6 Months in Moldova!

December 7 was the 6-month mark for M32s here in Moldova. And as I typed that, I realize that that is officially the longest stretch I have been outside the U.S. Previous stints abroad, although collectively totaling multiple years, have never lasted for more than 5 months at a time. As I have said before, there are certainly some things and many people that I miss in the U.S., but I quite like living in Eastern Europe. Lucky for me, because of all the other time I have spent in this region, I already knew I would before I moved here. As the days and months pass and I meet more people, feel more confident about my language skills, and start to get projects going, I feel less stressed and more able to enjoy the experience. The first 6 months have been great, but also SO HARD. I was storing a lot of stress just from living in other people's space and timelines, and wondering what my work would entail, not to mention all the communication challenges. Nothing was individually very stressful, but all together it added up. I've had a cold off and on for a few months, due to not sleeping well, and I attribute that largely to all the small stressors. At the end of this week, I'll go on my first vacation since I arrived in Moldova, and I am ready to take a few days to relax and reflect on my first 6 months of service. I've got some great project ideas that I am excited to start working on when I get back, so I'm looking forward to being able to be fully engaged and energetic to get them started!