Everything Takes Longer

The pace of life is a slower in Romania and yet it seems we are busy all the time. It's because everything takes so much longer to do. Take grocery shopping for instance. In the States, I would hop into my car, drive the 2 miles to the grocery store...find everything I needed at one store, wait for the courtesy clerk to bag my groceries and even carry them out to my car if I wanted. I would then drive the short distance home and be done in less than 30 minutes. Here in Romania, we walk the mile or so to the grocery store...careful to bring our own plastic bags with us for after we are finished shopping, we have to put the groceries back into the cart, pay, then move off to a table just outside the check stand area where we bag our own groceries. Then we lug them all the way home. Once we get home we put away the groceries, grab the empty bags and head off to the corner store for the rest of our shopping. Part of the reason for visiting 2 or 3 stores is because you can't always find everything you need at one store. Another is because the prices can be considerably more expensive at the big grocery store compared to the Plus Market or the corner store. Since we're watching our budget, we are price conscious. So...grocery shopping becomes more like a 2-hour adventure than a short errand. Add the fact that we only purchased enough food for 2-3 days means we have to go back again in a couple of days. You can't really stock up for a week or more here because food is fresher and thus spoils quicker and the refrigerators are MUCH smaller than a typical fridge in the States.

Another example of things taking longer is laundry. The wash cycle on a Romanian washing machine is TWO HOURS!!! After the wash is complete, we have to hang our clothes to dry...hoping it doesn't rain that day or we have to hang them inside. Clothes dryers are extremely rare here and very expensive, so no one uses them. Laundry day is literally laundry DAYS!! Unfortunately, washing aids such as Spray-n-Wash or Shout are not available, so stains don't always come out. New colors are common, however. My first load of whites came out gray...everything that was once white is now gray (sigh). Just when I was beginning to feel sorry for myself I remembered the woman I saw doing her laundry when I stayed at the foster care center in Unirea. She was doing her laundry by hand outside her home. She was surrounded by laundry already hanging on a clothes line and was busy working on a pair of jeans. She had a brush and was scrubbing the soap into the jeans. It looked exhausting. I am thankful for the machine...it is two hours I do not have to scrub clothes by hand.

My last example is cooking. I remember Saturdays growing up when my mom would spend the whole day working on lasagna...the sauce was started early in the morning and cooked all day. It was the BEST!! No store bought sauce can compare to my mom's homemade sauce. It's kind of the same here. First of all, although there are some prepared items available in the stores, they are limited both in types and varieties. Most everything is homemade...which means it takes hours to prepare. The main meal for Romanians is the noon meal, usually eaten about 1:00 PM. Breakfast is often bread with a vegetable pate' or margarine and jam. Dinner is usually a sandwich or other simple snack. Lunch, however, is amazing! The foster care center where I am living is fortunate to have a woman come a couple times a week to prepare our noon meal. Her name is Tanti Dokia (Auntie Dokia) and she is an amazing cook. On the days she comes she arrives around 9:00 AM and spends the next 4 hours filling the house with amazing scents as she prepares the meal. Homemade soups, salads with fresh vegetables and herbs, creamy sauces, etc. It's all rich in flavor and her presentation is fabulous. The Romanian teenagers in the house can't stand our "American" food...it's made too fast and lacks flavor. After tasting Tanti Dokia's cooking I agree with them. Mom had it right...but even Mom didn't cook like that EVERY day!

So, the pace of life is a little slower...but it's because everything takes so much longer!!

I Joined the Choir!

This evening I joined Brian, Cynthia and Ani (one of the foster teens) at an art exhibit down at the Cultural Center. A friend of theirs is a talented painter and her art was on display for the first time and they had been invited to the exhibit. I had seen pictures of her work so I was anxious to see it in person.

