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