Soup-er week. Soup-erb, even!

"Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?"

Okay, so I didn't bring a trumpet to the airport, but that's the kind of celebration I wanted to have when THEY FOUND OUR LUGGAGE! All 16 bags-- hallelujah! We took a taxi to the Iasi airport to pick up our bags. I say "taxi, but I mean multiple since we have such a big group. I was the girl from our mini group who was willing/elected to go up to a taxi driver and ask him to take us to the "aeroport." Let's take a moment to talk about how impressive my accent was in that moment, though. *pats herself on the back* Between the accent and my more Romanian look, I think the driver thought I was from Romania, and he just started chatting it up. Once I said "I only speak English," the rest of the ride was pretty much done in silence. 

Also, I didn't realize that that was my first time in a car since the car crash last week. I didn't realize it would affect me, but I found myself stewing in anxiety in the shotgun seat of the car. Part of that may have been the fact that Romanian drivers are crazy, but I think the crash added to some of those fears. 

But, regardless, we made it to the airport and got our luggage! You could not have found happier girls in all of Romania that night. 

As we got home and started unpacking, I think we all started to realize how blessed we are. As much as we did NOT enjoy living off of only a few items, receiving our luggage almost pushed us into overload. At least that's how I felt. And I was one of the girls who only brought one suitcase. It just was surprising once I realized I have so much unnecessary stuff. I could get by on SO much less. Granted, I do enjoy having lots of options, but it's not necessary, and if I continue to live this way I better be living with a  much more grateful attitude. 

"You'll make him sick, you will, behaving like that!"

I think this quote could be applied to a lot of things I've witnessed/smelled so far in Romania, but I am going to focus in on the matter of PDA (public displays of affection). Depending on my mood, I can think that it is super cute or rather nauseating the way that couples go through their day without caring who is watching them snuggle, kiss, butt-grab (yep, seen it in broad daylight).

Basically, everywhere you look there is a couple either so madly in love or so oblivious that they put their affection on display for everyone.

Don't you think that's a tad much?

 I feel like all the love and PDA makes it ten times hardEr for the girls in our group missing their significant others. As it goes, I most likely will not get asked on a date for at least 6 months after returning home, because I'm pretty sure I will permanently smell like cigarettes and sewage. Showers just don't make the difference I'll need.

Also, according to the Romanian superstition that sitting on the bare floor without a rug or anything between you and it makes you infertile... I've also got that going for me.

So, you could say I'm a catch.

"We best find you some clothes. You can't go walking to Mordor in naught but your skin."

Doing laundry here is a hoot and a half. Our washer machine (thankful we have one) is in code. No words and no easily discernible indication of how to use it. We basically throw our clothing in, add detergent, and then spin the dial until we hear the water start. Sometimes it takes a few tries since it likes to spin our clothing without any water too.

Afterwards, we get to make a lovely window display for our neighbors.

Please notice the Pooh Bear pants I made in 8th grade.

Getting into our routine-- "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." 

So this week we began teaching at the kindergarten as well as attending the hospital and orphanage. I'll begin with the school. 

Here is how we looked/felt before we had our first day of teaching:

So happy. So prepared. We thought.

Our trainer told us that it is completely normal to cry on the first day. I don't think we really believed him, though. Let me preface this by saying that the children are adorable. I am SO excited to work with them in these next three months. But our first few days have been pure chaos. 

Fortunately, it was just the right amount of chaos to make it comical. (At least to me. Some did cry. I really have a weird way of dealing with stressful situations). I was in charge of the opening exercises that first day. The children were deceivingly angelic during the welcome, weather, calendar, and songs activities. When we split into groups to go so the 4 teachers that day, I was a "floater." In other words, I go between groups and help out/keep control. 

Little did we know that my responsibilities would include holding back screaming children, hiding throw-able items, separating fighting children, removing the toy bins that were being used as ammo cases for the toys they would launch at the ceiling lights and teachers. Needless to say very little English was actually taught. 

Now, before you write me off as a negative Nancy, let me say this, there is no way to describe the chaos and exhausting atmosphere in the school (did I mention the fact that there's no AC? No wonder the kids go wild!). I can't do it justice through writing. 

