La Revedere, Romania!

Well...here it is. My last Romania post. I have been trying to write it for over a week, but it seems pretty impossible. Everyone has been asking me how it was, and I love talking about it...but the issue is, I can't figure out how to summarize four amazing months that changed my life in a few short words. So here are some of my final thoughts on this crazy adventure. I guess I will start with some stories from my last week there!

Tuesday was our last FHE and last time at the church. The missionaries had a pancake night for their english students and we got to join in! It was fun...but being there always is! It was also our last time with the missionaries here, which was a little sad..I am going to miss them a lot!!

We love the missionaries!

To celebrate our last week, we tried going to restaurants we hadn't gone to yet! One night we went to Cavalerul Medieval...and it was actually in a building that looked like a castle! It was pretty cool! My favorite was the Panoramic Restaurant. It was at the top of a hotel in the middle of Iasi and it was amazing! It was a pretty fancy place..but it was still cheap, which was perfect! The view was spectacular! We could see the whole city! And we were up there right as the sun was setting, so it was beautiful! And the food was delicious..which is always a good thing!

Wednesday was my last day at the hospital...I don't think I will really miss the hospital itself. I won't miss the grumpy nurses or the weird smells or the creepy hallways...but there is something special about our time there. Being there for the kids is such a blessing. To see a child who is all alone and be the one to brighten their day was something really special. Playing catch with a little boy, rocking babies to sleep, chatting with a teenager who knows english..those are the things I will miss! There are a lot of sad things there, but I have also seen a lot of love. I see mothers caring for kids who aren't their own and nurses who really care about their patients and love talking to us. Those little moments made our time there so worthwhile. Remembering that it isn't about us, it's about the kids, is what really makes it so great.

The hospital

Twinning with Hannah

Love them! 

Windows

Typical hospital hallway

The 15 year old boy we have been talking to was there on our last day and we have just loved getting to know him! When we walked into the room on Wednesday he had a big smile on his face and he gave Cammy, Sabrina, and I each a bracelet and it was so sweet!! I am going to miss him!

And the hardest thing of the entire summer....saying goodbye to everyone at the orphanage. Oh my goodness, I don't even know how to describe it. Our last day was just like any other. We played with the children. We laughed and danced. I sang songs with Monica. Except the whole time we all knew this was it, which made it hard. The time flew by....and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye. I was procrastinating as long as possible....I went to say my first goodbye and had to walk away from the child because the tears just started flowing. I was able to pull myself together enough to pick Monica up. She was just singing "Wheels on the bus", happy as ever, while I was trying my hardest not to completely lose it. I didn't want her to see how upset I was. Then I made my rounds to every child in the room. One last hug, one last kiss. It was hard...harder than I even expected. These children that I love so much. They each have such a special place in my heart. To them, this goodbye didn't mean much. They get new volunteers every four months, so they are used to it...and I guess it is better that way. I am glad that it didn't have to make them sad. I watched as Hannah had to say goodbye to Xavier...and started crying again. I think he saw me...which made him realize it was time to say goodbye to Hannah. Their special connection still makes me smile.

Finally it was really time to go and I knew I had to say goodbye to Monica...I don't want to say I picked a favorite because I loved every child so much...but Monica was the one I felt closest to. I adore that sweet little girl so much. She made me smile and laugh and we had so much fun together. I will never ever forget her. I just wanted to carry her home and never say goodbye, but it was time. At this point I was sobbing...I hugged her tight, mostly because I didn't want her to see the tears streaming down my face. I think she knew what was happening, because her singing stopped and she just hugged me back...and in that special moment my heart was so full. I set her down in her wheelchair, gave her a kiss, said goodbye, and had to leave the room as soon as possible. I walked out  into the hallway and continued to sob. I actually felt my heart break a little. I was a little embarrassed and was worried I was overreacting until I looked up and saw Morgan walking out of her room crying just as much as I was. She walked over to me and hugged me and the tears continued. Soon we were all out in the hall and I realized we were all crying and it was a sad but sweet moment with all of us. Teo talked with us afterwords and thanked us for everything we did and one of the girls in our group goes "I think the kids did more for us than we did for them" and Teo's response was "I know". And it is so true. These kids have taught me so much...they have changed my life. They have allowed me to learn and grow and serve and love. I am forever grateful to every single one of them. I will miss my days in the orphanage so much...it was so special and something I will never forget. I will miss the workers who do so much for the kids! I will miss Teo, who is one of the best people I have ever met! I will miss Sarah's wobbly steps, Baby Human's cute smile, Lauren's adorable laugh, the way Dora tries to crawl around the room...everything. I hope that one day I can go back and see the kids one more time! We left to walk home..and just like that, it was over.

