Continued uncertainty, a few victories
Navigating a transitional period as we adjust to life in Bucharest
Life Lately
It’s been six weeks since we arrived in Bucharest from Washington, D.C. I’ll be honest—the transition has been more difficult than I anticipated.
When we made the jump across the pond from the US to London in September 2021, everything felt smoother. We moved into our terraced house right away, and it quickly felt like home. Décor, electronics, furniture.. everything just sort of fell into place.
This time around with the Foreign Service, it’s been different.
There have been more moving parts. More uncertainty. More transitions. Things still feel incredibly unsettled, even though we’ve been here almost two months now.
Our initial housing appeal I wrote about last month was denied.
We’ve appealed once more (with more supporting materials this time) and are currently waiting on a final decision.
Our big furniture shipment is on hold until we can sort out (officially) our living situation.
Despite these challenges, we’ve still made some progress.
We found a great pet sitter for the pups and our rabbit Maxwell.
The doggies got groomed for the first time! How cute are they?!
And we decided on a car!
We’re getting a small SUV from a dealer that offers a diplomatic discount. This, combined with our tax exemption, results in a huge reduction on the overall asking price.
Hopefully we’ll have our new wheels before Christmas!
We took our first little trip to Sinaia in the mountains over the weekend. Toured lots of castles and enjoyed the snowy atmosphere.
There’s lots of stray dogs in Sinaia and Romania in general, it seems.
I’ve started carrying little snack packs of dog food in my coat pockets—just in case we come across any hungry critters.
What I’m Watching
I’ve been loving the Italian Netflix series The Law According to Lidia Poet.
This crime/drama follows the adventures of Italy’s first female lawyer and her struggle against gender-based discrimination.
It feels similar to “Sherlock Holmes” but better.
Make sure to watch in its original Italian language and read the subtitles. So much is lost with the dubbing.
On the Blog
I don’t think I ever shared my post on the best souvenirs from Florence, Italy. Think perfumes, coffee candies and leather goods.
For more frequent updates, be sure to follow my Instagram or Threads page where I share more about daily life and cultural observations.
That’s all for now! Feel free to comment on anything I mentioned or whatever’s on your mind.
Cheers,
Michelle
“May the space between where I am and where I want to be inspire me.”