I'm safe, dont worry.

For those of you who are worried about me (ahem.. mother) I just want to let you know that I am very safe here in Bucharest. Everyday the local police stop by the school to check up on us. It seems that ever since the London bombings security has beefed up around the world and because Bucharest Christian Academy is a large and concentrated group of foreigners the police - at the request of the American Embassy - come by every morning to check for suspicious behavior, visitors or packages.

In addition a local missionary has provided me with my first tube of pepper spay - not that I'm going to be attacked - but mostly for the street dogs who will bite if provoked. Seriously they are everywhere and although they are usually docile - and sleeping under cars, they do bite. The positive side of the note is that there is no rabies in Romania.

So don't worry, I have police protection and pepper spray.

Is it all under control?

This morning during prayer I realized that the reason I have been feeling so 'off' living here in Romania is not because I am living in a different country, or because I don't have friends here yet, or because I feel like I don't fit it - but its because I am used to being in control. Those of you who know me know that I am a person who usually has it all under control. I have my assignments done weeks before they are due, I always go to the dentist on time, I an anal retentive about being late and arrive at least five minutes early for evertying I do, I make weekly and daily 'to do' lists, I even have lists of what to buy people for their birthdays just so I don't forget.

And now living in Romania - I am not in control. I rely on other people to take me shopping, I rely on other people to drive me to the store, to help me get on the right bus, to translate, to tell me what room is where. I rely on other people for money, I rely on other people to tell me what street dogs are nice and what ones bite, I rely on other people to show me how to do laundry, how to cook with new ingredients, how to light the gas stove, how to ignore and yet care for and love the 15-20 beggars of all ages I see on a daily basis. I am not in controll. God is - he provides people to take control for me because I am in a situation where I am helpless.

Our Apartment.

Yesterday Deborah and I moved into our apartment. It is a very typically 'Romanian' apartment - old dark furniture and dark floors. It needed a good clean so Saturday was spent washing cupboards, floors, blankets, curtains - and rugs - ALL by hand. Now washing bedding and curtains by hand is not so bad - but have you ever tried washing a rug by hand? (a floor size persian rug?) This is how it works incase you are ever interested.

1. Roll up the rug
2. Throw the rug into the bathtub, soak and rinse about 8 times untill the water is no longer chocolate-brown.
3. Slowly unroll one foot of rug - rinse throughly, sprinkle soap on liberally and scrub scrub scrub. Rinse throughly and continue this process.
4. Muster up all your strength and run the soaking wet 90lb rug to the balcony without dripping water on your clean floors.

In addition to cleaning and learning the traditional Romanian way of cleaning rugs, Deborah and I learned by fluke and necessity how to change a fuse from a fuse box built no later than 1940. In addition to this at three am we learned by fluke and necessity to not do laundry at night because you will spend a good hour mopping up the floor because the washing machine will flood. (In all honesty this was my fault - with our washing machine you have to put the water tub into the toilet so the water will drain and I forgot to do that.)

Finally our apartment is coming together. We were blessed to get a fully furnished apartment - and to get a washing machine - all within walking distance to the school and just a stones throw from the tram (streetcar), metro (subway) and bus systems - the main mode of transportation in Buchares.

Another interesting thing is that there is someone living in my building from Ontario Canada. I don't know who, or where but there is a car with Ontario Canada license plates parked outside my building every day.

I'll post pictures sometime.....

Distractions in Class

Here is a list of distractions plaguing North American and Romanian schools.

Canada Romania

C) - Having 25 rambunctious students
R) - Having 7 quiet students

C) - The teacher doesn't three hole punch your handout
R)- The teacher doesn't punch holes in your handout because there are three standard binders 2 hole, 3 hole and 4 hole.

C) - The class clown barking like a dog
R)- 20 dogs on the street barking like dogs
or
- A dog wandering around the courtyard
or
- The dog catcher running around your courtyard
catching dogs.

C) - Someone spitting watermelon seeds
R) - Gypsies wandering up and down the street singing, yelling and calling "Watermelon's for sale, get your watermelon's"

Crazy Money

I have so much to tell everyone about my life here in Romania. I'm journalling it all so I wont forget. Today I would like to talk about the money situation here in Romania. Its crazy. Thats all, it just is. Basically I deal with five different currencies on a regular basis.

First of all there is the Romanian currency - called the Leu (pronounced LAY). There is two different kinds of Leu - old and new. The old Leu has been inflated unbelievably. Average leu bill = 100,000. There also is a 10,000 note which is what a bus ride costs, a 20,000 50,000 and 500,000 leu note. However because of inflation and these ridiculously large bank notes they have created the new leu note - which basically drops four 0's off the end of each number. Thus a 50,000 = 5 and 500,000 = 50. Both types of currency are used. Then I have to figure out how much things are worth. I know that 100,000 = 3 U.S Dollars. But then I have to translate that into Canadian Dollars. And THEN sometimes people want things paid in Euro's - and I have NO idea how much they are worth American or Canadian. And its frustrating because you can't even spend or use Euro's in Romania. They just want them because they are worth more.

So here is a shopping trip of mine the other day and the process I went through:

Oh Hey there is some shampoo - I need that! Ok, it is 54,000 Leu. 100,000 Leu is about 3 american dollars, so thats about 4.50 Canadian and half of that is 2.25ish. Now let me look in my wallet. I dont have a 50,000 note. I wonder if I have a 5 note. (And you have to give EXACT change or they wont give you change - they think that in Romania if you don't pay them exactly it's your problem) I have 2 10,000 notes, 1 1 note and some change so thats 10,000 2,000 3,000 (with the 1 note) and now I need 4 5,000 coins. or 2 5,000 coins and 5 2,000 coins. And it goes on and on and on.

