it's been...

This week has been crazy. It started with chapel on Monday with just Rach and I in the house in Centru, and ended with sharing a meal with Adriana at the Autobuz.

Here's the in-between:

• Kids have 3 major tests here in the school system. A set in 4th grade, a set in 9th grade, and then the big one to complete 12th grade. Our 4th graders had their tests this week. We haven't seem them since Tuesday (see below for explanation), but I can't wait to see them Monday. The kids get dressed up in white shirts, boys get haircuts, and everyone brings a flower to their teacher on the big day. Kids were pretty anxious about it. From what I understand, the tests were Wednesday through Friday. Think of them as the annual Iowa Test of Basic Skills, but on serious steroids and without scan tron answer sheets (or whatever they are using these days). Since some of our kids may not know how to read, I was even stressed out for them. I have nightmares about showing up unprepared for exams and essay tests, I can't imagine the frustration and terror and stress of having to take an exam without being able to understand the words.

• Last week I made this "play dough" kind of concoction and they made butterflies. (okay, it was mostly sticky dough. a few times the kids would just look up at me with their hands covered in gobby mess and say, "can i just color a picture?") Tuesday they painted the butterflies with watercolors, as well as their own scenes on a blank piece of paper. I LOVED watching them create and seeing what their hearts and minds produced. I don't think they get a lot of opportunity to paint and color...there's just not the time or the resources, mostly. But some of them are really talented and thinking outside the box.

• J, a bright and seemingly self-motivated girl with long brown hair, and I had a brief conversation about talent that day. She asked as we painted, "Do you like to paint? Do you have talent?" Looking down at the table where a kindergarten-rate pink and red butterfly was beginning to take shape on the paper before me, I answered, "I like to paint but I don't have the talent. I like it, I don't have talent, but I do it anyway." Tilting her head to the side and pausing to look at me with paintbrush in hand, she responded something like "Well, God gives people talents. And some people have the talent to paint, and some people have the talent to [insert here some other activities she mentioned], but God gives us the talents and that's that." Well, okay, that's what I got from the convo, but i was actually buzzed a little from the thought, "hey! we just talked a bit together! that's great!"

• Magda came back from Romania on Sunday and joined us Monday afternoon at the internat.

• Adriana returned from her trip to Romania and spent a HECK of a lot of time and effort finding us a new office/apartment.

• John finally made it back from his visit to the States...only to have to move out of his home/office almost immediately.

• And it was so nice, and a bit weird at first, to have everyone on the team back and in one place.

• Yes, the house we were renting was sold (so good for the owners), and we were frantically looking and praying for a new place. Thanks for the prayers out there, because Wednesday, John, Adriana, and Magda all found a great place for us in Botanica - the same section of the city where the internat is.

• We boxed up and moved all our stuff to the new place on Friday. Three of Magda's friends helped us - Yea God! They had a truck and muscles to help us get the stuff to the 4th floor of the new apartment building. I was again thankful for all the friends who helped me move in sub-zero temperatures AT NIGHT in January last year, and again in August...and January this year...you know who you are.

• Attended Magda's prayer group on Thursday night. Was interesting...well, what I understood anyway. (I know, enough with the disclaimers already. By now you know that everything is absorbed through the fog of an unknown language...)

• Went to a great FREE philharmonic concert last night sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy. The music was beautiful and the cellist was amazing. Also, they handed out these brochure/magazine things to encourage people to visit Norway. I must be a sucker for advertising, because it worked. I think I might plan a vacation there...it looks so beautiful...will probably have to wiki "fjord" before i go...

• My sister, Laura, graduated from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs with a Masters in Security Policy Studies this week. She is awesome and an inspiration to me. Can't wait to visit her next time in DC.

• My cousin, Rachel, is graduating from high school in Collierville, TN today, and will have a senior trumpet recital tomorrow. My family is gathered there this weekend. I am so excited they are together.

• This week, this feeling of missing friends and family is so thick it can't be spread on bread without ripping up the piece of bread apart...like really super thick (and chilled) peanut butter. That's just how it goes sometimes.

• I am hooked on past episodes of NCIS. That is my sad little secret these last two weeks. I can't even get started on LOST - afraid I'll lose all sense of reality and just become a complete junkie. I am, after all, two full seasons behind.

This is a really long post. Sorry about that. Thanks for listening to the babble.

much love,

amk