"How are you doing?"

I have heard the question a multitude of times in the past couple of weeks. And everytime I respond in the positive. "Good! Really well." Then I always check myself, "I am good, right?" Yep. Honestly, I don't think the transition could've been any smoother.
I thought that I would ache to go back to Romania and be miserable for a little bit, but the truth is, it was time. I needed to come back to America, to come home and be surrounded by family and friends who love me unconditionally. It felt like one of those foam-pit things. You know, the pool sized hole filled with squishy foam squares with a long trampoline leading up to it.
I was jumping and jumping (and loving it). And once I got to the end where the pit was, I got a little scared and hesitated a bit. Cause jumping is great and I wasn't so sure what the pit would be like. But time got the best of me and pushed me over the threshold, bringing me to the softest and most comfortable landing ever. It's been especially relieving after having jumped for so long. My jumping muscles are getting the biggest and best possible break.
To sum up the past couple of weeks:
I came into the airport at about 12:30 in the am on Sunday (a week and a half ago) and was greeted by a few friends. It was the perfect amount of people. Any more and I would have been overwhelmed. We chatted minimally before I headed home to my big, beautiful bed. I had a couple of good beds in Romania, but nothing hits home like your bed.
The next morning I was off to church with mom and dad. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the congregation getting all blubbery and thanking them for allowing us to be the hands of Pearce in Romania. (Which is totally true and worth blubbering about).
Then mom and dad made me an incredible london broil (beef!) meal and I thought I would fall out of my chair because it tasted so good. We went to Community of the Savior that night and I got to experience the church that I've heard all about for the whole year and anxiously awaited visiting. It was really cool.
So my days since then have been spent relatively "low key". I discover something new everyday, like the fact that I don't need a match to light the stove OR the oven! Spanish is not Romanian no matter how hard you try to make it the same. And eggs are white. And driving is like riding a bike. Cell phones are not permitted whilst driving a car. Swinging is still just as exhilirating as it was 335 days ago. The root beer is dee-licious. Cheddar cheese is incredible stuff. Reading a book in the sun is heavenly. Wegmans is still huge and very put-together. Golf is the same sport it was when I left. Knowing very little about the latest movies leads to bad decision making. There are developments springing up all over the place like mold on month-old applesauce. Hanging out with friends is still as fun as it ought to be.
Part of my adjustment being so calm and clean is that everything feels so dang normal. I feel like I was dropped back into life as it was. Yet my brain is racked with all sorts of new information and lessons learned. And sometimes the change in others peeks out at me, too. And I smile. Because I've realized that while I was away, things changed. Just as they should. Hey, although 15 year old me thought that the world revolved around my head, I've come a long way. And it's awesome to see those changes, to feel them, explore them. It's as if this huge feast is going on, but everyone from my life here in America has brought a course. So now we have all sat down and the feast has begun. Exchange of lessons learned and stories unheard doesn't disconcert me, it makes my experience richer. I don't know if I'm making any sense. I don't mean to sound like "oh my year was better than yours", no. That's not the point. The point is that all of our experiences mixed together and layered on top of one another make this beautiful piece of work, this fantastic feast. And only God can craft something like that. His fingerprints are all over this transition and for that, I am so thankful.
Praise God for his grace and strength. For his peace that surpasses understanding. And for the beauty in life that unfolds itself in unusual and unexpected ways. Praise his unending and limitless love, that we can only stand in awe of.

Meager meandering.

Alright, mom has been telling me I need to blog (wierd that mom can tell me what I need to do again, huh?) . And I do. I will write something soon. But, I'm just not sure what's best to write now. Things are going well. I'm feeling at home here in America. Strangely normal. Little things are surprising me along the way.
Of course, I miss Romania. I miss the people and the place itself.
I am trying to adjust healthfully, but I'm not sure what that means either. I'll let you know how it goes.
Anyway, the pictures above are from Sendi's graduation...the whole reason that I stayed behind a few days in Romania. It was a beautiful process and I was blessed to be a part of it.
Hm. Again, not feeling up for detailed explanations tonight. But I'll fill you in soon, really. I just needed a few days off. And now I feel like I can get the gears in the brain greased to move again. So I'll crank a new one out in the next couple of days. =]
Hope you're as excited as I am.

