It’s true.  I’ve wanted to travel to Greece since I was 5, England, France and Scotland since I was about 12 and yet, Romania, a country that I’ve always known was just  “there” has ended up being my first real international destination.

How did this come about?  So glad you asked!  I work at Thrivent Financial, and we have been a large supporter of Habitat for Humanity for the last 10 years.  Part of the sponsorship includes making it very easy for employees to participate in local builds, and I’ve done that a few times, but there’s also a piece that includes both national and international build destinations.  For a variety of reasons, I’ve only been able to drool over all of these (Taos NM, Madagascar, Mississippi, Guatemala just to name a few) until this spring when I signed up for a team heading to Romania for 8 days.  There I will immerse myself as best I can with the local culture while helping a family build their new home.  I can hardly wait!

Speaking of waiting – that’s nearly finished.  I leave on Saturday.  Depending on how you count, that’s either 3 or 4 days away.  I’m counting it as 4 because I will not be leaving Minneapolis until the evening.   Concentrating on anything other than my trip is being challenging to say the least!

So, what do I know about Romania? Erm… not a lot.  Well, I know more now than I did.  Romania is in Eastern Europe and at some point in the past absorbed Transylvania.  Or maybe Transylvania has always been part of Romania.  I don’t really know.  BUT, everyone knows that Vlad the Impaler (Dracula) lived in Bran’s Castle in the Carpathian mountains.  Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to get that far East – pesky business of actually having to build a house while I’m there.  🙂  I guess it’ll have to wait until I can bring my family with me…  I AM hoping I get to see at least ONE castle or fortified church while I’m there, but I don’t know if there are any around where I’ll be.

Before I get to Romania, I’m flying through Paris (nope, not even leaving the airport) and then spending a night in Budapest Hungary before the team treks across the border into Romania.  With all the unrest in the area, we have moved our hotel out of the city center out to closer to the airport, which is disappointing. I’ve been reminded though that to have a modern, westernized hotel when suddenly in a very different place is not a bad thing.  They have a point.  I will have from about noon Budapest time until the following morning to see a little of the area, but I will also be jet-lagged, so I don’t know how that will go.  I may just have to rely on my trusty iPhone and take pictures so I have something to jog my memory.

In Romania, we’re staying in a village called Beius (bay-oosh) and the house we’re building is about 10k away.  The pictures I’ve seen of Beius and the surrounding area are absolutely breathtaking!  I’ll include some photos on here throughout the trip if I can make it happen.  I’ll have my iPhone with me, so taking the photos won’t be an issue, just getting them uploaded.  I’ll have to figure that out once I get there.  We have plans to go to a traditional dinner and dance as well as to the local market while we’re there.  Of course, we will also be building a house, and much of our time will be spent doing that.

I’ve spent the summer figuring out what I need to take and what to leave at home, how to be safe and how to have fun.  How to be self-reliant but also to rely on the support of my fellow travelers.   So much of my time has been spent on logistics and I’m having a hard time moving past all of these little details.  Getting my first passport, obtaining prescription transitions safety glasses, a tool belt that’s easy to wear, passport holder, travel belt, outlet adaptors… putting together an ’emergency’ kit, getting vaccinations – thank goodness I did NOT have to get a RABIES shot!  it’s on the list as one needed if you’re going to play with the local animals.  Apparently a lot of them carry Rabies.  Making sure my phone and my credit cards will work for me, making sure people know where I’m going to be and when, checking in with the embassies in both Hungary and Romania… I’ll admit, the safety glasses are all luxury.  They will have safety glasses available, but I want to not have to wear my regular glasses, my over-the-top sunglasses and then on top of all that safety goggles.  Total vanity, but I feel a lot better knowing I’ll be able to see and be protected without relying on someone else.

That’s all for now.