Winky Update

It’s true that clowns get to go places and do things that “ordinary” people don’t. Some of Winky’s favorite memories are being front and center to the attention of hundreds of kids over the past few months while working in Romania. Winky started clowning around the with kids in the New Beginnings family centers (see blog entitled “Hope for the Hopeless” for more information about the family centers) and ended up meeting literally hundreds of kids during the past year.

Winky had done some volunteering at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise, Idaho prior to moving to Romania which really helped prepare her for the challenges associated with volunteering at the county hospital in Bistriţa, Romania. There are a lot of differences in policies and facilities between the two hospitals, but the kids are the same…they like to play with clowns!

The hospital in Bistriţa has a wonderful play room on the children’s floor. The walls are colorfully painted with cartoon characters and Disney scenes and the cupboards are filled with games, puzzles, and craft supplies. The children who are able to get out of bed come to the play room for a couple of hours in the morning and afternoon each day they are hospitalized. It’s a great distraction from being confined to bed and IV’s. The vibrant, multicolored playroom is a stark contrast to the white walled rooms where the children spend most of their time. They remind me of the children’s hospital rooms in the movie Patch Adams…a half dozen white metal beds in a row on each side of the room…kids wearing pajamas and hooked to IV’s sadly staring at the ceiling. As you can imagine, Winky was welcomed with open arms, laughter, and inquisitive stares. Even the serious nurses were all giggles and chatter after receiving clown “kisses” on their cheeks (stickers that look like lipstick kisses) and witnessing the sea of colorful balloons, smiley-face stickers and tooth bearing grins on the children. One huge difference between the two hospitals is the policy on balloons…no balloons are allowed in Boise, but fully accepted in Bistriţa. I can’t tell you how much joy it is to look out over the playroom and see all those balloons! It was even better to see them back in the rooms…talk about brightening a room! Those balloons were also an ongoing reminder to the children that they are special…a clown loved them enough to come and see them that day.

Winky also had the privilege of being part of Bistriţa’s very first Special Olympics program. The nonprofit organization at the placement center organized the event and there were over 100 special needs kids competing in various events from sports (basketball, volleyball, foot races, etc.), singing, dancing, painting, etc. It was Winky’s job to cheer and entertain the participants and it was so easy to do. One of her favorite moments was being surrounded by a dozen kids all laughing and trying to communicate with the clown who talked weird. They loved the little tricks she did and showed their appreciation with huge belly laughs and requests to repeat the performances over and over again. The other thing that really stands out in Winky’s memory is that the MOST requested balloon that day was the HEART balloon. For every sword or dog balloon given that day, there were 4 hearts delivered to imploring children….and for every heart Winky gave it was another reminder of what that day was all about…LOVE. What a day it was…for everyone! It was a bit exhausting (Winky performed and played for 6 hours!), but the delight and wonder from the kids made the day wonderfully unforgettable.

Aside from the regular work…hospital visits and birthday parties for underprivileged gypsy kids and foster kids…Winky had another big event just before leaving Romania. June 1st was National Children’s day in Romania, so Winky was invited to three parties in three days. It was another chance to meet and play with both underprivileged and foster kids. The largest party was in the park and was for all the orphan children living in foster homes throughout the Bistriţa area. There were competitions (bicycle racing, chalk drawing, karaoke, etc.), loud music, snacks, gifts, and one clown who couldn’t keep up with all the balloon requests! Ha! Winky had a great time laughing and playing with so many children and it warmed her heart to see so many happy faces.

Winky is going to be doing a little work in Boise this summer, re-stock her supplies and then head back to Romania for another year of clowning around. For all those who are a clown at heart, keep checking back for more Winky adventures!

Easter in Romania

Easter is an important and widely celebrated holiday in Romania. Unlike in the States, Romanians take the Monday & Tuesday after Easter Sunday off from work. Almost everyone attends a church service either at midnight the Saturday night before
Easter or on Easter Sunday and the streets are alive with people headed somewhere to celebrate. Like in the States, most Romanians like to spend time with family and many of them leave the city and head to their relatives in the villages where they enjoy each other’s company and a feast of traditional Romanian dishes.

A favorite dish is an appetizer made with the boiled eggs similar to our deviled eggs. The difference is the filling is made from pâté and the eggs are placed upside down in the bowl with a layer of mayonnaise spread on top of the eggs. I’ve had this dish twice now and although I’m not a fan of mayonnaise, I really liked it!

This year I had the pleasure of seeing an Easter parade the weekend before Easter – complete with a marching band and lots of people dressed in native costumes. After the parade there was an abundance of vendors selling homemade gifts – the highlight of most vendors being hand-painted or beaded eggs. They are beautiful, but few people are able to create such beautiful masterpieces.























There is a custom that is easy to do however…decorating eggs with natural methods. Since red is the most popular color for Easter eggs (representing Christ’s blood), Romanian women will take the eggs and lay small leaves and twigs around the eggs and then wrap them in strips of pantyhose to hold them in place. The wrapped eggs are then placed in a pan with water, onion skins, and a little salt where they are boiled until hard-boiled. The eggs turn a deep reddish brown color and have intricate designs left from the leaves and twigs that were placed on the outside of the shells. It’s a lot of fun and I recommend trying it sometime.

I didn’t see any Romanians hunting Easter eggs, so I think that must be an American thing. However, since I live with Americans we did introduce the infamous Easter egg hunt to “Clare’s kids” (the underprivileged gypsy kids that are part of the after-school program run by one of my American friends). We had the kids over and let them color Easter eggs and then made them wait inside while we hid plastic eggs filled with candy and prizes all over the yard. They had so much fun they wanted to do it again at the next two birthday parties!























A long time ago I learned how to say John 11:25 in sign language (Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live), so I thought it might be fun to teach it to the kids in my class on Easter Sunday. They loved it! And it was so fun that they still ask me to watch them “say” that verse in sign language.

Easter in Romania was a special time for me filled with a mixture of new cultural experiences and old traditions shared in new ways with lots of wonderful children and adults alike.