Warning! Lots of stories and pictures

I had my first tram experience last week. The satellite apartments are an extension of the orphanage for kids getting ready for foster care.  To get to these apartments, we have to take the tram. At first, I felt isolated, on my own, and independent. This is when it really hit me the reality of living in Romania. I am here, completely immersed in a foreign country apart from what feels normal and comfortable. Some days are harder than others, but at the end of the day when I am laying on my bunk, feeling the hot air around me, I know it is worth it and where I need to be. 

At the apartments, I get to work with 5 amazing little kids! After just a few minutes of meeting one little girl, she gave my the nickname of “Sora Mea”, meaning my sister. Now every time she hears my voice or sees me she continues to call out “sora mea, sora mea”. I absolutely love it! The boys I work with are so lovable! All very different and difficult in their own way, but the more time I spend with them, the more I love them! Each kid in the orphanage has a write up on what the past interns experienced and did with them each semester. These are helpful to read because they explain what handicapts or illness the kids have along with what activities the interns found helpful. One of my little boys would not accept people touching or picking him up last year with the summer interns. This summer, I can’t seem to get him off of me. He greets my at the door with a huge smile and very loud screams of excitement and continues to run and play and climb all over me. Consistency and persistence is what these kids need. Improvement and growth does not come in one day, or two, or sometimes an entire summer, but it comes. 

Every day we volunteer in the hospital in the afternoon. The work we do there is very different than than orphanage. In the orphanage we work with the same kids all semester and building relationships with hopes to help them and their development. The hospital is constantly full of many many sick kids. Many of which have mothers there who stay with them during their treatment and stay, but many of which have mothers who have abandoned them and drop off the babies at the hospital and never come back. Also, many of the children from the various orphanages go to the hospital when they are sick. So, plainly stated, we act as the mothers of these kids. What do mothers of young kids do at the very minimum: Hold the baby, change the baby, have interaction of any sort with the baby. That’s what we do at the hospital. 

Sometimes, holding a crying baby for 30 min or an hour seems like a long time, but when that is the only hour of the day that they are held, it doesn’t seem so mindless anymore. I’ve never been a huge fan of changing diapers, but when you know the baby hasn’t been changed since you saw them the day before because they’ve leaked through the diaper and you’re the only one supplying diapers… it doesn’t seem so bad. Not to mention, these babies are ADORABLE! Ahh, they are just the best and we look forward to seeing them. Going into the hospital, we never know who is going to be there and who is going to be gone. It’s kind of a weird thing when the nurse shows me into a room with a child without a mother because I am excited there are children for me to be with, but at the same time, it is sad that they have to be there in the first place. 

The great thing about this trip is that although the purpose of the trip is to work and be there for the kids, we have room for some fun! Nights and weekends we are always in search for fun things to do that will introduce us to Romanian culture. Something we’ve done included:

• Concert in the city! The great thing about being in a University city is that all the fun stuff happens right here! There was a huge concert last weekend we went to with all the main Romanian pop artists. It didn’t take us long to realize, that our little circle of American were the only ones singing and dancing, but it was very fun nonetheless and it was said there were 100,000 people there!
  
  
  

  

  Finally good to wear real clothes rather than scrubs!

  

  

  The concert with the girls and some of our new branch friends

• On Friday night we have what we call “date night”. Since obviously, we can’t date while we are here, we pair off with one of the other girls her and go do something fun toegether to get to know each other more. Last night, me and Kate went to The Great Gatsby. Movies here are in English with Romanian subtitles. SCORE 
  

• I have a lot of fun here just trying new foods, cooking, and going out to new places. I have discovered a love for vegetables while I am here because they are very abundant and delicious. I balance out my newfound healthy habits with keeping my Sunday cookies tradition alive! Back home, I always made cookies on Sundays and the lack of chocolate chips and brown sugar here was no obstacle to continue the tradition.

  

  We cut up chocolate bars for the chips and it worked great! So yummy!

  
  

  

  MMM, street food! Shaorma is one of our favorites

  
  

  

  Cookies on our break!

   
• Branch involvements. Since we are such a big part of the branch, we are very involved in the meetings, activities, and institutes they have for the members. For those who are not, LDS reading this, a branch is just a small congregation for the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the area. The missionaries translate meetings for us and I was able to teach Sunday school my first Sunday here. It was a great experience and I was quick to love the branch members! Last week we had an activity at the lake where I got to play soccer with the locals, paddle-boat, and get together.

  

  Teaching Sunday School

  
  

  

  First Sunday there!

  
  

  

  Paddling with Miranda

  
  
  
  
  
  

• Bach violin concert. There was a violin concert at one of the churches with a Romanian violinist playing. It was amazing and a nice mid-week break from work! 

  

  Aislynn plays the violin so it was fun to go with her

  
  

  

  And it was a beautiful chapel!

• And sometimes we just walk around to experience the culture and explore the city. Romania really is growing on me and I am starting to love it!