Last day at the orphanage

That evening and the following morning was spent cleaning and packing. Then Saturday afternoon we left for Bucharest. It was a little over seven hours away, and the van that took us didn't have air conditioning....it was one long hot ride. I have never been so miserable inside of a car. We were all drenched in sweat! I think we made the most out of it though!

Loading up our suitcases

Last gelato by Palas

Sunday and Monday were spent exploring Bucharest! We went to church on Sunday and it was in an actual chapel! So that was pretty cool! We got to walk around old town and went to Carturesti Carusel, a beautiful bookstore! On Monday we went to a cute park and rode bikes around...it was such a great day and we had so much fun! For lunch, we went to this nice restaurant called Caru cu Bere that has a great lunch deal. We had this huge four course meal for about 20 Lei! It was delicious. I also had the best ice cream ever at a place called Emilia's.

We found a playground!!

Our biking adventure! 

Anya, Cammy, and I strolling around Bucharest

Parliament building with these babes

Best ice cream ever!!

Then Tuesday we headed home...it was a long day of traveling, but I was so excited to get back to my family! After multiple flight delays and changes, I made it to Orlando. It was amazing coming back! Sleeping in my own house, in my own bed, with air conditioning...ahh it was just perfect! I missed Florida and my family and friends!

So just like that, my Romanian adventure is over. I wouldn't trade this summer for anything. Romania is amazing! I learned so much while living there! The language is great and the culture is so cool. The people are great! I met so many people who are so loving and selfless. I met people who have almost nothing, but are completely happy. I met people who have testimonies so strong, even with little support from others. I tried new foods, I learned some Romanian, I traveled, I met friends who I know will be in my life for a long time, I laughed, I cried....it was emotional and exhausting and completely wonderful. I will never forget my time there. It has only been one week, but I miss Iasi, Romania, and my kids already...but I know they are well taken care of and I am excited for the next group to meet these great people and experience all of the things I have.

Thank you to everyone who has been following my journey and experiences there! And thank you for all of the support!! I couldn't have done it without my friends and family! I love you all so much!

Romania will forever have a piece of my heart! Te iubesc, Romania.

Cu drag,
Madeline 

Food, Friends, Fun...And A Lot of Love

Buna ziua! Our time here in Romania is almost over...in fact, we have exactly nine days left. Nine!! That is so crazy! I am having a hard time even picturing myself in America in nine days. It will definitely be incredible to be with my family again! I am worried about the goodbyes though...part of me doesn't want to leave! Here are some updates from my time here!

Brandon and Anya live with a host lady named Nicoleta and she is so cute! The other day, Cammy and I went over there to pay bills and stuff and Nicoleta invited us to cook with her! It was such a cool experience. She was making ciorba, which is a sour soup, and then she taught us how to make stuffed peppers and sarmale. She isn't afraid of raw meat...she would just pick up pieces and eat it and offer it to us. And when there was a bowl of this interesting looking raw meat and other vegetables she asked if someone wanted to mix it...and without knowing what was in store I volunteered, and was a little shocked when she expected me to just use my hands haha but it was a blast! After we made it, we sat down and ate and it was delicious! I always enjoy hanging out with Brandon and Anya, they teach us so much and are such a great example!

