Kishinev via Istanbul
Tomorrow morning at 6:45AM I depart Ben Gurion Airport in Israel for Istanbul. There I have 8 hours to go into the old city, look at the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, and then depart for Kishinev, Moldova at 6:10PM.
Israel has been a transition period for me. My relatives have been here to walk me through technicalities like transport, to hold my hand as if I were their 5-year-old daughter, and to protect me as best they could from danger by feeding me fatty Russian food and driving me everywhere. I've spoken to my parents almost every day on the phone. It hasn't been all that different from the US.
Now it's time to move on. I will probably feel more alone in Kishinev than I've ever felt. Whatever is awaiting me there is sure to surprise me, but I'm ready to be surprised, so maybe then I won't be too surprised? I'm getting ready today to stuff my money belt and distribute my valuables among my luggage and my clothes. Trying to put myself in a less laid back mindset, to prepare myself for a foreign place where I'm not sure who's out to get me. Not knowing what to expect is a bit scary, but I'm ready. Next post will be from the country with the lowest GDP in all of Europe, the first country to go back to Communism after the breakup of the Soviet Union, the country where my grandfather lived between WWII and 1979, where my parents grew up and where I was probably thought up -- Moldova.
Israel has been a transition period for me. My relatives have been here to walk me through technicalities like transport, to hold my hand as if I were their 5-year-old daughter, and to protect me as best they could from danger by feeding me fatty Russian food and driving me everywhere. I've spoken to my parents almost every day on the phone. It hasn't been all that different from the US.
Now it's time to move on. I will probably feel more alone in Kishinev than I've ever felt. Whatever is awaiting me there is sure to surprise me, but I'm ready to be surprised, so maybe then I won't be too surprised? I'm getting ready today to stuff my money belt and distribute my valuables among my luggage and my clothes. Trying to put myself in a less laid back mindset, to prepare myself for a foreign place where I'm not sure who's out to get me. Not knowing what to expect is a bit scary, but I'm ready. Next post will be from the country with the lowest GDP in all of Europe, the first country to go back to Communism after the breakup of the Soviet Union, the country where my grandfather lived between WWII and 1979, where my parents grew up and where I was probably thought up -- Moldova.
posted by duckie at 11:50 AM
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