What do Spider Sunglasses Help You Do?

Become more of a Rock Star, OF COURSE....

Sorry, a little late. From Good Friday, thought you might like to see it!

Good Friday Service Greek Catholic

Freedom of Speech, really?

Bucharest Daily News was an English-language newspaper operating out of the Romanian capital city, Bucharest, and was frequently cited as a source by the sudden influx of Romanian news articles on Wikinews. It covered various usual beats including world and local news, politics, business, arts and leisure as well as sports. It also included feature stories. In early 2006, the publication received a lot of attention for a series on the effects of an EU-imposed ban on international adoptions from Romania which was written by journalist Denisa Maruntoiu. The articles called attention to the poor conditions in Romanian orphanages and children's hospitals at the same time as the ban was being lauded by former European Parliament Rapporteur for Romania, Baroness Emma Nicholson.
The Daily News staff was given their usual summer holiday in August 2006. While the paper's website was published and updated for a few months after this, the printing of the paper was ceased and, much to the surprise of the journalists and copy editors, questionable business practices have shut Bucharest Daily News' doors for an unknown length of time. Currently the paper is still not being published and the website is down.

Kels' comments : For over a year now I've been wondering what happened to this paper. It was the only Romanian based news that was completely honest about the orphan situation here. I remember those articles from 2006... Communism and the restriction on freedom of speech is supposed to be over people! Emma Nicholson's bad decisions from when she WAS in power (she's the one who closed down international adoptions - said the kids "didn't want to be adopted") still affects the 'now.' I don't know, there's lots of drama going on right now with the government here. The news people speak so fast it's hard for me to understand completely what's going on with President Basescu but I know that they want him out. He was supposed to resign etc...

Low-Fat Yogurt Arrives!

I made this picture large and in charge so that you all could get a good look at that glorious "0.1% Fat" on the front. Low-Fat yogurt has made its debut in Marghita. Kelsey is happy...
Actually, on a side note, I think this is the first low-fat product at all in Marghita. Romania hasn't really ventured into that realm at all, at least not in my area.
What's the word for yogurt in Romanian? Iaurt - yow-oort. Wasn't the easiest for me to learn how to pronounce, that's for sure!

Hamburgers

Caleb doesn't normally get into Hamburgers so much. Our once in awhile McDonalds trips usually end up with a McToast (Hot Ham and Cheese) or Nuggets. Today though I wanted to check out the new hamburger stand around the corner from Herculane, the volunteer house.

Caleb was pretty pumped to order the hamburger and pay for it himself (with a little help...)

Based on his hamburger history I thought I'd eat most of it. I was really wrong in assuming that because I think I barely got 3 bites total. He destroyed it.

Curious on how much it cost? Well, it was 3 Lei - about $1.25. Not bad considering that a McDonalds hamburger is the same amount and is about 4X smaller.

Trying to get a distracted boy to take a picture...

I picked the wrong time for family pics. Caleb was more excited about trying to get out of my arms than smiling.
So I decided to bust out the rice crispie treats. His first one ever, actually. Yes, Mom, these are the ones you sent in February - I finally made the batch up!
The rice crispie treat idea didn't work out so hot either for nice smiles so I opted for tickling. That left us with eyes squeezed shut grins, like this one : )

My Little Swedish Boy

Okay, so I know the fork and knife at all times during a meal deal is kind of a given all over most of Europe. But, since we live with Swedish and they are the ones who have given him this example of fork and knifing, I decided the title for this blog is appropriate. Actually I think on this day I was fork and knifing it and he was upset that he didn't have a knife. He didn't do so bad actually as you can see from the pictures!

Romania 1991 vs. Romania 2007

Last night we did something a little different for team worship. Currently on the team we have some people who were here at the very, very beginning of FCE/soon after Communism ended.
It was suggested that we have some of these people speak about what it was like back then - especially since most of 'us' have been here since 2000 and on.
I thought you all might be interested in hearing about some of the thens and nows. Keep in mind that this was after Communism - about 2 years after.

*Waiting in a line for days to receive gas
*Bread could hardly be found to be bought

The Popesti orphanage, considered one of the worst in the entire country, was horrible. It's still horrible today but some things have changed. Back then though there was limited cold water available to the kids. No hot water at all. When the kids were forced to take showers in the cold water it turned out worse than just that. There was something in the water that left sores all over their bodies. When a child had lice they shaved their head and then poured gasoline all over them. Beatings, torcher punishments (1 story last night of a teacher holding a child's finger to a cigarette ligher as punishment). The kids slept in the classrooms because the roof to their dormitory had fallen through. Dressing for winter weater indoors because of no heat.

