Do I have to have a title?

On the night before Thanksgiving, I met with a very nice Romanian couple who work for Campus Crusade for Christ. I had met them the previous Sunday at church, and agreed to meet with them for dinner sometime during the week to discuss possible ways that I could plug in to their ministry as something local that I could be involved with. This experience involved several "firsts" for me.

The first first was that I had to buy a tramvai ticket. I had not yet ridden the tramvai since the second day I was in country, and that was with a colleague and his daughter.

The second first was that I rode the metro to a stop I had never gotten off at before. And since it gets dark here by 5 now, it was dark when I came out. Fortunately, though, I had asked for specific pointers as to which direction the tram needed to be going for me to go the right direction after I got out of the metro.

The third first of that evening was that I got on and off the tramvai at the right place going from and back to the metro. Since I wasn't familiar with the area, and knew that I was going to a mall, I decided to go a little early so that I could backtrack if I got lost, and so that I could look for some cold-weather shoes (aka boots, not snow boots) since I'd been kicking myself for not packing the ones I left in Texas. They wouldn't have fit, anyway, and this was a good excuse to buy new shoes, anyway :). I was praying the whole time that I would be able to fall in love with some that I could afford and that would meet my semi OCD attitude towards having to match my black shoes, belt, and purse, even though I know it's not a big deal anymore. The Lord was more than good to me and I found a black pair and a brown pair that both were very affordable, especially since they were having a great sale. And now my toes and ankles can stay warm during the next months.

I had a very nice dinner with this couple. They practiced their English and I didn't practice my Romanian. But it was ok that way.

On Saturday, I went again to the big Sam's like store and was able to buy a Christmas tree and some decorations. I think I deserve a Christmas tree. Turns out I didn't buy enough lights, so I had to go to the market the next day and buy some more, but that was a good, fun experience. I think I might go back. Here's my Christmas tree...the picture is not very good because I am not super creative with taking pictures, but maybe during the next few weeks I will produce a better picture. This should do for now:

I also strung lights up around my windows since I don't have curtains. I think it gives a nice touch.

Monday was a holiday and they had a Military parade in another part of town. I didn't have class had intended to go to the parade, but decided against it. It was such a foggy and cold day, and I had not just stayed home all day in a very long time. So that's what I did. I stayed home. I finished decorating my tree, watched DVDs and made peanut butter balls.

Yesterday my language teacher canceled class because she has had a cold now for over a week. So I decided to go to a Bible Study for university students that is put on by a different organization, not mine and not Campus Crusade. Several of the workers for this other organization go to my church. I have wanted to visit but just had not gotten around to it. I really enjoyed myself and I think I'll go back. It was a good chance for me to meet some other people and also to fellowship. I hope this is somewhere I can plug in and be able to serve, as well.

That's all for now, folks. I'm not going to go wash my dishes because my hot water is out for 12 hours today...until 8 pm, but I'll find something to do!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!