping in a taxi, holding her in our arms in stores, then hopping back in a taxi to go home. As we're talking about this very thing today, we realized why one just does not see a lot of kids in stores or on the streets. Taking a stroller around is a real hassle due to bad side walks, crowded places, and reliance upon taxis. On the other hand, Naomi gets a lot of heads turning both in stores and on the street. Some people even stop us on the street to say what a beautiful child we have, and many comment about her as they walk by and turn their heads. There just aren't a lot of babies that we've seen so far.

Sticker shock - general merchandise tax in Bucharest is 20% - on everything. This is one of the latest news we didn't know before hand - humongous tax rates. With this tax structure things are always much more expensive than what they appear to be.

Needed prayers:
- finding a reasonably priced apartment
- finding a dependable car
- boldness in engaging people in spiritual discussions

Mihai Gavrila - a surgical resident and a good friend. Mihai is an active participant in the local chapter of the Romanian Christian Medical Association.

... and then we had an 'iceball' fight to cap things off!

Doing our best - remember we are from Arizona... :)

Catalin & Lexi supported each other going around the cirle.

Daniela very much enjoyed the ice.

A tired Naomi didn't mind the cold air...

Unexpected R&R - an open-air ice skating rink downtown was the source of a lot of fun.

We were fortunate to be part of Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child project, where about Romanian 100 kids received free shoebox Christmas gifts donated by kids in the US. This choir of little children came from a nearby church to sing for those receiving gifts.

Romanian rules of driving conduct...

One of the most striking things about life in Romania, Bucharest especially, is the traffic. Simply put, long lines of traffic are everywhere. Here are a few 'must do' things if you drive in Bucharest:

1. Honk, honk, honk and honk. Even for no reason or for the slightest reason. Since there are very few road rage cases, honking seems to relieve the everpresent stress of driving in a big city. It's therapeutic. For example, if you come to a stop light and there is a car in front of you, as soon as the green light comes on honking is mandatory, regardless if only one microsecond has passed and if the other car is obviously starting to move.

2. Never follow the white road lines - they're uselessly cramping your style. When coming to a stop light, even if there are three lanes of traffic clearly marked, it is expected that you go between two of the cars and form a fourth line. Pretty soon, three lanes become six. Absolutely mandatory!

3. Turning left from the right-most lane is only a matter of stopping the traffic and cutting in front of the others. Or if the turning lane is a little long, just go to the top and form a second turning lane (even if you're turning on a one-lane narrow street). Also, there is no reason to go into the middle of the intersection to turn left, even if the other cars are doing so; just go at a 45 degree angle in a straight line to the top and avoid all of this nonsense about following the white lines. Remember: your job is to NOT stay within the lines!

Hope this short intro to Romanian driving will prepare you for your next visit to Romania!

- C

Miscellaneous

• Still no cell phone yet. We went back to the store, after trying about three times the days before, and were told that the phone has not been activated yet and it could take up to 4 days for that to happen. Of course, no mention of that at the time of signing up for the plan. Tomorrow morning we'll go to cell phone co. store to see if we could sign up again there because the word on the street is that they can activate a phone on the spot. It feels so disconnected without a phone where people can call us that we have to get a phone of sorts.

• Coming back to the apartment earlier tonight we ran into the infamous 'streek kids' that are known to live under bridges, in sewer holes, etc. A group of three of them were walking down the street, none seeming older than 7 years of age, all three smoking a cigarette and cussing each other playfully. A few blocks away there was another group of kids with bags in their hands and very seemingly 'stoned.' They looked like zombies, detached and glassy in their look. It is hard not noticing them, and yet harder passing them without being able to do anything for them. What would Jesus do?

• We saw three more apartments today, one of them in a recently build house. All about 1000 sq ft each. The house was quite attractive and in a decent location, closer to the girls' school than anything else we've seen. At $1040 (800 Euros) it is still very expensive by all standards, but within the range of what we've seen so far and comparable in value with the one we've seen a couple of days ago towards the outskirts of town at $1105 (850 Euro). The other two apartments, one on the last floor of an 8-storey building, and the other facing smack over a very busy intersection, were 500 Euros ($650). Both extremly uggly on the inside and in noisy areas. The shocking story we've learned today is that most real estate agencies are closing effective this weekend until after the first of the year because of the holidays. Perhaps this is a blessing for us in that it will force us to wait for a while until we learn more about the city.