Ciorba

Sarmale

Stuffed Peppers

Our schedule has been a little different without the school..We are now at the orphanage every morning, then two afternoons I go to the hospital and the other three are spent in the orphanage. I love the work we do here. The hospital was never my top choice, but I have learned to enjoy my time there. I think the atmosphere is hard to be in...it is kind of a sketchy place...but when you focus on the kids it can be a ton of fun! We find all sorts of children, all there for different reasons, and almost every age. One day Cammy, Morgan, and I found three tiny babies! Ahh they were so  cute! We just sat there and rocked them and loved them until they fell asleep! Then another day Anya and I found an eight year old boy. It was so cool hearing her speak Romanian to him! It turns out that he is a pretty sassy boy, but super funny and cute! Then recently we found a 15 year old boy who has a mom, but we just like to chat with him because he can speak english! We are even Facebook friends now(shoutout to him if he ever reads this haha). So you never really know who you will find, but we are loving our time there! 

Going to the orphanage in the afternoon has been so great! I just want to spend all my time with those kids. In the afternoon, some of the kids in my room get to go to the bigger playground with some more active kids from other rooms and it has been great! Monica and our other girl, who used to have two casts, are both out there. Earlier this week, the two of them and a couple toddlers were sitting on a picnic blanket so Cammy and I sat down with them and it was just a moment I want to remember. We probably had six or seven kids sitting around us and Monica has been trying to sing "If you're happy and you know it" with us so we started singing it and all of the kids joined in! Some tried copying our words, some just clapped, and some laughed...it was precious! I have also loved getting to know some of the kids from other rooms. There are some older ones and they were just sitting around, so I wanted to teach them how to play hide and go seek. Surprisingly...it worked! "Inchide Ochii" is how you say close your eyes..so I would tell one girl that then hide, then she would find me and take a turn hiding and it was so cute! Those afternoons are just so happy!

Our mornings are just as great though! Hannah, Cammy, and I all love it! Chloe, an amazing person who has spent the summer with us, came up with a name for our little guy...baby human. And so that is now what we call him and I just adore him! Rocking him and holding him is wonderful! Most of the kids love having music! One of our favorite workers, Cami, brought in a country CD that previous volunteers had made for her and it turned into a party. Seeing little Jake, our toddler with autism, dance to country music made us all laugh...so cute! I don't think I will ever be able to accurately describe our room or what it feels like to be with those kids. It is so special. We sit there and sing and talk and there is such a great amount of love. I wish everyone from home could spend just one day with these amazing kids! I don't even want to think about saying goodbye to them Friday...that will be so hard. I feel so close to them! We sat there this afternoon and looked up ways to get around the adoption laws...haha I love them so much!

We love Cami

Xavier is still in love with Hannah! So sweet...he waits for her to come and if she isn't there he pouts. He cracks me up. He just adores her...but that means that I am not good enough haha he thinks it is hilarious to tell me to get out of the room(keep in mind that he can't talk, he points with his mouth and eyes). So I make a big deal of pouting and walking out and he laughs. And when Hannah is holding a kid and he wants to play with her, he will tell me to take the kid so her hands are free. He is so sassy, but we love him! He is great and so smart and I will definitely miss him so much when we leave!

Going to church here has been amazing! The members are such a great example. They have so much faith and are so kind and generous! We went to a relief society last Saturday and I loved it! It was at this scrapbooking place that looked like it came right out of Pinterest! They taught us how to make little flowers. We had such a great time!

