Last Day in Bucharest

Back to Bucharest to Otopeni International Airport and a night at the Angelo

The view from my hotel room window

My room: a nice change of pace

After a night without much sleep and a 5 hour van ride to Bucharest, I made it to the Angelo Airport Hotel. Dan was so kind to have the driver drop me off here and also to drop Trevor and Delta off at their hotel, the Confort Rin, which isn't too far from where I am. I'm a two minute drive to the International Departure terminal at Otopeni Airport. In fact, I can see incoming planes from my hotel room window, and I hope I can catch one as it comes in for a landing. Hilarious; I just got up a second after I wrote this, and I caught a plane coming in. I hope I can get a better picture than the one I got later. I can't hear a thing even though I'm so close to a runway, believe it or not. This hotel must be well insulated.

I'm thankful for a little bit of luxury after three weeks that weren't very luxurious. The hotel room is a nice shade of green, which is a great change from the yellow that Romanians seem to favor. I have a comfy, soft king-sized bed, a sitting area, a stocked mini-bar, a bathroom equipped with shampoo and a hair dryer, and room service (if I can find the menu anywhere, that is). Although I'd really love to be headed home, this is a nice break from traveling and it's great to have some quiet time for introspection and relaxation. I caught Dennis on Skype before he headed out to his golf game, and we're both really excited that I'll be home tomorrow. I won't be leaving him for a three week stretch ever again; if I do this again, he has to come with me.

This has been an incredible experience, even though it was hard to be away for so long. I have to admit that I teared up again as Bogdan waved goodbye to us. This is really funny. We had two waiters during our stay at Pensiunea Raluca. They were both named Bogdan, so we called the dark-haired one Bogdan 1, and the blond-headed one Bogdan 2 (not to their faces, of course). Bogdan 1 finally warmed up to us by the last week. He joined the group for Tuica (pronounced swica) on the patio one night, and he even shared some of his homemade variety (which is much better than the store-bought kind). Tuica is plum brandy, and it will knock your socks off. I didn't make it out there in time to partake, unfortunately, but it was great to hear that he did it. He even talked about his family. He started smiling at us a little the last week, too. We got a few pictures of him, and we're talking about getting shirts made with his picture and the phrase "Bogdan rules" on it to remind us of our three weeks in Tutova. It's funny how people become part of your life and how meaningful these connections are. To me, Bogdan's friendliness was symbolic of acceptance. By the end of week 3, I truly felt a part of the Tutova and Barlad communities. It's a feeling you can never get as a tourist.

A top five list from Romania:
5. If you don't like tomatoes, you'll have a hard time at Romanian meals--breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Some days were really rough for me!
4. If you can't get homemade Tuica, don't bother. Thanks, Mihaela, for a taste of the good stuff!
3. Phillip Morris will never go out of business as long as they have a plant in Romania; people smoke like chimneys here!
2. Romanian television--sensationalized, dramatic, and quite entertaining. It's on in every restaurant. We watched animal cruelty, car/train accidents, and child abuse stories every night at dinner. By the last day we resorted to pretending that the body bags were laundry bags (there was a horrible train/car accident that killed 24 people in Iasi yesterday, and the images were gruesome) so we could eat our meals.
1. Romanian drivers are a breed of their own. They're fast, fearless, and fanatical. Hope you don't get behind a vehicle with Russian plates, because if you do, you might not live to see another day, especially if Halim is your driver!

I will never forget the time I've spent here. I had to come halfway around the world to get here, but I'm so glad I did. Thanks, Fund for Teachers. This was truly incredible.

Day 20: The Last Day at the Clinic

Precious Mihaela; if I could pack her in my suitcase, I would!

A little hair pull from my favorite gal

Delta let me hold "her" baby, Daniela, for a minute

This gizmo works great; put a crying Marius in it, and magic!

