I can't believe it's been 5 years since I was living in Romania, working with my beautiful orphan kids! Time sure does fly and oh how I miss those good times had in Iasi! I just have to reminisce a bit, but I must warn you, this may end in a lengthy post, mostly of pictures. I was going to steal Jackie's idea and do a week of posts, but I think I've decided against it. I'll try to keep it short though :)
The FOOD!!
* Mici (when it doesn't make your stomach upset) * Pastries * Placinta cu branza * RED ORANGE JUICE!!! * Bread from the best bread store in the world * Joes * Bonellis * Viva snacks * Primola chocolate* Ciorba * Pui seasoning * Mario's cooking - especially her apple pastry and zacusca *
Can you see why I took the stairs and tried to walk anywhere I went!?! And I still packed away pounds during those 4 months! Eek!
My BABIES!!
*My orphans from the children's hospital, orphanage, and streets are some of my best memories of Romania and taught me some great life lessons! Grateful I've been able to visit a few of them on a couple return trips to Iasi. *
Esmerelda and Larisa - the orphanage favorites, as well as mine! Esme lives in Switzerland now with a foster family and has been having surgeries...she's doing awesome from what I hear...I hope they let her stay there!!
My little Larisa again...I miss her SO much!!
Little Maria - I loved when she'd let me hold her and even more when she'd fall asleep while I was holding her!
Alex, oh Alex...smartest boy ever! Has cerebral palsy, but is still SO smart. He talks with his eyes because he can't speak...and what beautiful eyes he has!!
Florine at the spital
Carrie's little Nicolae. He was a gypsy boy in the hospital. His parents lived too far away and could not spend the months on end there with him, so we'd visit him a lot.
Beautiful girl in the hospital
MIHAI...this little guy is so funny!!! He's in a foster family now :)
A few of us with the doctors and orphanage director
This little guy was my favorite though during my time in Romania. This is little Ciprian (whom was nameless when I first found him...he was one of the abandoned babies in the children's hospital). He shared a room with another abandoned baby, so Anne and I kind of adopted them as "ours." We'd spend the night there from time to time and would visit everyday. Man how I love this little guy! Not too long before I came home, a social worker came and got him and took him to his family. He was an illegit baby and the social worker had convinced the husband that God would punish him if he did not raise this baby and love the baby as his own. I was able to go out to their village and visit them, as well as provide some money for Christmas.
My GIRLS!!
*There were ten of us that made up the Fall semester 2003 group...and what a fantastic group we were! I love every one of these girls so much and miss seeing them! I had great roommates. We were split into two groups of five girls. Targu Cucu apartment always had some good times!* Cooking dinner * Highs and Lows of the day * Nertz - holy cow did we have a good, crazy time playing this game!! * Our Targu Cucu Jungle :) ha ha * Running from Leviu * Sunday walks down Stefan cel Mare *
ODDS and ENDS!!
* Marionella, our facilitator, what an AMAZING woman!! She honestly is my hero. * Little Texas * Greetings on the telephone...and in person (the 3-kiss greeting) * Hot showers * Botanical Gardens * The countryside * Mario's family and their village * Visitors that stand in the doorway for hours * Boys that ask, "Do you speak English" as we walk by speaking English when we answer, "No we don't" in English * Grandmas with purple hair * Pastry Friday * The new orphanage * Magic Pizza * Moms at the spital - and the fish bowl rooms * Rice and Broccoli from the Ginger Ale * Iasi Days * The branch in Iasi * Street kids * Taxi drivers * The weekend weddings * Grocery shopping - always a good time with people following the American girls around staring * Elvis the dog * Cute old people sitting in the park * Hala Centrala * Gypsy kids * Random Romania - so many random things around Ro, I don't remember a lot of them, but every email I sent home I had a couple :)
Things I will NeVeR come to miss!!
* Brown Water - after the water would get shut off, it'd come back on the rest the day brown or yellow - blak! * The smell in the stairwell of the scala apt building * Manholes (yup, I sure did fall in one) * Orphanage workers that would force feed the kids * The mold in our house * Not having heat in a communist cement bloc house in winter * Leviu - creepy guy that would pop up EVERYWHERE we were! *
Ahhh good times had by all,what a wonderful semester that was full of loads of memories and amazing experiences...along with hardships that were character building!
