Rainy Days in Romania

Today I was the first to wake up in the household (for a change) and waking up to silence was so unusual that I couldn't fall back asleep. I stumbled out of bed, stretched my hands up to the cieling, and then fumbled with my curtain before making it safely onto the higher landing of the main floor. With squinting eyes I could see that it would be another soggy, cold day. I woke up at a remarkable rate, all things considered, and readied myself for the day.
My day so far has consisted of a few small errands. Saturdays have become an extra day to "get things done" for me. First we went to the photography place to get our pictures taken for a folder that's vital to our VISA process. Next on the list was cleaning at the Baragan apartment. Last week Saturday I had a "halloween party" with several of the teens from "halfway to heaven", the teen group on Tuesday nights out in the Baragan school. It was quite an experience, maybe a story for a later time. However, the apartment was left a mess. I had gone to clean earlier this week, but it appeared to me that someone else had already done it. After further investigation it was apparently not clean. Anyway, today was the ideal time to do it and so off we went. It was actually fun, Karen graciously helped me (along with Nolan and Liam) and we blasted worship music as we vacuumed and scrubbed. After that we slipped over to the "Russian market" on the Baragan property, which is pretty much a flea market of sorts. We strolled up and down the outdoor aisles quicker than originally intended because the air was biting and the boys were freezing. Last, we stopped over near the piata (open-air market) long enough for Karen to pick up some meat and pasta.
Once we had made our way back home, I threw some leftover chicken noodle soup on the stove and cut myself several chunks of some Hungarian bread Karen bought especially for me. When all was ready I sat down with my hot bowl of soup and bread, feeling the warmth flood my body from head to toe. Sometimes nothing tastes so good as hot soup on a cold, wet day. Then Karen made hot chocolate from milk that Hans gave me last night (basically milk straight from a cow) and afer having a sip of that I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Since then I haven't done much but stay warm and comfy, enjoying an afternoon free of activity.
In a little while I'll call mom n' dad and enjoy an update on life back home along with the encouragement and comfort that comes with simply hearing their voices. Then I'll call two of my best friends and laugh with them about how crazy it is that they are almost done with their first semester of college.
What more can you ask for on a rainy Saturday in Romania?