days 34 & 35

suntem fiice ale unui tata ce ne iubeste si noi pe el. il iubim.

sunday, was a great fast and testimony meeting in the branch. i wasn't positive, but i was planning on bearing my testimony if there was a lot of quiet time like there has been in the past, but this week was different. romanian after romanian got up and bore the their simple testimonies full of faith. there was no need for me to talk, and i am actually glad, because one sora towards the end mentioned how proud she was of the branch that they could have a testimony meeting with out the americans doing most the talking :) that felt good. they are going to be alright, i know it.

today was a good day. i didn't get to spend much time with ghirocel at the orphanage because he was sleeping, but vlad and i went outside and had fun swinging and walking around.

so, the hospital is full of children... not many babies, but lots of children

there is this one boy samson (p.s. i love that name) who will not talk... all he does is cry and call for his mommy. it is heartbreaking. anyways, it took me a while to get him to allow me to hold him.. i think the bag of legos and bubbles helped. so, i was holding him and playing legos with him and talking to another mom in the room. she spoke english really well and she was super nice.. she told me a sad story about samson and why she thought he wasn't talking to anyone today. there is another orphan in the room who is about 14 months. i guess earlier today for no reason samson got out of his bed and went over to the other girl and starting beating her fervently. the nurses ran in and reprimanded him in the same manner. i then understood why he doesn't look people in the eye, or respond when they talk to them.

second hospital story of the evening: ali, remember that one time that i was so mad at you, i wanted to hit you... but before any punches were thrown we were both on the ground laughing? well take out the second half and that is how mad i was today at this gypsie woman. i recognized her right away and kept giving her dirty looks at she followed us from room to room. in one room and kept talking to me and was just being straight up rude.. she kept asking for money and when i told her that i didn't have any she called me a liar. then she asked why i was even there. i told her i was there to take care of the orphans. her reply was i am an orphan, give me money. o, i was so mad.. she was so sleezy and rotten. she then when on to ask us if we had boyfriends and started saying gross things.. i havent been this angry in a long time, and i don't think i have ever given anyone as dirty of a look as i gave her... but it made her quit talking. it is just really frustrating dealing with the gypsies because they have been raised to be rude, and disrespectful, and manipulative. but even still most of them respect the work that we are doing there, and leave us alone, but there are the few that really get to me. anyways, i think i might be venting now.. i am actually a lot calmer than i was earlier. i don't like feeling angry, but i dont like rude people that are mean to me and my kids.

fhe was really fun tonight. we read the giving tree which is one of my favorite books ever.. so now i am happy.

o and the picture above has nothing to do with anything, but i like it.

day 33

branch picnic day!!!!
full of icky pizza... tricky branch presidents... gypsies.... and best of all ultimate frisbee.
i never thought i would be so happy to throw a frisbee around, but it has been a long time since i have played any sports and it was really fun... even though we played in a field of stinging nettle, and my legs have never itched so bad... tennis shoes would have been a good idea to bring. i am going to go find some this week.

also we went and saw indiana jones tonight.. i actually really liked it.. but the aliens were a little too scary for me

day 32

it is 8:00 friday night, and i am in my bed, elisa is already alseep next to me. i never realized how tiring kids are. every night we all come home exhausted, but so so happy. i love laying together in our sleeping room talking about our kids. it is true, you really do come to love those you serve... having trouble loving someone? go make their bed.

anyways, high for the day: we had marius' aunt walk home from the hospital with us today, and we had her over for dinner. no we don't have any furniture, but she was more than grateful to join us on the floor as we ate a yummy dinner elyse prepared. she is amazing. she moved to the us and has been working there as a cna for 18 years, but after her sister died in the fire she felt like she needed to come take care of her nephew. she has been here for months and i can't even describe the sacrifices she has made her marius. we love her. she is inspiring. she also makes me miss all my aunts! thanks for the love and support!
low for the day: so i was in the icu with elisa and we were putting lotion on this boy that has been there for years, and hopefully not too much longer. his little arms are about as thick as two of my fingers. his eyes were open, but not moving. he looked like something straight out of a holocaust photo. anyways, i was trying to sing him a song, but my genes got the best of me. elisa was gone by then, so i went outside his door and sat down. before i knew it there was a group of nurses around me asking a million questions. i really just wanted to be alone so i ignored them. they took my quietness as a sign to try and left me up onto a bed. so i laid on the bed and let them take my vitals and elisa came and got me and we left. this weak stomach thing is not working for me, but will not stop me.

