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. :)