As Woody Allen said, the heart wants what it wants. So, why are you here?

Fluency

I have only been here a week, but I am already fluent in Romanian. I mean it.

The reason for this is that because I spend so much time at the orphanage, the only word I need to know is "nu" (no). This word is very versatile, since it can translate several ways, ranging from "no, I won't pick you up again, I just put you down and I'm holding someone else now," to "if you hit that girl in the head with that rock one more time, so help me, you will regret it!" Later, I might learn other words, but I've learned that "yes," "no," "it's okay," and "go higher!" are about all you need to understand when playing with kids on a playground. The rest is just steady arms, a stern tone of voice, and careful damage control to make sure that someone else has to change the diapers. Piece o' cake.

There will be more updates as time goes on. I just wanted to let you know that I am indeed in Romania, I am alive, and I think I'm going to survive here. I like it very much.

posted by Ben Wyman @ 2:17 PM