Last days in Romania!

'Some' of those gathered on my last day!

One of the most unexpected amazing days I had while I was in Romania was the Friday before I left- April 1st. And it wasn't because it was April fool's day-- they don't call it that in Romania, but they did pull off many a trick or gag on their colleagues, so it's alive and well over there. The day was amazing because of what I walked into as Doina and I returned from a visit to see Stefanie. We pulled up to the office/Sunshine School in the red Opel to find the yard crowded with people. I said to Doina.."what's going on in front of the school?"  I got out of the car, someone grabbed my camera from me, there was music playing (soundtrack from the Lion King, I think), then saw the big signs and Romanian/American flags you see in the pictures here.  It was a thank you gathering for me. I was totally overwhelmed, esp as I looked around to see every child from the Sunshine School, the Darius Houses, all the Sunshine School teachers and assistants, everyone from the RCE offices and even a couple of folks who weren't even working that day but came in anyway.

Cake makers Adina and Mariana

Sunshine School cooks Adina and Mariana made a HUGE cake that apparently took the better part of two days to construct. I heard after the fact that I almost walked in on them as they were making it. But luckily someone locked the door to the kitchen before I could. The flowers that surrounded the cake were made by the Sunshine School kids in their classes. The cake was nearly all gone by the end of the celebration.

Ovi making a speech

Alex

I was given gifts-- a beautiful bunch of notes from each class of the Sunshine School that were attached together on gray paper with holes along the edges so as to look like they were on a roll of film. Ten year old Alex gave them to me in a 'Kodak' film canister constructed by the creative Sunshine School staff. Ovi presented me with an old picture of Arad and a neat coffee mug.  He also made one of his famous Ovi speeches, which is always a treat. He mentioned that I was the first board member to stay in Arad for a month-- oops, I forgot I even was a board member.  Then we ate!  I didn't take one picture, but my camera was passed around to many. In the end, 124 pictures were taken by a number of talented photographers. (I think some folks also really liked holding their finger on the shutter of my camera-- the Nikon D90 that I have can take 4 frames per second.)

my trusty Nikon D90

If you've been following this blog regularly or even occasionally, you know there's LOTS more to learn about RCE and to support the work of the incredible folks here in Romania..  If you would like to get involved (and I hope you do!) here are a few ideas:

Doina, Lorena, Andrada, Carina and Ovi Martin



1. RCE Walkathon is being held on Saturday May 7 in Reston, Virginia.  This is our annual Spring fundraiser and it will be an opportunity to learn more about RCE while also raising support. Ovi and Doina Martin (Mar-teen) and their three girls- Lorena, Carina, and Andrada-- will all be there for the event. They arrive in DC on Friday April 29th and will be in the area through Monday May 9th.  If you've ever spent any time with the Martin family, you know that this is an event that shouldn't be missed!  For more information and walkathon sponsorship forms, go to: rcenterprises.org or call our Exec Director, Mary Ann Bell at the RCE office in Virginia at: 540-554-4255  Even if you can't make the walk, you can help sponsor the Martin family, or make a donation.

2. Church events: The Martins will also be at Fourth Presbyterian Church on Sunday May 1 for both morning and evening services and at McLean Presbyterian Church at some point on May 8 before they head back to Romania.

3. Ongoing support: One time donations are a HUGE help, but regular monthly support is even better :) There are many ways to contribute. One example...many of the animals you saw pictures of in my blog, and that I wrote about were provided through RCE's Christmas giving program to poor families.  If you are interested in supporting us in any way, please go to the RCE website, rcenterprises.org, call Mary Ann at 540-554-4255, or use our US mailing address:

RCE  21058 Unison Road, Middleburg, VA 20117
Many thanks to those of you who have been longtime supporters of RCE! You have made a difference in the lives of so many!

4. Blog: While there won't be any new postings after this one, this blog will stay up, so send people who you think might be interested in Romania or RCE to it. I posted 36 blog entries between March 3 and April 5 and the site got nearly 2,000 page views up till today. Most of the viewers were from the US and Romania but there were also a few from Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the UK and France. I'm hoping there will be some additional views after today so people can continue to learn about Romania, the culture, its people and Romanian Christian Enterprises.