What was cool though was to hear how open the orphanage was to accepting help. Construction teams from Sweden came and fixed the water. Some of the people last night told of the day the kids got to take their first shower in warm water... they'll never forget that. They were able to not only have hot water but clean water, without the sore causing parasite.
They fixed the dorms and now the kids actually have pretty decent living arrangements (material wise). And, the number of children has decreased big time. From about 150-200 at one time to appx. 50-60 children now.

The current workers on this team told of how the beating haven't stopped but have lessened. That hot water is only available to the kids 1 day/week (Saturdays). And I think heating the orphanage and its facilities is still not considered high priority. When I was there this winter I saw the teachers and students wearing winter clothes indoors during classes.

The kids though have changed. Although I don't work with this team I do hear reports back and one from this weekend was really incredible. A long term missionary here is leaving. Her years here have been spent at Popesti so all of the children came to our Club for a goodbye party. I wasn't there but at the end, I was told, they gathered all the kids around to pray. Apparently the kids were praying prayers of thankfulness for what God had given them through the resources and people of FCE. Cool huh?

Easter Celebration = Perfume and Cake?

Yesterday, Monday, I experienced a part of Marghita's Easter celebration that I had previously enjoyed just hearing about. A friend in town and I have been wanting to get together and since she had yesterday off we decided to then. She told me that she was going to save so many cakes and sarmale (Cabbage rolls - my favorite!) for me and Caleb.
Monday actually seems to be the biggest day of Easter celebration here. See, on the day after Easter, especially in Hungarian culture, the boys dress up and go to every family member or friend who is a girl/woman - recited a poem and then proceeds to spray that girl/woman with perfume. Then the boys/men stay and eat cakes. Once done, they move on to the next home.
This happens the entire day. My friend told me that by the end of the day she would be sprayed with perfume about 20-30 times!
So we are over at her home when someone knocks on the door. A sheepish teenage boy walks in and turns bright red at the fact that he has to do his "perfuming" with 2 foreign girls in the kitchen! He was so embarrassed that he couldn't even say the poem and refused to eat any cakes. Before I knew it he was squirting the tops of our heads and hightailing it to the door.
When my friend's husband and son arrived I got squirted a lot. Her son had an aerosol can and really enjoyed the constant stream of perfume that he could put upon his 'victims' : )
Regardless of the number of times I had to wash my hair last night it was really cool to take part in this tradition.

No shirt, no shoes, no fried bread?

That's right, the regulations for entering stores here is a little different than in the States.
Let me translate this sign for you.

Do not enter the Farmacy with
Animals,
Fried Bread
or Ice Cream

Placinte (Fried Bread) could probably be compared in popularity with a bagel. They have no similarities other than that. For every bagel shop in the states there is a placinte stand in Romania. You can get them with mashed potatoes inside, dill and cheese or cabbage.

Anyway, this sign has always made a friend and I laugh when we pass by - she finally was able to snap a picture!

Still though, the sign cracks me up. Who cares about the shirt and shoes - go in naked if you want! Just don't even think about trying to bring in an animal, placinte or ice cream!

New Girl Arriving and Broken Bikes

The pictures below I had wanted to post at the end of the blog. The explanation of what they are comes at the end.


You're looking at every sand toy Casa Alba owns here. 2 buckets, 1 shovel.
It looks awful from the side, it looks awful if you crane your neck and look at it the right way. And, it's awful in person too. Anyone want to come and make a sand castle?
Another broken bike...
Micky can't ride this bike b/c it's broken. So he tries to push it around instead.

5 kids fighting over broken bike #1.
"I didn't get the broken bike! It's not fair"
A few minutes later, still arguing over who gets which broken bike.

Today a new little girl will arrive at Casa Alba. She's only 7 and her mom died. I'm guessing there was no one who could take her or wanted to take her so Child Protection contacted FCE and now she's coming today.

Olympia, I've talked about her before, has been looking really sad lately. There's no light in her eyes and her emotions are kept to a minimum. I'm wondering if things aren't going so hot at school. The new girl arriving today will be put in Olympia's room at Casa Alba so hopefully having a friend (for both of them) will make this new one's transition easier and maybe raise Olympia's spirits some.

Now, for the explanation of the pictures above.