Cab drivers tell stories

As we said before, getting around town using the cab remains our primary mode of transportation and today one of the drivers voluntarily shared a pretty good story representative of the corruption crisis in the country. In Romania, discussing politics with total strangers is not a taboo and people do it quite freely. Cab drivers are pretty notorious about sharing their personal feelings with their clients. So, our taxi driver today shared why he voted for the president-elect (Romania selected its president just a few days ago):

"I voted for Basescu (president-elect) because in the past four years our life quality has worsened. We now have to work more for less money. And it's not just my family, but a lot of people I know. Things are just bad all the way around and the corruption is out of control. My sister had a baby just last week and was telling me about this 17-year old girl who only had 1 million lei (roughly $34) for bribes and no one paid attention to her. She ended up going for 48 hours without any care, while those that paid bribes had constant attention. This is not just plain wrong, it is just inhumane, it's criminal."

Needless to say, hearing little stories like this one increases our confidence for the reason we are here and at the same time demonstrates the monumental task ahead.

-C

Update from Bucuresti (Bucharest)

The past couple of days have been indeed not boring at all. It seems time flies in this country. There is a strange feeling that the day is spent running from one place to another on these very congested streets.

We've been trying to sign up for a cell phone plan for the past two days. It seems the process is as complicated as possible. The first day I went to try to sign on with a plan, I was told I needed a rent agreement in addition to the passport. Since we don't have a rent agreement, I enlisted the help of a friend to get the phones for us. The second day we went, we were told we also needed a copy of the most recent electric bill or phone bill in addition to the previous documents. So, we went there again later and successfully put in an order for the cell phones, only to find out we have to go back the following day to pick them up.

We get around town by taking taxis everywhere. Taxis seem to be the only inexpensive thing around. For about 2-3 dollars, one could almost cross the city from one end to the other. Taxi fares went up a few months ago and they will go up again on Jan 1, according to some of the drivers. So far we've had strange experiences with cabs so far: today we took a cab that had a stalled engine at every corner, while later one was so noisy it hurt our ears. Needless to say, they beat public transportation in comfort.

Today we also did our first 'big' grocery shopping at a supermarket called Carefour (a French chain meaning "Crossroads"). We only got a few things, but the bill was about $45, roughly 1.4 million lei. Overall we find prices to be very high, even higher that the US, fact which continues to baffle us greatly because the average salary in Romania is roughly $200 and there is no shortage of shopping crowds anywhere you go. There is a buying frenzy in the air, it seems, perhaps worsened by the upcoming holiday season. Maneuvering a cart at Carefour today was absolutely painstaking, there were without a doubt a few bruised ribs and toes consequently.

Yesterday we saw our first apartment (of many). We were pleased with the findings, from the way the building and the apartment looked, to the location and the neighborhood it was found in. The price: $1040 per month! This is a 1000 sqft apartment on the third level of a 4-storey building. It is a bit on the older side and has no central AC, but it is clean and the building has been well taken care of over the years, something not very common in Bucharest where most building have fallen to negligence.

Tomorrow we plan to visit the school where our girls will attend, something they are very excited about. In the afternoon, we'll be attending an 'Operation Christmas Child' presentation at the clinic where we will be having our mission base. This project is sponsored by the Samaritan's Purse and involves about 200 children coming from needy families. This will be very special for Daniela as she sponsored a child with her own money this year.

Blessings from us and more updates as soon as we get a more reliable Internet connection.

- C

Santa skipping windows...

Enjoying the sharp bite of the crisp air in a nearby park...

Naomi, the snow marshmallow ;)

On the other side of the clouds, the sun is always shinning...

Well, in retrospect, here is a short summary of the past couple of days:

Sunday, Dec. 12

• Arrived at the short-term housing apartment to find that it doesn't look hardly anything as nice as the online pictures and description suggested. Getting to the door of the apartament from the elevator seems to be a bit of a challenge as it is pitch black on the hallway and no light can be turned on. A neighbor lady opens the door to help us find the way and tells us that she put two light bulbs yesterday in the light fixture but someone stole them both times. Decidedly, there will be no going out after night sets in, too much of a danger zone here. We barely settle in when in find out that the toilet doesn't flush and had to resort to using a garbage can to haul water from the bathroom faucet (next door). Then, trying to warm up some food for the kids, we notice the stove runs on gas and there are no matches around to get it started (and by this time it is too late to go buy any). So, as we wake up in the middle of the night here because of our internal time clock difference, we resort to enjoying some bites of cold food as we have no way to warm it up. Fortunately, one of our friends dropped some food after picking us up from the airport and we had something around.
• Actually, the entire story of waking up in the middle of the night is quite hillarious because we both woke up (thanks to Naomi) and noticed a ray of light coming in through the curtains. Naturally, we assumed we slept through the night and it was already morning. So, we got ready and dressed, only to realize we've been fooled by a huge outdoor banner light that shines right towards our window. It was morning all right, but only 1 a.m. in the morning.