Susan and the birthday girl, Alexandra

It wasn't easy saying goodbye at the clinic, either. We celebrated Alexandra's birthday with cake, said our goodbyes to the clinic physician, Dr. Delia, and spent a few precious last hours with the babies. I'm not so good with the bottle feeders, but I can deal with those toddlers! I spent most of my last afternoon hugging and playing with Mihaela, Ionela, and Sami, with occasional visits from some other kiddoes and volunteers. Sami and I had a great time playing ball, and Mihaela and Ionela gave me a good arm workout with all the climbing and holding on they did. It's a good thing Americans can't adopt anymore because if we could, I would have found a way to take Mihaela with me. I love them all, but she really stole my heart. I'm so thankful I've spent some precious moments with them, and I hope none of them will be at the clinic next year but will be in good, loving Romanian homes instead. Noapte Buna, sweet ones! Pa!

Day 20: The Last Day at School

Cosmin scaring Andrew

Musical Chairs; Andrea won (she's in the red wizard hat)

Me and Alix

Me and Trent's girls (mine, too!): Monica and Oana. Can I bring them home with me?

It looks bad, but it was a game--pass the gummy thing! Me and Radu

Halloween came in August this year. We decided we'd have some fun today and celebrate the time we've shared together by throwing a Halloween party for the kids. They--and we--had a great time.

Today was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Yes, I cried. I'm ready to come home, but these teenagers have really won special places in my heart. I will miss them terribly, and I wish I could bring them all home with me! Getting to know them and becoming a part of their lives for this short period of time has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I can honestly say that I feel about these kids the way I've always felt about my students at the end of each school year. They are kind, compassionate, considerate, wonderful kids; their parents should be so proud, and I'm sure they are. I learned much more from them than they learned from me. Most importantly, they've given me hope that the world can be a better place and that future generations will make it so. La Revedere, students. I will miss you! Multumesc!

Day 19

Cosmin and Andrew holding up their victory eclairs; Andrew beat me soundly in Scrabble (with a little help from Cosmin and me--just call me a softie)

Mihaela, Dailia, and Mihaela's Mom, who is a superb cook!

Dinner at Mihaela's: what a treat! Chicken & vegetable meatballs are to die for!

Another good day at school, followed by our last dinner out. Mihaela had the ten of us who stayed all three weeks over to dinner last night at her apartment. Her mom cooked for us, and, of course, it was the best meal we ate in all the three weeks. The teachers had already sampled her meatballs one afternoon when Mihaela had to stop by her apartment, so we knew what we were in for. Fresh grapes and plums straight from the farmer's market, meatballs and polenta, roasted chicken with vegetables, and a yummy cake from Mihaela's favorite bakery for dessert. Those who didn't stay all three weeks really missed out!

Day 18

Mihaela having a good swing

Trevor and Ionela are burying Sami's legs

Me holding Ema

Today was pretty uneventful. I played two games of Scrabble--one with Alix and Radu, and then a rematch with Eduard joining the three of us. I won the first game, so the guys wanted to get vengeance. They did. Alix won by a landslide and gloated profusely. Alix and Radu were kind enough to take me to the post office. I bought a postcard from Bran for my mother-in-law two weeks ago and kept forgetting to mail it. The funny thing is that neither one of them had ever been to the post office before and had no idea what to do. We get in line and Alix bought my 4 lei stamp for me. We dropped the postcard in the mailbox outside and wished it bon voyage. I asked them if their parents used the mail to pay bills. They told me no. They can pay a few bills online, the guys told me, but most of the local bills like utilities need to be paid in cash at the company offices. Now I'm understanding a little better why several generations live together. There needs to be several people earning paychecks and at least one person who stays at home to do all of the other work like cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, and bill paying. No wonder most Romanians I've seen are in such good shape. They do lots of walking everywhere!

