An update from Nils:

I thought I would drop another bit of news about how things are going for us here in Braila. We are currently in our new home and city for the next two years, Braila, Romania. I guess some of you have already talked to us since we got here last week, but nonetheless I thought I would tell some about our new home. It is the 10th biggest city in Romania, but it has kind of a small-town field despite the well over 200,000 people who live here. In the past few years 15 supermarket stores have opened up, making it easy for us to buy anything we need. There are also several open markets which are available every day (in some places it's only on weekends that they're open) and provide anything we would need in terms of food, clothing, household items, etc. It is a great place to be. On Sunday we went to the city of Galati, which is about 12 miles to the north. The closest Mormon church is in Galati, but it is very small and generally only 10-20 people attend. There happens to be another Mormon Peace Corps Volunteer who is serving in Galati, Marie. Incidentally, she also went to Westminster College, though she started after I was there. However, we know many of the same people and she lived in the same apartment building I did (on the same floor as a matter of fact). She will be here for 2 more months before going home.

Sunday May 11 (Mother's Day) at Marie's house (another Volunteer leaving in July) along with a senior missionary couple Bro and Sis Bryson, Brother Peterson, a farmer here from Idaho doing consulting near Galati (he's been all over the world), and Cynthia, a volunteer from our group visiting from Mastacani (a small village north of Galati)

Galati is slightly bigger than Braila, and is much more fast-paced, with bigger buildings and everything. They have a big "tower", kind of like the space needle in Seattle or something similar. We have not yet visited that, but are thinking we might give it a try if we get a chance on a clear day sometime. From Galati to the north is a region known as "Moldova" (not to be confused with the neighboring country of Moldova) which consists of everything north of Braila and east of the Carpathian Mountains. There are a few other Peace Corps Volunteers in Moldova that we know, so we will probably get a chance to go and visit the other cities nearby. Also, we are hoping to visit the Republic of Moldova (yes, the other country) maybe early next month. Apparently the capital Chisinau is quite a nice place and I want to visit that, as well as Ukraine in the not so distant future.

The past week we have been getting familiar with our organizations and with our apartment. Yesterday I killed a bunch of flies who lived in our bathroom. We have been buying things we need a little bit at a time and putting them in our apartment, making it more and more comfortable as time goes on. We definitely have room for visitors, with a full-sized futon and space on the floor if we need to get an air-mattress and put one down. So, the time is here to start planning your trip to Romania. I would recommend fall or spring, as the seasons are pretty nice. Although, you might want to bring an umbrella if you come in the spring. If you come in summer, you don't need to pack any clothes, because apparently it is hot Hot HOT. It is on the horizon, and we are bracing ourselves for the next wave of global warming to cook us. Then again, summer is when things really come alive in Braila. We'll see if we can send some enticing photos and stories so that you might want to come in summer afterall!