October 2, 2011
This is Romania.
Much has happened since my last update. As I try to remember all the important moments, the information registers as a jumbled mess of laughter, tears, stress, joy, money spent, and friendships strengthened. So here is my best go at untangling this mess of memories to share with you all.
Memory Number One: Horezu. This name most likely means nothing to you North Americans. But to those of us in Romania, “Horezu” means pottery. Beautiful pottery that nine American students exchanged for great amounts of Lei (think Dollars). This pottery was bought while on a daytrip that taught us a little more about Romanian Culture and History. We were able to stop at two Eastern Orthodox monasteries, observe part of a service, see Târgu Jiu’s pride and joy (a piece from a famous Romanian sculpture artist), and splurge on the aforementioned pottery.
Memory Number Two: Food. My stay here in Romania has taught me that food can bridge gaps where language doesn’t go. Cooking with or for my host mother Anca has been one of the most satisfying activities that I’ve engaged in over these past weeks. On one of my free days, Anca showed me how to make Mămăligă (corn porridge) and Salată de Boeuf (potato salad, Romanian style). In addition to Honey-Chicken Stir Fry and Pancakes that I’ve made for my Romanian Family, I got to make a fruit crisp this past week. Man o man! You’d think that a new planet had been found or something… Anca was so amazed at how tasty and easy nectarines, sugar, butter, and oats can be to make! These times in the kitchen seem to consist of the right measurements of jokes, heart-to-hearts, crying kids, and pieces of bread to raise up the cake of our friendship.
Memory Number Three: Muscles. More like sore muscles and bruised butt after bicycling 10 k two ways on one Sunday afternoon. And you can’t forget the various nights of volleyball with many people from the Pentecostal Church. OR the hand clapping/rhythm games that surface between turns on the court. (Yes, I have bruises from some of these games too).
Memory Number Four: Stress. Mainly in the form of classes. We started two new classes with a guest lecturer who is an Eastern Orthodox Priest. All I can say is that this is one class in which I will constantly be biting my tongue. Another point of stress has stemmed from my language class. Luckily it is now over, but the test this past Friday definitely put a damper on my sleep schedule.
In the grand scheme of all these memories, the good greatly outweighs the bad. I finally feel as though I’m becoming a part of this town called Lupeni and crawling into the hearts of the friends that surround me, whether they be Romanian or American. Tomorrow will be a huge mile marker in my life: the big TWO OH. Twenty years here on this earth. I thank God that I will be celebrating in this place that has become a temporary home for my soul.
Ne vedem mai târziu. (See you later.)
Sarah Jean
October 11, 2011
Changing Leaves and Snow on the Mountain
It snowed this weekend... Ahhhhhhhhh!!!
This past Saturday saw a change in weather here in Lupeni. While it was overcast and rainy down in the valley, Straja saw brilliantly white snow. I’ve never seen the vibrant and many-colored leaves of autumn combined with mountaintop snow. My heart has been blessed! If you didn’t know, fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the Jack-o-lanterns, apple cider, changing colors, crisp air, and crunchy leaves.
Romania has given me more tidbits of autumn so far, than I’ve experienced in any other of my twenty years. Along with the great colors along the sides of the valley, I’ve gotten to take part in Canadian Thanksgiving and harvest an apple tree! Monday the 10th was Canadian Thanksgiving. And since we have a Canadian student here with us, we were able to celebrate this wonderful holiday! We all settled around a giant wooden table fit with benches on either side and partook of the great amounts of food each of us had prepared. (I made Waldorf Salad.) Oh, and it was a candlelight dinner. You can’t forget that part. The ambiance and fellowship was unforgettable.
I was also blessed enough to have the opportunity of picking apples from a heavily laden apple tree! Two of us crawled up into those branches, stretched our arms out past reasonable length, and picked all but the most treacherously positioned fruits. Once inside, we drank mugs of apple cider, cut apples for apple crisp, and made festive candleholders. My heart overflowed with the gladness of the season.
In short, I am enjoying myself here in Lupeni.
But if you happened to wonder what I’ve been doing with most of my time since my last update, it would be this: IMPACT Training.
For those of you who don’t know, IMPACT is a type of youth group that the New Horizons Foundation set up here in Romania as a follow-up for their Viaţă Summer Camp. The IMPACT club is set up a bit like Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts is set up (this is my assumption as I’ve never been in either). With the IMPACT curriculum a club has various topics that must be covered in meetings, service projects to be accomplished, and many other requirements and expectations that I could drone on and on about. But since you won’t need to help lead an IMPACT club like I will, I’ll spare you those gory details. Just know that from Monday to Friday (3rd-7th) I was learning all the ins and outs of IMPACT from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm.
Speaking of Monday, October 3rd… Happy Birthday To ME! Or in Romanian: La Mulţi Ani! I had the most wonderful birthday surprise. At 7:00 am ten wonderful but crazy women came into my apartment and jolted me awake! Yes folks, they jumped on me!!! I was so completely shocked and elated that I didn’t even care about my awful bed head or retainer-fied teeth. I woke up feeling totally loved. My mother Anca had breakfast ready for us all, and there was even a cake I hadn’t noticed in the fridge. While my father Alex played guitar, all the Romanians sang the birthday song to me. The lights were turned off, the candles on the cake were burning, and Romanian voices were filling the room… I wanted to cry it was so beautiful.
So, that was my week in reverse. Te iubesc. (I love you.)
Sarah Jean
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