* Mici (when it doesn't make your stomach upset) * Pastries * Placinta cu branza * RED ORANGE JUICE!!! * Bread from the best bread store in the world * Joes * Bonellis * Viva snacks * Primola chocolate* Ciorba * Pui seasoning * Mario's cooking - especially her apple pastry and zacusca *
Can you see why I took the stairs and tried to walk anywhere I went!?! And I still packed away pounds during those 4 months! Eek!
My BABIES!!
*My orphans from the children's hospital, orphanage, and streets are some of my best memories of Romania and taught me some great life lessons! Grateful I've been able to visit a few of them on a couple return trips to Iasi. *
Esmerelda and Larisa - the orphanage favorites, as well as mine! Esme lives in Switzerland now with a foster family and has been having surgeries...she's doing awesome from what I hear...I hope they let her stay there!!
My little Larisa again...I miss her SO much!!
Little Maria - I loved when she'd let me hold her and even more when she'd fall asleep while I was holding her!
Alex, oh Alex...smartest boy ever! Has cerebral palsy, but is still SO smart. He talks with his eyes because he can't speak...and what beautiful eyes he has!!
Florine at the spital
Carrie's little Nicolae. He was a gypsy boy in the hospital. His parents lived too far away and could not spend the months on end there with him, so we'd visit him a lot.
Beautiful girl in the hospital
MIHAI...this little guy is so funny!!! He's in a foster family now :)
A few of us with the doctors and orphanage director
This little guy was my favorite though during my time in Romania. This is little Ciprian (whom was nameless when I first found him...he was one of the abandoned babies in the children's hospital). He shared a room with another abandoned baby, so Anne and I kind of adopted them as "ours." We'd spend the night there from time to time and would visit everyday. Man how I love this little guy! Not too long before I came home, a social worker came and got him and took him to his family. He was an illegit baby and the social worker had convinced the husband that God would punish him if he did not raise this baby and love the baby as his own. I was able to go out to their village and visit them, as well as provide some money for Christmas.
My GIRLS!!
*There were ten of us that made up the Fall semester 2003 group...and what a fantastic group we were! I love every one of these girls so much and miss seeing them! I had great roommates. We were split into two groups of five girls. Targu Cucu apartment always had some good times!* Cooking dinner * Highs and Lows of the day * Nertz - holy cow did we have a good, crazy time playing this game!! * Our Targu Cucu Jungle :) ha ha * Running from Leviu * Sunday walks down Stefan cel Mare *
ODDS and ENDS!!
* Marionella, our facilitator, what an AMAZING woman!! She honestly is my hero. * Little Texas * Greetings on the telephone...and in person (the 3-kiss greeting) * Hot showers * Botanical Gardens * The countryside * Mario's family and their village * Visitors that stand in the doorway for hours * Boys that ask, "Do you speak English" as we walk by speaking English when we answer, "No we don't" in English * Grandmas with purple hair * Pastry Friday * The new orphanage * Magic Pizza * Moms at the spital - and the fish bowl rooms * Rice and Broccoli from the Ginger Ale * Iasi Days * The branch in Iasi * Street kids * Taxi drivers * The weekend weddings * Grocery shopping - always a good time with people following the American girls around staring * Elvis the dog * Cute old people sitting in the park * Hala Centrala * Gypsy kids * Random Romania - so many random things around Ro, I don't remember a lot of them, but every email I sent home I had a couple :)
Things I will NeVeR come to miss!!
* Brown Water - after the water would get shut off, it'd come back on the rest the day brown or yellow - blak! * The smell in the stairwell of the scala apt building * Manholes (yup, I sure did fall in one) * Orphanage workers that would force feed the kids * The mold in our house * Not having heat in a communist cement bloc house in winter * Leviu - creepy guy that would pop up EVERYWHERE we were! *
3 comments:
I think this is the best post ever! I loved taking a walk down memory lane! Thanks for posting those pictures! I wish we could go back and visit some of those great and not-so-great times. I miss you!
So many good memories! I miss it! What a wonderful time!
Wow you sure do know how to make me smile and cry all at the same time! What a blast we had over there...I miss it alot! Thanks for posting all of those pictures. It was a lot of fun to remember all of the good times we had!
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