Friday, September 27, 2013
Goodbye, Barlad
It
was our last day of working with the children. Gabi and Alexandra left in the
morning. Gabi will apparently be going to a foster family and Alexandra was
going back to the placement center.
As
the afternoon drew to a close, we said our goodbyes to the children who have
made such a special impression on my heart. It was very meaningful to receive
big hugs and kisses from the staff as we were leaving. It has been a great two
weeks that, as usual, makes a deep impression on my life. The dear children and
the staff are in my thoughts and prayers. It is at this time that I tell myself
that quote attributed to Dr. Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because
it happened.” Goodbye, Barlad.
Entry submitted
by: Steve
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Bringing toys to the children
The
day started with breakfast and a quote from Steve about how one should never
forget a kindness bestowed upon them but one who bestows a kindness should
never remember. The day was filled with lots of activity. The children were
very active. Alina put a hoodie sweatshirt on her head and acted like it was
long hair. It was hilarious. She tossed her “hair” from side to side and it was
quite the sight. She would show me her “hair” and I would exclaim how beautiful
she looked. It is a reminder that every little girl, no matter her
circumstances, wants to feel beautiful. Emma,
Luca, Alexandra, and Ionut loved being held today. Alexandra and Alina loved
being walked up and down the halls.
At
dinner we had delicious Italian food, but the highlight
of the evening was delivering toys that we had bought earlier in the evening to
the hospital after dinner. Steve bought the children a rocking horse, an easel,
and a walker while I bought a push cart which encourages children to walk.
Bringing them to the hospital was met with squeals of delight and it felt like
Christmas morning. It was a wonderful day.
Entry submitted
by: Cher
Message of the Day - Steve: “He who
receives a benefit should never forget it; he who bestows a benefit should not
remember it.” - Pierre Charrin
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Greeted with smiles
After
breakfast at the hotel we again headed to the hospital. We were greeted by
Delia’s smile and some other smiles but some other sounds as well. At 10 a.m. when
the bottles came, they were greeted by some – others turned their heads.
Luciana had her IV moved again and does not want to eat. Ionut also has a red
throat now but he eats anyway – his appetite over powers his sore throat. Alina
is still wearing her surgical mask and Alexandra carrying her chair to a good
place to sit. Delia was sure to let anyone know if they had a toy she thinks is
hers.
After
lunch at the Hotel Moldova, Mihaela took us to the hospital and played dolls
with Alexandra, Luciana, and Delia. I spent late afternoon with sweet Emma
whose temperature was normal today. As Cher lovingly rocked Dan, I’m sure he
thought he was in heaven. As we left, we were again serenaded so we need not
wonder if they enjoy our presence. Another day is history at the Barlad
Children’s Hospital.
Entry submitted
by: Lorraine
Message of the Day - Cher: “I am but one
drop in the ocean, but without me the ocean would be less.” - Mother Teresa
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
In great spirits to see the children
The day started out rainy, but that didn’t dampen our spirits to see the children. We are kind of in our routine in terms of giving the children bottles, yogurt, cereal, mashed bananas, and other food. If we get out of the routine, Ionut is there to let us know. Emma seems to be feeling better and today Cher held Dan for a while. Delia put on a show for the doctor by tapping her toy to light it up and get the music playing. Alina was playing doctor by walking around with her face mask. Sammy and Luca went for walks. Alexandra was being her usual good self. Luciana had her IV stuck in her foot, so we watched her closely. Gabby was being good and our dear Andrei again ate yogurt. We think the children were sad to see us leave at the end of the day because they seemed to almost cause a riot with their screaming after we put them back in their cribs. We ended the day with a good dinner at Alona. The executive chef, when he found out Americans were in the restaurant, introduced himself to us explaining that he worked in the States for a number of years.
Entry submitted by: Steve
Message of the Day - Steve: “To the world you might just be one person, but to one person, you just might be the world.”
Entry submitted by: Steve
Message of the Day - Steve: “To the world you might just be one person, but to one person, you just might be the world.”
Monday, September 23, 2013
Keep moving or you'll get run over!
With
the departure of three volunteers over the weekend and the addition of myself,
the team now consists of three volunteers. The morning began with a breakfast
and the message of the day regarding the need to stay moving or you will get
run over.
The
children at the hospital were a bit more fussy than usual. We believe it is
because of the fact that there are only three of us to pay attention to eleven
children. Delia was particularly fussy in the morning, but calmed in the
afternoon. She is using her partial limb to turn cardboard book pages, which is
quite impressive. Alina was accessorizing all day with costume jewelry,
scarves, and a surgical mask. She is quite the crack-up. Ionut was a speed
racer up and down the hall in his walker and quite hard to keep up with! I got
plenty of exercise keeping up with him, which illustrates the quote of the day,
to keep moving or you will get run over!
Entry submitted
by: Cher
Message of the Day - Lorraine: "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers
Message of the Day - Lorraine: "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Each special child with unique personality
The
end of the first week has arrived…already. We are getting to know the children
and they seem to be getting to know us. The children, each with their unique
personalities, are so special and have a special place in my heart.
Emma
is still in isolation, so I spent some time holding her. She still seems to
have a fever, but she still talks and gives that special Emma smile.
