Bun venit

After more than 24 hours of travel I finally arrived safely at Casa Sperantei!  Unfortunately my luggage was left in Nashville due to a confusion of dates on my check-baggage information.  Luckily they know where it is and expect it to be delivered within 3-4 days.  Thanks to my parents and my history of being a Girl Scout I have adopted the motto "be prepared" and double-packed many items in my carry-on, including toiletry items and several changes of clothes. 

Once I arrived at the airport, Iulia (my supervisor) and Madalin (her fiance) graciously met me there and subsequently took me on a brief car tour of Bucharest (the capital city) where I saw many historical buildings with beautiful architecture and wonderful parks.  Madalin dubbed this part of the city as the "Beverly Hills of Romania".  As evidenced by my intermittent yawning and dreary eyes they both gathered that I was rather tired from my long journey and suggested we head on to the orphanage.  Following a quick bit to eat at a pizza place we finally arrived at our destination where I almost immediately went to sleep.      

This morning I awoke after almost 12 hours of much needed rest.  Iulia took me on a tour of the orphanage where I met many of the sisters (it is a Catholic-based orphanage) and caregivers.  Of course they were curious to know if I spoke Romanian-- "putin" (a little) I replied.  I am eager to interact with them more in order to improve my speaking skills and develop relationships with them.  The building is much larger than I expected with adequate space both inside and outside for the children to run and play; it is clean and well-maintained.  Outside there is a playground area and a garden.

At noon the children return from school for lunch (pranz).  The younger children attend school from 8am-12pm and the older children (5th grade and above) attend school from 12pm-5pm (there are only a couple that fit this category).  Like the other workers they are curious to know my name and what language I speak.  Their vast smiles and sincere hugs communicate what words cannot; I know we will get along just fine.  In the afternoon the children spend much of their time completing homework (Iulia says they have more than she thinks is appropriate).  When they finish they have time to play; then it is time to bathe (around 6pm) and eat dinner (around 7pm).  Watching TV after dinner is usually their activity of choice until bedtime around 9pm.

Much of my time this first week will be dedicated to getting adjusted to the schedule, routines, language, and culture, as well as figuring out all the logistics of a new country (cell phone, groceries, currency exchange, safety, etc.).  Iulia has already briefed me on some of the political issues surrounding the orphanage and how the orphanage system tends to work.  For the next several days I hope to observe the interactions between the sisters/caregivers and the children, as well as converse with the sisters/caregivers regarding their hopes and expectations during my time here.  This is the start to a wonderful adventure that will be both challenging and rewarding, encouraging and frustrating, and satisfying and discouraging.  Here we go!