Beach Time

This weekend a few of us here in Moldova decided to check out Ukraine since we're so close. Hello, Black Sea. That's right, the weekend consisted of running away to Odessa, Ukraine right on the Black Sea. It was beautiful, cheap, and very relaxing. (Don't worry those of you who shelled out some money for Moldova. I used my own money for our short trip. I would have felt bad otherwise.) It was nice to get away for a weekend after working long days. It's been a little over a month since I've been here - just five more to go. Wow, that seems weird.

Our whole trip revolved around the beach. We slept in then headed straight to the beach until the sun went down. Afterward we went back, got ready, went out to eat, and just hung out together on the main road of Odessa. It was pretty sweet.
There are pictures up at: http://bobbielydick.shutterfly.com/. Feel free to check them out.

The only down side of Odessa was a little bit of homesickness I felt. The company on the trip was awesome, but when you're some where great it's hard not to have your best friends surrounding you. I kept thinking, "Oh, my college friends would really like that."..."If the c-towners were here we'd definitely be doing this right now" or "This reminds me of this person or that person". So at times it was a little bitter sweet. Know that I miss you guys back home!

The way back was a little interesting. Instead of going straight from Moldova to Ukraine, we passed through Transnistria. Transnistria is located mostly in a strip between the Dniester River and Ukraine. It is internationally recognised as being a legal part of Moldova, although de facto control is exercised by its own government which declared independence from Moldova in 1990. Transnistria is run completely independent and has quite a few issues with Moldova. Let's just say it was an interesting experience. At one point I was taken into a room and told, "You WILL have problems." Crossing the boarder was a little harder, longer, and cost a little bit more than expected since we were from the US. All was well in the end.

God Reflections

It just kind of hit me today how much I've been seeing God at work through different people. It's not that crazy "God just hit me with a cosmic 2 by 4" kinda thing. It's more like a good walk thinking about what has happened over a long period of time. So here's just a few of the ways I've seen him working lately! Also, I have new pictures up. Feel free to check them out. http://bobbielydick.shutterfly.com/

Clients:
I've gotten to visit a few of the clients already. There was a lady we went to visit, and I loved spending time to get to know her and her family. Her kids brought so much joy to my week. It's crazy how you can connect with a child right away and just want to make sure they'll be provided for. I think microfinance makes more sense once you put the face to the loan. We also got to visit a client in order to put together a business plan for his company. He mainly sold windows and doors. His business recently had a decrease in sales. He was proud of the fact he didn't have to let go any of his employees. He said, "God is taking care of us." A very sincere man...one you actually believed when he talks about God's goodness.

Executive Director:
During the internal audit the past week and a half, we've had a chance to interview all the of the staff members of the MFI. There's something really powerful to hear a man full of vision. It's hard to come by a true visionary, someone who not only dreams for something better, but spends his whole life working toward it. That kind of devotion and commitment is a Christ-like trait. Don't worry, I'm internally taking notes on the matter.

HOPE Interns:
For those of you who don't know, there are other interns like me around the world with HOPE International. Most of them are in the home office in Lancaster, PA, and a few are in the Dominican Republic. I'm not going to lie, during orientation I thought I would just meet them and then they'd walk out of my life rather quickly. Surprisingly, this isn't the case. Daily there is at least one of them that gets on Skype and asks me "How is Moldova?" or "Is there any way I can pray for you today?" I'm impressed, and they're an encouragement. I love it when people can walk into your life for a day and make a difference. That's the way Christians should be.

Moldova Friends:
Three and a half weeks ago, I would have never thought I would have people to hang out with on the weekends. Not that I'm unsocial, but I am in a country where I can't even speak the language. These people are an answered prayer whether they know it or not. I'm learning a lot from them, most of them have been here at least a year and have a lot of insight to offer.

Home Friends:
Every time I get an e-mail, Skype call, facebook message, or blog comment from someone at home it makes my day. I haven't gotten homesick yet, but I miss feeling connected to everyone. These small messages make me feel more connected, and through that God shows me how blessed I am to have great friends and family. Not to mention, I got this sweet encouragement journal that I read A LOT. It means so much to me. Thanks for all who wrote something or wanted to write something :). P.S. You should get Skype if you don't have it!


