Summary of Romania

The first of July, I arrived in Brasov, not really knowing what to expect. I was met at the train station by Alex, the youngest projects abroad staff member in Romania. Over the next few weeks I would find out that though he could be surprising at times, he and the other Projects Abroad staff were some of the most genuine people I had ever met in my life. The care and sincerity that the staff had for the volunteers was unexpected, and made me feel that if there was ever a problem I could depend on them to help, and to be there if they were needed. Whether it was just for advice, or for directions to weekend destinations, the staff was always ready to help, and enjoyed being there for the volunteers. I felt as if I had been welcomed into a family.

Most of the projects had the volunteers going to a single placement, and then working there for their shift, however since I was in the drama project during the summer, things were a little different. Each day myself and my partner would go to two different placements. Twice a week we would go to a day school, three times a week we ran a summer camp, and in the afternoons I either went to work in a Foster home, or had a charity show or a mini drama project to work on. 

My first three weeks, I was lucky enough to be partnered with a dance volunteer from the US, and the last half of my time I worked with another Drama volunteer from Italy. At the day center and the foster home, we would work with the kids on a variety of activities. At first, my mission with them was to teach them about creativity and how to pretend while they play, while also teaching them some basic english. We would play a variety of games that taught them focus, coordination, expression, memory, and emotion. It was amazing to watch the children embrace these concepts without even realizing it. From the time I arrived, to the time that I left, the transformation that I saw in how the children were willing to tell stories and be creative was amazing. About halfway through, the day center asked that we help the children prepare for a small show that was going to be preformed for the parents at the end of the holiday. The children decided they wanted to work on Little Red Riding Hood, and for the next four weeks our focus was around learning a short script and producing a small show with the kids. 

The summer camp had to be my biggest challenge, because it was completely on the volunteers. Unlike the other placements where we had supervision, helpers, and structure, the summer camp was 100% ours. The opportunity to have such ownership of a project was amazing, and the faith that Projects Abroad put in us was inspiring. After spending some time with the kids, my partner and I realized that one of the main problems plaguing Romania was going to be an issue with us as well; and that was one of discrimination. There tends to be dissent between the gypsy communities and the Romanians, and we decided that our main focus was going to be to try and help the children work together. We never announced this to the kids, but most of our activities were focused on team building and group activities, as well as expanding creativity. Our hope was that the children would learn to work together, and to hopefully start to respect each other, so when they saw each other outside of camp they would be able to get along in a way they had not previously. When I left, there had defiantly been a shift in how the kids regarded each other. When we had first started our project, it was easy to see just by walking in the room who “belonged” in what group. We even had one small Romanian boy cry because he had been assigned to a team with a young gypsy boy. By the time we left, the majority of the children were able to work together peacefully, and the children were used to working together and intermingling with one another. 

My favorite projects that I worked on were the charity show and the mini projects. When I arrived, some volunteers that had already been there for awhile were hard at work on the annual charity show Projects Abroad puts on in the community. It consists of a mixture of drama pieces, music, and dance. This year, the main event was “Grease in Ten Minuets”. We had a cast of native Romanians, and it was a blast to get to know the girls who were involved in the show, as well as see the talents that they had and give them a chance to showcase them. All of the money that was raised we were able to donate to a local foster home for them to buy cleaning supplies and a printer. 

Once the charity show was done, we were able to start working on a mini project to preform for the children out at a couple of foster homes. We did a pantomime of the Boy Who Cried Wolf, and a short play of the Three Little Pigs. The children loved both plays, and it was a lot of fun being able to work with other Projects Abroad volunteers to put the show together. 

On the weekends there was never a lack of things to do and see. Around Brasov were many small towns that made a good day trip and had lots of history. In the evenings you could walk around Brasov and enjoy a glass of lemonade or get dessert crepes with the other volunteers. Often we would go enjoy some Romanian karaoke with the locals, and if you wanted the waiters were even gracious enough to bring you large buckets of ice to chase away the Romanian summer heat. 