“The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

day 31

i have set a new goal: every evening i am going to go out exploring.

this will encourage me to get my cultural proofs done and not just stay home and read.

today started off wonderfully talking to everyone on skypie skype.

thanks again josh for opening up your apartment for a 121 social.

so vladdy got a walker today! he doesn't really like it, but he just needs to get used to it, and elisa and i burnt some lovely mixes to listen to at work, and the kids and workers like them.

i went to the post office today to send a packie package.

this afternoon at the apartments the girls taught us how to play a new game. it involves having someone pretend to be asleep on the couch and then one person running up and hitting them, and they have to try and guess who it was that smacked them... typically romanian. down by the banks was too boring for them.

o, and i also came up with a great idea for my primary kids, and for the older kids in the apartments. I am going to write up little lessons on different virtues such as honesty, or patience, and draw pictures to go along with them and have the elders translate them for me. that way i can do something meaningful with the kids, other than just play hit the sleeping person for two hours. also, the elders keep bugging us because they are supposed to be doing service for us, so this will keep them satisfied for a while.

day 30

- snuck backstage of a political campaign sponsored concert
- met the mayor of iasi
- got invited by the keyboardist of the MTV european music awards best romanian act, VOLTAJ, to go clubbing with them (we said okay, and found out all the details... but alas we are sitting at home instead)
- took a photo with the rolling stones of romania, holograf's lead singer
- how? well, we know what we like

p.s. i guess i am now the official district cna? one of the soras got bit by a dog and the mission doctor is sending her back to iasi with a series of shots that i get to administer... reminds me of african airport restrooms

the crew

here you go mom:

mary, mackenzie, whitney, me, elisa, melissa, mindy, elyse, annie

note... i am kinda slouching / bending my knees? but yes i am still the shortest

...

p.s. the song mexico by jump, little children = probably the best song ever written

p.p.s. future chandelle 885 - be ready for some super domestication skills...
p.p.p.s yesterday on memorial day, i had a moment of silence for alex the coug... yes he is broken and i am not there to use my car safety skills to fix him
p.p.p.p.s i am typing in the dark and you will not believe how many bugs keep flying into my lit screen - yuck
p.p.p.p.p.s. vlad was super responsive today and we really connected - he is starting to favor me over everyone else, which i love, but i hope the workers don't get mad
p.p.p.p.p.p.s. my nursing application is officially turned in = i no longer have any control over it, which scares me so so much. prayers, prayers, prayers
ALSO: look how cute my lil sister is!!! i miss her tons and wish i was there to embarrass her in front of her prom date... but isn't she a doll?

day 28

vaca

what i smushed with my hands yesterday to make burgers...

where romanians must not get their milk from, because it sure doesn't taste like it...

what dad wanted to purchase to add to the scott farm as food storage...

a page in these animal books that a girl named ashley made for elisa to bring...

vlad's new favorite book... thanks ashley!

story of the day:
the cafeteria at the orphanage is one full of harsh workers and not so cooperative children. there is often yelling comes from both sides, so meal times are not fun... today as i was walking past vlad and alex both saw me and their faces lit up.. vladdy did his little leg shaking thing and waved his arms.. alex smiled and rocked his head... anyways, for the next ten minutes we played a game called, don't let the workers see whitney make funny faces and do silly dances through the window... it was really entertaining and it made me happy to see them laugh.

day 27

that's what i love about sundays

free time to talk to the family

day 26

IASI: MY HOME AWAY FROM HOME!

today was a joyous one... elisa and i went exploring and picture taking this morning, and that was a lot of fun. here are a few photos... i am not going to post them all on one entry this time. i am going to save some for really boring days when i have nothing to type. p.s. i have been a little hesitant about bringing my nice camera out in public, but it really wasn't as big of a deal as i thought, so i am excited to take more.

o and hoopyah for iasi being 600 years old! we went out for an evening stroll and ran into this big party thing in front of the national theatre... i saw a guy that comes to outreach sometimes and asked him what was going on, he said come here, and lead us to prime reserved seats in front of the stage where we watched some great romanian musical acts (elyse got some entertaining footage and will post it on her blog later - p.s her and i just had a debate about the spelling of that word, she was right, it does not start with ph like photo). we got these cute white flags to wave and elyse was even given a pretty red rose from the boy we don't know the name of and unfortunately we had to be in by dark, so we couldn't stay to meet the olympic gymnast that everyone was so excited about, but we did yoga again tonight so everyone is happily relaxed and ready to go to bed. and that was one terrible run-on sentence.