This afternoon I went to the clinic to play with the babies. I held Lea Celine and Andreea (at different times, fortunately--they're both heavy girls), pushed Sami in his swing, and enjoyed a swing and a snuggle with Anna Maria. I tried to feed Andreea her bottle, which she refused. It was too hot, and after it cooled down, she wasn't interested. I have never bottle-fed a baby, so you can imagine how pitiful I looked. I didn't tilt it right, and I didn't know what to do when she wouldn't take it. I told Becca and Amy that I'd better stick with cereal feeding. They were kind and said the first time is always hard. Not having a child of my own and missing out on all these experiences has definitely impacted my ability to help here. The aides just smile at me and shake their heads. I feel pretty foolish. Hopefully I'll get a little more practice with my niece.

Just two more days after tonight. I'm ready to come home!

Days 16 and 17

Another horse and buggy pic

Trevor and Monica at the map pointing out how far away Romania and the US are!

Me at the children's library

Paula holding up a blank patron record at the children's library

The last work week is finally here! It has taken me two days to recuperate from our trip to Bucharest. I've had to take a nap both Monday and Tuesday afternoons, and I'm still tired! School continues as usual. We still have quite a few students showing up for each session. The eleventh graders tend to show up for the first session, and sometimes the ninth and tenth graders stay for both sessions. We work from 9:00 to 1:00. Surprisingly to me, the most difficult thing I've found about this trip is working with some of the volunteers to plan activities. I guess different people have different ideas about how to do things and it can cause conflict. Who knew.

I also think it's important to understand that this isn't a vacation. We're not in an area frequented by tourists. That means some of the amenities we're used to as Americans aren't here and there's no point in complaining about it. I knew going in that this was not a vacation, so I was surprised that some people had the same expectations they would have if they were on a vacation. My advice, for what it's worth: if you want a vacation, take one. If you want to immerse yourself in another culture and you're willing to serve and you're flexible and open-minded, then volunteer. Don't bother to complain about the food, the service, or anything else because it isn't going to change. We're the oddities here, and we have to find a way to fit in.

I've enjoyed working with the students for the past several days. We talked about jobs on Monday, read an article about the top careers that are still good in spite of the economy, compared them to Romanian jobs, and talked about the sad fact that our college experience doesn't give us the technical skills that we need to compete for these jobs. I find over and over again that we share the same problems, frustrations, and concerns. Today the girls took me to the children's library. Again, there must not be a Romanian word for the concept of weeding. The library was full of very old books. I don't think I saw a book that wasn't yellowed with age, dusty, and quite worn. I think the Romanian librarians would be horrified if they saw what I have done for the past two years at the QVMS Library! I'm sure they would love to get the books I had to remove from the collection to make way for new ones. I have lamented not having as much money as I like to buy new books, but after seeing these libraries, I am more thankful for what I have.

We're headed back into Barlad tonight for a little shopping and our second to last dinner out. Time is flying by. Soon it will be time to say our goodbyes.

Weekend in Bucharest

Parliament House; the biggest waste of space in the world, courtesy of Ceausescu

Me in the train station at Bucharest, ready to get back to Tutova

Taking a little break after touring the Museum of Romanian Art
(Muzeul National de Arte al Romaniei). My feet hurt!

A beautiful church in Bucharest; behind it is an enclosed courtyard, which was one of the quietest, most peaceful places we experienced in the city

Remind you of anything--in, say, France? It's called the Arcul de Triumf in Romania

If anyone books you a room at the Hotel Capitol in Bucharest, say thanks but no thanks. I had no idea that I needed to request an air-conditioned hotel. I assumed all hotels in Bucharest were air-conditioned, as did our coordinator here, Mihaela. It is not air-conditioned, and it was hot on Saturday afternoon. Fortunately the temperature cooled down in the evening, but if you have to keep a window or patio door open in Bucharest, you'd better be a sound sleeper. I'm not. The street noise and the wedding next door that went on until 5:00 a.m. kept me awake. As did the fear of bed bugs. This is the first time I wished I hadn't read trip advisor reviews. A woman thought she got bed bugs there, so naturally I was paranoid. I don't think I did, but every time I think about it I get the sudden urge to scratch my leg.

