Back In Romania

Dear Blog,

It has been 5 months since my last entry but we are back! I didn't feel it necessary to blog once back in Canada as my life was semi normal and not interesting enough to dialogue about. We had a great 5 months however with family and friends which has refreshed me enough to want to try this again in ROmania!

The journey started in London Ontario on Wednesday at 1:30 pm when we all piled in the van and headed to Toronto Airport. Unsure of what we would see due to the Ash hole in Iceland having backed up flights for 6 days. The man who checked us in on this flight told me I was lucky as the people who were supposed to travel yesturday got rebooked on a flight on May 9th. Lucky? I felt a bit like a Guinea Pig being sent up in the air with my off spring to see if the ash will bring down my plane. Combine that with the fact that Evelyn kept telling me she doesn't want to crash my anxiety level was running high.

Once saying goodbye to my parents once again we walked through the craziness that is security. I have to say my parents were probably a bit sad to see us go but mostly breathing a sigh of relief. They were also saying goodbye to screaming girls, dinner refusals, toys dispersed around the house, homework stress, babysitting and constant finger prints around the house. A wonderfully quiet drive home must have been delightful for them. Their patience and help was wonderful and I appreciate everything they did for me and my little family.

The airport was packed with very tired looking people most of whom had been rebooked to fly today. I was met with many stares whilst waiting at the gate when people realize I was travelling with 3 young children on my own. I can only imagine their thoughts. "Is she crazy?" "What was she thinking?" "They better not scream on our flight!" "Where is their father?" "She must be divorced" "Maybe kidnapping her children?" Four different families actually approached me and asked me why I was travelling alone with all the girls. When I told them my story, their judgement was affirmed. "She is crazy!"

The flight itself was fine other than the fact that I was sitting in the middle of a Lacrosse Team from Toronto going to Prague for a tournament. Most of them had colds and snored, coughed and sniffled the entire flight. So sleep for me was not possible. The kids had better luck but that might have had something to do with the fact I gave them all Gravol as soon as we got on the plane. Not such a crazy mother now! Just prepared! I should have taken some myself but I couldn't take the chance. I needed to be completely aware when our engine was going to get clogged with ash and we were going to plummet to our demise. Okay maybe I am crazy.

We arrived at Heathrow on schedule and met up with David who had flown to there to help me out. It was a happy reunion for all. We hurried to Starbucks and hunkered down for a 5 hour lay over. It was 7am in London, England but for us it was 2:00am. We felt a bit like zombies! Once we arrived in Bucharest I felt like a weight had been lifted. Finally on solid ground and only 3 more hours before we arrive in Galati by car. It was however only 10 minutes into our drive that I realized I was much safer in the plane as our driver wove in and out of cars driving at high speeds while texting on his phone. This is Romania! The drive was long and certainly felt longer than 3 hours. The kids slept in the van as did I with my head bobbing back and forth, side to side with the huge pot holes in the road and lane changes.

I did get a chance to take in the scenery though and realized I was happy I got the chance to come back here and see these sights again. The old men gathered on the street corner with their leathered faced and cigarettes hanging out of their mouth chatting about who knows what. The women with their hankerchiefs tied tightly around their head and ears so as not to let the wind in, hanging their clothes out their apartment window to dry. The children playing soccer on dirt roads wearing coats and hats that cover their ears even though it was 17 degrees. The fields of yellow, light and dark green a far as the eye can see. Sheep grazing these fields with their sheppard following close behind. It is a beautiful place. You just have to look beyond the concrete.

Out apartment is great and David did a wonderful job of getting it set up for us. It is 4 bedrooms with a large kitchen, dining room and TV room but we used one of the bedrooms as a play room/school room. The rooms are a good size and comfortable. David pulled up all the stinky carpet and found laminate underneath. We live right on the River Danube which empties into the Black Sea about 1 hour away from us. The apartment building is owned by the company David works for so all of the residents are employees of the company and their families. I have already met a number of people from all over the world. Belgium, France, India, Vietnam and Algeria! I am very excited to discover this town and meet new people. I will post pictures in my next entry as I am not sure where my camera is since arriving.

Unpacking continues!
Remember to send me any news so I might keep in touch.

Love Alison