The exhibit was a little different than I expected. It started out with a man speaking to the group from the top of the stairs in the front lobby area. He talked and talked and I’m sad to say the only words I picked out were exhibit, artists, and beautiful. He said an awful lot more than that though! When he was finished another gentleman came up and spoke. I have no idea what he said. Then the original guy spoke again. Then our artist friend said a few words. Then another guy started talking and reading poetry. By this time I was in pain. I had been standing patiently shifting the weight on my foot the best I could. The pain accompanied by the heat made for a miserable time. Not knowing how much longer this was going to continue, I decided to sneak into an open area just behind us and find a place to sit. I was in luck…a radiator by the window proved the perfect to spot to lean on and rest my aching foot.

After a few minutes of rest I noticed a group of people entering the room carrying burgundy notebooks…small, three-ring binders to be exact. The women were wearing dresses and heels and the men were wearing slacks and button-up shirts. They began to enter the area of the building I was in…until then I had been the only one there. I smiled warmly as they began to gather in front of me. All of them smiled warmly back. I began to wonder who these people might be. Hmmm…they might be judges critiquing the art…or maybe they are investors. Yes, that’s it. They are investors looking at purchasing the art and the folders are pictures of the artwork for them to refer to. About that time, they began to shift from a group of people filling a spot of space to lines of people in an organized manner. Something was up and I was now trapped in my little spot by the window surrounded by this group of people. Suddenly one of them opened their notebook and it all became quite clear…I saw SHEET MUSIC! This was a singing group and I was smack dab in the middle of them with no escape!! Within seconds of my discovery their conductor appeared with his tuning fork and the concert began. I tried to slide as far into the window well as possible because the cameras were out and flashing. Then the conductor saw me and all I could do was smile. It didn’t phase him fortunately and the group sang with great enthusiasm. I must say it was quite the experience to be surrounded by these beautiful voices…I was just between the altos and the basses. They sang six songs total and I was up close and personal for all of them! So, I joined the choir today….sort of…if only I had known the songs!

Bistrita Days

Today is the beginning of a 3-day festival in Bistrita honoring the birth of the city. Bistrita Days is like a county fair...concerts, roaming clowns, carnival rides, umbrella covered vendors selling all kinds of things, and of course, the food row. Fair food is the BEST and Bistrita has some great fair food. I sampled a Turkish Kebob today that was fabulous. The guy serving the kebobs was a riot and posed willingly for a photo. To be honest, the food row looked more like a big line of barbecue grills. Almost every vendor had mounds of meat to sell...everything from fish to weiners to things I didn't recognize - ha!

Many of the tables next to the vendors had piles of bread in the middle. Bread is a huge part of a Romanian's diet. In fact, they won't eat some dishes without it and every meal you have cooked by a Romanian includes a big pile of bread in the middle of the table. Cynthia (the Pastor's wife) told us today that they had a potluck dinner recently and she forgot to buy bread. She thought they were kidding when they seemed upset...but after she realized they weren't eating most of the food she realized they were serious. She went to the corner store and got bread so everyone could eat!!

I was so excited to see Romanian clowns walk past our table! They looked GREAT! I didn't get to see them in action, but I did catch one taking a break and got my picture with him. It's funny...I've learned there are certain things you should never do in costume (drink, smoke, cuss, etc.) . This clown was sitting on the curb smoking away while in full costume! Smoking is still very accepted here in Romania...even in the grocery store!! It takes a little getting used to after living in Boise where smoking is outlawed in all public places. The clown was very agreeable to having his picture taken and even spoke a little English which was fun.

I'm sure I'll have more stories considering today was only the first day of the festival. We plan to go back again over the weekend.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

The day we got back from the Cabana, Narcisa and I were asked to stay with the foster children in Unirea (a suburb of Bistrita). No problem! We just spent four days with 18 kids, surely we could stay a couple days with only seven!

It turned out to be a relaxing couple of days, but not uneventful. I quickly realized how easily I can be duped when within minutes the four boys had slyly convinced me to help them to do things that were off limits to them. I unwittingly accompanied them to a construction site...fascinating as it was with all the tractors and heavy equipment, it become obvious rather quickly that it was not a safe place for little boys. I managed to get them back to the house and within seconds I was led by the hand into a luscious garden that I later learned was forbidden to the boys because they always do exactly what they did with me...run excitedly to the strawberry patch trampling plants as they picked every ripe strawberry in sight.