It's been a great privilege and a personal blessing for me to have been able to share my experiences in Romania with you this past month.  I want to thank Judy Zdobysz, a longtime friend at NRH in DC where I work, for encouraging me to do the blog. I was reluctant at first and had never even seen or read a blog before...but once I started writing and posting it became obvious that this was a great way to try and capture some of what goes on in this incredible ministry each day.  I took over 1500 pictures while I was there, had so many wonderful experiences, and heard so many interesting stories while I was there that it was a daily challenge to decide what to post.

In the end, I hope you were moved, encouraged and even challenged by the blog in ways you did not expect to be. I also hope this experience encourages you to consider supporting RCE if you don't already. You've seen the evidence, you know the stories, you KNOW that whatever you can do for RCE will go directly to helping those in need..and here, the need is so great I can't even begin to put it into words..which is why I tried to let my pictures do some of the talking..

Thank you for your support of the ministry, of me while I was there, for your e-mails/comments to the blog and for following along with me on this most incredible of Romanian journeys. It was my 20th visit to Romania over the past twelve years, but by far the longest and the very BEST!

God's blessings to you all!

Marti (Martha)

Romanian words of the day:

Friend= prieten/prietena

Great friend= prieten bun/ prietena bun

Incredible= incredibil

Journey= calatoria

Behind the blog...

Manu of Amy's House

As my stay in Romania has ended and I'm actually home in the US, I'd like to take a moment to give you a look at life 'behind the blog'. My month long stay in Romania was fantastic! From the day I landed at the airport in Timisoara on March 3 straight through to the time I headed back to Timisoara for my flight home on April 3. The people I work with at RCE (many of whom I've known for 12 years now) are like family to me. They are some of the most wonderful and amazing people in the world and words cannot begin to describe how thankful I am to each and every one of them for such a fantastic month in Romania.

Marti- Doina during fence painting

I was very well cared for, VERY well fed, and so encouraged during some unexpected challenging times as we went about our work together. I also relied very heavily on many people to translate for me along the way-- Simona with Toni, Ovi, Carmen, Cara, Paula, Angy, Ina, Mona, Krista, Lorena/Carina Martin and Doina. Doina seemed to be with me everywhere I went and was a HUGE help. We learned a lot from one another during this trip and I am so thankful to her! I am already looking forward to going back to Romania, hopefully sometime this fall.

Here are a few things I did not mention in any of my blogs, but were going on behind the scenes as I posted picture after picture, wrote story after story each day. So here's a little bit of the personal side of my month..

The Tram in Arad

Herman and his after school 'lapte'

- The days were long. I left the apartment just after 7AM every day and didn't get back most days till 8PM or so. The blogging took place after that.

- I took two 'days off'..well, they were kind of days off. Otherwise I worked Mon thru Friday just as if I were at home..only the work was very very different.

Policy meeting

- I accomplished many of my goals at the RCE office..finished up a policy and procedure project; oriented RCE Directors/Coordinators to the idea of performance evaluation; took lots of pictures for future RCE newsletters and publications; dealt with some other issues that came up. Some of the other things I set out to do, didn't quite get done, (i.e. building a standing frame for the kids) but there will be other trips.

Ovi with 70 lbs of potatos

- I caught a cold mid-way through my stay and got myself some VERY effective Romanian cold medicine that nipped it before it got out of control. The very vocal roosters and dogs near the bloc I stayed in made good sleep often challenging, but I got just enough.

Teo

Ica's freshly made sausage

- I found myself at a Romanian gynecologist's office at 9PM last Thursday night. Even had a full blown exam. Felt like I was in a movie. The office itself, the room I was seen in, the doctor, the nurse and Doina translating for me from behind a curtain as I was examined was something I'll never forget. I was even prescribed a host of Romanian medicines as is standard in this country. My only comfort was that one of the meds I was given was manufactured in my beloved New Jersey, so I figured it couldn't be all that bad. However, I have to admit the instructions I was given for taking one of the meds was kind of strange. "Take the coat off (outside), throw away the middle and eat the coat". It was an up close and very personal look at the medical system that I have been so fascinated by over the years.

