Romania is a beautiful country. The buildings, the landscape, the people… all beautiful. I never thought I would actually make it this far.
Growing up in an underclass family, I always thought vacations were a luxury I would never be able to afford. Friends would come back from Spring break raving about the beach when I had never seen the ocean! And I live in a state on the east coast! But, when friends would come back with tan lines and highlights all I dreamed of was making it to Florida one day. Florida. I didn’t dare dream of anything beyond Panama City Beach. If I couldn’t even afford to make it to the next state there was no way I would ever step foot in a place like Europe. This was honestly my outlook.
Romania has been a dream come true for other reasons as well. Signing up for the World Race was something I did on a whim. I was bored and didn’t want to go to college. So, I looked for different opportunities. I have always been a very noncommittal person. Relationships, school, jobs. I worked at places for years, but I was juggling 3 jobs… never a dull moment. The only thing I have been able to commit to is friendship. Anyway, signing up for the World Race was making a decision to commit to something for 11 months. 11 months is a long time…especially to be away from friends, family, and familiarity. I signed up, but I didn’t really commit. I got on a plane to the DR; I still wasn’t committed. In the back of my head I kept telling myself you can always go home if this doesn’t work out. I figured 5 months will do. My best friend convinced me to at least stay for 7. Well, month 7 came and I was fully funded; I had a revelation from the Lord that I was going to finish this thing out. I committed. I didn’t think I would make it to Europe, but here I am in a beautiful European country.
Since those school days, I have realized that the beach isn’t so great after all. There’s just too much sand and salt. Cobblestone streets in Europe, however, have yet to disappoint me.
