Going, going...

I am so beyond senioritis at this point. Somehow I failed to anticipate how hard it would be to stay motivated in my last few weeks of service, especially as my friends continue to depart for home. It would be hard enough to say goodbye without first having to lose the great dynamic me and my closest friends have developed over the past two years, making me spend my last month in this lame sort of version of my normal (Moldovan) life. First my neighbor and friend Dechen left, then I saw off Nic, my on-again/off-again BF and, more importantly, close friend and traveling partner, last Tuesday. Luckily two other members of "the Balti Crew" are still around, but it's just not the same. I'm kinda just sitting in my apartment pouting, and sleeping truly dazzling amounts. Let's just say you would not want to go against me in a sleep marathon, okay?

At least I have my summer camp to look forward to, though I'm sorry to admit even that hasn't been enough to get me fired up lately. I guess I'm kind of...well...mourning. Who would have thought, you go off to a country that you spend a large percentage of your time complaining about, with people who are initially strangers, and then two years later you find yourself choked up at the thought of leaving, of not seeing host mom again, of not having easy access to mamaliga and galupsi, and of returning home. I remember reading a quote somewhere about how "you can never go back home" or something like that, the idea being that you and the people and places you left behind are always evolving, so even if you go back you have to renegotiate your place in the world, your relationships.

One nice thing is that, with the exception of die hard California girl Anna, the rest of the Balti Crew will be on the east coast, and we've already made plans to spend Thanksgiving together with Nic's folks. (Hey mom and dad, I promise that for Christmas I'm all yours.)

So here, in tribute to the Balti Crew, a photo of us spending a lazy afternoon reading and chilling at Nic's apartment. How great are friends you can just sit around and read with?