Saturday
we said our goodbyes to Mary Ann and Sunday we said goodbye to Barbara and
Tracey. We are sad to see them leave, as are the children I am sure, but happy
to have made three new friends. Sunday evening we reunited with Cher who is
joining us for the second week. On Saturday and Sunday my mother and I went to
the hospital for the mornings to hang out with “our” kids. We had a great time
each morning, and we certainly appreciated the big job the two aides have
taking care of all the children over the weekends. On Sunday we witnessed bath
time and noticed another child in the isolation room with Emma…thinking it
might be Dan, who we met two years ago.
The
first week has flown by, and I eagerly await the joys and surprises of this
upcoming second week.
Entry submitted
by: Steve
Message of the Day - Steve: “You never stand so tall as when you
stoop to help a child.”
Thursday, September 19, 2013
An amazing little mimic
After
our breakfast at the hotel we headed to the hospital again. We were greeted by
eager faces and smiles. I was able to share a book with Alina after which she
grabbed my glasses and decided it was time to get started. Alexandra is new –
she was sick and recovered and is now a part of our children. She is a sweet
little blue-eyed girl. It took a bit for her to get to know us after which she
was active and happy. Sweet little Emma is still in the sick room with possibly
an infection. Luciana had to have an IV put into her foot for her cold, which
she did not like. Delia was her happy self – repeating motions and words more
than I realized she was able to do. It
is just amazing all that she can do – she is a little mimic. We finished our
day there. We enjoyed delicious food and wonderful fellowship at Dan, Mihaela,
and Delia’s home in the evening. I
wonder where these little people will be in ten to twenty years from now in
their life’s journey. I pray to God that
somehow they will each have a pleasant journey.
Entry submitted
by: Lorraine
Messages of the Day - Barbara: “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but
by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can
introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become
friends.” - Maya Angelou
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Impressed by the Romanian people
Today
was our third day at the clinic. I think that both the children and volunteers
have found our groove together. We have learned which children need a little
extra encouragement and those who need a little bit more discipline. I think
today, I was only pinched once by Alina! However, today Sammy did pull my hair
once or maybe three times.
I
am constantly impressed by the Romanian people. During one of my walks with
Sammy down the hall, a generous woman offered Sammy a bunch of grapes and
muffin. I tried to explain that the grapes were no good because of Sammy’s
developmental stage, which she seemed to understand and then brought an extra
muffin for him! It amazes me that someone with nothing could be so thoughtful
in trying to bring a smile to his face. All of the patients and families on the
floor have been very kind and the children always offer a smile and buna ziua every time we pass by.
Emma
is not feeling well. She ran a high fever and was placed in another room on our
floor. Her fever went down a little today and we hope that by tomorrow she will
rejoin our group. We miss her smiling face.
The
children enjoyed treats of bananas, yogurt, and cereal. Ionut especially
enjoyed his treats as well as everyone else’s.
We
are all feeling a bit tired; however, seeing the smiling beautiful faces of the
children makes it all worthwhile.
Entry submitted
by: Tracey
Message of the Day - Mary Ann: “A true friend
knows your weaknesses but shows your strengths, feels your fears but frees your
spirit, recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.” - William
Arthur Ward
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Children who need and deserve continual nurturing
Today
was our second day at the hospital. It’s amazing how fast time is flying. I am
almost halfway through my time with the team and children. We were surprised to
see the difference in some of the children from yesterday to today. Yesterday,
they were full of energy and wore us out. Today, they seemed more subdued. I
think we wore them out as well. I spent some time with Ionut and encouraged
walking. We walked down the hall and back and I found his confidence to be
increasing. I hope that when I leave, others will continue to encourage his
walking skills. I also spent time with Alina. She is a most engaging child. Her
antics are precious and she is quite bright. Her social skills with her peers
need some improvement, but hopefully she will learn to be more cooperative.
I
am sad to know that the teams are no longer as consistent as they were in the
past. These children need and deserve continual nurturing and support if they
are to thrive.
On
a lighter note, we ended our day with a wonderful Italian dinner and a culturally
informative walk home. Maryanne got to see the Gypsy King’s castle!
Entry submitted
by: Barbara
Message of the Day - Tracey: “There is
nothing more blessed than a young Soul and we, as Humans, have a responsibility
to do what we can to help that Soul not just survive – but to thrive – with
whatever power we have.” - Misdeb
Monday, September 16, 2013
A day of firsts
Monday
was a day of “firsts”:
1)
School was re-opened with a wonderful program featuring a number of very
talented boys and girls singing songs about school and friends – very upbeat.
It was great to see all the children dressed in their new school clothes and
carrying flowers for their teachers. Lots of proud parents accompanied them. We
were very happy to be included in this event.
2)
The hospital where we met the staff and children. It was my first time here, as
everyone was new to me. Barb and Tracey had been to Romania before but not this
location. Lorraine and Steve knew everyone, including many of the
children.
I
found myself watching each child carefully to learn as much as possible about their
conditions and abilities. There are nine children, each with very special
needs. There was so much energy in the children’s rooms, and almost all of them
responded joyfully to the individual attention we were able to give them. It
was a wonderful and rewarding first day and we returned to the hotel exhausted
from and filled with our day with Alina, Gabby, Ionut, Luca, Luciana, Emma,
Sammy, Andrei, and Delia.