Also, if you want to shop in Bucharest, you need to be there on a weekday. The shops close early on Saturday if they open at all, which is very different from what Americans expect. I was disappointed that I couldn't get into the shops that sold art, not that I could have afforded it anyway. Bucharest is pricey.

We did a lot of walking and a lot of museum touring. Saturday we walked through the Lipscani district, taking pictures of beautiful buildings and churches. We visited Vlad's Court, which is being excavated. There wasn't much to see. It looked like a big cellar. But there was a cool statue of Vlad that sent shivers down my spine. He may not have drank blood, but he sure looks capable of it. Later that afternoon we went to Museum of Romanian Art. The museum is huge; by the time we got to contemporary art on the third floor, my feet hurt and I was exhausted and ready to eat dinner. But it was a beautiful museum, and the paintings and sculpture were truly amazing. Sunday we went first to the Village Museum (Muzeul Satului), which contains period homes from all over Romania. Most of the homes were purposefully small; close quarters provided warmth. It made me think about how spoiled I am with my four bedroom home, my air conditioning and central heat. This is a must-see museum because you can't see the whole country in one trip; here you have homes from villages across the country all in one location. Later we walked over a mile to see the Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul Taranului Roman), which showcased how they really lived--their clothing, tools, machines, wagons, furniture, art work, and bibles. Their faith was the central tenet of their lives, and it shows in everything they did. The icons and the painted eggs are truly beautiful. The embroidery was exquisite as well.

We tried to tour the Parliament House on Sunday afternoon, but the lines were extremely long and you had to go through security. I just didn't want to risk it with my backpack on my back. So we took pictures of the exterior, made our way back to Lipscani, had lunch, and headed back to the train station. It was good to get away for the weekend, and I feel like we covered a lot of ground in Bucharest, but it was a relief to board the train in Bucharest and to see Mihaela waiting for us at the station in Barlad when the train pulled in at 10:00.

Day 13

One of the hotel hounds; he got soft-boiled egg for breakfast. Every time he sees me, he comes running.

Radu and I in front of a church in Barlad
There is grafitti on just about every surface; this is a more artistic version of it.

Game day; Trent with Radu and Oana. We'll miss you, Trent!

It's day 13 and a Friday; does that make it like a Friday the 13th? It kind of feels like that. My buddy Trent is leaving, and we're all down about it. The kids at school will really miss him, and I will, too. The kids are asking him to come back next year and telling him how pretty Barlad is in the winter to try to entice him to come back sooner. Of course, there's no program at the school during the school year, but who knows? Maybe they'll convince him to return next summer.

Today was game day. We decided that Trent was in charge of activities since it was his last day. We watched a few more presentations, one from our fellow volunteer, Trevor, and two from students. Then most of the students played games. Alix, Andrea, Radu and I went for a walk and took some pictures of a church I had seen and liked. Gheorghe was in the second group; it was his last day with us because he's going to watch the meteorites in the countryside next week, so I stayed at school to play Scrabble with him, Maria, and our volunteer, Amy. Maria beat us by 10 miles, as usual. She scored 67 points on one word (Amy, who was winning before her, helped her do it!). Then we said our goodbyes, boarded the bus, and headed back to Tutova. Trent said that the realization that he is leaving hit him right then; he looked sad. Mihaela brought us some bite-sized pasteries to cheer us up a little on the ride back, but realized halfway there that she had left her purse--and all her money--at the school. Fortunately, when she went back 40 minutes later, it was right where she left it and all the money was still there. Would that happen at our schools in Texas? Somehow I just don't think it would.

