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!!
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| In front of the orphanage |
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| Us with the director(Dr. Chiobanu) and Teo (one of the most amazing people ever) |
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| 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!
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| Bubbles are my favorite |
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| My best friend |
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| We found a polish concert and ran up to the front of the crowd |
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| Aren't they the cutest? |
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| 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.
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| "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!
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| We found a lucky bell! |
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| So cute! |
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| Twins |
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| 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!
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| I love these little cuties |
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| "Teacher, teacher!!" |
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| So fun |
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| 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
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| A sunset on our walk home |
