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!