Romania

Romania was cold. The snow covered the dirty ground. The buildings were old, they reminded me of war. I went to an old castle, what must have lived there once upon a time? I like that the streets were of cobblestone, it felt old… I think it was. I remember the smell of cabbage. I don’t like cabbage… but our Romanian mama made cabbage taste good.

I remember the living room we practiced in, the ugly design on the couch, the decorations that reminded me of the Carriagas house. The TV that played the Disney channel. The kitchen table that didn’t have enough chairs for us to eat at the same time, how we would “share chairs”.
In Romania I wore the same clothes every day, I had decided to bring as little as possible with me on our driving trip. My feet were always cold. My head was always sweaty, I had a really good hat. It was cold in the house, when we got back, I would put my slippers on and race Abbey to the bed where we would jump in our sleeping bags and stay there until it was absolutely necessary to remove ourselves from them. Usually because the bathroom was free, and we all needed the bathroom because of the cabbage (or water, or something wonderful we put into our bodies). I liked the bath tub. If I was privileged enough to get time alone, I took a bath. I liked that bath tub, the water was really hot.

I liked the little room off of the girls room. The room we would go to have alone time. The room where we would write and pray and cry and sleep. The little room where I wrote Christmas wishes to my family, where I questioned my purpose, the room where I waited for God to respond. In that room I saw it start to snow, a gentle answer from God.

We didn’t really like Romania. There was too much politics. We felt we didn’t do enough ministry. We were all eager about Christmas in Bulgaria. We struggled through following leadership. I sludge through nightly meetings, and morning meetings, and afternoon meetings. We practiced our skit for the gazalionith time - and finally…. Performed it. We were annoyed. We went to McDonalds to get internet. I didn’t like McDonalds. I wanted to be home.
I am listening to the song EVERYTHING right now, the skit that our group did in Romania… and I was taken back. To all the smells and flavors and sights and feelings. How our life then seems like a movie now. I don’t want to back time up and have to go through it again, but I am glad I was in Romania. I cant go to a McDonalds without thinking of that safe Haven of connection to home. I cant see a cabbage or red slippers or cobblestone or the Disney channel or snow - not without thinking of my Dear Romania.

After writing and thinking about the whole Anne of Green Gables thing, now I am sucked back into this life… I see how easy it is to be taken into another “world” per say, but the reality is the world in which I am living now. And thank goodness this is the world I want to be in.