Today we spent the day with Albina. I can’t describe how wonderful it is to be with her. She radiates love and warmth. She has such a genuine kindness and a caring personality. She immediately feeds us. She won’t let me help her in the kitchen. I’ve tried asking and she just says no and kisses my cheek. She cooks for us all the time. Everything we have eaten has been wonderful. We mainly eat soups with ‘smantana’ which is their version of sour cream. It is really good. We love all of the food.
We went to the grocery store with her. It is located at the street level of their apartment building. We learned right away that if we even look at anything in the store she will purchase it for us. If I pick up anything to tell her the English word for it, she buys it for us. So we avoid looking at stuff or touching anything for fear that she might buy it for us. Kalan and I joked that we had to start talking in code.
In the afternoon we walked around the city to see some of the sights. Right now, the city has dug up a lot of the underground piping to make improvements to the water system. That means that some parts of the city do not have hot water. Right now Albina’s apartment does not have hot water. She said that they do this every summer/fall. Albina, Kalan and I walked around for awhile looking at some of the churches while we were waiting for Razvan to come home from school. The churches were very beautiful. All of the walls on the inside are hand painted with depictions of Christ’s life as well other types of historical events. The painting is really intricate and beautiful. I told Kalan I was really proud of myself for understanding a good amount of what Albina was saying. We haven’t had a translator with us every day. My cousin works so we’ve been alone with just our dictionary. With the help of the dictionary and my own memory of the language, I able to understand a good part of what they are saying. Many words are similar to Spanish so Kalan is actually able to pick out stuff as well. If the word is not exactly the same, then it is usually similar and that helps us figure out what they’re saying. I was so excited to be able to understand the language more and more. I understand a lot more than I can speak. It was just fun to walk around the city and spend time together. I feel safe and at home here. After awhile, we picked up Razvan from school. Vica dropped off her car for us so that we could drive around to some of the sights. Albina said that when I was little she took me to some of the sights. I wish I could remember that. Kalan was the designated driver. I couldn’t have driven the car. I freak out at stuff like that. They definitely drive differently here. Although the roads are marked and there are lane lines, people don’t really follow them. Everyone kind of does their own thing to try to get to their destination. We drove to the Suceava Fortress. It is a huge fortress that dates back to the 14th Century and was one of the fortresses of Stefan the Great (Stefan ce Mare). He was the Prince of Moldovia between 1457 and 1504. He was a very religious man and many churches and monasteries were erected during his reign. He is considered one of the most important people of Romanian history. His long reign as the Prince of Moldovia brought much cultural development to the country. He was seen as holy by many Christians and after his death the Romanian Orthodox Church made him a Saint. The fortress had a very large picture of him. The fortress was large and surrounded by many trees. The whole area is very green and really quite beautiful. It was fun to sight see with Albina. It was a cold and windy day so we stopped at the little café and had some hot chocolate. Albina gave me a picture of my brother Florin when he entered the army. He looks so young and just the way I remembered him. I was glad to have the picture.
Albina is such a comfort to me. To me she represents so many things. She is an extension of the live and love of my mother. I feel a sense of protection and belonging near her. She treats me like her own daughter. She told me that when my mother died, I became her little girl. In all of my pictures, she is the one holding me. I feel so blessed to be reunited with her. Now I feel complete. Her presence is so comforting to me and I think it is because that is how she has always been to me even as a little girl. She comforted, loved and protected me and that feeling has never left. In all of the times that we have talked on the webcam, she has always cried the entire time. Now I understand how emotional it must be for her to be reunited with me – someone she loved and cared for and considered her own little girl. It’s as if she lost something so precious and after a lifetime of searching she has finally found it. I feel the same way about her.
We went to the grocery store with her. It is located at the street level of their apartment building. We learned right away that if we even look at anything in the store she will purchase it for us. If I pick up anything to tell her the English word for it, she buys it for us. So we avoid looking at stuff or touching anything for fear that she might buy it for us. Kalan and I joked that we had to start talking in code.
In the afternoon we walked around the city to see some of the sights. Right now, the city has dug up a lot of the underground piping to make improvements to the water system. That means that some parts of the city do not have hot water. Right now Albina’s apartment does not have hot water. She said that they do this every summer/fall. Albina, Kalan and I walked around for awhile looking at some of the churches while we were waiting for Razvan to come home from school. The churches were very beautiful. All of the walls on the inside are hand painted with depictions of Christ’s life as well other types of historical events. The painting is really intricate and beautiful. I told Kalan I was really proud of myself for understanding a good amount of what Albina was saying. We haven’t had a translator with us every day. My cousin works so we’ve been alone with just our dictionary. With the help of the dictionary and my own memory of the language, I able to understand a good part of what they are saying. Many words are similar to Spanish so Kalan is actually able to pick out stuff as well. If the word is not exactly the same, then it is usually similar and that helps us figure out what they’re saying. I was so excited to be able to understand the language more and more. I understand a lot more than I can speak. It was just fun to walk around the city and spend time together. I feel safe and at home here. After awhile, we picked up Razvan from school. Vica dropped off her car for us so that we could drive around to some of the sights. Albina said that when I was little she took me to some of the sights. I wish I could remember that. Kalan was the designated driver. I couldn’t have driven the car. I freak out at stuff like that. They definitely drive differently here. Although the roads are marked and there are lane lines, people don’t really follow them. Everyone kind of does their own thing to try to get to their destination. We drove to the Suceava Fortress. It is a huge fortress that dates back to the 14th Century and was one of the fortresses of Stefan the Great (Stefan ce Mare). He was the Prince of Moldovia between 1457 and 1504. He was a very religious man and many churches and monasteries were erected during his reign. He is considered one of the most important people of Romanian history. His long reign as the Prince of Moldovia brought much cultural development to the country. He was seen as holy by many Christians and after his death the Romanian Orthodox Church made him a Saint. The fortress had a very large picture of him. The fortress was large and surrounded by many trees. The whole area is very green and really quite beautiful. It was fun to sight see with Albina. It was a cold and windy day so we stopped at the little café and had some hot chocolate. Albina gave me a picture of my brother Florin when he entered the army. He looks so young and just the way I remembered him. I was glad to have the picture.
Albina is such a comfort to me. To me she represents so many things. She is an extension of the live and love of my mother. I feel a sense of protection and belonging near her. She treats me like her own daughter. She told me that when my mother died, I became her little girl. In all of my pictures, she is the one holding me. I feel so blessed to be reunited with her. Now I feel complete. Her presence is so comforting to me and I think it is because that is how she has always been to me even as a little girl. She comforted, loved and protected me and that feeling has never left. In all of the times that we have talked on the webcam, she has always cried the entire time. Now I understand how emotional it must be for her to be reunited with me – someone she loved and cared for and considered her own little girl. It’s as if she lost something so precious and after a lifetime of searching she has finally found it. I feel the same way about her.
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