A Bit of Reflection

S and I have slowly been getting back into the swing of things. On Sunday evening, after a delicious dinner of traditional Romanian cuisine prepared by our landlords and skyping with our families, we nestled into luxurious slumber--until the alarm clock jolted us awake at 3 AM. It was still set from when we had to leave for the airport in December. S was able to go back to sleep, but I stayed up for the next five or six hours. Monday, therefore, was pretty much a wash, and we settled for unpacking our things and buying groceries as benchmarks for a successful day. Yesterday wasn't terribly productive either, but it was nice to relax and settle back into our apartment. Today I returned to my research, and S ran errands. In other words, back to normal.

It seems hard to believe that just a few days ago we were home with our families, and enjoying all the things it is so easy to take for granted. Two events in particular made me feel grateful for my family, and the incredible opportunity to be with them this holiday season. The first was the death of my grandfather Basil (or Pop to me, my sister, and cousins). He passed away less than a week before S and I were scheduled to return to the States. Losing someone you love--and I loved him very much--is always hard, and to have it occur while overseas, so far from everything, only compounds the usual feelings of loss and disorientation. S as always provided immense comfort to me, and tried her hardest to find a way for us to make it back in time for the funeral. Alas, it was not to be. I am extremely grateful for her support. I love Pop very much, and am still very sad I could not make the funeral, but being able to skype with my family that day certainly helped. Although a sad day, I was again reminded of how lucky I am to have such a large and loving family.

When S and I did make it to NC, I felt like we immediately slipped into the comfort of being home at Christmastime. The Germans have a marvelous word for the sensation--Gemuetlichkeit--which is difficult to translate into English but can be taken to mean the epitome of coziness, which is certainly how it felt, especially on Christmas Eve. How shocking and sad, then, when we all woke early Christmas morning (around 1am) to the sound of sirens. Going outside onto the back deck, we could see the cause: the house four lots down from ours had erupted into flames, sending cinders and ash roiling up into the sky where they floated like molten snowflakes. It was beautiful and terrible at the same time. Later Christmas Day, after opening our presents, we walked down to see the remains. There was nothing left save bits from a couple walls. All the rest had burned. Thankfully, the family living there had fled in the nick of time and were safe. Again, it was a time to make me feel grateful for the opportunity to be with family, and safe in our own home.

So now, as we try to accustom ourselves to the long haul, the next seven months in our Romanian sojourn and the cold winter inaugurating it, I hope we can keep those memories of love and family, of gratitude and Gemuelichkeit with us, close to our hearts.-B