A new language...but which one?

Speaking of food, last Friday I took my daughter and her boyfriend, and my son Ben and his girlfriend to the 'Moldova Restaurant' on Dufferin St. near Steeles. It was an interesting experience and I deliberately tried a few unknown dishes - my kids did not like them and of course I don't remember what they were called. One was an eggplant with tomatoes and a dill sauce; the other was a cornmeal dumpling kind of thing (it was HUGE) served with feta cheese and sour cream. Not everything was eaten but the kids enjoyed more substantial things like cornish hen and lamb chops. Ben's girlfriend had cabbage rolls. Marah had chicken Kiev - great big portions.




That's one thing - all the portions were very generous. Somehow I'm not sure that will be the case in Moldova, poor as it is. The most interesting and puzzling thing to me was a brief conversation I had with the waitress. I wanted to know if she spoke Russian or Romanian. She spoke Russian, and she insisted that Russian is the language spoken by everyone in Moldova. That seems to be a common fallacy among people who used to live there, as I have another friend from Romania who also told me that everyone in Moldova speaks Russian. Not so - according to all the literature, and my team-mates to be. So I will continue working away with my Romanian phrase book and hope it will do me some good.
Yes, James, I started the book today - 'Playing the Moldovans' (at tennis). I haven't enjoyed a book so much for a long time - it is hilarious and informative and so much of what he says jives with what I am learning about Moldova - including the language confusion!
Thanks for the comments, my friends! Hope to hear more from lots of people.
I am now working on getting everything out of the office at the church. I said my goodbyes last Sunday - not without some tears. Yorkminster Park (www.yorkminsterpark.com) has been a wonderful church home over the last 8 years and I have been blessed with many wonderful friends there.
Some of the ladies threw a surprise farewell luncheon for me on Thursday - thought I was eating with 2 people and instead there were over a dozen who joined us and blessed me with their company and their love and laughter. Thanks, Elaine and Diane for organizing that!
I am also working on emptying my house - Marah will help me with that this weekend. And - I need to get a laptop to take with me. On this I need some wisdom and hope to call upon some of my computer savvy friends to help me know which way to go. So... things are moving along. Time with family and time with the Lord are the most precious things in these last two weeks. Thanks for your prayers.