Language learning goals

I'm feeling a lot better today; except for the post-nasal drip, I think the flu/head cold/whatever that was is over. However, now Alex is coming down with it. (I tried not to give it to you--sorry!)

So I expect to the next couple of days to be quiet, and therefore, I'm spending some time today thinking about goals and plans I've been neglecting, like working on our company website and studying Romanian.

My language goals are, by mid-September, to be able to

• understand and participate in Church
• read with basic comprehension
• shop and use public transportation competently and confidently
• discuss business, management, and basic accounting topics

I certainly have a lot of work to do!

Comparative economics

Alex and I are in the middle of a consulting project for a Romanian nonprofit. We are preparing a report on a number of topics relating to their operations, but a large part of my responsibilities have to do with the financial data. (This won't be as interesting to my readers as it is to me, so you are forgiven if you skip this post!) I have learned a lot of very interesting things in the past few weeks about local economics and household finances. Here is a simple comparison.

Two months in Romania

I'm coming up on two months in my new home. It's strange--I feel completely comfortable in my new life, as if I've been here for years, not weeks. I have absolutely no transition anxiety. When you consider that I once went from an LDS mission to student housing and college classes far from home in only five days with no problems, I guess it shouldn't be that unexpected.

So how is my life different? Now, I wake up in the morning with the comforting feeling that I have several hours to get things done before anyone else is up, because of the time difference between the US and Europe. It's like I'm getting all the perks of getting up at 4 am to get work done, but without actually having to get up until 10 am.

I'm also enjoying a much simpler life, with less multitasking. Here's a simple example: we no longer have a doggie door, so we have to take Pocak out every four hours or so. And since I no longer have an iPhone, I can't check my email or do other stuff online when I'm out of wifi range. And there's no one expecting me to call, even if I had the international minutes to do so. So now, when I walk the dog, that's all I'm doing--walking the dog!

Learning Romanian is going okay, but slower than I had hoped. Most of the time, I have people around who speak English or Hungarian, so I'm not forced to communicate the way I was in Hungary. Also, my comprehension is way ahead of my actual speaking vocabulary, because of all the Latin-based words and borrowed Hungarian, so it's too easy to nod my head and just say yes or no, rather than fight my way through a real conversation. I'm aware that these are just excuses for being lazy, but they are also real obstacles right now.

And my immigration status? Won't be a problem. It turns out the easiest way to establish residence is by opening an LLC and getting a permanent visa as a business owner. No proof of income required, just the LLC documentation. We're almost halfway there already--our business will be "up and running" within a week or two, and I have until August to submit my visa paperwork. Piece of cake, especially now that we have a decent lawyer on our side who needs English lessons and website help!