Big transitions these past two weeks. My last week at Viata was spent in between my group and the Northwestern students. I felt very torn, as I will miss Viata, and yet am looking forward to the newness of the Abroad Program. With Viata ending, I was forced to look at what I will miss about it- being outdoors and working my body, riding the chairlift over the valley every week, the sky and mountains and the cities as they look from up above, the mountain church and its beautiful icons and echoing hallways, the connections with Romanian children and opportunities to improve my Romanian.
But more than anything , I will miss having so many close Romanian friends. I will miss seeing and talking with Gaby, Andra, Daria, Roxana and Claudius. I fear losing my connection with real Romanian society. But I will always be grateful for their grace and encouragement for me this summer. I also hope I never forget the frustration I felt, especially when I meet people from a different culture.
Despite the grief of a season here ending, fall hit us like a brick wall, figuratively and literally. A recent cold snap has certainly aided in shifting my focus. The beginning of the semester here and building relationships and a community here is so invigorating to me. I hope to help create safe place for these American students to explore and discover, not just Romania but their own hearts and minds as well. The group consists of seven upperclassmen, all from the Midwest. I have never experienced Midwestern culture and it’s so interesting to get to know them. Sometimes I feel just as much of a foreigner among them as I do with Romanians. And I have seen more how much of a New Englander I really am. I miss the ocean and New England towns, especially during this most special time of the year.
So what is life like now? Well practically I am TA-ing the Orthodoxy class and guest lecturing for the Romanian History and Experiential Ed classes, as well as being a kind of RA to the students, working on my important Benchmark project, and everything else that comes with working for a grassroots NGO (which can include ANYTHING). I look forward to traveling with the students and also helping them to make home here. But while that is what my physical tasks are, I feel that in my heart there are tasks to work on as well. Right now the presenting issue is Church. I’m not sure yet what exactly I mean, but I have struggled with Church over the past two years, and what Church and corporate worship is to look like in my life. Orthodoxy is a big part of this, but not the whole story, so I appreciate prayers for discernment and conviction. More to come on that I’m sure. And as always, I am learning about love and community- how to be an agent of redemption, to make that which is ugly in me and my brethren beautiful in the light of Christ. Pray for solid, genuine friendships with my Romanian friends. And as always, that I would suck the marrow out of this period of my life.