Visitor from Home

Shortly after I returned to Moldova, my good friend Kathy arrived for a visit. I had just recovered from jet lag when she arrived and subsequently did the same. When in Canada, Kathy and her husband Vern had let me and Marah and Alejandro stay in their house and take care of their van while they were on vacation. They have blessed me in many ways this summer.
So Kathy and I had some interesting times and she got to discover some of the adventure that is life in Moldova. Monday morning she found out about what happens when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and there is no CAA to call. Another day she had opportunity to visit one of our day centre projects. On Thursday she and I both had an eye-opening experience when we visited a home for handicapped adults in the north of Moldova, far from any prying eyes. What an assortment of people, challenges and illnesses, and various qualities of facilities within the institution. To our Canadian eyes it was like something out of a 50's movie - do such places really still exist in our modern world? Yes, they do. Unfortunately we have no photos right now as Kathy forgot her camera at the home of a woman we visited and my camera had an unplanned baptism in cola that day, leaving it reluctant to function at all. Other aspects of Kathy's experience included driving in Moldova, celebrating birthdays, shopping in Moldova, meeting the team Barb works with, eating out in Moldova, waiting for Barb to finish her meetings, and only a very slight minimal amount of sight-seeing in Moldova. Whatever else it was, it was a wonderful encouragement for me to have Kathy visit and learn about my life here and some of the needs of this country. Thanks for coming, my friend. Enjoy the rest of your trip!