Entry submitted
by: Mary Ann
Message of the Day - Dan: “Thousands of
candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will
not be shortened. Happiness never decreased
by being shared.” - Buddha
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Reunited with friends in Romania
Today
was our first full day in Barlad. We had a pretty relaxing day, which was much
needed before we begin working with the babies at the hospital. This day was
dedicated to learning about our team, the Romanian language and customs as well
as what our routine will be for our time in Barlad.
This
being my third visit to Romania, the events today were a nice refresher to what
I had learned on my previous trips. During my down time, my mother and I went
for a walk around town. We went to the local market and grocery store, but were
unable to find our beloved Cappy and Poiana!
While
I have been to Romania before and had prepared myself for what I was going to
experience, I still found some of the things I saw to be emotional. Being an
animal lover, it is very hard to see so many stray dogs and cats and unable to
offer them the support I would if I were home.
I
was very happy to be reunited with my friends, Mihaela and Dan. It has been
quite a few years since I have seen them. Most enjoyable was seeing Delia and
how she has grown into such a beautiful and personable young lady. She
delighted our group with her singing a version of the song “Apa”. I look
forward to tomorrow, where we will first be guests at the opening day ceremony
of the local middle school and, of course, meeting the wonderful children and
staff at the hospital.
Entry submitted by: Tracey
Friday, June 7, 2013
An eye-opening experience
Today was
our last day and it was so much harder than either of us could have predicted.
There were tears as we had to put the kids in their cribs for the final time,
from both the kids and us! Sara and I are wishing we could just adopt all nine
children and bring them home with us. But our last day was nothing short of
amazing just like the other hospital days. We took lots of pictures and made
the kids giggle extra amounts! I can speak for the both of us when I say how
hard it is to leave them. We are feeling so blessed to be able to meet such
amazing kids and it is reassuring to know there is another round of volunteers
coming right after us. This experience has been so eye-opening and has really
made my future goals more clear! All nine of the kids will forever hold a
special place in our hearts. We will miss everything about Romania!
Entry submitted by: Jamie
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Feeling blessed in Romania
Today, we
had another fun day at the hospital and starting realizing tomorrow is our last
day. The kids were very attached to us today, especially when a tour group came
in and viewed the hospital. It was awesome that the kids felt comfortable with
us when strangers were around yet heartbreaking because we know it will quickly
be coming to an end. We are not excited for our last day, but we are feeling
blessed to have met such amazing kids in the first place.
Entry submitted by: Jamie
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Teaching Romanian children English
The past two
days have been fun as usual, just a little more tiring without our third team
member. On Tuesday Gabi's possible foster mom came to visit and we were excited
she might have a home but reluctant to say goodbye. The kids have been sick for
a little while but most seem to be getting better and it's showing in their
moods! On Wednesday we had a normal morning, then went with Mihaela to the
hospital for the first time. Alina got to go outside and run off some of her
energy before it rained, but we wished we could have taken all the kids
outside. As the week is winding down, we are beginning to think about saying
goodbye and wishing it wasn't so soon. These two days, Jamie and I also went to
the middle schools and worked on English skills with a variety of different
aged children. It was so cool to see how their schools operate and to hear the
questions they had for us about English and our American culture in general.
Entry submitted by: Sara
Monday, June 3, 2013
Another fun day with the children
Today we
lost a team member so it was just us two girls against the nine kids! Iontz
went back to the placement center and even though he was very quiet to begin
with, the hospital atmosphere felt much emptier without him. This was the first
day either of us interacted with Alina because our teammate was usually with
her and she didn't like the lack of attention to say the least! (She was put
into time-out quite often). Even though most kids were sick (including
ourselves), it was yet another fun day with the kids!
Entry submitted by: Jamie
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Visiting beautiful castles
Friday – Sunday Free Time
The past
three days we stepped aside from the hospital and visited some of the most
beautiful places in Romania. On Friday afternoon, we traveled to our Bed and
Breakfast or “pension” with our driver, Durrell. It is located in Bran right by
the mountains. The family we stayed with was extremely friendly and welcoming.
On Saturday, we went to Dracula’s Castle in Bran and explored the beautiful
castle and learned the history of it along the way. Then, Durrell took us to
Sinai to see the Pele’s Castle, which was much more extravagantly decorated
compared to Dracula’s castle. By the end of the day, we were exhausted so we
went back to the pension. On Sunday, we went to Brasov where there were many
stores to shop at and we bought many souvenirs. Unfortunately, the
uncooperative weather came in the way of our shopping so we got an early start
home. We loved seeing all the pretty places in Romania, but it was also very
nice to be back to Barlad!
Entry submitted by: Jamie
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Learning about each child
The kids
were a little bit crankier today, Luca and Luchianna especially, but there
might be a cold going around causing all the crankiness. It’s still great to
come to the hospital. The novelty hasn’t worn off. Every day is a little bit
different and we learning more about each child and what we can do to make them
happy. For Luca if you shake his belly and shoulders I can usually get him to
laugh. Luchianna just wants someone to hold her all the time to be happy. Today
we did a lot of “teaching” with sign language with Gabby and Alina and then
went to the middle school. I’m a little nervous about what we will be doing and
how to open the students up to us. But at night, we were able to be Mihaela’s
guests at the high school prom where we met some very nice and welcoming
students and learned some Romanian dance traditions. It was definitely an
experience we will never forget!
