My Life in Romania

What does life look like for me in Romania? How do I spend my time? I debated whether or not I should write this post because I don’t really know if I can capture what life is really like here.

Officially, my priority until Christmas is to study the Romanian language. So, every day I have language class. The time varies depending on what day of the week it is, but it is always in the late morning/early afternoon for a period of an hour and 15 minutes. Classes are held at the House on the Rock, the Veritas educational center. On Monday and Tuesday I study grammar with another student (who’s from France) who works with Rhema House, another non-profit organization here in Sighișoara. On Wednesday and Thursday, I practice practical conversational skills with two other students – one who works with Rhema and the other who is a semester-abroad student with the Romanian Studies Program (both Americans). On Friday, I am privately tutored. All five days are taught by the same Romanian teacher who works for Veritas. In addition to class time, I am trying to set aside about 3 hours a day outside of class to work on Romanian. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen, but there are often many real-life situations where I get to practice my Romanian, which are just as important (if not more so).

On Sunday mornings I usually attend the church service in Sighișoara. In the evenings I usually attend the service in Țigmandru. This allows me to interact with 2 of the district’s 3 congregations on a weekly basis. (I’m also planning a trip to Bucharest in the next few weeks to spend some time with the congregation there.) I want to build friendships and get to know what the needs are in the congregations. I’m making notes for ways to train lay leaders and develop discipleship ministries in these churches, which will be my primary assignment (and will occupy most of my time) after Christmas.

You might be thinking - that does’t take very much time. What do you do with the rest of your week? I recently heard a Romanian television station’s slogan which, translated, states “We live in Romania, and this takes up all our time.” It is very true. It’s hard to explain exactly what I do with the rest of my day because things always come up. I have been living with a Romanian family, so I enjoy spending time with them. I also often eat lunch with the Veritas Staff at the Family Center. I may also end up helping someone with a project, paying a bill, having an extended conversation with someone, or even doing laundry. I also try to keep up on email and make sure my blog stays current, and, of course, spending time in God’s Word. You also must keep in mind that Sighișoara is a small enough town that everything is within walking distance, so I end up walking a lot - often up and down the many hills in town - and walking takes time. Recently, two things which have taken a lot of time are getting my paperwork ready to apply for my visa and getting my apartment ready so I can move in this weekend.

This is a glimpse of what daily life is like for me in Romania.