One more thing to check out:
This is a website I made for the upcoming Vision Trip to my organization. If you would like to see microfinance in action please feel free to check it out (or if you just want to see what I actually do with my life)! Come see me, it'd be crazy-fun! http://visiontrip2009.shutterfly.com/

Starting week 3!

Pictures:
http://bobbielydick.shutterfly.com/
Here's a site where I'll be posting pictures. I'll try and post the link every time I add new ones. I hope you enjoy them!

Ukraine:
In order to live in Moldova for longer than 3 months, you have to get a residence permit. Which is extremely hard apparently. (I can go into more detail about that later if you would like.) So, we are thinking that I probably will NOT be in Moldova for longer than 3 months. What does that mean? Well, that means I will most likely be in the Ukraine from September to December. Crazy! It'll be weird to get used to Invest Credit in Moldova and then have to leave. At the same time, I'll be working with another MFI (microfinance institution), and it would be a great opportunity to see how other MFIs are run. I would probably learn a lot through this. I'll keep you updated on this situation and let you know where I am :).

Work:
Invest Credit starts a two week internal audit today. This might sound really lame...but I'm kind of excited. I'll get to help a lot with this and review a lot of how Invest Credit is run. I think I'll learn a lot and get to put some accounting to work. The other interns and I are also starting to create a business plan for a few loan clients. IC (invest credit) takes a few clients a year they believe deserve more attention and help them create a business plan for their business in order to encourage growth in the businesses and the community. We get to meet with three of these clients and put together these plans for their businesses. It should be a lot of work, but it should be cool.

Village:
I had my first village experience yesterday. It was a lot of fun. A woman named Natasha had us over to her house and taught us how to make "Placinte". It's a traditional Moldovan dish. Basically deep fried dough with potatoes & onions or brinza (a type of cheese that's not like we think of cheese) and dill in the middle. It was really good. We ate with her three kids while she told us stories about the life during Soviet times. It was really interesting, and I learned a lot. We got half way home when Natasha called one of my friend's cell phones and told us she had found my keys at her house. I returned on the last bus to the village. No taxis would come and get me. They finally called someone from the village who had a car. He took me home, but it was quite an experience. At one time I think we were off-roading it. I thought he was going to drop me off in the middle of this field outside of the city. He didn't though...that's good. I arrived at home after a good 4 hour adventure by myself.

Alaska vs. Moldova

The normal summers in Alaska are a lot different than here in Moldova. I don't know if I would call it culture shock, but it's definitely different. Adjusting has been good so far. I haven't run into too many problems yet. Here are just a few differences:


Dress Code:
Alaska - 7 t-shirts and 1 "nice" long sleeve shirt will do the trick for the entire summer.
Moldova - If you're not wearing skinny jeans, a skirt, heals or something immodest, you're probably under dressed. Don't worry I haven't broke down and bought any skinny jeans. I plan to hold strong. But I did bring all the nice attire I owned and have gone through it all already.

Showers:
Alaska - No running water = showers once or twice a week.
Moldova - I've not only showered, but also dried and straightened my hair every day since being here. (Cultural)

Transportation:
Alaska - "hondas" are the only means for getting around in the village (AKA 4-wheelers)
Moldova - "Rutieras" (a bus-like, non-taken care of, van) are convenient because you can flag them down at any moment and drop you off whenever you need them to. Learning their routes is the tricky part, not to mention a lot of people in one very small area.

Weather:
Alaska - average temp in the summer = 55
Moldova - average temp in the summer = 85

Language:
Alaska - English, so easy
Moldova - Romanian...well, let's just say I'm failing at this.

Work:
Alaska - youth ministry, discipleship, and serving the missionaries
Moldova - office work. Did you know it's hard to sit at a desk for 9 hours??? I just found that out.

Living Situation:
Alaska - teenagers in and out of the house at all times. Always someone new staying over. Lots of people and family.
Moldova - I live alone. Which is weird going from living with 18 wonderful girls at all times to being by myself. I would rather live with 18 people than none.

Over all, things have been really great. I've been lucky enough to have a lot of wonderful people around to fill me in on everything. I'll let you know if/when my brain hits Moldova overload.