We had birthday cake for Amy, who is turning 19 tomorrow, after lunch. Then a group went back to the clinic; I'll go back at feeding time, 5:30, and I hope I can get someone to take a few pictures. I won't look good--it has been rainy and humid all day today--but the babies will. Hopefully they're not eaten alive with mosquitos. The rain has brought cooler temperatures, which is a blessing, but the curse is the mosquitos. This is the last night with Terri as my roomie; she, Trent, Eve, and Lila are headed out tomorrow. Eve and Lila are staying in Bucharest for a few nights; Trent and Terri are headed to Amsterdam on two different flights but hope to meet up there to hit the red light district together. Amy and I will ride with them on the train and part ways at the train station. We're staying at the Hotel Capitol, which is right in the center of Bucharest and close to most of the attractions. I've read some reviews that worry me, but hey, when in Romania . . . . I'm just hoping there aren't bed bugs. Anything but that!

I can't take my computer with me, so this is La Revedere until Monday. Keep your fingers crossed that Amy and I find our way around Bucharest safely!

Day 12

A church in Barlad

The Gypsy King's Palace

My roomie Terri and I at our last dinner together in town

We had a good rain late yesterday afternoon that prevented us from going to the clinic until 7:30. I was in the toddler room with Ionela, Mihaela, Sami, Alina, and Maiestra. Sami pulled my hair again when I wasn't paying attention. Ionela had a great time running between Trevor and me and being lifted into the air. Maiestra wanted to be held, which was tough because she's a big girl. We think she is autistic. She loves music and looking through things like sunglasses. She doesn't speak, but she shakes her head at you like she's telling you no. She cried when Trevor and I put her down, so I turned on some music to distract her. It worked. When the music stopped, she wailed, so we immediately got it going again. I think everyone got plenty of exercise; there wasn't as much crying when we put them to bed as the last time.

Trent is having stomach problems, so he stayed home today. We missed him and we will miss him next week when he's in Amsterdam and, after that, headed back home. He's very good at starting discussions and keeping them going. I'm the one who needs structure--I need a piece of literature to read to begin a discussion. Fortunately today I had one; most of the tenth and eleventh graders worked with me. We read Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" and we discussed his view of work in the late nineteenth century versus our view of work today. We ended up having some interesting discussions about which professions Whitman would choose to write about today as well as a discussion of the current economic crisis and how it's impacting our countries. The students concluded that corrupt politicians and an infrastructure damaged when the country changed hands are problems that continue to plague Romania. We talked about how to change that, and we were all quite pessimistic because we concluded that with human nature the way it is, there are few people in this world who are not selfish. Gheorge suggested that we create a one world order, one government to control everything, a federation; I asked, "Like in Star Trek?" and everyone laughed. It's great to hear students express their opinions, and in all honesty, they are very much like ours. Corruption, greed, selfishness, and the lack of ethics and morals are common human characteristics and affect all countries, not just our own.

Mihaela gave me our train tickets to and from Bucharest; the cost is $109.20 lei, which translates to about $39.00 per roundtrip ticket. I don't know which hotel we're staying at Saturday night, but I'll find out when we go into Barlad tonight and stop by the travel agent's office. Amy Johnson, the college student from Utah, is going with me. We'll arrive in Bucharest between noon and 1:00 and Saturday and stay until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Amy will turn 19 on Saturday, so I plan to treat her to dinner to celebrate. Big city, here we come!

Day 11

Most of the library tour group

Taking notes

The librarian--so gracious!

Another view of the library--the oldest books are in the case

The reading room contains books published before 1950

I enjoyed dinner at Alona last night very much (especially the chocolate crepe!), but we always get back late and I suffer the next day. We had a great discussion about religion with our first group, though. Trent got us started; he asked if the students would be comfortable discussing the topic, and they quickly said yes. We learned a little about our students' Christian Orthodox faith, but we mostly discussed more philosophical issues like why God lets bad things happen to good people and why religious differences cause such strife. Some expressed dismay that organized religion has become a business and that spirituality seems to get lost in the face of materialism. We really couldn't have this kind of open discussion at home. Amy, another volunteer, joined us today and will probably go back with us for the duration. She's 19, and the students warmed up to her quickly. They're always very sweet to me, but I know they really enjoy talking to the volunteers who are close to their age.