  

  Pidgeons EVERYWHERE!
  

  
  

Today I got lost in Iasi

Yes, as the title suggests, I got lost in Romania! Don’t worry, folks, I am safe now and both in retrospect and in the moment it was quite a hilarious day. I have so much I want to to update on the blog, but I had to put those on hold to record the day. 

So, first, Caroline and I are working in the apartments that are an extension of the orphanage. Some of the kids at the apartment were in the clinic or the orphanage in past semesters and have now been moved to the apartment. Like the orphanage, the apartment has workers with them in shifts throughout the week, and us! To get to these, we have to take the tram to another part of the city. Both me and Caroline arrived in Romania a little over a week later than everyone else because my sister was getting married. Anyway, we are just going on our one week anniversary of arriving in Romania while the other girls are going on their 3rd. Having said that, we know our way around least and I am working quickly to catch up! I accepted the challenge to go to the apartments on our own today, putting responsibility on myself to know how to get to the tram stop, where to get off, how to get to the apartment from the stop, how to get back, which tram to take to get back (there are several different trams), locate the correct stop to get off at to go home (which is different than the one I got on at), and find my way home from there (which I thought I had done, but I later discovered I had not). Easy, right?

We successfully got on the tram and to the right stop, but couldn't remember how to get to the apartment. By the process of elimination, we finally recognized where we were and got there safely. CHECK! We laughed as we walked down an unfamiliar street how we were lost...in Romania. 

It ended up being a fabulous morning! The kids were happy to see us, and after a long weekend away, I was so happy to see them too. We went to the park and played for a couple hours and then finished the morning in the apartment. The worker there today was wonderful, too. You never know who you are going to get. Some of the workers are really strict and seemed very harsh and mean, others, like the one we worked with today, are very helpful and seem to really care for the kids. I set a goal for myself to try to have conversations with the worker rather than looking at her with a blank stare saying "nu stiu"(I don't know) like I felt like I did far too much of last week. So, I studied up on some questions to ask and conversations starters the night before. Nervous, and with the help of my helpful notebook I carry around, I had quite a few conversations with this worker. She told me about herself and her family and I did the same. We were able to talk about the work and the kids and somewhat even understand each other. It was great! That goes to show how much you can actually get if you just try. No, I am not fluent in Romanian, but I can learn more each day and drastically improve.

We have write-ups on the little boys I worked with today from past interns. Reading these is heartbreaking, but also very informative. They let us know what kind of physical and mental disabilities the children have, along with things the interns have done in the past to entertain and help them.

After leaving the apartment, we made our way back to the tram and got on the tram we were told takes us back to my apartment. As I was sitting on the tram, I asked Caroline to refresh me on what stop it was. It was then I realized that she was sick the other day when we had the stop pointed out to us, so it was all up to me to get us home. Oops. I didn't recognize anything and we rode for what seemed like forever. Finally I got off what seemed to look familiar, and I was right! I skipped off the tram feeling all good with myself when I had another realization: I never actually went back to my apartment from this stop. You may call it lost, but we called it adventure. I put my confident face on and started trekkin' through the city. When I found myself in an unfamiliar place, I just took it as an opportunity to practice my Romanian by asking some natives where different landmarks are. After over an hour of trial and error, we made it back!!! With some fried chicken and slushies in hand too!

To top off the day, Caroline decided to nearly burn down the apartment. I ran into the kitchen to a pile of paper towels on fire on the kitchen floor. Classic.

Lots going on here in Iasi! More updates to come!

Zi o (Day one!)

Live from Iasi! After over 24 hours, we arrived in Romania. Talk about culture shock! We went from Dallas to London to Bucharest, RO, to our final destination city. The last flight was mainly occupied with Romanian business men. If my broken Romanian didn't give it away, my red hair screams NOT NATIVE, so I've gotten a few stares. The city of Iasi is a town full of college students and business workers. We are living the true Romania life, folks!

One of the pretty areas of Iasi next to the mall

I have only had one full day in Romania, but it didn't take long to notice how different everything is.

1. People don't smile at you. I was warned of this before I left, but it is so true! I make eye contact and smile with people on the street, and I just get blank and confused looks back. Note to self: look miserable and distant and I'll fit in better.
2. Stray dogs and pigeons EVERYWHERE! They don't bother you and we get pretty used to seeing them around. 
3. Gypsies are real and they are all over Iasi. You can easily recognize them by their long decorated, sparkly skirts. Some have really fancy shoes and headdresses, too. I'm not kidding, it's a real thing!
4. The night I got into my apartment, my roommate told me "We have just had to get used to a new definition of sanitary". I laughed it off and told myself that wouldn't be true for me. Well, the day has come. I enjoy the minute or so of having clean feet after first getting out of the shower and accepted the dirt after that. The bathroom also has a questionable smell we try to kill with air freshener. No success yet, but we have faith it'll come. 
   