Someone donated some money for bikes for Casa Alba. I'm pretty excited about picking out some to buy - more excited about seeing the kids' reactions. The few bike type things they have are all broken or not age appropriate and the kids fight over them like cats and dogs. In fact, I took pictures the last time it was happening to prove how bad the situation is. Bikes wouldn't matter so much if the rest of their playground was okay...but it's not. They have a few swings and that's it. So, any "toy" becomes a huge deal - hence all of the fighting. I think I'll be using some of the money to invest in a couple more sand toys as well - I think you'll agree with me that the sand "box" (if you even want to call it that) and the one set of sand toys isn't hardly enough.

Injections

Romania is a country obsessed by giving injections. You have a cold? You get an injection.
You have a _____________(fill in the blank)? You get an injection.
So it was no surprise to me when I was told by Caleb's Monday night babysitter that the antibiotic I was going to get today for my "really long word thing" that my blood test showed I had, would be in the form of injections. Her words were (translated of course) "Kelsey, it's really bad. The injections really hurt and you receive them for 10 days. I've had what you have 3X now and the injections are really bad."
Great.
But, one thing I've learned is the phrase "Numai pe gura." (Only by mouth.) Meaning, don't you even think of trying to write a prescription for injections because the only medicine I'm taking is the kind I can swallow! So many times since Caleb was a baby I would have to pull this phrase out. I usually get a stare from the Doctor that says something like "Why in the world would you prefer something over a course of injections?"
So, I was ready for today.
But, today I not only got the stare but I got a laugh. That's right the Doctor and her assistant just laughed at me. Apparently I'm the first person ever to ask for this specific antibiotic to be given in tablet form. They thought I was joking. I was not. After a few times of saying my key phrase they finally said "Are you serious?" I said "Ma'am, let's be honest. It's possible - you know it's possible, I know it's possible." She kind of did this shoulder shrug thing and kind of not wantingly said "Yesssss, it's possible......" Then she and her assistant discussed how they could work it out.
They finally wrote out the prescription and when I got to the pharmacy I ended up paying about 10X more than I ever dreamed I would. Maybe making more sense why injections are prescribed more often - a lot cheaper. Still though I think the $40 was well spent in light of me not having to go to the hospital 2X/day for the next 10 days to get a big shot in my butt that "is really bad." How do I know it would be in the butt? Well the doctor's assistant started making "shot motions" into her butt while she was laughing at me.
Hardy har har.
All laughing aside, I'm praying that this antibiotic will kill off whatever is making me have these crazy symptoms. Definitely $40 well spent if they do.

Salem Church

A few months ago a friend and I decided that we were going to really make an effort to attend church every Sunday. Effort, you might ask? You were going to try and make an "effort" to attend? Yes, you heard me right. I've gone off and on since I've come but nowhere near regular. One of the biggest reasons is that most of the missionaries here don't go so there isn't necessarily a crowd to follow. And, I felt that the services were more of a yelling match (preacher to congregation - they really yell) and not being able to understand what they were yellin' bout was really frustrating. Maybe you get the picture? Plus we as a team do church every Monday night together so it wasn't that we were missing out on communal worship.
Then came Caleb. And nap times always seemed to line right up with sermon times. Being a single mom and trying to quiet a screaming kid (because he's so tired) by yourself in the back didn't really work either. (And when we get home after church I am the one who deals with the extremely unhappy little one until bedtime. I'm not complaining, but I will admit that it made Sundays pretty difficult to look forward to.) The nice little nursery deal that most churches in the states have aren't part of the deal here. But then, Salem church came around. It pretty much rocks. And they actually had/have a little 'moms' room in the back with speakers inside so you can have an upset toddler and listen to the sermon together! Still though, it was easy to make excuses not to go... Mainly that Oradea is over an hour away and it costs quite much for the gas. Like I said at the beginning, my friend and I decided to get rid of our excuses and just get used to going. We figured that it would take awhile for both our boys to get used to the schedule but it was something they needed, and we needed, to get used to!
I was thinking just this morning about how hard it was to make that step to go every Sunday, yet how incredible it has turned out to be. We try to go to Salem Christian Center every other Sunday and to a church that FCE knows well in the village of Popesti the other Sundays.
I'm really thankful that the Lord gave us the strength to get our butts in gear on this.
Today we were at Salem in Oradea. Every Sunday we go there it kills me to get back in the car to Marghita. Not that Marghita is bad it's just that the sermons and the heart of the pastor and his wife makes you want to be there with them all week in community. The series he has been on now for awhile now is about us living to our maximum potential that Christ has created us to be/do. The Biblical challenges that this pastor lays out each week on this topic just make me go "aaaghghgh." You want to be there with that church and what they are doing in that city for Christ. I love it. And I am definitely lovin' going to church each week as well...