Going to Romania was one of the best decisions I have made so far, and I can not wait to go back. To anyone thinking of experiencing the country firsthand, I would say go for it, a thousand times over. It is hard to put into words how beautiful the country, and the people who lived in it, are; but I know that the experiences I had in Romania will stay with me forever. 

Moving on

I want to start this blog by thanking those who have followed me faithfully through Romania. Looking back on the time I had there makes me realized how blessed I was to have that opportunity. I fully anticipate to return and do more with that country in the future, and look forward to raising help and awareness for the Romania that is current. Even though the vision most westerners have of Romania might be a little off, there is still a need for people who are willing to go and spend their time and effort supporting that country as they continue to progress. Communism still has its lingering moments, yet I can't help but continually be impressed by that country, who the Romanians are, and how they haven't let their recent past define who they are as a people. I am excited to see what is going to happen there, and can't help but feel like a part of my heart will always belong to those people.

With that being said, it is time to start a new chapter on this adventure. I am spending the next year working with The Pais Project in Great Britain, and am excited to see where I will be able to connect and take so many of the lessons that I learned in Romania with me into my experience in the UK. I will continue blogging about what is happening while I am away from America, however I will be starting a separate blog devoted specifically to The Pais Project and my work with them. I encourage all of you who have been keeping up with my current blog to switch over to the new one, as there will be adventures aplenty. If you would like to start following my new blog, the link is here.

Now I am going to leave you with a token of my appreciation, and hope that everyone has a nice day.

Top 10 things I have learned about America since leaving the country

1. People know I'm not from Europe because I say "ummmmmm...."

           Its isn't that they don't think before they speak, they just throw out a very loud and abrupt "AHHHHHH"

Alvin from summer camp

2. Americans treat their children like they can break

           I am sure it is because they can, but the amount of things we do not let children do because it is unsafe is amazing. Apparently even though children break, they also can be fixed. But regardless, my heart stops about 50 times a day.

3. Americans have to be the worse drivers ever

          This is not an observation based off of how civilized and great the driving over in Europe is. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. On the surface european drivers are CRAZY, especially if you compare their "lack" of driving skills with the much more reserved and controlled style of the americans. But facts don't lie. I have seen two accidents the entire time I have been overseas, and one of them was only a fender bender. A bad traffic accident will be on national news for days. There is no such thing as alternate routes, because they are not needed. I don't actually know how Americans ever get into traffic accidents. When I figure this out I will let everyone know.

4. Trains- We are missing out

            We need more trains. Perhaps when oil fails us I will petition the president to ban air travel and invest in large networks of train travel throughout the states. It is amazing. The types of scenery that can be seen, the lack of pollution it puts out, and the people you get a chance to meet have made it my favorite way to go anywhere. It does take a little longer then driving, and a lot longer then air travel, but the journey is part of the fun, right?

5. We rule the coffee market

             So far, the only thing I have missed that is specifically American is our coffee culture. The types of coffee, the variety, the flavors, the ice...America has turned coffee into a culture in the same way that the Irish have turned Guinness into a culture. It is part of who we are, and it is a part that I am proud of and hope to share with the world someday.

6. Our only culture is pop culture

                I have found that each country has their own culture and traditions that have stood the test of time. Turkey has delight, Switzerland has Lederhosen, Australia has vegimite, and China has the fireworks. In thinking about what America has contributed to the world, aside from McDonalds, I started thinking about our culture. Due to the nature of our country, and the fact that we are such a melting pot, we do not have a long lasting traditional culture that people think of when they think of the USA. But we do have pop culture. Those of us from the states know that Hollywood is not America, and that there is much more to the country then "Call me maybe" but you would be hard pressed to convince rural french people of that.

7. We work way to hard for no reason

               Americans work an obscene amount of hours, and I can't quite figure out why. Admittedly we have more money to have more stuff (see number 9) but we are constantly exhausted and do life at such a fast pace it is hard to appreciate it. We also need to take more vacation time. I think a month being considered a short amount of time owed is a wonderful way of running a company.

