Moldova-bound
Well, blog-readers, this site is about to get a whole lot more exciting (if that’s possible!). Dan and I are spending the summer in Moldova! Haven’t heard of it? Well, don’t feel bad, we needed some geography lessons ourselves. Moldova is in Eastern Europe, situated between the Ukraine and Romania.
One reason Dan applied to MBA programs in Europe was to have a broader network of connections closer to Eastern Europe. It paid off! He was offered an internship with a Christian organization doing the kind of work that we are interested in making our life-work. And it’s in Moldova – can’t get more “Eastern Europe” than a former USSR state!
With the help of my web-surfing father, we found lots of information on Moldova. Look for yourselves at sites like www.moldova.org (click on English, of course!) and www.turism.md (yes, that’s really how it’s spelled). It looks a bit more modern than may be expected; there is a McDonalds in Chisinau (not pronounced like it’s spelled – say “Keeshinow”) that locals spend a day’s wages (or more) at to indulge themselves with a Big Mac. The communist party won the recent elections, but I think I’ll stay away from politics while we’re there.
For us, beyond working again (horrors!), there will be a few adjustments. We are only allowed to take luggage weighing totaling 90 pounds, plus 2 small carry-ons. I think in the 10 weeks we are there, I’ll get quite tired of the 2 pairs of pants, few skirts, and dozen or so shirts that I've packed away in the suitcase. Customs officials say they will tax us if we bring more than 2 pairs of shoes each (gulp). I suppose our plans to import white Nikes isn’t going to work so well knowing that piece of information. Our sweet, brave cats will remain in Rotterdam, so we’ll go through a little withdrawal. We’ll be learning “survival” Russian and maybe Romanian. (oh boy).
Yes, we do feel a sense of adventure and excitement about this unknown place. Ok, a little anxiety, too. But please know, as you read my posts during this summer, that this opportunity is extremely important to us. In this blog, I tend to reflect on the zany things I encounter, but there is a deeper work that is going one while we are here. We are humbled that we have an opportunity to help impact people’s lives in significant ways. We are amazed that we already have an opportunity to do the work we came here to do. We desire to follow not our own steps but those steps we believe God would have us take. And that is what we are doing!
One reason Dan applied to MBA programs in Europe was to have a broader network of connections closer to Eastern Europe. It paid off! He was offered an internship with a Christian organization doing the kind of work that we are interested in making our life-work. And it’s in Moldova – can’t get more “Eastern Europe” than a former USSR state!
With the help of my web-surfing father, we found lots of information on Moldova. Look for yourselves at sites like www.moldova.org (click on English, of course!) and www.turism.md (yes, that’s really how it’s spelled). It looks a bit more modern than may be expected; there is a McDonalds in Chisinau (not pronounced like it’s spelled – say “Keeshinow”) that locals spend a day’s wages (or more) at to indulge themselves with a Big Mac. The communist party won the recent elections, but I think I’ll stay away from politics while we’re there.
For us, beyond working again (horrors!), there will be a few adjustments. We are only allowed to take luggage weighing totaling 90 pounds, plus 2 small carry-ons. I think in the 10 weeks we are there, I’ll get quite tired of the 2 pairs of pants, few skirts, and dozen or so shirts that I've packed away in the suitcase. Customs officials say they will tax us if we bring more than 2 pairs of shoes each (gulp). I suppose our plans to import white Nikes isn’t going to work so well knowing that piece of information. Our sweet, brave cats will remain in Rotterdam, so we’ll go through a little withdrawal. We’ll be learning “survival” Russian and maybe Romanian. (oh boy).
Yes, we do feel a sense of adventure and excitement about this unknown place. Ok, a little anxiety, too. But please know, as you read my posts during this summer, that this opportunity is extremely important to us. In this blog, I tend to reflect on the zany things I encounter, but there is a deeper work that is going one while we are here. We are humbled that we have an opportunity to help impact people’s lives in significant ways. We are amazed that we already have an opportunity to do the work we came here to do. We desire to follow not our own steps but those steps we believe God would have us take. And that is what we are doing!
posted by Beth at 9:49 PM
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