Entry submitted by: Sara
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Children warming up to us
Today was
our second day at the hospital and we felt as if we have been at the hospital
forever. We all kind of strayed to certain kids and started developing a daily
pattern. The kids started to warm up to us and cry when we leave. It was a
pretty average day, but it was a great day to learn the routines of the
hospital!
Entry submitted by: Jamie
Monday, May 27, 2013
Screams of happiness on our first day
Today was
our first at the hospital! We went in a little nervous but were welcomed by
Alina’s scream of what I hope was excited happiness. Most of the morning we
played and began to learn names (we knew them all at the end of the day!) No
one was really crying or causing trouble yet. Just lots of big ones from Emma
and Luca! After lunch we had another snack and I had my first baby spit up ever
from Luchianna and spent the rest of the afternoon making sure everyone was
comfortable. It feels great to have started the work we came here to do and I’m
excited to get to know the kids here and see what we can do for them.
Entry submitted by: Sara
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Our first full day in Barlad
Today was
our first full day in Barlad! Sara, our teammate, and I met our team leader,
Mihaela, for the first time as well as her and Dan’s daughter, Delea. It was
Delea’s tenth birthday so we were invited to her party at one of their favorite
restaurants. It was a very cool experience to be able to compare their birthday
traditions to ours. After that, there was a cultural festival right next to our
hotel where a famous Romanian singer named Smiley was performing and all the
girls were so excited. Even though we were too exhausted to go, we opened our
window and got to hear the concert. It was overall a successful first day but
we are excited for our first day at the hospital tomorrow.
Entry submitted by: Jamie
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Departing from Romania
At 7 a.m. we were at the breakfast
table. Around 7:30 Dan arrived and arranged our transportation to the Bârlad
train station. Around 8:10 we boarded the train to Bucharest. We elected to
travel this way because Corey had never before ridden on a train. The five
hours passed rather quickly and then we were at Bucharest Nord. Laura and Corey
got a taxi to the hotel for which they had a reservation and Lori got a taxi to
the Bucharest airport. And thus our team experience came to an end.
Entry submitted by: Lori
Friday, March 22, 2013
Getting more than we give
Two of us were up early. September is off to Bucharest and Lori got up to
tag along and try to help. Dan arrived at the planned time of 6:20 a.m. and we
were off to the train station in the rain, which of course created big puddles
to avoid, both in the car and by foot. Dan bought September’s ticket and then we
waited about ten minutes. The announcement came for which peron (“platform” in English, but peron is also shared in Polish and maybe a few other languages, for
this is one word used also by the Netherlands railroad) the train would arrive
and we went outside. Dan helped
September get her luggage up into the train and then he and Lori went back to
car and then the hotel.
Our team of three joined for breakfast and then held our morning meeting
with Dan was usual. We made plans for our trip to Bucharest tomorrow morning. Corey and Laura were then quickly off to the
hospital for their morning work there. Lori was off to the school as usual. Today
she had the students do “What do you hear?” She created this exercise,
listening for numbers given orally, after some students the day before had
expressed astonishment when they thought she was asking them to find fifty
objects within an I Spy puzzle, whereas she was really asking for fifteen. Then
she also used the homophones “ate/eight” and “to/too/two” and asked them to
identify the number word. Neither the morning nor afternoon students could do
the “to/too/two” group with accuracy. Perhaps they have not been exposed to the
numbers as written words. They could easily do “ate/eight” correctly because
they knew “ate” had something to do with “eat.” As usual the second hour
consisted of games such as Jingo and Hangman.
Corey and Laura reported they had another good day at the hospital with
the children. Again, there were not a lot at the tears when leaving for these
two volunteers are determined also to come back and work with these precious
children.
Mihaela and Delia joined us for our evening meal. Mihaela graciously
thanked us for our service. Most often, as will with this group of volunteers,
we feel we get more than we give.
Entry submitted by: Lori
Thursday, March 21, 2013
A few tears
This
morning our team was in sync we all had the same meal for breakfast. Lori brought to the breakfast room the
beautiful knitted hats she made for the kids asking us to take them to the
hospital. Off we went in our separate directions: Lori, teaching English and
the rest of us at the hospital. Our days
all went smoothly, Lori in a routine at school and going with the flow of
things even when one of the students did not want to participate. We at the
hospital are really getting a routine down with the kids, and our last day is
almost here. September did well at the hospital as I only saw her wipe a few
tears for she knows she will return soon.
At dinner we decided we all made a great team and that we had reached our goals that we spoke about on the first day we arrived.
Tomorrow we will be one less but still a team and a great one at that.
Entry submitted by: Laura
Message
of the Day - Lori: “Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it that
you can.” - Danny Kaye
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
A birthday celebration
This morning
we met for breakfast at 8:15 and then had our usual morning meeting with Dan at
8:30. After breakfast, Corey, Laura, and September left with Dan for the
hospital. The children greeted us with happy faces. Coca had all the children
dressed and ready for the day. Coca takes such good care of the kids. They are
lucky to have her.
This morning Alina was ready to dance, dance, and dance! More hokey-pokey
and chicken dance .Gabi joined in, too. Luca was in a good mood this morning.
Luciana also appeared to be feeling better. For the morning snack Coca mashed
bananas and put them into strawberry yogurt. The kids loved it!
At lunch time we celebrated Gabi’s fifth birthday. Oh what a special day!
