In exactly three months, we will be moving from Moldova to America. I cannot even begin to communicate to you the mix of emotions I am feeling about it.
I am excited to see our families and friends whom we've missed very much.
I am clueless about what the future will hold for us when we get back, which can be a little nerve-wracking.
I am confident that the Lord will take care of us and lead us to the place He wants us to be.
I am sad to leave Moldova and the people we love here.
I love Moldova, I really do. Okay, poverty, alcoholism, human trafficking, and governmental corruption are all rampant here, we have hot water less than half the time, the printer cable frequently disappears, we can't go some places (like the mechanic, doctor, etc.) by ourselves because we're not fluent enough, contact solution costs $20 a bottle, our apartment is a laughable 220 sq ft, I sometimes get ripped off at the market because I'm an American, and there is SO MUCH mud, but I love it anyway.
I love the people I've gotten to know here-- from the students, to the meat counter ladies at my favorite grocery store (whom I have missed dearly since it closed in November), to the vendors at the market who are so helpful and kind and patient with my broken Romanian. I love walking to get to places and seeing so many people who are also out walking. I love being able to buy homegrown fruits and veggies at the market for excellent prices. ($1 a dozen for farm fresh eggs? Yes, please!) I love the brightly colored houses in the villages. I love the Ukrainian ketchup that we buy. I love that most of the intersections here are circles and not lights or stop signs. I love learning and trying to communicate in a new language. I love laughing about the cultural differences that we encounter. I even love hanging my clothes out on a line and squeezing ourselves into this tiny apartment in the same building with all of the girls (most of the time). I just love it here.
I think a big part of my emotional attachment to Moldova is also tied up in the fact that this is where I've learned to be a wife and mom. Before having Jude, I worked full-time and never had time to learn how to plan meals, keep a cleaning schedule (shoot, I hardly cleaned at all), or prepare healthy meals. After Jude was born, I spent three months recovering from complications due to the c-section and then three months living with our parents in preparation to move here. So Moldova has been my introduction to wife and motherhood. Moldova has also been where Jude has spent the majority of his life up to this point.
In light of all of this, I am preparing myself to have a difficult time with re-entry to the US. At least I'm ready for it, right? Many missionaries who have served overseas for a period of time have talked about re-entry to the US being more difficult than leaving.
So, friends and family in America, please forgive me for being sad about leaving Moldova. Please understand that my being sad about leaving is not because I'm not excited to see you and to begin the next phase in our lives. I am really excited about those things. But I am also really going to miss this country, these people, and this life.
I am excited to see our families and friends whom we've missed very much.
I am clueless about what the future will hold for us when we get back, which can be a little nerve-wracking.
I am confident that the Lord will take care of us and lead us to the place He wants us to be.
I am sad to leave Moldova and the people we love here.
I love Moldova, I really do. Okay, poverty, alcoholism, human trafficking, and governmental corruption are all rampant here, we have hot water less than half the time, the printer cable frequently disappears, we can't go some places (like the mechanic, doctor, etc.) by ourselves because we're not fluent enough, contact solution costs $20 a bottle, our apartment is a laughable 220 sq ft, I sometimes get ripped off at the market because I'm an American, and there is SO MUCH mud, but I love it anyway.
Our family when we first arrived in Moldova. Jude was so tiny!
I love the people I've gotten to know here-- from the students, to the meat counter ladies at my favorite grocery store (whom I have missed dearly since it closed in November), to the vendors at the market who are so helpful and kind and patient with my broken Romanian. I love walking to get to places and seeing so many people who are also out walking. I love being able to buy homegrown fruits and veggies at the market for excellent prices. ($1 a dozen for farm fresh eggs? Yes, please!) I love the brightly colored houses in the villages. I love the Ukrainian ketchup that we buy. I love that most of the intersections here are circles and not lights or stop signs. I love learning and trying to communicate in a new language. I love laughing about the cultural differences that we encounter. I even love hanging my clothes out on a line and squeezing ourselves into this tiny apartment in the same building with all of the girls (most of the time). I just love it here.
I think a big part of my emotional attachment to Moldova is also tied up in the fact that this is where I've learned to be a wife and mom. Before having Jude, I worked full-time and never had time to learn how to plan meals, keep a cleaning schedule (shoot, I hardly cleaned at all), or prepare healthy meals. After Jude was born, I spent three months recovering from complications due to the c-section and then three months living with our parents in preparation to move here. So Moldova has been my introduction to wife and motherhood. Moldova has also been where Jude has spent the majority of his life up to this point.
In light of all of this, I am preparing myself to have a difficult time with re-entry to the US. At least I'm ready for it, right? Many missionaries who have served overseas for a period of time have talked about re-entry to the US being more difficult than leaving.
So, friends and family in America, please forgive me for being sad about leaving Moldova. Please understand that my being sad about leaving is not because I'm not excited to see you and to begin the next phase in our lives. I am really excited about those things. But I am also really going to miss this country, these people, and this life.
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