POTD 7: Last Rutiera Ride to Criuleni

Today I left Chișinău back to my site for the last time, a route that I have memorized over the past two years. The next time I go to Chișinău, I will be leaving it to start the next chapter of my life (with a quick stop in Romania and Greece first).

POTD 8: GLOW / TOBE

One of secondary project I was involved in was GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and TOBE (Teaching Our Boys Excellence). I have loved working with this work initiative these past two years. Here’s a picture of us crazy directors after a workshop we lead.

POTD 9: Sunflowers

One of my favorite things here: sunflower fields. There are hundreds of them all over Moldova, and I never get tired of seeing them. Unfortunately last summer, because of the draught, they only bloomed a short while. And it happened to be during the two weeks I was home, so I didn’t get any good pictures. But this year, Maggie and I went to a nearby field and I got more pictures of sunflowers than I know what to do with!

POTD 10: Natasha

This is my buddy, Natasha. She’s been a good friend to me my two years here in Criuleni. Although I haven’t had her as a student, we spent lots of time together outside school. She invited me to a young youth group meeting here, which was lots of fun. And her English is incredible. I think she gets a kick out of my silliness. I will miss her a lot.

POTD 11: First Bell

I love the traditions of first bell here. My favorite part is when a 12^th former and a 5^th former walk around ringing a bell to start the new school year. This year, although I didn’t know him at the time of the ceremony, I taught the 5^th former participating. And he loved that I had this picture of him.

POTD 12: Artwork

Here’s an example of a wall hanging in my new apartment. It’s not uncommon. And to be honest, I’m still often surprised by the artwork I find here.

POTD 13: Failed Adventures

Today, I met up with some friends to try to get some pictures of Chișinău. Unfortunately, due to the rain, we weren’t able to get any. But we wandered to the airport for some Sbarro’s, and then walked a path we found in a forest. So although we weren’t able to get what we intended, we still had a good time. I’ve come to love days like these.