Coca put all the girls in frilly dresses. Dan picked up a special birthday
cake. He also provided special little
cakes and soda. We sang “Happy Birthday” in English and the staff sang in
Romanian. Everyone had fun, especially the kids. We took many photos of the
kids dressed up.
Lori joined us for Gabi’s
birthday, too. She had a nice visit to
the Children’s Hospital. At 1 p.m. we all met in the restaurant for lunch.
Everyone ate chicken snitzel one last time! Yummy!
At 3 p.m. we returned to the hospital with Dan. Some of the kids were
still asleep. The afternoon went well. We put a blanket on the floor and played
with the kids. At 5:30 it was time to leave. This is still the hardest part of
our day. It is hard to say goodbye to our new-found angels.
Lori had a lovely afternoon with the sixth graders. They had a bit of trouble with the numbers
while playing Multiplication Bingo, but really knew worldwide landmarks when
playing Landmark Bingo. Lori mentioned they must have a very good geography
teacher.
At 6:30 we met in the hotel restaurant for the evening meal. We spoke
about how our trip is coming to an end.
We will never forget our time with these little sweet souls.
Entry submitted by: September
Message of the Day -
Laura: “I slept, and I dreamt that life was all joy. I woke, and saw
that life was service. I served, and discovered that service was joy.” -
Rabindranath Tagore
Yes, it’s a repeat from last
week, but it’s such a good idea that it deserves to be repeated as it provides
a foundation for our day.Tuesday, March 19, 2013
A yogurt treat for the children
The day began just as most have, we all
met up in the hotel restaurant downstairs at around 8:15 a.m. It was a quiet
morning due to some of us being tired. September was having a little trouble
sleeping from thinking so much about the children at the hospital. After
breakfast, Corey, Laura, and September departed for the hospital with Dan, who
would also be transporting Lori to and from the school for the day.
The morning at the hospital was one of
the easier that we have encountered, mostly due to the fact that we are so used
to the schedule now! Corey sat with Andrei and Clio for much of the morning because
Andrei was fussy and Clio just needed some well-deserved attention. Laura and
September spent a lot of the morning dancing with the children to the “Chicken
Dance” and the “Hokey Pokey.” The kids just love hearing those songs over and
over and over!
Bananas and yogurt were had by all,
which the kids really enjoy. The morning also brought about the first of a few
diaper changes Corey finally did! Overall the morning went well with a less
than tearful goodbye until the afternoon. Back to the hotel for lunch!
After lunch, we headed back to a very
quick passing afternoon. Filled with laughter from all the kids, even from
Luca! It was wonderful to see him laugh even while sick. Today was probably the
easiest goodbye yet. Very few baby tears! Only two/three days left with the
little ones though. We're all dreading leaving!
For dinner, Mihaela took us to the
delicious Italian restaurant where we probably all ended up overeating, but it
was too good to pass up! At dinner we heard about Lori's good morning with her
students and then her afternoon with the older kids. As it was a different
group from the day before, they were not quite as advanced. It was a good day,
and night, had by all.
Entry
submitted by: Corey
Message of the Day - Lori: “Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a
long time ago." - Warren Buffett
Special Note: Dan said this message of the day made him think of a
Romanian proverb, “To have a meaningful life – plant a tree, dig a well, build
a house, and have a child.” The tree is for bringing comfort to others, the
well is for bringing needed water and nourishment to others, the house is all about
family, and the child is about the future.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Learning about Romanian culture
Despite being tired from the weekend trip, September,
Laura, and Lori were up a bit early and took a walk to the outdoor market. They
had a fine time admiring all the vegetables for sale, and Laura and Lori each
bought a jar of honey.
Back at the hotel we held our usual morning meeting
with Dan. Lori’s afternoon assignment has changed from 4th graders
to 6th graders from the “high school.” Today she had students in
both groups describe what they did on the weekend. It was amazing how many
reported they had spent Saturday doing homework. The next most popular activity
was computer games. In addition to this discussion, they used letter stickers
to make their name and then wrote 4-6 words for each letter of their name in
both English and Romanian. The rest of the class time included Hangman and
various Jingo games. After afternoon school Lori went with Dan to the “Chinese
store” to buy window blinds for the hospital rooms where the precious children
stay.
The hospital team members reported the children
have seemed to settle into a schedule with the volunteers. The kids are surely
being kids, showing jealousy when
someone else is getting attention and also moving fast and slipping away
in just an instance of time. All expressed concern about Clio’s change of
health status. And, one little lady now has her own necklace and she doesn’t
have to feel sad in the afternoon when the volunteers leave. A special treat
for the toddlers today was yogurt and bananas – food that may seem common to
us, but something they don’t see often.
All joined together for lunch with Dan. We asked
questions about the vegetables we had seen in the market that were unusual to
us. We also learned about the building history in Bârlad. Much doesn’t look
“old” here because of a devastating earthquake in 1975 followed by more
destruction of buildings by the Communist administrators. Mihaela joined us for evening meal at the
hotel. We had a wide ranging conversation at dinner, too. A fine time had by
all. Our weekend tour plus all of these wonderful meal-time discussions with
Dan and Mihaela help us achieve another team goal: to learn more about Romanian
culture and language.
