Joyce and Wayne are one of the two pairs of surrogate parents for me. I worked with Wayne in Romania 10 years ago and he helped me with my grad school applications. He continued to help when I got here, with wise advice that he humbly called unsolicited but which was always extremely appreciated. He helped me find the bike I’m still riding.  I’m looking forward to biking with him once spring comes and I’ll be living close to Bethesda. And, as if all this help had not been enough, Joyce offered that we have our wedding ceremony in their living room. They are one of the two reasons we can have a wedding.

The other reason is the other pair of surrogate parents, Bob and Donna (pic to come soon). Bob worked together with Wayne in Romania when I met him. Once I got here, he offered endless help with resume tweaking and advice; a steady shoulder in the trying times of adjusting to another culture. Right after Joyce offered her living room, Donna jumped right in and offered to help us with the catering. You can see now how crucial these people are to this whole affair and how lucky we are to have them as friends. They — together with one more person I met while in my last job in Romania and whom I’ll introduce soon — are  responsible for bringing me here AND helping with the wedding. I’ll be forever in their debt.