8. Gum/candy/soda/junk food/ect. If it is bad for you, we're probably best at it. 

              If it is not CocaCola, Fanta, or Sprite, you can only find it in America. American gum is the best gum you will ever have in the world to the point that people have asked us to send them back gum from the states when we get home. We probably don't have the best chocolate, but every other kind of candy that we make in the states is of a much higher quality then any you will find elsewhere (except maybe the UK and Ireland). I have been told that if it is not chocolate, it is hard-stale-tasting-taffy-like "lollies." Yummy.

9. We have so much stuff

               Everyone has to invest in something, and Americans like to invest in stuff, and in houses to put all our stuff, and in cars and, and storage sheds, and property. There is a reason why "Hoarders" is an american TV show.

10. Americans like options

               It probably stems from capitalism and having so many different cultures in such a close vicinity and people being able to try all different sorts and pick the one they like best. I like having options, and I like being able to be picky about my shampoo, but there are times when a lack of choices is nice after a long day of trying to speak Romanian.

One week

Brasov from the hill near my house

Its been a week...in some ways I feel like I just got here, and in other ways I feel like I have been here forever. In the last few days, I have learned and done so much, that if nothing else happened for the rest of my time here, then I would still have stories to tell for a very long time.

Tuesday I went out to meet the kids at the group home. They were so cute, and so sweet. One little boy named Lorenzo, about 8, picked me flowers the very first day he met me and immediately was willing to hold my hand when we went on a walk. There is a three year old named Mitza who follows me everywhere and is my little assistant. Apparently understanding toddler is a universal language, because its all about interpreting strange noises and pointing anyways. I am pretty sure that out of all the Romanians I have met so far, I understand Mitza the best. Then there is Larrissa. She arrived the day before I did, and is so shy. I have only heard her say a couple words, but when she does talk it is precious. Mostly she just wants to wear my sunglasses and smile. As much fun as these kids are though, it is heartbreaking to hear some of the stories told, and know that many of the kids have similar stories to tell. For example, little Mitza was put into the hospital as a baby, and her mother would only come and visit her once every couple months or so. (In Romania the Hospitals also serve as a mass nursery for people who either don't want their children or ca't take care of them.) Eventually it was discovered that when the mother would come visit, she was dying Mitza's hair with cleaning bleach, because she wanted a blonde baby.

Which leads me into my next project. The racism between the gypsy community and the rest of the Romanians is huge. Most of the kids in the group homes and orphanages in the country are from that community, and it is hard for the other Romanians to see past their gypsy-ness. In another small village about 20 min outside of Brasov myself and another girl are running a three week summer camp for the low income children in the village. The goal is to help these kids learn how to interact with people outside of their village, and more importantly to learn how to interact with each other. Children have the luxury of not knowing they aren't supposed to be friends with someone different then them, so the goal is to expose the children to tolerance, so as they get older they are willing to be more tolerant of the gypsies and hopefully bridge the gap between the two. When communism fell, and with the entrance into the EU, many of the churches started educating and tutoring the gypsy children, which gave them a drive to do better. Now there are many of the gypsies my age who are trying to get honest work in the towns, or go to university and get an education, but are not able to do so simply because of the intolerance of their people. Hopefully this will start to lessen as they are forced to be more integrated, but I am learning that the Europeans hold grudges much longer then we in America are used to. Perhaps it is because we have a shorter history, so we forgive like a child. Quickly and completely.  In perspective, of course. I'm talking the difference between 20-30 years and hundreds of years.

In the evenings I started working with the Projects Abroad office to put on a charity showcase for the community. This will be the third year they have done it, and every year they are able to raise quite a bit of money to donate to a charity. This year we are donating to the group home that I mentioned earlier, so they can buy cleaning supplies and other necessities for the kids. Myself and a third volunteer are working with Romanian university students as our performers, and they, local musicians, and some brave PA volunteers will put on a collection of English and Romanian acts.

The final thing I do is a couple times a week I go to another day center run by the state, in yet another village outside of the city, and teach the kids English through drama and games.

That is basically my week. Its long, hot, and tiring days, but its full of new adventures. Everyday the kids are so excited and enthusiastic to have people there to work with them, and their eagerness to play and get involved is priceless.