Carina

Ciorba (chor-ba)

- I took more than 1,500 pictures while I was in Romania.  Pretty early on I realized I had to get a good system down for keeping them in order and deciding which ones I wanted to use for the blog. Selecting, sizing and arranging the pictures in each blog entry took way more time than writing the text, but that was actually the fun part for me. There are so many interesting people, animals, landscapes and food to photograph in Romania, the number of pictures I had to choose from was downright overwhelming. There wasn't a moment during my trip that I didn't have my camera slung across my shoulder, or in my back pack nearby. Actually, one time I left my camera at the office and I got a talking to by one of my colleagues-- where's your camera, you should have it with you always!!?? :)

Orthotic evaluation

- Some major achievements on the physical therapy front while I was here.. finally figured out how to get appropriate orthotics/braces for the kids that need them. The Romanian system is challenging to work through, but I was able to meet with an orthotist and with some help from my Romanian friends, I think I finally have it down.... also got one of our kids at the Sunshine School onto some anti-spasticity medicine so he can move better. We have already seen results. These kinds of meds aren't widely used here, so this was a big victory!

My personal translator- Doina

- Got to see many interesting folks with a variety of issues/impairments while I was in Romania-- both children and adults, those under RCE's care, RCE empoyees, and also folks from the community.. scoliosis, spina bifida, stroke, brain injury (mild and more severe), lateral epicondylitis, low back pain, hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, a couple of knee injuries and several other diagnoses. Even identified a couple of leg length discrepancies along the way.

Before the painting began

-When I was in Romania in December, I stayed with the Martins. Ovi mentioned that in the spring he was hoping to finally paint the fence/gate in front of their house. I said I'd help when I came in March. Well, he took me up on it. It took 3-4 of us nearly 6 hours one Saturday, but the job got done..here are the before, during and after pix.

The fence is done!

- A friend in Romania asked if I were going to continue my blog when I got back to the states. I chuckled. Life back home is interesting for sure, but not nearly as interesting as it is here. I can't imagine what I would have to say. Plus I'd have to change the title of the blog to:  martiUSA2011.blogspot.com  However I WILL continue the blog into Mon-Tues April 4-5, so keep checking!

-The Romanian language continues to be a challenge for me, but after spending a month here, I can understand a lot more and speak a bit more than I could before. But I have a looonnnngggg way to go before I could even dream about being able to carry on a conversation...

-I noticed many more cats in and around the city this visit. Some even seem to belong to someone. Maybe the dogs are being replaced? For those who don't know, Romania has long had a problem with wild/street dogs. There are still many, but not quite as many. You also see many more people with dogs as pets.

It was cold and snowing when I arrived in early March, now it's warmer and the flowers and trees are blooming..spring is here!

Romanian Words of the Day:

Flower= floarea (floor-ea)
Soup (with stuff in it)= ciorba (chor-ba)
Soup (broth base)= supa (soup-a)
Train= tren (tren)

Last Blog Entry will be tomorrow-- Tuesday April 5th!

To market we go..

Arad market..
We went to the big market in Arad on Saturday.  Ran into a couple of folks from the Sunshine School there. They said.."this is the market we go to when we're in this type of crisis".  Very few can afford to shop in stores these days, so they come to the market for the real deals every Saturday and Sunday. Interestingly, the market is located just outside the walls of the prison we visited in the beginning of my trip.

It's an interesting place. Part market, part flea market under the watchful eye of the prison guards just over the fence. You can buy old/used things and lots of stuff that's brand new and even imported in some cases. You can get some really good deals on vegetables as we saw when we bought a HUGE bag of potatos for 2 lei per kilo. So the entire bag cost only 60 lei or 20 USD. That will last about 2 weeks for a family of five in Romania.  Across from the market (across the road that leads into the prison) there is also a big lumber yard with lots of supplies.

abandoned communist farm chicken houses

Communist Farm....Remember the cow RCE purchased through the Christmas giving program for the Rostas family in the village of Vinga? Well, I didn't tell you anything about where the cow was before it got transported to its new family. When we first visited it, it belonged to a family that lived on an old communist farm. Back in the day, when Ceausescu was in power, the government owned many farms. Lots of the people that worked on the farm lived in homes that were built on the farm. The farm facilities themselves have been closed and were abandoned after the revolution in 1989, but the homes remain. They are in very poor condition and the people that live in the homes have few resources. The cow belonged to one of those families. Rumor had it that the city was going to level all the homes and expand the airport a bit more. The cow family heard that, stopped paying their rent and then got into some trouble when the razing of the homes was delayed. They needed some money to help handle their debts, so they put one of their cows up for sale. So they got the money they needed and The Rostas family got the cow!

