Day 4

Wow, sorry it has been so long since I have posted. We are constantly doing something so by the time I get back to the room I am completely exhausted!

Here are some highlights from the past few days....

• Giving the children their individual Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve.
• We used the donations from back home and picked which toys matched each child best
• When Ionica (one of the older boys with Down Syndrome that I haven't really told you about yet)  noticed the Christmas tree on the playground was light up...
• That was so precious! He pulled each of the volunteers over to the window one by one that way EVERYONE could see the lights. Man! He has a strong grip! ;)
• Andreea singing "Lalala" all the time has finally changed to "Beep Beep Beep" from the ipad singing the Wheels on the Bus.
• Andreea also played with play-dough for the first time today. 
• After watching everyone play with it for 4 days, she finally decided it wasn't yucky afterall!
• Alexandra makes an "OH" face every time she hears a dog bark. Then she says "hum hum!" (Which is what Romanians use for Bark Bark)

There have been so many amazing moments I couldn't possibly tell you all of them in just one blog! I hope to explain the other children in more detail later on in the post...


Anyway, back to Day 4!

Today has been amazing so far! We had a mixed group of ages again. (They used to divide the children by age on the first two days then they switched it up on us and gave us a mixed crew!) Andreea was very active today considering she used to just want her alone time. Alexandra has apparently gotten sick (Germs spread like wildfire!) so she wasn't her complete usual go lucky self. Georgiana loved the Ipad today and when my mom took her in the hallway to play it with just them two, she loved it! Except the fact that mom doesn't speak Romanian!! LOL! Ionuts was very content today just to play with the play tool set we  bought for the older kids. This is really good because these toys will help improve his motor skills! Alina was her spunky self as usual! She is fascinated with the bright blue hair piece I bought in the US specifically for her! She flips her hair and gives us a little fashion walk! :)

This is just the morning kiddos again. I'll try to post even more tonight.... But now I will try my best to explain the afternoon kids...The afternoon kids are a little more wild compared to the morning kids.

• Ion(Yawn)- *Same Ion from previous trips* Oh Lordy! This kiddos is wild and crazy. He probably has ADHD and we know he has a very very severe heart problem. He runs around like crazy, jumping, kicking, climbing, and hitting everything. He seems almost angry to me. He kicks and hits for no reason, then smiles about it... It is very sad. When he gets too excited it can harm his heart and that it really bad. His hands and lips turn blue and he breathes very heavily. Please keep this little guy in your prayers they didn't even expect him to make it this far...
• Ionica(Yawn-ika)- He is a boy who is probably one of the oldest we work with and has Down Syndrome. He is so super sweet and gives us hugs as soon as he comes in the door! His favorite pass time while we are with him is to play with the plastic animals that are very realistic, just smaller ;) Yesterday, he was pretending to be a horse. It was very funny!
• Marius - *Same Marius from previous trips* He definitely has a future in playing basketball! This kiddo can aim at anything and throw a ball and it will hit it right on the dot! He is very precious and I call him Little Heartbreaker because his chubby little cheeks will one day melt many girls' hearts!
• George(George-eh)-Another boy who is older than most who also has Down Syndrome. He is so funny and caring! When one of the volunteers, Lindsay, dances pop and lock or hiphopish, he dies laughing every time!!Those two also play toss the ball everyday. One time, Lindsay threw 3 balls all at once and the face George gave her was priceless!
• Andreea- She is so sweet, until you get in her bubble... Then she pinches kinda hard. (We have realized it is best not to get your face too close to her hands) She has made progress since we have been here though.. She didn't really want any attention the first few days, then suddenly, she blossomed! Today she was singing and dancing with all the other children and it was wonderful.

OH!!! And I forgot to tell you about the most precious, adorable, and loving little girl who we see in the mornings... Alexandra! She is around 2 or 3 and has the most innocent eyes. She loves to work puzzles and hang upside down by her feet. I am working with her right now on learning a backbend ;) She is just so lovable!

I hope I have described the children well enough for you to understand! If you have any questions at all, please ask me! I love telling everyone about Romania, but sometimes I leave out some little things because so much happens! 

Love you guys! <3 

First half of day 1 with the kids at the Placement Center

Today was actually the first day we got to see the kids here in Romania! We spend this morning at the Placement Center for Children with Disabilities. We thought we would be working in the hospital, so this was news for us when we got here. The placement center is a bunch of different buildings sorta like homes that the children live in. Think group home back in the US to get a better idea of it... 

When we first got to the center, we waited for the manager to get there with the appropriate papers for us to sign. We had to agree that no pictures would be taken in the center and that we understand that they are responsible for the children who are with them. We were really upset about the no pictures part, but Mihaela (our team leader) told us that we can take pictures at the hospital, where we will be in the afternoons. 

The manager showed us around the center. She explained the hydrotherapy room and how they don't have anyone who specializes in it anymore so the children don't get it as often as they should. We were told that we would be in the playroom with the children during the day. The play room has SO MANY toys it is crazy! I never thought they would have that many.. needless to say, the toys we brought were greatly appreciated also!

Finally, we met the kids!

