Occupational Deprivation

For those of you unfamiliar with occupational therapy jargon, the term "occupational deprivation" refers to persons separated from performing their daily activities due to various circumstances out of that person's control.  After nine weeks at Casa Sperantei I find myself longing to participate in several mundane occupations.  Some of those I yearn for include:
1.) Cooking!  Besides occassionally making oatmeal on the stove I haven't cooked at all-- something I enjoy passionately and miss tremendously.  (P.S. when I respond that I am making oats the usual remark is "we feed that to animals", lol!)
2.) Grocery shopping.  Usually I buy whole-wheat bread for the week and that's it.  Yes, I actually enjoy strolling up and down the aisles to purchase delicious food to cook.
3.) Doing laundry.  So far two pairs of Nike shorts and one shirt have gone missing.  Needless to say I would miss this task even if nothing had been lost.  Minus ironing  =)  .
4.) Church!  While I find time to spend in prayer and the Word each day I truly miss the fellowship, worship, and singing that accompanies being connected with brothers and sisters in Christ. 
5.) Socializing.  Iulia and Madalin provide some fulfillment of this occupation, but I cannot deny that I am looking forward to social events with friends and family when I return-- even if that just means sitting in a room talking or playing a board game.

While I'm sure there are others I can think of if I ponder long enough, these come to mind immediately.  Despite not performing these activities I find myself continually blessed at Casa Sperantei and God daily provides everything I need.  Life is good because He is good.

As a side note:  During my evening stroll one night this week I heard "Cotton-eyed Joe" coming from one of the houses.  The next night I heard "Blowin' in the Wind".  Neither of which I expected to hear while in Romania, but the former much more than the latter.  You just never know...