So it's like day 7. I got an email from my dad. Apparently I forgot to tell him, or anyone in my family for that matter, that I made it here safely. So I'm thinking... that's probably a good idea.

With this internet thing, I think it's pretty hard for your family and friends to even try to miss you. But that's probably a good thing.

This morning I woke up around 8:00 and kicked in bed and read for awhile. I knocked on Chelsea and Michelle's door a couple times after a decent hour to no avail. They have seriously been sleeping since they got here. I think I saw them for about 20 minutes to explain how to lock their doors and windows and tell them what time church is (which they slept through). That's good enough for me though, because it's more time to go nuts in Iasi, like buying toilet paper and eating donuts and riding the tramvai aimlessly and seeing a guy passout and hit his head in between Hala and Tg. Cucu.

Yeah that was the most dramatic thing that happened today. Well to be honest, I only saw the aftermath of the incident, which was a bunch of people slightly panicked trying to wake the man up and get help. I had no idea what actually happened to him. It was like that music video for "Just" by radiohead. Actually, how bout I post that?



So yeah except he wasn't conscious and he didn't have a deep dark secret that made everyone else want to lie down. It was kind of interesting to be there, because I didn't know exactly what happened, but I knew that several people were trying to help him. There was a large man with sunglasses who became the leader. When I first came upon the scene, I thought they may have been in a fight, because he was yelling loudly and people started circling around them. Several people were trying to gently put water on him (the man on the ground) and a young man came back with ice. I realized then, that the man yelling was making phone calls to an ambulance? I heard the words salvatorii several times. I stayed and watched as they brought who appeared to be the man's wife over. Her hands began shaking as she saw him and there was a suppressed emotion as her mind must have been working trying to process the information, while trying to remain calm. She visibly and audibly took a swallow. Her friends and probably several strangers began to offer their reassurances. It became real then.

They eventually helped him regain consciousness. I heard the word "cald" meaning warm several times, and part of me thought they may have been talking about heat exhaustion or something of the like, but it was 70 degrees at the most outside and he was in the shade. Perhaps they were trying to keep him warm to prevent shock, or maybe I just heard them wrong. In reality it probably doesn't matter what actually happened. Several men helped him walk over to a park bench. This broke a couple rules I remember from boy scouts, but I was the outsider today.

Though I am not completely heartless, I also see when there is nothing I can do in a situation, so I went on my way to buy a donut. Within a few minutes, I returned and the bench was replaced by a couple of the people who were around before. This event got me outside of myself for awhile, though it was through observation and not service.

Sunday was great and in some ways bitter. When I got to church, I got to see some people that I absolutely love. President Popovici, Sora Maria, Sora Podaru (Mihai's mom), Petru. They were only slightly older. I was very happy to see them and I got a great round of hugs and Pup's. It was a little difficult to explain that I wasn't with Dorothy and that she was in fact married. This point is benign to me now. I'm healed and essentially clean from the situation. Ea este casatorita cu o sot foarte minunat, si ei sunt foarte fericiti. Sunt singur dar fericit. N-am o prietena si sunt liber. E bine ca e simplu. Si sunt speriat. Dar e greu sa almintesc timpul cand am fost aici deja pentru ca am fost in dragostea. Nu sunt trist ca am lasat sora hatch nici acum, dar sunt putin emotionat pentru ca pot sa almintesc sentimentul. It feels so good in my hood tonight. The summertime skirts and the guys in kani. All the gang bangers forgot about the drive by.

They still have pictures from my group that Rayna gave to pres. Popovici. Some of us playing games and stuff. It was funny to see. I couldn't quite put my finger on the feeling. While I was sorting this out, I started talking to Petru. I asked him how he is doing and he said something like, I am doing better. Almost to reassure himself. When I hear him speak there is often an air of quiet vulnerability to him. Someone who expects to be hurt almost. I don't know maybe I'm reading too much in the wrong direction with that one.

As if to reward my getting out of myself to listen to someone else, Mihai's mom came over and gave me a big hug and excitedly asked me if I would come over for dinner. I gave an emphatic affirmative and after a slightly understandable elder's quorum lesson we went over. I tried to pay for the taxi and she scolded me. Her husband was recently home from Iraq. He is a character. He knows a little english and he's always messing with somebody. It was good to see Monica again too. She had recently returned from a 2 week party on the seaside and was notably lethargic. She's going to college this semester for bioengineering. Little Monica. The meal was fantastic. Chicken soup, chicken, apa minerala, hot chocolate... I stayed for several hours hoping that the two girls back home would not call in WTF mode. We all watched a movie on TV and joked around and Sora Podaru showed me pictures of Mihai on his mission and from various times with BYU groups. That was a trip. After awhile I figured it was time I should go and Monica called me a taxi. I really needed that visit. It totally changed how I felt about things. I was starting to wonder if I had ever really connected with people in Iasi, or if it was just the nostalgia of a hopeful tourist. I got home and the girls were still asleep.

Today I showed them around a few places in town.

Ok pretend I just started another entry, because it's now almost a day after starting this thing.

Since I had two girls following my every step, I figured I'd give them a challenge, and we walked up to dacia. Just across the bridge there's a church and we stood through about 45 minutes of a service. One of those spontaneous cultural proof things. A priest tried to annoint me, and I explained that we were visitors and sinners (protestants) so that he wouldn't be offended if we didn't cross ourselves. Maybe someday I will go through the whole service. There is a sort of dilemma in these services where you must decide to what extent you will take part in it. I noticed something that warmed my heart. An old woman was sitting in one of the last available seats and another old woman with a broken hand walked past her. The first woman offered this woman her seat. I don't know why it affected me, but it was one of those things that hits you. After this a small boy came and sat on the broken armed woman's lap. I'm starting to think losing my camera was a good thing, because I am less of a skull with the rolling eye. I don't need to collect, it makes it easier to be inside of everything.

There's a hill by one of the later Dacia tram stops that overlooks a wide field surrounded by water, where I think some gypsies live. I got nostalgic for a minute and watched the evening sun peek over the hills. I never really noticed how beautiful that area is. In the middle of Dacia, which can seem rather bleak. I think I just never realized it, because I was always trying to make sure one of the kids didn't start trying to eat a glass bottle or try to go swimming in sludge. We brought the kids from the 7th floor apartment down here. Good times.

Ok I need to sleep. FHE was fun. I'm going to have to pick the events I flesh out wisely. Thanks for reading.