Doing Better

Photo: Codlea with the Bucegi Mountains looming in the distance.

For those of you that read the last post, I'm doing a lot better. I was down in Bucharest yesterday for another session with Dr. Dan and he was of great help as usual. He said that I looked better and that I've made a lot of progress in a week. Anyway, I'm going to be seeing him on a regular basis for the time being. Not easy stuff, but necessary. However, I really like going to Bucharest, riding the subway, etc. That big city feel reminds me of home and puts me at ease.

We're getting ready for Orthodox Easter tomorrow here in Codlea. The preparations began earlier in the week when we went to Tavi's farm and got the meat for Sunday. Tavi picked out a little lamb from the barn and went to work. I've got pictures and film. I wasn't sure how I'd react to watching the slaughter, skinning, cleaning and preparation of an animal in person, especially considering the fact that I knew that he'd eventually be my meal. However, it didn't really bother me at all. I just rationalized that this is how it goes. If you want to eat the meat, you've got to kill the animal. It's that simple. At the same time, I understand why some people are vegetarians. While witnessing the process I had a few moments there when I asked myself if I should make the switch to being a veggie.

So, it's Saturday afternoon here in Codlea and Ica is busy making preparations for tomorrow's Easter feast. It's going to be quite the spread. Lots of lamb dishes (of course), sarmale, colored eggs, etc. Tonight we're going to go to the church in Dambravita, the nearby village that Ica and Victor are originally from, to check out a little bit of the Easter service. We'll go around midnight, but only stay for a bit because apparently this thing goes all night long. No way I can handle that. I need to get my beauty sleep before I stuff my face tomorrow.

That's about it for now I guess. It's a nice day, so I may go for a walk after the I'm done here at the internet cafe. Rapid is playing tonight, so Victor and I are going to have some tuica and beer and watch the game. Not too much though, as we've got to go to church later. I'll catch the bus back to Piatra Neamt on Monday and get ready to finish the school year. I'm only ten weeks away from my trip back home now.

Spring Break

Sorry there's no photo this time. I also apologize that it's taken me so long to post this new entry. I'm in Codlea right now, so there's no way for me to post a photo. I'll put one up next time. I'm on Spring Break right now until the 25th. I'll be staying with Ica and Victor until the Monday 24th and catch the bus back to Piatra Neamt. Orthodox Easter is this weekend, so it will be nice to be here for that.

What's been going on for the past three weeks? Well, I went with Ovidiu to his mother's village, Butea, in Eastern Moldavia for a weekend. Drank some home brew wine, broke up some rocks (for "landscaping"), hung out with the chickens and loved that outdoor plumbing....this village was very poor. It was quite a shock for me. It's gotta be rough there in the winter without indoor plumbing and running water. However, Monica was a sweet lady, treated me very well and sent me home with a bunch of food. Thanks Monica!

I've been down to Bucharest the past two weekends for medical visits. I caught something nasty a couple Fridays ago. Fever and diareeha again. Not cool. I've lost a lot of weight. Things seem to be back to normal now though. However, the main reason that I made the two visits, and will continue to make more, is because I'm having a bit of a tough time mentally right now. I took some tests and they tell me I've got mild depression and above-normal anxiety. As a result, Dr. Dan, Dr. Ileana and I are engaged in "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy", a fancy way to describe counseling I guess. This is a good thing for two reasons: 1) I know that there's nothing wrong with me physically and 2) They are helping me work on this problem and facilitating understanding of my thoughts and feelings.

It all hit me really fast. I was doing just fine until mid-March. I didn't understand why I was feeling the way I was and was worried that there might be something seriously wrong, physically. After I found out that all of this was mental, I was a bit ashamed at first. I felt like I wasn't a strong person. However, I now know that there is nothing to be ashamed of and that it takes strength to admit that you have a problem, seek help and try to fix the problem. One way or the other, this is what I intend to do. I also believe that PC is going to do their best to help me as well.

I know that all of this is very personal. However, I want to share this because I think that it is very important for people to seek help when they're not feeling well mentally. There's no shame in this. It is also not a sign of weakness. Life is not easy and sometimes we need someone else to help us figure out what's going on "upstairs" so that we can feel normal again. Personally, I don't know how long this will take, but I have to work at it and keep trying. For all of my family and friends who are reading this, please don't worry too much about me. I'm going to be ok. I have good support here.

On a happy note. I've booked my flight home for summer vacation! I'll be arriving in Houston on July 2nd. Sarah will pick me up and take me to Austin for a few days. We're going to drive to Chicago and should be there on the 9th. I'll fly back to Romania on the 22nd. So, for all of you who want to see me, send me an e-mail and we'll try to work something out. I'm hoping that Aaron and Carrie will host a get-together at their place, so stay tuned.....

Until next time, enjoy the springtime and take care. Oh yeah, and if you want to talk, send me an e-mail, Skype me (after the 24th) or get a hold of me on Yahoo messenger (after the 24th).

Scott