But there were already so many tender moments that made it so worth it. Like the little girl who copied everything I did and looked at me like I was her hero. The little boy who tried Asia hard to convey his thoughts in English when I prompted him. The girls who kept coming up and playing with my hair. The little one who silently stood up during the lesson and just hugged me. The toddler leaving with his mom who ran over to me and pulled me down so he could kiss my cheek. 

There have already been so many sweet moments that have made the insanity worth it. I know there will be more. I am trying to have a good attitude about preparing myself for lessons and not denying the children of opportunities by thinking "They are going to derail my lesson anyway so, so it doesn't matter how well I prepare." I'm definitely going to increase my patience.

Update since this blog post began: I taught today at the school. Still insane, but it actually went a lot better! I feel like I did a better job with the children, keeping control and helping them speak. I think it's just going to get better and better!

We also visited the hospital. It's very far away when you walk. In the rain. 

Me and my roommate on our way to the hospital.

Basically, we walk 30+ minutes, change into scrubs and clean shoes, and then walk up to every floor of the hospital and ask the nurses in each section, "Aveți copii fără mame?" (Do you have children without Moms?) most of the time they say no. Which is a good thing, I guess, since it means that the children there all have some sort of family caring for them. But it's unsatisfying walking all that way to be non -useful. On one of the floors today, we were told there were some children from the orphanage, but they were asleep. Better luck next time. It's a strange way of working--hoping that for the sake of the children, you don't have anything to do that day.

It's a pretty sketchy looking place in certain places, but it's a lot nicer than I expected. I was imagining scenes straight from a horror film here is reality.

And now...*drumroll*... The orphanage! First off- wow. So much nicer than I imagined. I think I came into this trip with pretty low expectations for the facilities. I was also surprised by how many of the children had disabilities. From our brief tour, it seemed that the majority of the children at the orphaned had relatively severe disabilities, while a few had more mild. We also visited two apartments deeper in the city where workers take shifts living with the child in a sort of in-between home that preps them for foster homes. Most of the children in these apartments seemed to have very mild or no disability. 

It was a long day full of many many adorable children. So many of the children in the orphanage are completely dependent on the workers for food, changing, movement, any sort of stimulation. Tomorrow we'll be rotating through to each room to get some experience with each group before selecting the room we want to be in for the summer. Honestly, I don't know what I will pick. There are children in each group that touched my heart today. I really want more experience with children with disabilities, but the infant group or the apartments would be so rewarding as well! Ah. I wish I could work with them all. I'm so glad that we are going to be going every weekday now! 

Update since beginning this blog: Today we rotated through all the rooms in the orphanage. Man oh man was it an exhausting days. I really am looking forward to it. As long as I get placed in one of  the rooms with the children with disabilities I will be so happy, because they are all such sweet spirits. I know I am going to be stretching myself no matter which group I end up with. Ah I'm just so frickin' excited!! My fingers are crampinnnn' (what's that from folks?). 

walkway up to the orphanage

Okay this post is dragging, so I'm going to post some pictures and be done with it. 

Here is a supremely attractive picture of me standing behind one of the horse-drawn trash wagons we saw when we went to visit the orphanage apartments. They smelled less than pleasant. Weirdly, it reminded me how much I want to go horseback riding.

Just one of our 579,295 pictures in front of the Palas. We are a pretty dang good looking group, if we do say so ourselves. 

So, I've decided to keep tally of how many Milka bars I eat this summer. Currently working on number 5. They are heaven. 

ALSO: I went and got my haircut while here in Romania! I am terrified of getting my haircut. I have a ridiculous emotional attachment to each hair on my head. And the fact that I could not speak the same language as the lady holding scissors over my head frightened me. But it all worked out. Although I feel like I'm basically bald now, it's so short. 

Oh right, the title of this post? The soup puns? I was going to do this long thing about how they have fed us soup every day and I'm getting sick of soup, despite the fact that it tastes good. I am too lazy to be creative anymore though. Maybe next time. 

I'm excited that things are starting to pick up. I'm super super tired already from all the walking and the orphanage and hospital today. Tomorrow will be even more exhausting. But it's all worth it. I'm not going through this alone anyways. I have support from people around me and my Heavenly Father above me. I am going to grow so much here, if I'm just willing to let myself. 

I'm exactly where I need to be right now. Now it's time to do what I need to do and become who I need to be. 

Stay classy, America.