First Impressions

I'm finally here!! Through visa complications, delays, more delays, funding delays, and project rescheduling due to said delays, I am finally in Romania. There were moments where I had serious doubts it would happen, but because of massive amounts of patience with everyone involved, I made it.  Tomorrow I meet some of the kids for the first time. They range in ages 7-14, and I am anticipating they are going to be a blast. 

The little I have seen of Romania so far has been a very interesting mix of the old and the new. Air conditioning and open doors are seen as evil by many Romanians, because of the draft monster, which they blame any form of illness on. Including my current cold. However all buses; and many houses and offices have these magic machines that blow out cold air, even if they don't use them. It has been interesting meeting people my age who talk about the fall of communism, and the almost instant increase in available goods, that happened when they were 6 or 7. To have such clear memories of a distinct regime change has been fascinating to listen to. 

 The best way that I can describe Romania, on first impression, is well used. Everything is used until it can not function anymore. In America, we are the ultimate consumers and will exchange things well before it needs to be replaced, but here, you run every item you own into the ground. It can be masked as decay, but really the Romanians are simply good stewards of their resources. It makes sense why there would still be horse and buggies, pitch forks for farming, and washing done in the streams. Why would they buy a car when they have a perfectly good horse? Why get a tractor when they still have a good back and a pitchfork? What is the point of a washing machine? The stream is outside and it doesn't cost anything. We think the economy runs on money, but really, it runs on time. If we had more time to walk to the store or into town, cook dinner at home, wash our clothes in a stream, or whatever task we have deemed to slow for our daily lives, think about how many of our "magic machines" in America would be obsolete. 

45 days and counting...

Fact: Saying I have 45 days until I get on a plane does not make me hyperventilate. Saying I have a month and a half does.

So for the sake of my brain needing air we are going to continue to say that I have 45 days until I leave for Romania. Since after today it is officially less then a month and a half we will then change the terminology to "A little over a month" until further notice.

I ask that you don't misinterpret what I am saying. It would seem from the statements above that I am completely terrified about going away to Europe, but sometimes excitement and terror hang out in the same circles. In addition to that, it makes my head spin a little when I realize that I am about to do something that I have talked about doing for so long. I had similar breathing issues around the time I took my first plane ride, went on my first solo road trip, and graduated from college. However, since I survived each of those events I am confident I will be able to continue on living through this next adventure as well.

Another factor for terror is how much still needs to get done before I leave. Below I have pasted a picture of how my face looks right now if I think about it for too long, and right below it is an image of my brain when I don't have my Europe to-do list in front of my face, actively crossing things off.

However, I am a theater student, and we are a people of short term goals, and thrive off of immense amounts of interim stress.  So to this I am going to apply the phrase I always recited with every project, test, paper, and class I didn't know if I would make it through...in 45 days, for better or for worse, it is going to be over.

True stories explain it best

I know it has been a very long time since I posted, so for those of you who have anxiously been awaiting an update on project progress, I am finally coming through for you. In the next couple of days I will post an update on the progress to get to Romania, but for now I would like to post an article I came across that a friend posted. It is not long, but it explains why the need in Romania is so great and puts a name to the problem of young pregnancies in that country. Getting married and having children at a young age is common in that country, especially with those who are connected to the Gypsy community, but that mindset doesn't stop with families who can afford to take care of an infant. With the cultural acceptance of young pregnancies it makes the burden that much greater for the local orphanages and children's homes, due to the sheer number of young people having children that have no way to care for them.


A 23-year-old woman is claiming that she is the world’s youngest grandmother. Despite urging her daughter not to follow in her footsteps and stay in school, Stanescu told The Sun that Maria left to get married when she was just 10 and gave birth to her first child the following year.Rifca Stanescu gave birth when she was just 12 years old and two years ago her daughter Maria had a baby at the age of 11.

"I am happy to be a grandmother but wished more for Maria," Stanescu told the paper. 

Stanescu also revealed that she eloped with jewellery salesman Ionel Stanescu when she was 11 and he was 13.

She fled with her boyfriend because she was worried her father would force her to marry someone else in the village of Investi in Romania.

Her mother, also named Maria, became a great grandmother at just 40 years old.