Monday, Dec. 13

• We called the rental agency to take care of the toilet issue and three men showed up promptly. After a 30 microsecond ring, they immediately walked in the apartament with their own keys, something that frightened Shannon, as she was alone with the girls while I was walking the dog outside for the morning routine. Needless to say, they fixed everything to our satisfaction but we were left wondering why was there a need for three men to come together?! One was a plumber, a second a carpenter, and the third... their driver. When I mentioned the problem with the hallway light, they apologized and replied that had they known they would have brought an electrician with them. Hmmmm....
• Went to the bank to deposit some of our US dollars and make a currency exchange. First, I was told they could only make currency exchanges from one account to another. Since we have a US currency account with this bank, I needed to open a Romanian Lei account so we can exchange from one into the other. So, I proceed to talk to the customer service rep to open a second account but am told that since I opened the first account at a different branch, I need to go that branch to open the second account because their computer systems don't communicate... hmmm.... The funny part was that last summer when I opened the first account, I could not make the initial deposit at the branch where I opened the account because they were not set up to accept money. Consequently, I had to go across town to this other branch, this being the same branch where I tried to open the account today. I guess one could literally travel between bank branches all day to get anything accomplished.

We're still not fully adjusted to local time, point in case the fact that I am typing this note at 5 a.m. (hence please excuse any incoherent thoughts - they're the result of sleeplessness and jet lag), all of us beening awake since 1 a.m. and enjoying a mid-night snack and a cup of hot chocolate. And, not to forget, also spending a couple of hours cleaning up the overflowing washer that spilled water on the hallway and is full of water still inside. With the operating directions being in Italian, who knows if this little incident was part of our doing by having pressed some wrong buttons, or perhaps a clogged drain. On the positive side, we ended up with some very clean floors in the flat (something that's been bugging us, with Naomi crawling around all over the place) as we had to mop several times to remove the excess water. All in a night's time.

We choose to call this blog "On the top side of the clouds, the sun is always shinning" because as we flew up through the thick blanket of dark clouds, which gave an impression of night time in the middle of the day, we met the welcoming presence of the sun on the top side of the clouds. This analogy is pretty much like all else in life: even when things appear bleak and hopeless, God's love and receiving hands are always open to us, even when we cannot really see it or feel it... He's always there for us!

Peace to you!

-C

We're ready for snow....

Our short-term housing building. Don't worry, our apartment is not the one with the broken windows...

... and this traffic doesn't let up at night either, making for a pretty noisy going-to-bed time

A cute ethnic Romanian restaurant nestled behind big concrete buildings...

Finding a patch of grass to walk a dog is not that easy...

Trying again...

We made it :-)

Our journey to Romania has been filled with small adventures and a few sleepless nights, but we actually made it!!!

Our adventure started last Thursday, when our airplane turned around mid-air just before crossing the Atlantic. The reason: navigational instrumentation failure, specifically the compass. So,we crashed in a hotel at about 4 AM for a few hours only to jump on another airplane the following morning. This time, however, our flight took us all the way to Romania where friends and family waited.

More soon...

- C

Passport in hand...

We've got the passport!!!!

Catalin's passport - check
Shannon's passport - check
Daniela's passport - check
Lexi's passport - check
Naomi's passport - check

Control tower: we're ready for take off!

1 Day to go...

Passport has been issued

We called today the National Passport Office and it appears the passport has been issued. We will received it via FedEx tomorrow. Phew!

2 Days to go...

- C

Prayer requests:

• to receive Lexi's passport in a timely fashion (by Thursday) so as to not hamper our departure on Friday
• for cohesiveness and unity among our team in France. Team life has its own challenges, particularly when each other is all one has in a land where language is an issue.

