Romania, Day 10

This morning we went to Azilul de Noapte Ruchama, Prison Fellowship of Romania. The Fellowship provides shelter for up to 60 individuals who are homeless - not all are ex-convicts. There were four different rooms of accommodations - 18 beds in each room. I couldn't imagine living in such conditions. We spoke as a group to one of the residents, an ex-convict. His story was harrowing. He had been born in prison and was in prison until he was in his mid-20s. He's now 31 and has absolutely no hope in regards to improving his quality of life in the future. I felt so absolutely sad about his situation. There were also many residents who appeared to have mental conditions, that are left untreated. One woman was obviously responding to both audio and visual hallucinations. I felt so horrible for their situations and I hope that prison reform and care for the homeless will improve in the near future.

Lunch was spent dining outside on the Piata Unirii with my girls and Mihai, our grad assistant. I had a cafe macchiato. Here is a picture and I hope you can see how incredibly small the mug is - I miss my 24oz cups of coffee!!

Here is what Mihai ate. They are called Cabbage squares, but I unfortunately don't know their name in Romanian.

One of the things I love about Romania is all the festivals. Today, in the Piata Unirii, there was the Festival of Cookies and Ice Cream. Only in Romania!!!!

 After a trip to Cora, in which Mallory and I had our bags sealed in plastic and the security guard burned my hand, there was a showing of Avatar in our room. I am loving Romanian cheeses: Cascavol classic, Rucar, and Bobalna.

Romania, Day 9

Our day began with a visit to Sfantul Vasile cel Mare - a social missionary centre that has 5 programs serving different populations. We were served traditional coffee and tea upon arrival. The facility was very welcoming and clean - it was also quite obvious that it was a Christian/orthodox agency. I worry that some of what was discussed was lost in translation, as only one of the four staff spoke English. From my impressions of most agencies we have visited, any services provided are typically to a voluntary client. I have yet to hear about the Roman equivalent to mandated services.

Artwork by some of the clients of Sfantul Vasile cel Mare

I feel that we don't often consider that a family may be living below OUR standard of living. The family may be perfectly content in their lifestyle and who are we to decide that their standard of living needs to change. I get very angry whenever this topic is discussed. We have no right to change the traditions and lifestyles of a minority population, or at least not without hands-on experience to better understand the culture. Why can't services be brought to them so that their lifestyle is preserved and not on the road to extinction? Think about Australia and the aboriginal children - we thought we knew what was best and it was not what was in the best interest of the aboriginal children.

Here are some random pictures I took on the walk from Stantul  Vasile cel Mare to Little People:

After conquering a very large hill, Little People Association presented an information session on their work, "Little people" doing "little things" that make a big difference! Little People facilitate a volunteer network who work with young adults and children during their stay on oncology wards. They also organize a support group for cancer survivors. Little People also run an advocacy and awareness campaign for cancer. It was not what I expected. I thought that it was more of a day program for children. Volunteers visit clients on site, they do not come to the centre - it is only for staff.

Mallory and I decided that it was time to do our laundry. We decided to handwash our clothes as the washers available take about two hours - just washing, it does not include drying. We set up an assembly line in our bathroom. Mallory completed the wash cycle and then passed them to me in the shower for the rinse and spin cycle. It took us about an hour to wash all our clothes and we got water all over the bathroom and I was completely soaked. The next challenge was where to hang everything. There are now clothes hanging over the towel racks, shower rod, door handles, from hangers, in the kitchen on cabinet handles and over stools. I miss my Whirlpool washer and dryer very much! I miss my laundry rack in my utility closet. Being creative about where to hang our clothes has been the biggest challenge in regards to the Romanian laundry process.

In the evening, our graduate assistant Mihai, took us all out for a night of drinking and clubbing. After coordinating three taxis for 12 people to Piata Unirii, we sat outside on the patio at enigma. I ordered an absinthe, but it was not served in the traditional way like at Cafe Umbra de Noapte. In fact, I set the table on fire in the process of melting my sugar!!! Drinks are very strange here. For example, I had to buy a shot of rum and a bottle of pepsi light and mix it myself at the table to have a rum and diet pepsi. They did have many preset cocktails that could be ordered as is off the menu. We got quite noisy and I don't think the Romanians appreciated our exuberant antics.

One thing I have continually noticed is that Romanians are very serious and even when in large groups are quite sedate and quiet. I haven't even heard any drunk craziness. That's surprising to me - especially in a big university town.

Club Seven reminded me of any club in any city. The DJ was excellent for the most part. He only had a few bad transitions. The club, like in the US, didn't get too lively until after midnight, but it did get packed. There was dancing on the tables, bar, chairs, lounge areas, and on the dance floor. Dance moves were similar but again, Romanians seem to hold themselves back, even under the influence of alcohol. I'm still somewhat surprised at how cheap drinks are. A shot of absinthe and two rum and pepsis cost $10. Club Seven drink prices are more expensive but still cheaper than in America.