The garden was magnificant though. It had 2 pear trees, 2 apple trees, 2 cherry trees, and a peach tree. It also had both raspberry and strawberry patches and some other kind of berry I'd never seen before. It had onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, dill, parsely, and of course loads of cabbage! It even had a green house!! I had no idea it existed because it was hidden behind a door that divided the yard. On one side, a small yard to hang laundry and play...on the other side, the grand garden.

I was fortunate enough to taste two kinds of jam made by the fruit of the garden at breakfast and a canned fruit cocktail made from a pear like fruit at lunch. The strawberries the boys shared with me were so sweet and delicious...I understood why they like to get back there whenever they have a chance.

I knew that garden had been planted with the needs of the Family Center in mind and that it would enable the children to eat fresh and canned produce throughout the entire year. As I reflected on this it reminded of a verse in the Bible. Isaiah 58:11 says, "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden , like a spring whose waters never fail." NIV

Language Funnies

The language classes I have taken over the past year have really helped, but I am far (far, far, far) from being fluent in Romanian. I'm at the Kindergarten level...how do I know? Because I can only communicate with 4 and 5 year olds...and even then I have language problems. The only thing that helps us is that they usually know a little English - ha!

I learned a new phrase that basically means "health to you". It is used often when people are saying good-bye or when someone sneezes. I really wanted to learn it and begin using it because it just seems like such a nice way of parting. I was practicing it on our drive from Bucharest to Bistrita and tried it out in a convenience store as I was leaving. The two guys behind the counter looked at me and then at each other and back at me in confusion. I tried it again and they were even more confused. Then just as I was giving up on being able to use the phrase, they understood and thanked me. I thought it must have been my accent or something. Turns out I was saying "Your father is calling" by mistake!!! The proper pronunciation is like this...sunna tateh...and I was saying soona tatah. Close, but not close enough! Can you imagine being told that your father is calling by someone who just purchased some water and was leaving the store? Cracks me up!

I also had an interesting language experience at the cabana. Apparently there is a verb in Romanian that sounds very much like an English cuss word. It is the verb, "I do". For example if a kid wants to tie his own shoelaces he will use this verb to indicate that he wants to do it himself. You can imagine my shock when a little girl sitting in front of me reached for my camera and said to my face, "F" you! I was taken back for a moment and then realized she was telling me that she wanted to take a picture....I do, I do!! This is going to take a little getting used to as you can imagine how often a kid will tell you she wants to do something herself!

One more story on this topic...one of our translators is quite the joker. He will often tell you that a word means one thing, when really it is something entirely different. He told John (one of our team members) how to say the big car is coming so he could warn the kids who were playing in the street. The correct word for car is machina (like machine with an a on the end)...he told him to say bachina instead. Bachina means fart...so he was saying the big fart is coming!! You should have seen the wide-eyed expression on the faces of those kids as they ran away giggling! After that the kids wouldn't stop saying the phrase. I'm sure their parents really appreciated it! Ha!

Fortunately, my language mishaps have been pretty minor and humorous. I can only hope that I will continue to improve and avoid too many more embarrassing situations!!

Kid's Camp

We spent 4 days up at the Cabana (cabin) last week...7 adults, one translator, and 18 kids with ages ranging from 4-14. It was wild! We had 9 little boys piled into one bed because there wasn't much room. They loved it though.

The cabin was rustic to say the least. It had electricity, but no running water...that meant no showers for any of us for 4 days! My first visit to the cabana had me terrified...it was small and dirty and I couldn't imagine living there for 4 days. I'm happy to say that I not only survived...but thrived! We had so much fun. I think the thing that changed the most for me was having other people there. Within minutes, the kitchen transformed from a dirty, run-down spot to "home". Groceries in the cupboards, table and counters cleaned, water boiling on the stove. It was like Little House on the Prairie all of the sudden - ha! The girl's bedroom with funny shaped mattresses and dusty furniture transformed into a palace when the little girls unpacked their things and put them into the dressers and laid out their pillows and blankets. I learned that Home truly is where the heart is and it doesn't matter how meager the conditions are.