Its crazy.

I'm in Romania

I arrived in Romania safe and sound - AND I evenhad all my luggage which shocked me because I was sure I would be missing some pieces after all the troube I had with it so far. (Brief recap: My family just moved to BC, I went along fo the ride, the moving company was shifty all our posessions were 3 weeks late, thus delaying my departure by nearly 2 weeks) There is so much to Blog about, but today I will focus on my travels.

My wonderful father graciously drove me to the Vancouver International airport on Friday August 19th - it was a beautiful drive. When we got to the correct counter it turned out that my flight was overbooked so they asked to re-route me. I agreed because they offered me a bunch of money to travel later. Instead of flying Vancouver-Amsterdam- Bucharest I flew Vancouver-Detroit-Amsterdam-Bucharest.

A funny thing happened while I was waiting for my plane when I was in Detroit. The airline went on strike so our plane couldn't leave - It left four hours late. However, I arrived in Amsterdam in plenty of time for my next flight. I arrived in Romania at 11:10pm on August 20 (My birthday thanks for remembering! ;) ) My total travel time was 43 hours and 10 minutes.

Romania is great. There is so much to tell you - lots to share. I love it already and I know that being here is what I am supposed to be doing. All the other missionaries (I think I have me every missionary in the entire country the last two days) are wonderful and helpful and friendly. I praise the lord for Matt and Jenn Loftis who have taken me under their wing, opened their home to me for a week while I wait for my apartment. In 12 hours they taught me how to take the bus, train, metro (subway), fed me traditional Romanian food, walked me a bout 45000 miles around Bucharest, taught me some words, encouraged me, blessed me, fed me, taught me a million little things that I need to know about living here. Most important - don't ever go on the road or you WILL get hit by a car. There is no question about it. Even be careful on the sidewalks - a motercycle almost ran us over yesterday - ON THE SIDEWALK!

I have only been here about 30 hours and my heart is already broken. I knew before that there were many beggars and gypsies in Bucharest but seeing them first hand is different. Within my first fifteen minutes in the city I saw my first child beggar. These children just don't sit on the side of the road begging they wander in the middle of the streets and highways (Read above coment about getting hit by cars) and when cars are stopped at intersections and lights they come to the windows and beg for money. These boys are always bare-foot and between the ages of four and twelve. I have seen probably 12 in the last 30 hours - sometimes they hang onto the window in the car and cry and beg for money. Today there was one boy about 10 with a baby around 2 years old strapped to his chest as he begged money window to window. It is heartbreaking. The money they collect often doesn't even go to them - it is used to pay off their 'bosses' - the begging industry is like a mafia with high up men who 'protect' you and give you a certain area to work in.

There is so much more to tell you all but I'll save more for later. Please pray for the Gypsy beggar children and for school which starts on Wednesday morning.

Conner has arrived.

Congratulations to my first friends to have a baby. Conner Matthew Brittain came on Sunday August 14 at 7:08pm and weighed 6lbs 3 oz. I'm so happy for them - although slightly disappointed that Sara-Beth and my prediction that Conner would come out with perfectly blond highlighted hair like his parents didn't come true.

Top Ten for the week of August 1-8

I like top ten lists. Here's mine.

10. Horay for finally arriving in British Columbia after 10 days on the road.
9. Horay for our cute puppies who like to poop or pee on me EVERY SINGLE TIME I hold them. (Seriously - every single time)
8. Horay to the nice lady who loaned us one bed and one love seat while my family waits for our furniture to arrive from Ontario.
7. Kudos to the moving company who has had all our posessions for the last three weeks and doesn't expect to return them to us for another week.
6. Does anyone know why in the largest city in Canada you can't find one little truck part? And then why it takes 2 weeks to fix the truck?
5. Thank you to the North Kamloops Library who allows me 29 minutes of internet usage per day. Limited though it may be - it has been a highlight of my long days.
6. Horay for the West, I love stage coach and train rides.
4. Swimming in glacier water is cold. It really is.
3. Becoming re-addicted to General Hospital. Lucky and Elizabeth are still my favorite characters after a nine-year hiatus from watching.
2. My sister Bethany is really really really funny.
1. And the number one on my list is dedicated to Sully. Always number one in my books.

Wild Wild West

I love the West.

I think I always did - anyone who knows me knows that I have a minor infatuation - or obsession you choose the word you like, with the West. Particularly the Wild West, particularly Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman

I'm in British Columbia for a few weeks visiting with my parents and two of my sisters who just moved here from Ontario and it is beautiful here. They have just moved to Kamloops which is a very nice city - full of trees, rivers, mountains flowers and history. While here I have had the opportunity to (I'll admit) full out pretend I am Dr. Quinn in the Wild West of the 1860's. On Saturday my family went on a train ride pulled by a 1912 steam engine and while we were on the train (gasp) we were held up by (cap) gun point by Wild Bill Murdoch and his outlaw gang of train robbers. Very cheesy - Very Wonderful!

On Sunday my family took a drive to Cache Creek about an hour away from Kamloops where we visited Hat Creek Ranch - its an original ranch built in 1860 and was a stop on the Cariboo Road - the only road in BC at the time. While here I learned all about the trail, the families who owned the ranch and the native indians from the area. In addition to this I practiced my Dr. Quinn Skills again and had a stage coach ride.

Seriously just call me Michaela.