We split into two groups after our discussion on religion. One group went with Trent, Trevor, Stan and Carol to the Museum of Natural History. I wasn't really interested in seeing an exhibit of dead things, so Monica and Oana volunteered to take me to the public library. I was amazed that the guys joined us--the two Alix's, Theo, Andrea, and Radu came too. Andrea took some great pictures for me; she's a much better photographer than I am! The librarian gave us a private tour, and Monica translated for me. I think she spoke English because she understood my questions, but she answered in Romanian. She was very friendly, showing me the collection and even opening a glass case that contains the oldest and most valuable books. She showed me a Cyrillic Bible from the 19th century and other old books that she keeps in envelopes because they have no way to replace the binding once it falls apart. They have a total of 183,000 books, 40,000 of which are in the reading room (these can't be checked out). They have three computers with Internet access available to the public, and books can be checked out for 14 days at a time and renewed if needed. The students told me that they usually just come to the library when they need information for school, but that they really rely on the Internet. Unfortunately, like our students, they copy and paste from Wikipedia and hope they don't get caught. Of course I had to fuss at them about it, but that's what librarians do (or at least this one does!). They use the Dewey Decimal system, but there are no labels on the books themselves. They call it the Clasificarea Zecimaea Universala--the Universal Classification System. There are no labels with the Dewey numbers on the books themselves; when they reshelve books, they look the book up in a print catalog to determine where it needs to go. They do not have a computerized cataloging system; they have the old card catalog! I didn't get to ask about weeding, but from what I saw, they don't throw away much. They keep old magazines and newspapers, too--for a very long time.

There is a separate library for children's books, but we weren't able to tour it yet as the librarians were on their lunch break and they lock all the doors while they're gone. We may get to go back tomorrow. It was fascinating seeing the library and talking to the librarian; she was very gracious, and she told me that when I come back to Barlad I am always welcome (cumplacere) at the library. Bine!

Radu's crazy picture; he's not quite as excited about the library as I am, but he knows how to entertain himself!

Day 10

Lila with Ionela and Mihaela

Maiestra tossed the ball to me and caught it when I tossed it back!

I keep forgetting to mention this, but when I log in to Blogspot, the instructions are in Romanian. Once I log in, the instructions return to English, but it's interesting that the computer knows where you are in the world and assumes that if you're there, you speak the language. Below is what it says in Romanian:

Limba:
Conectaţi-vă aici la Blogger folosind contul dvs. Google
Nume de utilizator (email):
Parolă: (?)
Memorează login-ul meu (?)

Creaţi un blog. Este gratuit.

Buna Zuia! I feel much better today, even though it is horribly hot. It must be in the high nineties. This morning we stayed at the school in the classroom and several of our students presented the movies they created about their lives. They are just so well done. I can't say enough about how talented these kids are. Then Stan had made a PowerPoint showcasing some American landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Golden Gate Bridge and we talked about those. Oana volunteered to make one about Romania. With the later class we went to a museum. A number of people have either donated or loaned their private collections to the museum; Anna's father is loaning his. There were beautiful paintings, expensive oriental rugs, and all kinds of antiquities, including furniture, weapons, jewelry, and even military uniforms and medals. The guide spoke in Romanian and the students translated for us, but I'm pretty sure she knew English. I don't think she was comfortable speaking it in a large group, though.

Last night at the clinic I fed Ionela, Sami, and Mihaela. Sami is into hair pulling now; he pulled all the girls' hair, including mine. He pulled hard; that kid has muscles! He also flirted with Ionela, making kissing faces at her. I need to get it on film! The kids were a little fussy, fighting for attention and fussing with each other. I think they know there are fewer volunteers here now, and there seems to be some kind of "pecking order" being established. Ionela wins hands down, though. That girl is bossy! I won't go to the clinic tonight since we're having dinner in town, but I'll go back at feeding time tomorrow. It was a little easier than the late shift. Leaving a baby crying in his or her bed, reaching for you is pretty hard to take! I'm working on developing my baby holding muscles so I'll be ready to hold my new little niece when I get home! La Revedere for now!