Relief Society Activity

One of the best parts about being in the branch here has been getting to know the missionaries. The friendship we have made with the Soras is so great!! I love seeing them every week! There are four Soras in the branch here and I am so close to each one of them. They are so fun and such a great example to me! Family home evening ends up being about four girls from my group, the four soras, two elders, and a couple members or investigators...and we have so much fun! Sora Weaver and Sora Padgett have taken some of their free time to teach us Romanian! It has been so helpful! I love learning the language....I am still terrible, but this past week we worked on saying our testimonies in Romanian and I am getting better! After each of our lessons they share a spiritual thought...this week they shared D&C 24:8...look it up if you get the chance, it is so powerful! I am so grateful for the missionaries and all of their hard work! I have learned so much from them and I know that I will be friends with them for a long time!

We love the Soras

Love love love Sora Weaver

Sora Kitchen and I like to match

Today was our last Sunday here...it was a little sad. I really have enjoyed church here. The members are wonderful and the spirit is so strong! I love singing hymns in Romanian and even being completely confused during sacrament meeting is fun sometimes. Did I mention we got headsets for the missionaries to translate into? The Iasi branch is really progressing! Our closing hymn in relief society was "God be with you till we meet again" and I tried really hard not to cry...then Anya prayed and started crying, and by the time she said amen we were all crying. I will miss it so much!

Last Sunday 

In front of the church

Emma Wright in our group is getting married in October and we are so excited for her!! She is wonderful! To celebrate, we went out for pizza and bowling last night! Fun fact...the pizza hut here is a pretty nice sit down restaurant! It was super fun! And the Palas mall has a bowling alley...it was only 10 Lei to bowl! Yay! It was definitely a fun night!

Pizza Hut

Bowling with the best

And here are some more Romanian pop songs that we hear very often...if anyone is interested:
Cum ne noi by Carla's dreams- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8-g8CpXdO8
Oarecare by Smiley- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnwlRoFoLXs
Gandesc cu voce tare by Matteo- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyqvn5-zuPA

I guess that is it! Hopefully I will get one more final Romanian blog post in later this week...I can't believe that I am going home next week. It is so bittersweet....I love this country and the people so much! I am so grateful for all of our experiences here! I will see everyone in nine days!

Cu Draga,
Madeline

Where has the time gone?

So much has happened and I am way behind on my blogging, but here is an update on some of the things that have been happening here in Romania!

July 4th-July 12th was our week long vacation and it is something I will always remember! I got to travel with Cammy and Macey! We went to Budapest, Prague, Salzburg, and ended in Vienna...with a quick stop in Budweis when we got stranded. I saw so much and learned so much history and I am so glad we had time to travel! Hopefully I will eventually finish writing about the trip!

Now back to the important things... I really love my time in the orphanage! Leaving those kids will definitely be the hardest part of going home. Before coming here,  I had never really worked much with kids who have disabilities and this experience has opened my eyes. At the beginning of our time, I almost saw them for their disabilities...but as time went on, I have learned to see them for who they really are. They all have distinct personalities that I have come to know and love. We have learned what they like and how to communicate with them and how to show them love...it has been amazing! I love being there. The orphanage is such a great place. I think when people hear "Romanian orphanage" they think of what it was like 15 years ago...but it is completely different. The children are treated with love and kindness. There are doctors and specialists, it is safe, the walls are decorated, and there are workers and volunteers who love them. It is a happy place and I am so grateful that I get to be a part of it all.

Earlier this month, Xavier turned 17!! He is the boy in my room and it was a very fun day! The orphanage and workers are so good about celebrating the children! They had a little birthday party in the cafeteria. They brought in a lot of the kids and were playing fun music...then they started throwing in balloons from the window(the kids loovvee balloons) and then we sang the Romanian happy birthday song(which has been stuck in my head multiple times since that day) and they gave all of the children cake! Xavier was so happy and it was so fun to watch and be a part of it! Here is the birthday song if anyone wants to hear it! I actually think it is better than the one we sing in America haha this is a kids version of it I found when I looked it up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So8y061FGjQ

I love the children in our room! Some days are just so much fun! We grabbed a CD from one of the other rooms that had disney songs on it and it was a blast! The kids love to be moved around, so holding them and dancing with them is great! I am lucky to be in a room with other great girls who are so amazing with the kids! We have a great time acting silly and making the kids smile!

