1. Sarmale - Traditional food
2. Oradea - City near Hungary . . . served there for 4 months
3. Bucuresti - Ugly, but I fell in love with it this summer
4. Geambasu Family - Members in Oradea
5. Mihai Zgarburi - Investigator in Chisinau
6. Clatite - Traditional food like crepes
7. Gombots - Hungarian food, but still delicious
8. Kurtos Kalacs - Hungarian pastry, but still delicious
9. La Tara - Romanian country side . . . incredible rolling hills . . . green
10. Language - A true Romanian sings, doesn’t speak. . .drunks are just as amusing
11. Bread - The best on planet
12. Hospitality - You can’t go into a Romanians home and walk out hungry or thirsty
13. Covali Family - Members in Chisinau
14. The Musat Family - Members in Ploiesti
15. Superstitions - Romanians will avoid any kind of draft through the air which could cause many different illnesses, tooth aches or even back pain
16. Architecture - See Piata Sfatului in Brasov
17. Sacrament Meetings – It’s all good to yell from the congregation with your opinion
18. Lack of Sensitivity - See funeral story from a month ago
19. Lack of Personal Space - I can’t tell you how many forehead kisses I've received from old men
20. Colloquial Speech - So many examples, but one could be that EVERYONE is considered "mami" / Mother
I’ve sat through many homecomings and heard missionaries tell us how Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Australia, North Dakota . . . are the best places on planet earth. How the best and most kind people on earth are found where they served their missions. In all honesty I thought they were just pretending like they had the best mission. But I understand now though. Romania is the best place on earth and it has the best population. These stinky, superstitious, Eastern Orthodox, blunt, stubborn people with horrible dental health have become my favorite people. I don’t know how and I don’t know when I realized that, but just like everyone else it has happened to me.
I’m sure at the end of my mission everyone expects me to blow them away with all the stuff that I’ve learned and experienced. That my final email should have all these life lessons and stories. I don’t really have too much to say. I hope that I haven’t changed who I am. In reality, I have learned way more than I had expected. I appreciate family, home, people and their stories much more. I appreciate culture and language. I have learned more about the church and its teachings in these two years than I ever learned in the 12 years since being baptized. I understand the importance of daily service. I had no idea what I was getting myself into 36 months ago when I decided to do this. It was absolutely 100% different than I expected it to be. The principles and experiences I’ve had have changed my outlook and my habits, but don’t be surprised when you see the same long haired kid who slept on the couch in his underwear.
This week was good. I’m enjoying the little things and trying my best to milk it for every moment.
I love you guys,
Keegan
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