Entry submitted by: Lori
Message of
the Day – Corey: “Don't be stressed, just be confident at what you do and
that you did it. Understand that there is more than one road you take to your
happiness.” - Steve Breaston (University
of Michigan football player and now at free agent status in the NFL)
Sunday, March 17, 2013
A weekend getaway
Saturday and Sunday Free Time
We
awoke in Brasov with directions to be ready around 8:30 for breakfast. There
was still a touch of snow outdoors. At the left is our van with its dusting of
overnight snow.
The
breakfast buffet at the City Centre Hotel was a nice change of pace. Being able
to refill the coffee cup was a great luxury. When done with breakfast, we
checked out of the hotel and loaded everything into Dorel’s van and then drove
part of the way to Black Church. We walked some of the same route we had done
the previous evening, but this time we could really see the beautiful buildings
of Brasov main square, shown at the right. But first we saw some interesting
glass mosaic art along the street.
We
arrived at the Black Church and paid our 6 lei for admission, deeply regretting
the notice that said NO PHOTOGRAPHY. We were all amazed at the interior for it
is decorated with certainly at least 100+ Turkish rugs, each about 3x5 feet. None
of us had ever seen such a sight before. We walked about trying to take in all the
information we could sort out and translate from German. (On Monday Dan
explained to us that the rugs were provided by German traders who would travel
to and from Anatolia, present day Turkey. They would donate a rug each time
they returned in thanksgiving for a safe trip.)
We
also saw a pillar that appeared to have gun shots – the work projectile is used
in the Romanian and German signage – from December 1, 1989. Regretfully we
forgot to ask about the history and meaning of this when discussing our weekend
trip with Dan. We surely enjoyed seeing
such a unique church interior. We slowly made our way our way back to van
enjoying again all the beautiful architecture that is in Brasov.
We
headed to Bran. Once there we went to Club Vila Bran and checked in. Our rooms
were not ready. Thus, we went to lunch with most of us again trying new foods
found on the extensive menu. Then we walked to the Bran Castle and enjoyed the
tour there very much. The views inside the castle are very interesting and at
points in the tour one gets onto terraces and can get views of the surrounding
countryside as well.
Following
the tour we spent some time in the markets. Then we found our trusty driver,
Dorel, and he took us back to Club Vila Bran. By now we could get the keys to
our rooms. We walked up a long staircase from the parking area to a terrace,
and from the terrace up more stairs to the entry to Vila 1, only to discover
our rooms with numbers like 10, 11, and 12 were not on first floor as Europeans
count, but actually on 2nd floor (3rd floor as Americans count) - up
more stairs to very lovely rooms.
September
and Lori rested for bit, while Corey and Laura went exploring. Corey tried a
bit of horseback riding. Good thing, because they knew the layout of the resort
and could get us to the restaurant for dinner at 7 p.m. when it was dark. This
required about five minutes of walking up staircases, but when we got there,
the restaurant was lovely, the food was great, and we surely satisfied
achievement of one team goal – having fun.
We were most grateful that the trip back to Vila 1 was all downhill.
We
met Dorel at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. We all thought we were going to
breakfast with him. Something was lost in translation somewhere along the
line! We instead drove directly to Peles
Castle. Dorel parked the van and led us the area where we could buy
tickets. Immediately the word was WOW. Peles Castle, seen at the left, is truly
magnificent. We really enjoyed the tour, despite the requirement to go up and
down a lot of stairs and not lose a slipper.
After
the tour we walked around the exterior of the castle taking photos. Then we
stopped at the coffee bar for cappuccino or hot chocolate. We slowly made our
way back to where the van was parked – the folks from Texas and Arizona being
particularly chilled by the 27 degree weather, but yet marveling at the beauty
of the snow fall. As soon as Dorel saw us cross the castle gate, he drove the
van to meet us, waiting while two team members purchased penguins!
We
had decided we didn’t want to do the cable car ride up a mountain. The
combination of snow and clouds would make it impossible to really see anything
special from the mountain tops. We stopped for lunch at a lovely café. Then we
headed back to Bârlad, arriving at about 5:45.
We
quickly dropped our luggage in our room and then Laura, September, and Lori
headed off to the Gypsy King House. Returning, we made a stop at Lidl only to
discover that it closed at 5:00 on Sunday. On the way back to the hotel we
stopped by Penny Market, too, to check on sizes of diapers, finding nothing
there was the right size. However, they were; Lori made a mistake in her
conversion of kilograms to pounds, actually doing the math backwards!
Back
at the hotel we gathered for supper at 6:30. We made a plan for covering the
journals for the coming week. We are surprised that our time suddenly seems so
short and soon we will be leaving Bârlad.
Entry submitted by: Lori
Friday, March 15, 2013
Looking forward to the children each morning
This
morning was breakfast as usual, concluding with our traditional team meeting
that includes the message of the day and the journal from the previous day.
Today is our fifth day together. So far we are a wonderful team!
After
breakfast Laura, Corey, and I left with Dan for the hospital. We look forward
to greeting the children each morning. Alina was especially excited to see
Laura as she loves taking Laura’s necklace and putting it on to wear
herself. Gabi was in good spirits. She
really loved dancing to the songs we played – the hokey-pokey and the chicken
dance. Alina, of course, wanted us to play the songs over and over again. Needless
to say we got quite a workout.
