November 8, 2008: Three Weeks Left

Dear Friend,

Well, the inevitable happened. I woke up with a scratchy sensation in the back of my throat again. This meant I would have to be pumping fluids all day. Water tastes great when you’re thirsty or even when you’re taking it in at regular intervals during the day. When you’re sick, though, forcing water into your body just becomes a chore. Luckily, the scratchiness wasn’t too terribly bad, which meant it would be gone by the end of the day.

I had breakfast with Tibi, something I missed since my move. We did a little bit of catching up, but not much. In all honesty, there was so much catching up today that I can’t remember entirely every subject discussed. If I did and ended up writing out everything in this entry, it would turn into more than just an article, a term that has been given to my blog entries by the study abroad students. I’m very long winded, and they’ve attributed that quality to my writing as well.

In short, I will say that the day was very well spent in sharing with everyone. I was able to catch up with everyone and have well meaning, philosophical conversations as if I hadn’t moved at all. We just picked up where we left off. One common theme that seemed to show up in my conversations with each person was how they couldn’t believe there were only three weeks left. Everyone admitted they were having such an amazing experience in Lupeni – with their studies, projects, relationships – that the thought it was going to end rather soon was almost unthinkable. Even though they were each missing home, none of them really wanted to leave. That would mean that all that was happening for them in Lupeni would end.

I helped Chelsea make spaghetti and grilled cheese as we waited for everyone to show up for supper at apartment “Lucy.” The apartment is named after C.S. Lewis’ beloved heroine in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Everyone is now living in apartments; Andrew with Tibi; Chelsea, Solita, and Hollyann in apartment “Lucy;” and Anne and Stacey in apartment Eight with Jelena, which happens to be right below Janelle and Daniel’s apartment. Tonight everyone was invited to “Lucy” for supper, to hang out and eventually watch a movie. Not everyone stayed for the movie – The Count of Monte Cristo, a very good movie – but everyone had supper.

In no time, it seemed, the day was over and it was time for us all to go to our respective “homes” and go to bed. It seemed not so much that the day was going by fast, but that time was just bulldozing along. Bulldozers don’t move very fast, but they move and nothing can really get in its way to stop it. It was a daunting sensation, that something just keeps going without anything or anyone able to stop it. Andrew and I made our way in the cold back to Tibi’s, where we were welcomed with the warm and intoxicating smell of cooking. All the lights were out and Tibi had gone to bed, he had been cooking. We didn’t know what he had been cooking, but it smelled really good. A morning surprise, we decided as we got ready for bed. Something nice to wake up to.

Blessings.
Kailen