FROGGER

Remember the game frogger?  

I do - I am reminded of it every time we leave our house to walk the half mile to the bus stop.  On the way to the bus stop we have to cross five lanes of traffic.  With three small children in tow it is an exercise in care and sharp eyes.  Though there are cross walk signs - pretty much no one stops, and in the off chance someone does stop - you still can't just mosey across the street because some moron will try to zip by in the next lane.  More then one life lost here by an unobservant pedestrian. Cars always have the right of way.

They are bigger and well - they hurt!

Meatloaf

Life in another country is interesting to say the least and the longer I am here the more things that once were odd seem normal, but sometimes it is the simple conversations that really throw you off.  You realize that in deed I am "no longer in Kansas."  Not that I have ever lived in Kansas mind you.

Living in another country and then working with people from all over Europe is also very enlightening.  Especially when you get asked an odd question - well at least I thought it was odd.


"What is meatloaf?"

Ahh, "meatloaf?"  How in the world do you explain what meatloaf is - in short I said - it is liked a great big baked hamburger.  But well it is more than that.  I went into the history of meatloaf - ...made to stretch the meat.  

Then went on to explain how now there is a kind of art to meatloaf is very different.  People have taken a simple recipe and jazzed it up.

So something as well - normal as meatloaf becomes a topic of conversation.  Now when well I ever say that again.

I have a few people that I will schedule to have over for dinner the next time I make meatloaf though and then the real education will come with the first bite!

It's Just Cold Here!

Okay, so I said I would start to say more about Moldova this year so I might as well get started!

Europe is in the news about the cold weather and I just have to say - IT IS COLD!  In the states cold is relative - you have heated houses, you have heated cars and you might experience a bit of cold as you run from one to the other but you don't stand out in it, or live in it.  This is why so many people across Europe have died, especially in places like Russia, Ukraine and Moldova.  Houses are not well insulated - case in point my house is staying around 53 degrees give or take a degree - though it did get up to 60 today.  For you European folk - that is about 11 to 14 degrees!   Burr!  This is with spending just under $400 a month to heat this house.  I've said it once - I'll say it again - "I'm not living in this house next winter."  Small fear is that the next house will be worse!  Things I've learned:

1.  Moldovans and most Europeans don't know what a block heater is!
2.  Warm feet equal a warm body - second to that are warm hands.  The extremities are very important!
3.  When two of your buses pass by you too full of people to take any more passengers and you have waited in frigid temperatures for 30 minutes - it is okay to take a taxi!
4.  last but certainly not least - Thank God for the times when you have warm feet and hands and for the four walls that might not keep you toasty warm - but do keep you from freezing to death.  300 + people learned that one first hand.

Pray for all those that suffer through another week of freezing cold temperatures!