3 Days to go...

Interesting Article

"Along with and in consequence of its economic disadvantages, Romania has been plagued by public corruption -- Transparency International estimates that people spend 10 percent of their earnings on bribes -- and a slow pace of market reform. Its politics have been dominated by the successor of the Communist Party -- the Social Democratic Party (P.S.D.) -- which was led by Ion Iliescu, who has been president of Romania for eleven of the last sixteen years. Under Iliescu, the former Communist elite benefited from privatization of state industries and kept control through a support base in the impoverished peasantry that feared even worse immiseration if the meager social safety net were to be removed by market reformers."

(http://www.pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_report&report_id=241&language_id=1)


4 Days to go....

- C

Blessings upon blessings

The past couple of days have been a blessing indeed as we've been able to catch up on rest and spend more time with family. Amazing how sometimes the worst of circumstances turn out to be true blessings.

"Camping" in Sun City has enabled us to breath in the community's spirit, namely the ubiquitous peace and quiet. Today, in a last minute arrangement, we were invited to speak to a Sunday School group of about 15. This group, which has been praying for us weekly for a while, now know whom they will be praying for in the future. It has helped a lot having some people 'on the inside' (Shannon's parents - Wayne and Bunny) to promote us. Thanks, Mom & Dad, we love you! :)

So, we're back to a second count-down til departure:

5 days to go....

- C

Trial run ended successfully! Family means no one gets left behind!

Well, OK, so it wasn't meant to be a trial run, but in fact it turned into one. We figure God just didn't really want us to get on that plane at that time. Here is goes:

1. Thursday 1100 pm (day before flying): after an extremely busy day of final packing, house cleaning, and car selling (YES! We sold the van!!!! Someone called us at 10am and had cash in our hands by 4pm!!! Talk about an 11th-hour sale!), we pack all of our 10 suitcases, 5 carry-ons, dog kennel, and 3 kids in two cars, then head to a hotel next to the airport where we plan to overnight so we can just take their shuttle to the terminal the following morning. Before leaving, we go through a mental checklist:
• - house cleaned - check
• - left keys for tenant - check
• - left garage door openers - check
• - got all kids out of the house - check
• - got one dog out of the house - check
• - got suitcases and carry-ons out - check
• - got travel documents and passports in carry-on - check
• - ready to go - check
2. Friday 6am - the hotel wake up reminder call comes way too early, we could have slept a few more hours, considering we only had about 3 hours sleep that night. Saying goodbye to family was hard for everyone, especially for the kids (as we had expected). While we thought they would be too tired to get emotional, it seems a second wind came over them and falling asleep was an arduous task. But, regardless, it is now morning and we're READY TO GO. Everybody's dressed, and the shuttle pulls in front of the building when we decide to take a last minute look at all of the documents and put them in an easily accessible pocket. That's when we discovered a passport is missing: Lexi's. We rescheduled the shuttle for 15 minutes later and frantically turned everything upside-down to look for that one passport. Then we stopped and gathered together to pray that God would show us what to do next. Half-hour later we resigned to missing a passport and not being able to fly out. WE WERE STUNNED!

So, by the grace of God, we found a passport agency through which we can expedite a passport application and have Lexi's passport in our hands by next Wednesday or Thursday. We've also been able to re-book our flight for next Friday, so all in all our departure has been postponed by a week now.

Having had a full day to reflect on the craziness and totally unexpected events of yesterday, and having had a good nights sleep, we are realizing that God knows something that we don't (big revelation!) :-) and are thankful that we didn't have to travel under such exhausted conditions.

Through some dear friends (and supporters) we are able to secure a place to stay this week and are looking forward to getting some rest before the second run (and hopefully final!).

We jokingly told the girls that they must have prayed for this to happen! I don't know if that missing passport will ever show up, but we have learned that you never can anticipate what each day will bring forth.

Trusting in Jesus for each day,

Catalin & Shannon

Good bye home...

Last night camping in our home. Lexi here with cousin Savannah.

Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP

Mon Nov 29, 9:25 AM ET


Romanians pass under posters showing Bucharest Mayor Traian Basescu, the opposition presidential candidate, in Bucharest Monday Nov. 29 2004. Romania's opposition insisted Monday that weekend parliamentary and presidential elections had been marred by fraud, while preliminary results showed the governing Social Democratic Party with a slight lead that would leave it unable to form a government. Results released by the Central Electoral Bureau based on half of the total count gave the governing party more than 35 percent of the vote in Sunday's election, a lead of less than three percentage points over the centrist Justice and Truth Alliance's 32.5 percent. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) "