Luca
wasn’t feeling too well today. Corey spent time with Luca, trying to comfort
him. Dan took Luciana to the adult hospital. She has an ear infection. She will
be getting IV antibiotics later today.
At
12:30 we left the hospital to meet our team for lunch. This will be our last
meal with Rich and Margaret as they leave tomorrow for Turkey. They will be
missed next week.
At
School #2 Rich and Margaret repeated their rocket experiment for another group
of students. Lori played a DVD featuring “Dem Bones” and “I Know an Old Lady
Who Swallowed a Fly” with her students. In the second hour her students played
Multiplication Bingo and Food Jingo. She said the kids were lovely.
At
2 p.m. Dorel picked up Lori, Corey, Laura, and me for a trip to Brasov. It was
about a four-and-a-half-hour drive. Dorel is an excellent driver! We enjoyed great conversations with each
other. It made the time go fast. (At breakfast on Monday following our trip, we
also spoke about how much we enjoyed seeing the countryside between Bârlad and
Brasov equally as much as all the special places we visited during the trip.)
Around
6:30 pm we arrived in Brasov and checked in at Hotel City Center. Our rooms were
very nice. We were all pleased.
After
we checked in, we quickly left for the city center. Everyone was hungry. Dorel
took us to an excellent restaurant, Butoiul Sasului. We were each treated with
a complimentary glass of schnapps. Schnapps is hot going down!
Entry submitted by: September
Entry
submitted by: September
Message of the Day – Laura: “The doors that we open and close
each day decide the lives we live.” - Flora Whittemore
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Spirit and enthusiasm for learning
The
morning began with our usual breakfast along with some additional cups of
coffee. We all spoke of being extra tired in the mornings and think it may be
due to the weather which has been quite dreary, at least for us Western people.
Our team split up after breakfast. The hospital team found their little cherubs a little extra tired and needy today, too. Luciana was having some ear issues, Clio went out for some x-rays, and the rest were in need of some extra cuddling.
We all met up for lunch, Margaret and Rich needed a little extra rest time and Lori was in need of paper for class activities, but we would all meet up for dinner.
The afternoon went wonderful for our seasoned professor, Lori. She is always amazed at the little things the students teach her. Lori was also able to film Richard and Margaret's class experiment. Margaret and Richard love the students’ spirit and enthusiasm for learning and how polite they all are. Their day went great and the science experiment was a hit!
The afternoon at the hospital was full of cuddles and lots of walking and soothing. The hardest part of the day is when we leave and the children cry. It breaks all of our hearts! September may just sneak back and stay the night!
Dinner was with Mihaela, Dan, and Delia who treated us to an authentic Romanian meal of sarmele, a type of cabbage roll. Mihaela's mother prepared our special meal. What a special treat to be welcomed into their home. We are all so very grateful for their hospitality.
Entry submitted by: Laura
Message of the Day - Richard: “If you think you are too small
to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.” - Betty Reese
Thought
for the evening - Laura: “All great change in America begins at the dinner
table.” - Abraham Lincoln
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Service is joy
Our group of volunteers met in the hotel restaurant
for breakfast and our daily meeting at 8:15 a.m. Richard was particularly tired
due to the fact he awoke at 3:00 a.m. revising the planning for the experiment
that he and Margaret would be teaching the children that day. Before finishing
breakfast, September, Lori, Laura, and Corey began to discuss with Dan the
weekend plans for visiting Brasov. After breakfast, we all parted ways and
headed to the hospital/school.
Today was a less hectic day at
the hospital, mainly due to the fact that it is our third day and we have
gotten into a rhythm with the children and their schedule. Alina was still full
of energy as always and Gabi ate her meals better today. Little Delia was not
so cooperative, but she was still as happy as ever. Clio and Andrei were near
each other in the morning. Luca walked with all of us today, which is good for
him. Luciana was very active and baby Ema was all smiles until we had to leave
for lunch.
We arrived back at the hotel for
lunch with Dan. Lunch was a potato soup and some fried chicken with fries.
Finishing up, we headed back to our rooms to rest for the second part of the
day!
Arriving back at the hospital at
3 o'clock the children all needed to be woken up from their naps and be fed
again. The afternoon went pretty smoothly seeing as we were mostly by ourselves
with WONDERFUL Coca leaving at 4 o'clock. She really is a saint! The most
traumatic event of the day happened to September! She decided to change Ema's
diaper under Laura's supervision and oh boy! It was messy! But just like everything
else, we got through it. Saying goodbye was not as tearful, but still just as
hard.
At dinner we heard that Lori had
another good day teaching her students. And then Richard and Margaret described
how their propulsion experiment worked, but as with any other experiment, not
as planned. But being the quick thinkers Muggsy and Rich are, they improvised
and the children loved it! The dinner was a quick one, only lasting about an
hour, but there was an exchange of family pictures. It was nice seeing how
everyone else lived back home.
Entry submitted by: Corey
Message of the Day - Margaret: “I
slept, and I dreamt that life was all joy. I woke, and saw that life was
service. I served, and discovered that service was joy.” - Rabindranath Tagore
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Getting the hang of things
This day had the same schedule as Monday for the
volunteers going to the hospital and the school. During the morning meeting we
also made a plan to go to an Italian restaurant for the evening meal. Mihaela
went to the school with the teaching volunteers and Dan went to the hospital
with the volunteers caring for the children. Teaching went more smoothly for
Rich and me. We are beginning to get the hang of things! Lori has loaned us
some of the game to play with the students and that is a big help. Flexibility
is the key. Today Lori learned a new Romanian word, insecta, which means “insect” in English. Some verbs are close to
English, too, but most are very different.