Day 9

Going back to work this morning was tough. I can't seem to get enough sleep; there's always so much to do! We got back from our weekend trip around 8:30, had dinner, then I Skyped Dennis and Gus, washed whites from the weekend and hung them up to dry, cleaned up, downloaded a few pictures, and called it a night. It's amazing how much you can miss simple conveniences like a washer and dryer. I have to handwash my clothes, wring them out, hang them so they'll drip in the bathtub, and every time Terri or I want to take a bath, I have to move my line of wet clothing. As you drive through small towns and big towns in Romania, you see clothes lines filled with people's laundry hanging from lines secured to apartment balconies, draped across porches, or blowing in the wind in yards.

Today one of our students, Paola, presented her movie. It was beautifully done and it captured her personality and spirit to a tee. She even shared some of her art, which is just incredible. I won't post it to protect her privacy, but I copied to my flash drive and she gave me permission to show it to my kids at school. What a treasure! I also got a book about Barlad and the surrounding county from one of our students, Anna, whose father is in charge of the local art council. The pictures are incredible, and most of the information is in three languages: English, French, and Romanian.

We talked about the Roma people today and students' perception of the gypsies. We encountered some gypsies on our travels as well as in Barlad, so we were interested to hear what our students would say about them. Most of our students disliked them, calling them lazy thieves. A few of our students had gypsy friends, though their friends didn't quite live the way their parents and grandparents did. They had become assimilated into Romanian society, attended school, and didn't try to stand out from the average Romanian student. We talked about racism and prejudice in the US and Romania, and we came to the conclusion that as long as there are human differences, there will probably always be these negative stereotypes. Later my students read a poem about the Internet and we talked about what a dominant role the internet plays in all of our lives. The poem was very positive, so we discussed the negative aspects of the Internet and most students agreed that playing video games and chatting for hours wasn't the best use of their time. Then Oana gave us a preview of her presentation for tomorrow. I'm still amazed that students volunteered to make videos of their lives; I've never had an American student volunteer for work! Trent's group took him to the supermarket so he could buy peanut butter and other necessities to get him through the week. Interestingly enough, it's really hard to find peanut butter here. It just hasn't caught on because it isn't widely available, but we've been sharing what others brought, especially at breakfast. Some meals here just aren't very filling. It seems to be feast or famine--nothing in between.

This afternoon I'm updating my blog, and if I have time, I'll start making a movie. I'm going over at 5:30 to feed the babies. I don't have to wear a mask at last, so I won't have to worry about little hands trying to pull it off my face or struggling to see the baby I'm holding. Five team members left this weekend, so we're down to 13. Next weekend, 4 more will leave, and 2 don't go to the clinic at all. That leaves 7 people to do the work 17 did. I'll let you know how that works out!

Weekend in Transylvania

Views from my room at the Vila Bran

Trent, Trevor, and I: the three Musketeers or the three Stooges?

Right now I'm sitting at a table upstairs in the restaurant at Vila Bran. It's pouring down rain outside (I sure wish we were getting this rain at home!) so everyone has come in from the patios to have drinks and appetizers. It's a beautiful place. It's like stepping into the movie The Sound of Music. I'll upload pictures soon; I brought my camera with me but forgot the cord, and there's no way I'm walking out into the rain to get it!

We arrived at the Vila Bran last night around 8:00, checked in, had dinner, and enjoyed a terrific night's sleep on hard beds with soft pillows. I do miss my sheets! Here instead of a sheet you get something like a duvet, which is a little too warm to sleep under (no ac here; we have ac in Tutova, but I think it cuts off sometime around midnight and doesn't cut back on until about 5:00 in the morning). We're in the Carpathians, so the air is cool and crisp in the mornings and evenings. It gets hot during the day, and the sun seems to burn more brightly here. Sunscreen doesn't seem to help much.