This weekend was really special. My parents came!! I can't even explain how happy I was to see them! And I am even happier that they got to see this wonderful city that I have called home for the past three months. With their help, we have been able to accomplish something amazing! With the help of all of our friends and family back home, we successfully raised over $5,000 for the orphanage! I can't thank you all enough! We had so many generous donations...I am so grateful to everyone who helped us!! When my parents came, they presented the orphanage with the money and clothing that they brought. We have already ordered 11 new wheelchairs and the strollers and walkers will come next! Yesterday we had the huge surprise of seeing the children in the wheelchairs for the first time....ahh I can't describe how great that was! The new wheelchairs are so nice and adjustable and the kids look so great in them! It makes things easier for the children, workers, and volunteers! Thank you thank you thank you to every single person who helped, and a special thank you to my amazing and selfless mom who organized everything and helped make this idea a reality! I love you mom!!

In front of the orphanage

Us with the director(Dr. Chiobanu) and Teo (one of the most amazing people ever)

Love them!

After showing my parents around Iasi, I got to take some time to travel with them to Poland! I was so impressed with Poland...we went to a darling city called Krakow. The main square was magical! It was filled with colorful buildings and horse drawn carriages. Mom and I danced around in bubbles and bought fresh flowers and it was wonderful!

Bubbles are my favorite

My best friend

We found a polish concert and ran up to the front of the crowd

Aren't they the cutest?

Look who we found in Poland! (ft. our lovely flowers and Bartos, the waiter)

We also learned so much history. We had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz, The Schindler Factory Museum, and learn about WWII. So much sad history...I had a hard time visiting those places, but it was a very solemn experience. They are preserved in a very respectful way honoring those that have died, and although it was hard to see I am so glad I went. I learned so much.

"To the memory of the men, women, and children who fell victim to the Nazi genocide. Here lie their ashes. May their souls rest in peace."

After Krakow, we went to Warsaw. I learned that 90% of Warsaw was destroyed in WWII. The old and new town was rebuilt to look exactly like the original, and now it is a great city! I loved walking around and just looking at everything going on. And we bought Polish pottery! It was such a great weekend and I am so glad I got to spend it with my wonderful parents! They make everything so fun!

We found a lucky bell!

So cute!

Twins

Flowers and Ice Cream...my favorites!

Now all of our vacations are over and our time in Romania is almost up! We have two weeks left in the orphanage and hospital, then we go back to America. We are already done teaching english...which is pretty sad. I really enjoyed teaching! It could be crazy at times, but it was fun and the kids were so sweet! Being with them made me happy! We always sang the primary song "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" with them, so one of the girls had the great idea of bringing popcorn balls for the kids on our last day! We sang the song one last time and gave them the popcorn balls and it was adorable! I am really going to miss them!

I love these little cuties

"Teacher, teacher!!"

So fun

This is the "Let's put stickers on teacher Madeline's face" game

With our free afternoons, we got permission to spend the time we would have spent in the school in the orphanage! Yay! Now I can go back three times a week in the afternoon! Funny story from today... Monica, who continues to make me smile every day, likes to copy what I say. She was being sweet this afternoon and we were playing and so I decided to teach her "Shake it Off" and it was probably the cutest thing ever! We even threw in some dance moves! The only words she knows are "shake it off" but her and I would wave our arms and sing that part together and it was so much fun!

Well, that is a quick update of life here! I really love Romania! My biggest complaint is just the heat...it has been soooo hot! And the fact that very few places have air conditioning doesn't help haha our apartment feels like an oven most of the time. Other than that, I love it. We have some great sister missionaries in the branch here who help us learn some romanian! I still only know a couple of words and phrases...but I am working on it. I can't believe we have less than three weeks left! Leaving is going to be hard! I am exited for the time I have left with the kids!

Love,
Madeline

A sunset on our walk home