(click to enlarge)

p.s. it is really bugging me that those two vertical photos are not centered... i can not, for the life of me, figure out how to fix it.. ky... rique.. any ideas?

day 25

once upon a time, there was this little burnt gypsie boy who decided to steal from the sweet american girls who came to visit him... he stole some cards and this little black bottle thing... knowing that he would get in trouble, the little boy waited for the girls to go home and sneaked into a bathroom to play with his new toys...

little did he know that the black bottle was full of mace and he sprayed himself in the face... it hurt him really bad... everyone was confused because they didn't know what this poison was that he claimed the americans gave him... the nurses and doctors were mad at the americans and banished them from their kingdom...

along came mario, the magical, who went to the hospital and atoned for the american girls mistake of being nice to little gypsie boys...

the americans were not completely off the hook though, they have to wait until the following monday and come to the hospital with backpacks full of chocolates to give to the upset faculty before they are allowed to take care of any babies...

the end.

. . .

today was a great day.
we walked to work in the pouring rain, and were more than drenched by the time we got there.
the workers were super nice today and even brought out a blow dryer to dry our hair so "we didn't get sick".
vladdy was in a great mood, and ghiorcel was as adorable as ever.
the other whitney is working on woo-ing the physical therapist into getting us photos, and so far so good. o and we are bribing him - if he comes to church with us, we will have a picnic with him.
we had a really fun time spending an hour together creating a list of predictions for the future lives of us nine. (this is what happens when we can't go to the hospital in the afternoons).
we gave up on our romanian budget this week, and will try again later.
elyse and mindy are singing "he loves me, he loves you not!" right this second in the back room.
and i am spending my friday night, once more watching chick flicks on our wonderful movie futon.

but here is my quote of the week:

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.
~ R. W. Emerson

day 24

so something happened yesterday at the hospital that may have suspended us from working there for a while... no worries, everyone is okay, well a little gypsie thief of a boy has some red eyes, but everyone else is fine... anyways i will let you know more when i know i can talk about it

today was a continuation of the bad luck we started yesterday.. we showed up on grinch day at the orphanage.. no joke every single worker was ruder than ever and just plain grumpy... we survived that and elyse, mindy and i went to dachia to the apartments.. the third floor of kids was great, except they had just woken up all the kiddos, so they were not in the best of moods.. next we went to the seventh floor apartment and the worker there was more onery than the ones at the orphanage, so we were so excited to get out of there...

we climbed onto the number six tram and were enjoying the ride home, then we noticed that we were the only three left on the tram, and that it was stopped in the middle of the road.. we weren't sure what was going on so we just got off... and where were we? right in front of the only mcdonalds in iasi!!! so therefore we got soft serve sundays and started walking! if anyone knows me, they know how hard going 24 days with out soft serve has been, so i was more than happy that the tram broke down and we were over an hour and a half late getting home...

tender mercy = broken tram

o, also... last night we decided to bring sora genovieva flowers and a card for her dinner on sunday, the one that made us sick... and she invites us in for deja vu dinner part two... but it was rotten. worse than the first time.

note to self: if you have to go to a romanian's house to bring them something, drop it off at the door and run.. do not go inside.

also, i am running low on the photography front, but i have designated saturday morning to exploring and taking some lovely photos of my home away from home, aka iasi

day 23

buna! it is whitney's wednesday! which means my lucky roommates get to eat my scrumptious dinners. and even better, i only had about 15 lei left to buy the ingredients with this morning.

i went to the piata and got lots of cheap veggies and put them in a pot with a beef bouillon cube and am making pot roast... i was going to do hawaiian haystacks, but canned fruits were way too expensive.. next week.. thanks for the suggestions though.

the orphanage was much better today... the same worker was there and i just avoided her. there was one scary moment when vlad saw the same bottle and started heading towards it.. i snuck over and grabbed it and ran away with it and him, so the worker wouldn't see.. come to find out, he was just interested in looking at it.. he was fascinated by looking at the water inside of it... we sat on a bench for a few minutes, watching the water splash in the bottle, then busted! out comes the grinch and takes it from him and seriously gives him a piece of trash to play with... of course he cries and i run away with him again before he gets tied down again... i was able to calm him down with some bubbles.. i decided that i am going to make him a water toy.. like fill an empty water bottle with water and beads? or anything fun i can find and duck tape it and write vlad really big on it and give it to him...

so yeah, i am having a hard time being motivated to get all my course work done so i came up with a system: every time i finish a culture proof i can get a gogosi! what is a gogosi? goodness. (note the period). mackenzie and i decided we are going to open a gogosi stand across from j-dawgs... it will be good..



alright well. i don't have much more to say, so i will leave you with this picture of us at dinner on sunday...
we were still smiling because that was only the first course.. and were oblivious to what was coming..