We visited the Black Church, which got its name from a fire that nearly destroyed it and blackened its walls. It is filled with priceless oriental rugs; merchants gave them to the church as an offering thanking God for safe passage to and from the Orient. It is a Lutheran church, and the back of the pew can be moved so the congregation can either sit facing the alter or facing the most incredible organ I've ever seen. It's also filled with beautiful paintings that were donated to the church by wealthy congregants over the years. No pictures can be taken inside to preserve the building, but I took a some video of the outside from far away. The church is enormous, impressive, and the sense of history and tradition pervades it.

We can see Bran Castle from where we're staying!

After shopping and lunch in Brasov, we headed back to Bran to visit Bran Castle. Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) never actually lived there; supposedly he spent a few nights imprisoned there. Queen Marie was the last to live there; she redesigned it in the 1920s and she gave the castle to the Romanian people at her death. I asked our guide about the crumbling foundation; he said that all the money from tourism goes to pay the people who work there and that there is no money for foundation repair. Will the castle crumble? Perhaps it will one day, especially since there are earthquakes here (but few big ones). I was surprised at what a tourist attraction it is (why, I don't know). The castle itself was packed, as were the stalls that lined the streets around it. It reminded me of shopping in Playa Del Carmen. A lot of useless, cheap trinkets and few real treasures, but fun to browse. We brought this incredible sweet bread there. The dough is twisted around a long wooden spindle and the spindle is rotated over a hot fire and I'm pretty sure it's basted with butter and sugar while it's being cooked. They pull it off the spindle and serve it hot. I need to ask someone what it is called again; it was absolutely delicious. Of course, one spindle can feed 8 people, I think!

The courtyard at Peles Castle; Below, Lila and I are standing by the foreign tourists sign. Tours are conducted in English, French, and Romanian.

Peles Castle was the summer home of King Carol and his wife, Queen Elizabeth. The first and second floors can be toured, but our group only toured this first floor. Like Bran Castle, Peles Castle was packed with Romanian and foreign tourists. To me, it's not really a castle--it looks more like an English manor. But it is beautiful, filled with hand-crafted German mahogany furniture, chandeliers decorated with Morano glass, huge priceless mirrors, and King Carol's vast collection of armor. There is even a full suit of armor for horse and rider. I didn't take pictures inside because you had to pay a fee (I was running out of lei by then) but also because we were taking the tour with such a large group of people and I didn't think I would have much of an opportunity to take good pictures. Also, it is very dark in there. This is the first modernized "castle" complete with electricity, lights, steam heat and an elevator. The dining room was especially beautiful; the mahogany table seats 18 and it set with that beautiful hand-painted blue and white German china. There is even a theater with "stadium seating;" of course, their theater performances would have been live.

We walked around Sibiu after the tour while some of our group members rode the cable car down the mountain. I chose not to do that, and I'm glad I didn't. I was afraid that my fear of tight, confined spaces and my fear of heights would make this an unpleasant experience, and those who went confirmed that those were the conditions. The cars were packed with tourists and they swayed in the wind, so I'm glad I kept both feet on the ground.

The ten hour drive has taken a toll on my body, though. Many of the roads we've traveled have been quite good, but a few stretches of road were terrible. It didn't help that we had a crazy driver. Halim has no fear. He is the typical Romanian driver--he constantly takes risks. If he's not passing or driving excessively fast and honking through small towns, he's not happy. And if a Russian truck happens to be in front of us? He won't rest until he's left it in the dust. I had to sit in the back of the bus on the way home, and there were a few times I thought I'd lose my lunch. Several times I bounced high out of my seat--the shocks were shot. But we made it back to Tutova in one piece, tired but thrilled to have seen the medieval, magical countryside of Transylvania.