Last this, last that.

Life is extremely busy right now.
The Hopkins have officially left the country and will be in America this evening (your time). That is a truly strange feeling. These next few days I'll be trying to say goodbye to everyone. Turns out I know more people than I realized last week when I was attempting to plan out how this week would go. It's hard having to say goodbye over and over. Having to explain that I have no idea when I'll be able to come back to Romania and no clear idea what God is calling me to next. Sometimes I feel a certain expectation to know exactly where I am going, what I will end up doing, and how long it will be until I return. Only God knows.
One thing I have learned to do fairly well here, is to take it one day at a time. Focus on living the best you can in this day. And then when you rise the next morning, you can think about that one. But sometimes I still struggle with it. I want to say "this fall! I'll come back this fall!" or "next year! for sure next year!" but I can't. The way God weaves Romania into my life from here on out is truly up to his handiwork and I can only wait to see what that will look like.
So these past few days we've had some "wrapping it up" type things to do. Our last teen meeting all together was on Friday. On Saturday we went to Viscri with the Ludu family. On Sunday we had a big church picnic up on Vila Franka and I also went to church service in Tsigmadru for the last time. Yesterday I spent trying to prepare things for later in the week and also went up and helped the Hopkins out a bit. We had our last Monday night dinner and after that the Mailat's (the family I live above) came to say goodbye and send them off. Today I had elderly club, where they all were insistant on telling me I must come back as many times as I can before I go. And now I am off for my last trip to Tsigmadru where we'll have kids club and teens club. Tomorrow I have an equally full schedule, but mainly of going to see people.
I won't deny that the prospect of leaving all of this behind makes me really sad. I am trying to enjoy the time I have left, but having everything labeled "last" in my head is frustrating. I want to yell "no it's not!", but instead the truth remains and it really is.
I am so thankful for this year. I can't even put it into words. I am so blessed by so many people, I don't know if I will be able to express fully how much I care. And God is so faithful and real that it's overwhelming.
I don't know if this will be my last post from Romania. It very well could be because I really don't want to waste any more time on the computer. But if that's the case, I want to thank all of you profusely. Thank you for your support. Thanks for your prayers and comforting words. Of course, you will hear more from me. I will continue to write upon return.
Multumesc din suflet! (Thanks from the soul)

What day is it?

Most of these pictures were taken by Ange. I won't deny the fact that I didn't take very many. And we forgot to load Kristen's before they left. But these do a good job of capturing it.
Together again. At a cafe in Sibiu.
On a sweet bridge in Sibiu.
This one is for you, mom.
Beautiful Sibiu! Doesn't it look like a postcard?
Ange's all-time favorite picture. =]
Most of the group of teens that came to Prod for the retreat.
Porch in Prod.
Kristen and Ange with one of my elderly friends. They played rummi the whole time! And she talked and talked to them while they nodded their heads and said "da!".
Sendi and I at my apartment.

Oh dear. Time continues to fly and blessings and riches pile on top of each other with each passing day. I spent all day Friday bringing my friends to catch their flight in Bucharest and before I could even think about them being gone... Saturday I ran into mama Capusneanu who asked whether or not I was going to the Veritas picnic. I said I hadn't been invited, to which she responded, "what are you waiting for a hand written invitation? You're coming with me!" So we met Anita at the train station and walked up to Vila Franka (a restaurant that overlooks Sighisoara). And just about the whole staff was there. It was so much fun just to have time to be with everyone all at once. Oh, and guess who showed up? HANS! I didn't think I'd ever see him again! But he and Rhiann came to Sighisoara for the week.
So I'm sure this week will be spent just trying to drink it up and keep up with the race. I still can't believe that it's really been almost a year. And I still don't want to face the reality of leaving behind home here. I don't have to yet...