Winter

Of all the experiences we've had here in Moldova, and of those to come, I'm quite sure we will remember the European winter of 2012. While we have been reminded from family and friends back in Charlotte that "winter" in NC is quite wonderful this year, we have been in the throes of a deep freeze. I have talked to at least 7 or 8 Moldovans recently and all have mentioned at some point in the conversation how cold it is. I imagined that these past 10 days were standard for the month of January, but everyone I meet indicates these days are much colder than "normal."

One young woman that helps Amy around the house with the kids, etc. says that we’ll have this weather for little while and then winter will be over (next week).  I’m not exactly sure what that means, but for her when the temps get back up into the 20s I guess we’re headed into spring.

In the meantime, we are enjoying mornings with this scene:

...where the window squeegee is stuck to the window due to ice INSIDE the house.  Yes, Moldovan homes are very poorly insulated despite the fact that we are currently at 47 degrees north latitude (whereas Charlotte is 35 degrees north).

So, we will continue to make the most of this adventure especially as "winter" comes to a close this week while the forecast calls for highs in the teens and twenties.  Strider is doing his best to remain tough and act as though the weather is like it is back home...