con te partiro.

sunday night was our last day with the branch, and it was lovely. the president closed sacrament meeting by telling us how much he loves us and will miss us, and wished us success in the future. we went to romanian sunday school rather than having our own, which was as hilarious and lively as you can imagine. we took photos and said goodbye, and that was the end of our time. after so many weeks, and so many activities, suddenly we are saying goodbye to these beautiful people for what will probably be the rest of this life. bittersweet, for at least we were lucky enough to have met them.

president pitulan and me.

the iași branch!

 [disclaimer: don't judge for my disgusting looks the last few days. gross, i know.

i've now had an american shower again and hair that is cleaner than it's been in months.]

for our final sunday dinner together, mario, her daughter ioana, and teo joined us to spend one last time with them, and to get words of wisdom in closing from mario. (we're becoming pro at self timer photos.) the next time we'd see mario, was as we got into taxis to head to the airport!

top row: kylee, michael, amanda, and me.
bottom row: rebecca, breezy, roslyn, mario, teo, ioana, and melissa.

monday was our last day in romania together, and we mostly spent it packing and doing last minute things. since monday is also p-day for the missionaries, though, we had ice cream with them for a little bit to spend some time and say goodbye. the gelato place in the mall is closed right now, i guess. super sad. so they bought ice cream at the g market, and we partied at scala instead.

group photo! and sora bennett got cut off on my camera. so we made up for it in the next picture.

me and sora holman.

monday night, after a long day of packing, last minute souvenirs, homework, and all sorts of things in the crazy heat, a few of us took a break and went to moldova mall for dinner, the other half went to iulius mall. kylee, michael, amanda, and me ate and sat at the high table that looks out the window towards the cultural palace.  after eating, we decided to enjoy our last night in iași by taking a walk down ștefan cel mare and soaking it all in. we moseyed down the street, and ended up at the benches between the metropolitan cathedral and the national theatre. we then sat for over an hour as the sun set, watching people go by with families and friends, and other groups doing the exact same thing. just sitting and enjoying the most beautiful summer evening. and really, i think that's one of the things i miss most. the way people can just relax and do nothing but sit on a bench and watch the world around them. i think americans don't ever take enough time to just sit and be, doing absolutely nothing. it's a shame, really.

the four spires is the metropolitan.

the same view, a few minutes later.

palatul culturii pentru ultimul timp.

anti-mosquito radio. bahaha

the whole cultural palace. still under construction, as you can see.

we recreated a photograph from our first day in iasi.
first day on the left, last day on the right.

the theatre.

our beloved metropolitan.

after sitting and talking and enjoying being around romanians and in romania, we ended the night with eventually walking home and realizing reality can not be put off forever, as much as we all wish it could. and we would indeed be leaving our beloved romania the next day and re-entering a more complicated american world. nothing but new adventures lies ahead. while we're excited to go home and be with families and friends once more, we're still sad that this adventure is now complete. my favorite fitting quote:

all changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy;

for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves;

we must die to one life before we can enter another.

anatole frances

on the walk home, we passed by the most adorable kitten and little puppy playing with each other on the streets. yes there are millions of dogs, but kittens are more rare to be seen.
another reason i love this photo? the first day none of us would be caught dead holding or touching a stray animal. last day, all bets are off. :)

the finale of the evening was saying goodbye to michael, as he was the first to leave with a 6am flight. group hugs are something we've become very practiced at these past few days (mario loves them. haaa.), so of course we had ourselves some final bonding time and a group hug. though i don't know that i'd call it bonding time at this point for how well we all know each other and how much time we've spent together. and with that, reality arrived as we realized we really are leaving and all going to our own homes and lives.
oh, romania. how i miss you already.

me, roslyn, melissa, michael, rebecca, breezy, amanda, kylee, and aurelia.