The hospital volunteers found things a little more
difficult today. The kids slept more, seeming to be tired out from the all the
activity and stimulation by the volunteers on Monday. The children also cried
more today when the volunteers left. Delia, daughter of Dan and Mihaela, is
with us much of the time. She is delightful! Her English skills are above
average because of her exposure to the Global Volunteers.
Hotel Moldova is better than our expectations. It
is clean, has nice bathrooms, and we get fresh towels daily. The restaurant has
good food.
Today was also a pastry day. Both groups went to
the Berlin Café; the teaching volunteers went with the school principal where
they were privileged to hear Mr. Stefanik’s memories of the revolution and how
it played out in Bârlad. The evening meal at Trattoria da Vinci was especially
good. The team members are having fun getting to know each other better. Good communication!
Entry
submitted by: Margaret
Message of
the Day – Corey: “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of
intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of
honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty;
to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a
redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Monday, March 11, 2013
Our first day at the school and hospital
The six of us gathered for breakfast around 8:00.
Dan, co-country manager, came in after breakfast. We held the typical morning
meeting with the message for the day and the journal reading. Richard
volunteered to write the journal for Tuesday and September offered to bring the
message for the day. After breakfast all volunteers returned to their rooms for
final preparation before starting the day’s work.
Today was our first day at the school and hospital.
Margaret, Lori, and I went to the school while Laura, Corey, and September went
to the hospital. As Margaret and I are not teachers, today was a bit nervous
for us. Around 12:00 we “teachers” returned to the hotel and met the hospital
team, and we compared our morning. The first morning at school ended with mixed
results. Rich and Margaret found that the morning students were less proficient
in English than was expected. There was a need to change the program for the
afternoon group. Flexibility is a necessity. Lori played Multiplication Bingo
(for other journal readers – this game is used to give practice saying the
numbers, from 1-144, in English, not to teach math) with her class and had a
good morning with them. The hospital team all had a rewarding time with the
children. September wondered how hard
it’s going to be say goodbye to them. Corey had a good time, as he expected,
running up and down the corridors with one of the little girls.
After lunch we returned to the hospital and school.
Richard and Margaret’s revised program worked better, and the afternoon group
is also more proficient in English. We had to go over vowel sounds, an
important beginning concept for all the classes. We had them write small
sentences and then we played Hangman and Food Jingo. We had a good afternoon at
the school.
Entry submitted by: Richard
Message of the Day – September: “Anybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have
to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb
agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”
- Martin
Luther King, Jr.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Becoming a team
Our team of six assembled at the Bucharest airport. When all had
arrived, the luggage was quickly loaded into the van for the trip to Bârlad. We
traveled about two hours and then stopped in Bazau for supper at
McDonald’s. Then it was another two
hours north. North of Bazau we began to see the vineyards, of course in a
dormant phase during March. We also saw snow banks clinging to sheltered areas
where the early spring sun was not yet warm enough to melt them.
It was dark by the time we arrived in Bârlad. We quickly checked into
Hotel Moldova. The first question we had: What’s the password for the wireless?
Most had good luck getting connected. Laura, Corey, and Lori went to the Penny
Market hunting for important needs: wine and chocolate. Most retired for an
early night as jet lag is alive and well among the volunteers.
Sunday morning found us all at breakfast around
9:00. Afterwards some went for a morning walk. At 11:30 Mihaela arrived. She
led us on a bit of tour of Bârlad and then to the Alona restaurant where we had
lunch. New volunteers were amazed by the restaurant’s décor which certainly can
be described as “eclectic!” While we
waited for the food to arrive, Mihaela explained the Global Volunteers’ history
in Bârlad. We all did a personal introduction, but truthfully we had covered
introductions in the van and at breakfast as well. Following lunch, we walked to the school at
which Mihaela is both teacher and vice-principal. There we worked on establishing
personal and team goals. The team goals we established are:
(1) To better a child’s life
(3) To help students
(4) To have fun.
Next we established Characteristics of an Effective Team, namely:
patience
kindness/gentleness
flexibility
ability/willingness to learn new things
We walked about the school building, admiring the
beautiful architecture. Then we came back to the hotel for a break that
appeared to include some naps!
At 5:15 we gathered again in the hotel dining room.
Mihaela started a Romanian language lesson, but when we were joined by Mr. Stefanik,
the vice-principal of the school where some of the volunteers will be teaching,
we changed to discussing the plans for the school teaching program. Mihaela
then went on to plan with the volunteers who will be working at the Children’s
Hospital. We did return to the Romanian language lesson, making valiant effort
to roll the Rs.
Final plans for the days are to have breakfast at
8:15, team meeting at 8:30 for the journal and message of the day, departure of
volunteers to the hospital at 9:00, and departure of the teaching volunteers at
9:40. We will review the day’s activities at a team meeting over the evening
meal.
Entry submitted by: Lori
Message of the Day - Dan:
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of a
candle will not be shortened. Happiness is never decreased by being shared.” - Buddha
Friday, January 4, 2013
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