Riding the RCE transport to Sunshine School..

Ioana and twin sister Andrea

I got to ride the RCE 'transport' van to the office/school one day last week. There's a stop right near the apt I was staying in. The route took us to several different stops around the city as we made our way to the school. Students as well as teachers and other RCE staff are welcome to ride, which makes it much easier for people who don't have cars, want to save gas, to get to work. The day I rode was a special day as Sunshine School student Ioana had her twin sister Andrea with her. Andrea's public school was closed that day, so she spent it with her sister. Ioana was SO excited her sister was with her she hardly contain herself..bouncing up and down in her seat the entire trip.

A few updates..

Stefanie with casts

Stefanie without casts!

- went to see Stefanie, the little girl with spina bifida who had those big casts on when last I visited. She's had the casts removed and is moving her legs around some which is great. Her mom let me see her x-rays and I was able to give her some information on spina bifida from a great book called "Disabled Village Children" by David Werner. Stefanie's mom mentioned to me that the doctors hadn't given her much information on spina bifida so hopefully this will help her. I'll visit Stefanie the next time I'm in Romania. By the way, I have a copy of that book and there is also one at the Sunshine School in Romania if anyone is interested in taking a look.

- Got word that little Toni is home and doing well.  Simona, the wonderful woman who translated for me when I worked with Toni, called her mom and found out that Toni is becoming 'braver' and is now coming to standing on her own. I'm already looking forward to seeing her next time I visit. Hoping she'll be able to run to me (or away from me is actually more likely) by then. Will keep you posted.


Romanian word of the day:

Transport= transport (with a Romanian accent)

Stay tuned-- a couple more blog postings to come on Monday April 4th and Tuesday April 5th..

Animals.. vaca, capra and barza...

Mr. Rostas and his new cow

Vaca..
Remember the cow (va-ca) I went to see with the man who was interested in owning it? Well, it was delivered to Mr. Rostas (ro-stash) and his family yesterday. He and his wife have 12 children and their daughter and her children also live in their home. So there are many in the family who can take care of the cow.

The cow is back there somewhere!

I asked how a cow is 'delivered' to a family. I learned that people who have special trucks are hired to transport the animals. The man who transported this cow came up to Arad from Timisoara with his special truck. After he unloaded the animal, the cow's new owner asked how much he owed the man for the transport. The man looked around, saw how many children he had and the conditions in which they lived and told him he didn't need to pay him anything.  The cost would have been around 70 USD, which is a lot of money for a poor family.

The cow will have a calf in a few months and I was invited back for his or her birth. Also invited back to taste the cow's fresh milk which all in the family are looking forward to.
Soon RCE will go into partnership with this family on another project- building a new barn.

Capra purchase!  On my very last day in Romania we finally purchased a goat (cap-ra) for a family in the village of Vladimirescu. The village sits just outside Arad. The goat was given to a widow with six children. The Pasca (pash-ka) family has been in partnership for RCE as they build a new house. Mrs. Pasca was so excited when we called her and asked if she would like a goat. It was a challenge to take a picture of the goat with the family because goats don't like to stand still, but I tried. The family will soon enjoy lots of rich goat milk and lots of goat cheese which is a delicacy in Romania. Thanks Mom!

Barza

Romanian word of the day:

Storke= barza (bar-za)

Storks are big in Romania. They have huge nests usually perched on top of telephone poles. They leave this part of Romania for the winter and head south. They are just starting to return now that the weather is warmer. I walked by a store that sold baby things the other day and here's the display I saw. Our storks, you know the ones that bring babies to us, in the US are cartoon like characters. Here in Romania, they look exactly like the real bird. They also sell plastic barzas in the marketplace. You occasionally see them outside of people's homes, in planters, similar to how some in the states have pink flamingos in their yards.