This was the first time all the foster kids along with a few other kids from church were able to get away by themselves without "parents". They had their bags packed two days in advance they were so excited! The excitement was contagious and so were the fights. We were severely tested the first night...I think the kids wanted to know just how much they could push the envelope with the "Americans". They pushed hard, but fortunately we had one gal who was an experienced teacher and she helped us lay down the law. She had an amazing disciplinary technique using natural consequences and consistency that worked wonders. She also introduced a system to call the kids together when we needed them. We had no bell or bugle...so we used what we had...a pan lid and fork. The clanging it made was loud enough to be heard around the cabin and you should have seen the kids come running when they heard it. I was amazed and thrilled! After one day we were in a routine and the kids were having a blast.

Some observations...these kids ate like there was no tomorrow!! We thought we had brought enough groceries, but we ran out of ketchup and mustard and half the bread and all the hotdogs by the end of the first day. We sent a helper to the store an hour away for more supplies. In the meantime, we discovered that hotdogs in large quantities and little boys' digestive systems don't mix well. One little boy ran excitedly up to Rebecca (a team member) and tried to communicate the best he could his dilemma. When he made a motion behind his rear and said "whoosh!", she knew what she was in for. Sure enough...the bathroom was a mess! We had one indoor bathroom that worked when a bucket of creek water is poured into it. There were also two outhouses...one for the girls and one for the boys. Later, that same little boy caused another raucus in the outhouse. A line of 4 boys outside the outhouse were yelling excitedly in Romanian and kept opening the outhouse door. When questioned, we discovered that Marian had been in the outhouse for 15 minutes already and the other 4 boys were anxiously waiting their turn. They refused to use the other outhouse because it was the GIRLS' outhouse! The site was hilarious...all the boys dancing around and one opening the door sticking his head inside yelling something in Romanian and then shutting the door again looking disgusted. The only word I recognized over and over again was "ca-ca" - ha! We didn't serve any more hotdogs!!

I learned several new words at the cabin...outside, wait/later, come, and be careful were the ones I used the most. Fortunately, a few of the kids spoke a little English, so I was able to communicate relatively well most of the time. Love is definitely the universal language...these kids were so affectionate and we found ourselves falling in love them.

The verse of scripture our team clung to during our time at the cabana was 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light afflictions, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." I belive the unseen impact that was made on the kids is immeasurable and I pray that their lives are changed for the better because of their time at the cabana.

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Finally!

I'm finally in Romania! Getting here was an adventure in itself. On Friday, June 23rd we flew to Los Angeles and settled in for a long lay-over. After several hours, we discovered our flight to Frankfurt, Germany had been CANCELED!! We had to get all of our luggage...all 20 checked bags not counting our carry-ons...and take it to a nearby hotel. Sounds simple enough...but it took them over 3 hours to find our luggage!!

We were back in line the next morning...3 hours before the ticket counters opened. It was just the amount of time we needed...all of us were able to get on the plane to Germany...by that time we had added 7 more team members from Los Angeles...so finding 17 seats was no easy task since we discovered the flight the previous day had also been canceled. We arrived safely in Frankfurt, but discovered there was no more room on the flight to Bucharest!! That meant ANOTHER night wasted! Again we had to get all of our luggage and haul it all over the Frankfurt airport. The hotel we stayed at that night was pretty nice...very European. Boy did they have a great spread for dinner and breakfast...all compliments of the airline!

We finally arrived in Bucharest two days later than scheduled and stayed the night. We drove the next day to Bistrita by van. It was a 10 hour drive, but we saw some great sites along the way...including a stop for lunch in Brasov...one of the cities I have been wanting to visit while I'm here.