   

   

   Apartment kitchen

   
   

   

   My cozy little top bunk!

   
   

   

   The view from my window

5. People stare at you. I would easily bet we are the only Americans in the city. Because of that, we get lots of stares. I am going to miss the attention when I get back into the U.S. (Okay, not so much, but it'll be different to blend in again).
6. Piatas (Open fresh food markets) are great! One of the few things I feel confident saying in Romanian is asking for food. I was able to practice this while buying yummy fresh fructe si legume (fruits and vegetables). Win/win

   

   First shopping experience! Trusting that what I bought is edible considering it is all in Romanian

Caroline and me at the Piata!

Now for the reason I am here:

Between all of the workers we are working in the orphanage, the hospital, and a couple of apartments that are an extension of the orphanage. Today we went to the orphanage for the first time. I spent some time in each of the rooms, but I don't have my final assignment yet. They are adorable. There is a wide variety of kids there: babies, toddlers, older kids, bedridden kids, and lots of physically and mentally handicap kids. They love absolutely anything new! One day I wore a head band and that seemed to be the highlight of the morning. I brought my iPod out when one of the kids asked for "muzica, muzica!" and it was a hot item! I didn't have any kids' music on there yet, but they seemed to love my Jack Johnson and Coldplay music nonetheless.  Often times we have a hard time differentiating the boys and girls because they are not always dressed gender specific and the girls' hair are cut short. Nevertheless, these kids are happier than some of the kids I know from home. they make me so happy and make the work worth it.

The hospital is a whole different story! The hospital we go to is eight floors high has two wings. We go through each floor asking "Aveti copii fara mame" (Do you have any children without mothers?) and the nurses point us to the rooms with abandoned children in them. The hospitals in Romania are VERY different than hospitals in the States. It is a very sad and shocking sight to see what their healthcare standard is. I was able to hold three babies today that have absolutely no one who claims them. I read the sign that was above one of the beds and saw the empty line where "Numele de mama" (Mother's name) is supposed to be. I held a tiny tiny boy who's head was flat on one side from laying on his side for so long. I slowly and carefully picked him up for fear that his tiny little limbs would break right off. Holding these orphan babies is truly something I have never experienced before.

Spital (Hospital). Look promising?

I have a lot to learn and lots of foreign food to try. This whole culture shock thing is workin' on me, but I'll get a hang of it! The sun came out for the first time since I've been in the country today and it really is beautiful here! In a second, the little narrow roads and broken sidewalks transform into a beautiful city with many very well-dressed people. I've only been here three days now and I've seen so much, but much much more to come. Stay tuned. Until then, le revedere!

I don't know what this is, but it is cool. :)

Anticipation and Preparation!

After two strong years of studying at Brigham Young University, the next goal was to find a study abroad program that suited me. At the same time, I have had a strong desire to go out and serve people and children of a different country for a long time. My dream to travel and serve came true as I found the Romania Internship through BYU. 

With this program, me and 10 other beautiful girls will live in Iasi, Romania, for 3 months working in an orphanage and children's hospital there. The orphanages and hospitals in Romania are unlike any type of childcare or healthcare service here in the U.S.. These children are abandoned, alone, disabled, and most all have severe attachment disorders. Without anyone there to hold, talk to, or even touch the children, these kids live in an environment only imaginable to us. I am there to love them, teach them, and do my small part to give them my whole self for just one summer. 

I leave in one week to start this life-changing adventure. Now I just wait in anticipation of this amazing experience. The preparation, however, to get me to this point was an experience of it's own! Nancy Bean, the International Travel Specialist at BYU, performed wonders to get us the bets deal on flights all around Europe. She got us to Romania and coordinated all our travels around Europe after the Internship. 

Our first itineraries for the trip!

I was enrolled in a Romanian Course to learn the basics of the Language. In this class the other interns and I grew close as we took on a new language together. Our wonderful TA, Bryce, and teacher, Maria, became good friends!

Our wonderful class!

Studying for the Romanian Final was far more rewarding than any other of my finals because I wanted to learn as much as I could to prepare for living in Romania.

Maria was a wonderful teacher and did wonders to get us excited about her home country. She was a great support for us throughout the semester.

The next thing to undertake was fundraising. A few of us got together to put on a Yard Sale to raise funds to buy a summer's worth of diapers for the children in the hospital. To our surprise, it was a success! After that, we continued to bond as a group with studying and having dinner together to "practice our Romanian" however instead we just talked about how excited we were!

Despite the cold overcast day, the Yard Sale was fun!

Finally, after being cleared with the International Program at BYU, we were given our very own famous International Studies backpack. This backpack is a big deal. It is coveted by all who haven't gone on a study abroad and cherished by all who have. We were excited to say the least to get ours! This back pack will travel with us everywhere we go!

I can't wait to leave in a week! The expenses and long hours on the plane will be well worth the wait I'm sure! Until then, La Revedere!