A New Routine

I haven't blogged in a while, but I will catch up on everything, I promise. In the week after camp, CTL/Inimi Deschise helped to put on an autism seminar. Some people from California came and provided the information and I helped some staff with the refreshments and clean up. It was great that there was this opportunity because nothing like this has been done in Romania before and it was offered free to parents and specialists. They were desperate for help and we got many expressions of relief and thanks from them. The need for my help ended on Wednesday and so I went to Rehab on Thursday and Friday. Saturday was a free day so I cleaned up and had fun with Kelly who left on Monday. On Monday and Tuesday, the staff that is here got the lovely job of unpacking the tubs from camp and cleaning the whole ministry center from top to bottom. It was a bit of an ordeal and every bit as tiring as working at an orphanage. On Wednesday I helped Mada and Fibia take eight girls from Chitila to the Herestrau Park. The girls really enjoyed it and had been looking forward to it for some time. We brought sandwiches and after lunch and some playtime, we went on a big boat that travels all around the lake. The lady at the ticket counter let all of us go on for free because we were from Inimi Deschise. After the boat ride, a friend of Fibia's gave us money to buy everyone ice cream. It was a great day and it was easy to see that the girls enjoyed it. On Thursday and Friday I went to Rehab. 

I got some bad news on Friday. I found out that a boy named David who I have been working with is in the hospital. David has cerebral palsy and he started having seizures earlier in the week. He was in a coma for three days. I went to visit him yesterday (Saturday the ninth) with a fellow intern Marilyn and he did not look good. He seemed even skinnier than usual, if that is possible. He also had oxygen and an IV as well as a feeding tube. His grandmother came to visit and it was really hard for her to see him like that. He had been doing so well the day before. I went to visit him again before church today and he was of the IV and when he woke up we could see that he knew us and was feeling better. I hope everyone will remember David in their prayers, that he would fully recover and go back to the center doing even better that when he left.

That is how the last few weeks have gone I am doing well and Kelly took a little video of me so everyone at church could hear from me.

After camp

What a week! The entire staff left on Saturday morning after we packed all of the tubs into a van, not as easy as it sounds... We drove about 2 and a half hours to an area of Romania right by the Danube River and about 10 minutes away from Bulgaria. We spent to rest of the day unpacking and playing around with each other. At one point I think all of the interns were with Alex in the kiddie pool, soaking wet. That was fun.
The kids arrived the next day and we greeted them with staff members dressed as Spider man, Superman, and Snow White. The little kids were so funny when their buss drove up, they were waving and they all had their mouths open when they saw the characters.
The next day began the clinics. I helped with painting, arts and crafts, and English. I was mostly a fetch and carry person except in English. Florina was in charge of English and in the group were two girls who speak better English that I do Romanian and one boy who spoke almost no English. We took turns translating eachothers' sentences and it was actually quite fun. I found out near the end of camp that this boy wants to continue English lessons. This is so surprising because, according to the staff Gabe was very much so a handful last year and the fact that is sat down and studied when everyone else was playing soccer really shows that he has matured and really wants to learn English. I really hope that this doesn't stop after camp.
After the clinics was lunch then free time (also known as nap time) at around 4 or 5, depending on how hot it was there was a camp game. Everyone who wasn't helping was with their devotion group, so I got to spend time with the older girls. At first it was hard and a little awkward because even though I could understand what they were saying, no one would slow down long enough for me to respond. I got better, though, as I had some one on one time with the girls and we got to know each other better. After dinner was devotions and a movie. Sometimes I stayed up and watched it, sometimes not.
At the beginning of each day was chapel and I played the keyboard while Fibia and her husband Andrei sang and played the guitar. After singing there was a skit. The interns had prepared two mimes to music and the staff had done three or four more. They all went really well (thank you Bakersfield team for letting us steal your skits!) In one of the mimes, I was Satan. As everyone knows I enjoy playing the villain and perhaps I enjoyed it a little to much because I was called a " fata rau" (bad/evil girl) and the devil for the rest of the day.
So all in all, I think that camp was a good experience and I hope that those kids took it home with them.