• Luca - Luca doesn't really seem very active to me, but he is learning to walk with assistance. He loved the blocks we found in the room.
• Deliah - Deliah only has 1 full limb and the rest are sort of nubs. She loves to play with  balls and make funny faces.
• Luciana - Luciana is a little baby doll! She loves jumping with the volunteers and spinning in circles.
• Georgiana - Georgiana is so smart and seems to be the most advanced in the group we met this morning. She speaks just Romanian though so it is hard to communicate with her. She danced and sang to the songs one of the aids played on the computer. They seemed like nursery rhymes to me..
• Ionut - Ionut is kinda wild and all I can truly understand of what he says is "MaMa" {we are known as MaMa to the children} He seems like a very happy kiddo though!
• And finally a name you all should recognize... Alina - We met Alina in our previous trips (My mom in 2008 and me in 2001) She is just as spunky as ever! She still loves to play with hair, although now for some reason they are discouraging her to do it. (Something about it is too "Self" stimulating) Alina has an amazing memory! She remembered Jane's little bumblebee game from 2 years ago!! Crazy!

We are returning to the Placement Center in about 15 minutes to work with some of the older children this afternoon. I know for sure we will see Ion (whom some of you may remember from 2011) and hopefully Maiastra too! I will try to update and tell ya'll more tonight! Until then, La Revedere! (Bye)

 

Travel Stories...

Okay everyone we are here!!... Ready to hear about our adventures to Romania?
Well we started out in Knoxville, very pleasant and we ate at Ruby Tuesday's. Then we flew from Knoxville to Washington, D.C.,We knew the flight to DC was too easy..When we went to go board our plane to Germany, they basically said that I wasn't there. I never flew from Knoxville to DC or anything.. I didn't exist. Awkward huh? Considering I was standing RIGHT there... Anyway, we got that all fixed and ready to go. This was our big big flight. Almost 8 hours!! It was very nice. I watched World War Z, Fifty First Dates, and I started The Heat, Despicable Me 2, and Elf... but then I got bored because I had seen them too many times before. ;) We had chicken and rice with a roll and a brownie. And I even got apple juice! (For those of you who are my fellow classmates... ya'll know how much I love my apple juice!) After eating and watching movies we decided it was time to sleep.. Well that didn't last long because then they woke us up to give us breakfast. (I wouldn't consider it breakfast, it was a croissant and some fruit) When we finally landed in Germany we walked around the airport to kill time. We sat in that airport for 5 hours.(Yuck!) FINALLY, we got in line to board the plane to Romania, and my ticket said I wasn't "granted access"  to the plane. (REALLY? Again?!) So then we stood in line some more to get it all worked out.. On this last flight I ended up sitting in the wrong seat (Mom and I were separated) and had to move. Which was a hassle because I had the window seat and I already made people move once........ After all of that  chaos, we are in Romania! Oh wait. I forgot something... THEY LOST ONE OF OUR PIECES OF LUGGAGE!!! Yup, so now we have to wait to get our clothes tomorrow. Only one out of all 3 of our bags has our clothes in it..

Anyway, I may be a little dramatic and it could have been alot worse, but we did have some issues getting here. But now that we are here, everything is perfect. :) Tomorrow we plan to walk around the city and visit a place called the Christmas Market.

Ya'll be good back home! Love ya'll

Less than 24 hours!!

It is so hard to imagine that in less than 24 hours my mom and I will be on our way back. I can't even describe the feelings that are surging within me! I really am kinda having mixed feelings about being away from my family on Christmas, but I know that no matter what goes through my mind, I am doing something amazing for God. I can't wait... Today will be kinda hard when I get to my last class of the day when I finally get to say goodbye to my friends. Some people are acting like I am leaving forever. Guys, it is only 3 weeks... and I will be back! I am going to miss everyone, but I hope they realize how long I have waited for this moment and I will definitely take tons of pictures for everyone!
Love you guys!

I do believe some "Thank Yous" are in order....

Holy Cow!! Only 12 days until we leave!! I honestly don't know what words to use to show how ecstatic I am to return to Romania. I am already wanting to start packing up those suitcases! I have tried to find other blogs about the precious babies, just to see if any I  know are back at the hospital, but I am not having much luck. My mom and I have so many amazing toys and clothes to give to the children on Christmas thanks to all of your wonderful donations and support!

•  A HUGE thank you to Amanda Franklin for donating her son Sawyer's baby clothes that he out-grew. 
• A HUGE thank you to my principle Dr. Clabo, for donating many toys to my cause on my 17th birthday. 
• A HUGE thank you to all of those who donated money to support us. 
• A HUGE thank you to all of those who have donated items for our online auction. 
• A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped with the chili dinner, whether you worked, ate, performed, or donated, it is greatly appreciated... 
• But most of all a GIGANTIC, HUGE, MONSTER thank you to my granny and my mom. These two have helped in so so many tremendous ways. My granny has been my fundraising queen! And my mom has supported me in listening to God calling me to return and has been out there fighting for us to get a flight and more. You two have helped me in so many ways and I will forever be thankful... 

I can't wait to tell everyone all about Romania and my little sweethearts. Thank you for supporting me and my mom through this journey!
Love,
Emily