I’ve spent all week running through what I need to pack.  I can pack for a business trip with the best of them, but for a construction trip?  Should I get special steel toed shoes?  What about donations to Habitat to take with me?  How much suitcase do I really need?

I started with the shoes.  After looking around, I learned all kinds of things about steel toed shoes – like you can now get them in pink and they don’t have to be boots.  They can be almost sandal like.  I also decided against them.  We’ll be building a cinderblock house, but I’ve spent enough time around build sites in my life to know how to keep my feet out of the way.   So now, tennis shoes.  The ones I have are old and I have some newer ones that are better for my feet.  But the new ones are hot pink and difficult for me to wear to work.  Not that I should be wearing any kind of tennis shoe to work, but hot pink?  This is only a concern because I’m considering leaving my construction clothing in Romania for Habitat to donate to people who need it.  So, do I leave my shoes?  How attached to them am I exactly?  Jeans…I’ve been losing weight so my old ones are big enough on me that they look really funny all cinched up.  No loss there to leave them…

Donations… I found some very cute “magic towels” that are all vacuumed up to be small.  They’re about the size of a washcloth when opened up.  A friend from Romania told me everyone over there loves all things “American” so I dug out some Mickey and Minnie Mouse and a couple Cinderella ones to take.  I’ve got a lot of clothing I could donate too… how much to take with me?  I still don’t know.

I DO know that I cannot take only a carry on with me as I originally planned.  Ryan got it out for me and I opened it up this morning to take a look.  No way.  I’d end up having to expand it, which would then mean I’d have to check it, so why bother?  I dug out the next size up, one I found in Hawaii, and I think that one will be just fine.  I’m also bringing along a duffel bag that squashes up into a bag.  This will give me something to put souvenirs into for on the way back.  Who knows, maybe I’ll find something super awesome in the duty free that I can’t resist!  I’ll need a place to put it!  I also found a cute backpack that doesn’t look too dumb when I wear it on my front to take on the plane to hold my kindle, my embroidery, and whatever else I end up carting along with me.

So I have my lists, and I’m doing laundry.  I’ve been to several stores to pick up all the odds and ends I think I may need.  People are going to get a kick out of things I’m sure.  I have an emergency kit that is just shy of a full fledged first aid kit, including a knee brace and every stomach medicine known to man – including antibiotics from my doctor that should clear up any gastro-intestinal issues except for Giardia.  Since that’s a parasite, there’s no surprise on that front.  Bandaids, blister care, sunblock, super glue, flashlight… it’s more than a little nutty, even to me, but I keep thinking, “what if…?”

And even though it’s only about 12:30 PM, I’m going to go pour myself a glass of wine and start putting things together so I have time to remember everything I have forgotten before heading to the airport tomorrow afternoon.

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.