We have done some fun things! Last weekend we went to a movie here and it was amazing!! The theater was so nice! It was 16 lei, which is about $4! It was super fun! Then on Saturday we went to a branch picnic! I love being with the branch here! Although it is basically just our group, a couple missionaries, and a couple branch members. We were at a beautiful park and it was such a pretty day! It has been really hot here, but when you find a shady spot and sit on the grass it is really nice! We also got gelato as we walked around the lake and it was perfect! We also went to a little outdoor concert by the Palas! It was a group called the "Vali Boghean Band"and it was so cool to sit and listen to Romanian music, even when we don't understand anything. Also, shoutout to the amazing people in my group! I really don't think I could be handling all of this without them! They are fantastic and I am so lucky that I get to be here with them!
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| Movie Night |
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| Roomie love |
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| Vali Boghean Band Concert |
Sundays are always great here! The branch is wonderful! Hearing the gospel in Romanian is pretty neat! The gospel is true no matter where you are!!
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| We love Sundays! |
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| All of us with Elder Steed |
I love going to the orphanage every day! Those kids are amazing and I love them so much! We have officially been there two weeks! I know all of their names and have really gotten to know their personalities! I wish everyone from home could spend just one day with them, they are wonderful! We have one little girl who is blind and always looks sick. She has a feeding tube and is in her wheelchair pretty much all day. They don't bring her outside, so she stays in the room all day. In the past couple days she has been looking so healthy, which makes all of us happy!! Yesterday while most of the kids were outside, I was in the room with another girl from our group and four of the children, so we took her out of her chair and laid her on this little mattress in the room to let her stretch out. She was so happy!! We massaged her legs and let her move around a little! Unlike most of the kids, she doesn't like it when we hold her hands, but she loves when we take a stuffed animal or something soft and rub it on her cheek. She actually laughed!! Ahh it was great!
Her little brother is also in our room. He is about two, and is visually impaired and is delayed. He can't crawl or sit up or talk or anything. He has a feeding tube and he just lays on a bed in the main room all day. The only communication is when he laughs or cries. Holding him is just the sweetest thing. He loves being held! I had him in my arms for the longest time and seeing him smile is great! And when I dance around with him he will sometimes let out a little laugh!! Being with those kids is such an amazing experience!!
I never really talk about the hospital, but that is probably because it is the hardest place for me. It is sad to see kids at the orphanage without parents, but at least they have a "home" and people to take care of them every day. At the hospital, we never know the story of the children we help. All we know is that they don't have parents and they are sick. And the hospital environment is rough...it just feels gross sometimes and there are weird smells and it is not very sanitary. Some days it is really heart breaking because we see children who are really ill. Last week, we had one boy who looked so sick. He was basically just skin and bones...he was so tiny, I was scared to touch him because I thought I would break him. I think he was blind, and he couldn't communicate at all with us. Tuesday was better though! There were a lot of children who were able to communicate and play with us! One little girl was probably two or three and was so cute! Her legs were not properly formed, but she was so playful! We picked her up and she just wanted to be held and loved. The hospital can be frustrating because most of the nurses don't speak any english at all. We were in a room with some babies and we were trying so hard to communicate with the nurse but it wasn't working and so we stood there for about five minutes in extreme awkwardness just looking at the babies because no one knew what to do..haha then we thanked her, said goodbye, and left. We also found a different baby who was so small and was probably just a few weeks old! After holding him for a while, we had to go. The problem was that every time we put him down, he screamed. Now keep in mind that these rooms aren't private. There are about three other patients in this room, and some even had family with them. So Macey and I laid this baby down and to keep him from crying we started to sing and dance, which totally worked! The baby was distracted, but we turned around to see everyone in the room looking at us, the mom next door came in to watch, and the nurses even paused to watch. It was hilarious and a little embarrassing, but we kept singing until we heard the teenage boy behind us taking pictures...lol when the baby was calm we hurried out.
I love being at the kindergarten! I am there three days a week teaching english and it gets better each time! The kids are a little crazy...and some teachers like being there more than others. It can be really frustrating at times, but it can also be fun and cute! I just love teaching. When your lesson goes well and the kids enjoyed it while getting a lot out of it, I feel so great! Some kids are pretty decent at english and some don't know anything, but they are all trying and learning! I love how they talk to us. Their accents are so cute! They also love to give hugs and kisses!
Every 30 days we get two days off, so our group is taking a four day weekend and going to a city called Braşov! It looks amazing! I am so excited to go! We will also get to go to Transylvania, which will be super cool! The only part I am worried about is the five hour maxi taxi ride...that might be a little rough, but worth it! We leave at 5:30 am tomorrow!
I hope that everyone from back home is doing great! I love it here, but I also have moments where I really miss home...and my family and friends. I am so grateful for technology and the ability to skype and FaceTime with so many people I love! Thank you everyone for all of the love you show me! I will update everyone after our little vacation! Have a great weekend!
Love,
Madeline
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