So, for a change, I actually wrote things down as they
happened today so that I made sure not to forget them by the time midnight came
around and I’d actually have a few minutes to type everything up!
I ended yesterday’s post at dinner and I really cannot
remember what happened after that! Our days are all beginning to merge together
so none of us can really remember when we did what and so on. I think it was
like all our other nights. After dinner, we went outside to play modified
volleyball in the front yard and then once the group headed back to the hotel,
I hung out at the orphanage and played with the kids until like 11:15 pm (I
think we’ve established that bedtime is non-existent although after tonight,
I’ve realized that it just might have been that way because it was the
weekend). Ah, wait. As I’m looking at my notes here, I think Becky (who is one
of the missionaries here; my age) was telling us about the state of the
hospitals here (either after dinner or before dinner). I knew it was bad from
the last time I was here and she was like 6-7 months pregnant I think. We all
pitched in and gave her and another girl some money at the end of the trip to
help with the hospital costs. Yesterday, we got the specifics on why more help
was needed. Apparently, in the hospitals here, you pay for everything
individually. So, when Becky was about to give birth, she had to pay the
doctor, the nurse, the woman who cleaned the floor in her room (yep), and the
woman who took her up in the elevator (to name a few). She said you just name a
price and if they don’t like it, they won’t complete the service. If they take
it but it’s too low, they’ll do what they can to make it unpleasant for you,
like the nurse will intentionally bruise your skin when starting an IV. Next time
you think that our hospital system is not great in the states, just think about
what it would be like to have to pay each person that comes into your room
before you will even receive care (and questionable care at that).
Back to today…. We started today with a church service in
Severin at the house. Before I walked over with some of the kids from the
orphanage, I helped them get dressed and this included spraying underneath
their arms with body spray which I guess was the equivalent of deodorant. I had
to find a way to explain in broken Romanian that I didn’t need that for myself!
Since the girls from the orphanage wanted me to come with them during the
service, I ended up down in the basement with all the children (for a
children’s service maybe? Not really sure since there was no translator). It
was total chaos down there for a while until Dragoosh (who helps out here and
was with us all this week and the last time I was here) came down and did some
stories and games with them. We played this game with chairs, where you were
either an apple, orange, or banana and when that fruit got called, you had to
get up and switch chairs with someone else. One of the girls (Rebecca; who is
absolutely adorable and kissed me about a thousand times yesterday in Rogova and
today) kept trying to call the fruits that were not mine (I got orange) but
that also had someone sitting next to me so that person would have to get up
and she could sit next to me (she would like look at me and then at the kids
next to me and would then call out the fruit of that kids). At one point in the
morning, Claudita (from the orphanage) had to go to the bathroom and she
refused to let anyone else take her but me. So we go in there and the entire
time, she’s just chatting away to me in Romanian and I’m just chatting back “I
have no idea what you’re saying to me” and it was all pretty funny. Around
noon, church was over (it started at like 9:30…) and we had a quick lunch
before heading to Lupsa for another service. I was planning on staying at the
service in Lupsa but when I realized like 3 people were supposed to talk or
give sermons, I didn’t think I’d make it awake if I stayed in there. So
instead, I went down with Melody (one of the moms from Iowa) and watched as she
led a little children’s story with the kids downstairs. After that, we all
played games with the kids (Melody and three of the teens); games like Simon
Says (which was pretty funny with a translator) and Heads Up, Seven Up. While
we were down there, a little girl name Becca (I’m feeling like that’s not her
name now that I’m looking at this sentence more…) was watching me and she tried
to put her sunglasses on her head like mine were. Then, I took a drink out of
my big water bottle and she strolled over to this big jug by the kitchen,
pulled it down, and just drank right from it. Then, everyone else took drinks
too! I was like, “Oh no, please tell me I’m not starting a trend!”
On the drive back from Lupsa, most of us passed out on the
bus or came pretty close (I dozed a few times and almost dropped my Kindle). We
had about an hour to kill between the time we got back to the house and when
the last service started. We were all so tired and were afraid we wouldn’t make
it through the last service but surprisingly, we all did. The last service
wasn’t as long and some of it was filled with thank-yous from people here and
from our group.
I think around 8:00, we started dinner and afterwards, we
had our typical post-dinner volleyball time, where I fortunately (for everyone
else) sat out tonight since I must admit, it’s not my greatest sport. After
playing for a bit, the group left for the night and I spent about an hour
learning some new words in Romanian with the kids at the orphanage. Alberto and
Danny thought I was only playing with the girls so I hung out in their room
tonight and we played paper football in addition to my Romanian lessons.
Marian and Felicita (house parents) with Adina, Anna, Claudita, Danny and Alberto
It’s
amazing because I now can follow most conversations and I have a general idea
as to what’s being said. I’m learning some common phrases and words too so I’m
hoping to practice more in order to remember them better.
On a random note, all during the day today, Becky, Chad, and
I were throwing out ideas about what to do with the kids from the orphanage for
the next few weeks. Becky mentioned a zoo but that it was 2 hours away. I said
that now was the perfect time to go since there’s extra help! We also talked
about crossing into Serbia at some point and getting pizza over there since
it’s supposed to be really good. Our last idea (so far) is to give the house
parents a date night where they can go out and Chad and I will stay with the 7
kids and babysit. And, we’d do it with no translator because I think that would
be hilariously fun.
I think that’s all for night. I have to go hunt down a
mosquito or two in the room. They are fast and hard to kill and there are more
now for some reason. So, I can either kill them or get eaten alive tonight.
Tomorrow will be a relaxing day…. We’re driving to the Danube River, walking
around for a bit, sightseeing a little in Severin, and then a woman is coming
over to thread some eyebrows tomorrow night (apparently, this woman is really
good and does it for cheap and one of our group mates talked to her today about
coming tomorrow). Then, on Tuesday, it’s off to the castles!
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