o and ali, yes i am wearing your skirt... i can't remember if i asked you if i could bring it.. so thank you! and i can't wait to see some pictures of prom

cu mult drag.

p.s. thanks for the support everyone! really, multumesc foarte mult!!!

p.p.s mom and dad: the best time for me to skype is my mornings, your nights.. i am finally on a set schedule and wake up before the other girls, so like 7-8:30 my time, which i think is tenish yours...

p.p.p.s can someone please e-mail me the banana cake recipe including the frosting.. i had this genius idea to freeze bananas and try and eat them frozen, when i am dieing in the heat... anyways i would also like to make banana cake... to eat with my frozen bananas and banana juice... nope, nothing odd going on over here.

day 22

today was probably my hardest so far.

there is a worker at the orphanage that is really rough with the kids. she is very physically and verbally assertive with them.

remember vlad? my sweetheart that i wish i could keep? well i was working with him on his walking and he was actually doing pretty well until he saw a baby bottle of water on a table. i knew they would be mad if i gave it to him so i was carrying him over to the shelf of toys to distract him, but that worker saw and got the bottle and tried to feed it to him. since vlad has lived at home most of his life, he is very capable of feeding himself, so he didn't want the worker to feed him, and he turned his head away from her and the bottle.

at this point, you would think that any normal person would either give the bottle to him to feed himself, or just not let him have any.

she took vlad from me and told me to go get his chair. she tied him into his chair and told me to do something, but i was too focused on his screaming to comprehend what she asked so i said "nu stiu" - i dont know. she grabbed elisa and made her hold his hands down while she squeezed his face and squirted the water into his mouth. of course he was scared and confused and now choking because he was crying so hard...

i didn't know what to do, elisa kept looking at me and repeating, "i'm so sorry". i couldn't stay. my poor little vladdy. i should have done something.

sad day

help requested

so i am on a romanian's budget this week: 25 lei (roughly 12 usd)

i am in charge of dinner wednesday night

i need something that is easy to make, and cheap, and common enough to even be found in romania.... even better at the piata (outdoor veggie market)

can't do:
pizza, french toast, curry, pesto pasta, or anything with chicken...

any ideas?

p.s. today was a great day! i started off a little sick from sora gene's dinner but am okay now, and life is good!

p.p.s. i don't want to brag, but i just need to say that i owned romanian today! i dunno what happened, but there was a click and i was speaking and understanding so much more today than ever... it was weird and i am even thinking in it a little bit, which takes me by surprise... i am no where near fluent... not even close, but it comes to show how real prayer is... booyah!

day 20

Tradition has it, that sunday meals in iasi are made together as an apartment, alternating each week between the meal and the dessert, with the girls from scala.

Today, we had the dessert - today i was in charge of making it. it was a fruit pizza and it was yummy. we all ate a lot; annie's chicken, broccoli, and french fries, and my pizza.

This was a mistake.

Why?

Well little did we know that today sora genovieva was in charge of cooking for the district, and little did we know that she planned on having us join the missionaries... until we got a call from them, inviting us to her house. we had just finished eating our little hearts out at scala and decided that all nine of us should go because if she were to offer food, it would have to be small portions because there were so many of us.

Upon arrival, we thought we were okay because when we got there, she made the elders leave to go buy some more bread... (yes it is sunday here, but we like to roll with the punches)

We were wrong.

I have never felt so full in my life... no joke i was gagging on course three - and not because it was yucky, because it was foarte buna, but i just could not swallow... elder mielke was our coach talking to us about different experiences he has had with romanian women and food and how we just need to eat it. yikes. (it is moments like this that we are glad other people can not understand what we are saying - or that we have a cunning elder that translated our, "come on girls, this odd meatball thing with chunks in is not that bad tasting." or "i think i am going to puke" into, "they love your food and are so appreciative")

All the while, sora geneoviva (pictured right, with her son) was running around refilling our bowls and bringing out the next round. she was moving so quick she spilled a whole bowl of beans on melissa's shoulder... at the same time, her handicapped son (who we love) ionuts was listening to romanian techno music really loud and playing an intense game of tic tac toe with elder barclay...

O, and did i mention, that it was about a bijillion degrees, well more like 85 with 60% humidity... o, and that she was feeding us really hot soups and this beans in gravy stuff, and some sort of meatball in gravy stuff?

True story.

I feel like i will never be able to eat again.

But, when all is said and done: it was a really funny experience and definitely one that we will laugh over for a while. and most importantly, sora genovieva is amazing, and so sweet to have made that for us and opened her cute little apartment to us. i am sewing her a card right and we are going to bring her one of those framed jesus pictures with flowers tomorrow to thank her.

Sundays are still my favorite days.