Multsumesc Romania!

(Thank you, Romania!)

It is not until you step outside of your box that you realize how accustomed you have become to the view on the four walls around you. My Finland box is one of those places that I have almost become blind to, because it is what I breathe, think, see. Nothing wrong with that, since you must live where you are at.

But travel always offers a new perspective, as the box opens and the air begins to change. The cobwebs flutter away in the breeze and a new scent invitingly beckons toward exploration and new awareness. So my trip last weekend to Romania for Emma's wedding was a welcome refresher. It was my third time to Romania, but the first to Bucharest. Salient points/thoughts stuck in my head:

-Wedding was the main theme: a bustling civil ceremony on Saturday, and the private church ceremony on Monday followed by a long photo session and then the reception. Emma is my friend from college (APU) and I saw her last in 2008 only a month before she met her Nate!

-Romania reminds me of Poland and Ecuador: post-communist sadness mixed with impoverished community

-Did you know? Three in four pregnancies in Romania end in abortion. The average Romanian woman has around 8 abortions. That makes my heart ache.

-I haven't been around so many Americans in a long time! We were 9 people staying in a two-bedroom flat (dining room converted into a third bedroom), and it was cozy. Americans talk so much more than Finns, and while they can be loud, the opportunity to share meaningful conversation arrives more quickly. Stories are meant to be told.

-I visited a charming castle built at the end of the 1800s. It was the summer home of the Romanian royals, nestled in the mountains. Romania only had 4 generations of royalty. The castle, like all proper castles should, has a secret passageway. It also had a water fountain built into the wall in the Arabic reception room!

-I realized that I feel at home when I'm not at "home" and in constantly changing situations.

-Back in Finland now, I carry with me the feeling that I was at the right place at the right time. I'm also encouraged by conversations and prayers shared, new acquaintances and by being part of important moments in friends' lives.