Romania, Day 8

The Roma population of Romanian is very vulnerable, suffering from poverty, discrimination, and marginalisation. The term "gypsy" is a very negative and derogatory term, as "cracker" or "nigger" would be in the US. Roma means "I am Rome." There is no word for gypsy in the Roma language. We attended a lecture facilitated by the director of the Resource Centre for Roma Communities. I became quite disgruntled when discussing the settlement of Roma nomadic families. I asked the director if the government or agency would consider delivering services directly to the families in order to preserve their traditions and lifestyles as a nomadic people. I was a bit angry that it has been decided that it is in the best interest of the Roma to settle. I disagree, especially after my research on forced settlement of Tibetan nomads. I'm not quite sure that the Romanian social services system is ready for such a controversial opinion.

During the lecture, we were serenaded by many different animals, including a rooster and a dog. I love the coffee here. We were served traditional Romanian coffee. The cafe is very strong, but served in quite small cups. I have taken to drinking my Romanian coffee black, without zahar (sugar) and with lapte (milk). I do miss my Wawa 24oz regular or organic brazilian coffee with fat free lactose free vanilla creamer. I am also missing waking up with Bastet curled up next to me, and Moon on my head. KC - I am so sorry that Bastet woke you up and kept you up with his meowing last night.

Our group had some free time this afternoon before a dinner meeting, so we decided to spend the afternoon at Parcul Cavalgia. We had some fun on the exercise equipment and on the paddle boats. It was so much fun and Romanians were cheering us on!

Unfortunately, the boat I was on starting to flood! We were a bit worried that we might end up in a premature bath. Luckily, we did survive. Dinner was spent at Chios Teresa with a bottle of Murfatlar Cabernet Sauvignon and listening to a question and answer session with one of the European directors at World Vision.  I ate a Greek salad, my 3rd salad in Romania - it seems like Brasov remains the ruler of the best salad in Romania. Mallory and I spoke about going back just for our Pizza Roma salads:

Brasov - possibly the best salad in Romania

The rest of the evening was spent on the Universitatii sports grounds. I ran about 3.5 miles around the track while a group of us played football in the centre. There were so many people out running on the track. It was great to see so many active people - lots of young couples. I never see that many people out at a trackfield in the states. Romanians are much more active than Americans. I ended the evening by playing a game of football tennis with another Rutgers student and 4 quite gorgeous Romanian guys. They barely spoke English so it was a rather quiet game except for much laughing and giggling. I left the field quite content and covered head to toe in Romanian soil.

Romania, Day 7

The day began with a visit to Ecce Homo Association "La noi" Social Centre. The house was large, spacious, bright and open. I was so relieved after the visit to the neurologic clinic yesterday. As we toured the house and observed the colourful bedrooms, personalized bed areas and bathroom areas, I was so excited. The rooms were full of colourful comfortable bedding, bright soft throw rugs and toys. There was even a very large aquarium with huge goldfish. The program seemed excellent, with 3 social assistants present during day hours and 3 ladies who stay overnight. There were 15 children, the oldest girl was 13 and the oldest boy 15. Ecce homo also fights to keep siblings together. The worker made me even happier and more relieved when I learned the children kept a garden, played games/activities every night, outings on the weekends, chore responsibility, and vacations with volunteer host families. It was so different from the impression I developed during Monday's lecture. I was so pleased and wondered if this program was the best of the best.

This is the garden that the kids planted and tend.

Next, we drove via taxi into the city centre to Strada Universitatii. A large group dined at Cafe River on Strada B-dul Eroilor, an outside Cafe. I enjoyed my usual lunch: corn thin with peanut butter and cherries and had a caffe de lapte.

A little Roma girl approached our table and started speaking to us, apparently asking for money.Our waitress angrily lectured her and the girl moved on. I decided to offer to buy her an ice cream. The waitress translated for me. The little girl declined the ice cream but again asked for money. It was heartbreaking to see her dirty face and clothes, and her hair uncombed and messy. The general consensus was that she was working and being watched... but she really did seem to want the ice cream.

Centrul de Recuperate a Copilor Cu Hanicap Motor was such a happy experience for me. The program provides services for 80 children, including speech, psycho-cognitive, kinetic, and occupational therapy. The facilities were bright, cheerful, and very welcoming. It very much looked like a very hapy children's facility. I was thrilled to hear that group events and trips are held to focus on the development of social skills. It was such a drastic change from the neurologic clinic. I had the pleasure of observing three children in therapy and to speak with the parents and children. The therapists were very positive, nurturing, and used positive reinforcements such as verbal praise and tangible rewards, such as stickers. The facility was certainly equivalent, if not better in some ways, than the American version.

We walked to Gradina Botanica and explored the gardens for the next hour or so. I was fascinated with the Romanian iris, which, according to Mihai (our grad assistant), is closely related to the orchid. We explored the Japanese and Roman gardens. It was beautiful and peaceful, and I hope to get back to further explore.

In the evening, we dined at Euphoria Irish pub in Piata Muzelul. I had my second salad in Romania. It was enjoyable but not quite as good as the Pizza Roma salad in Brasov. The feta cheese is a bit strange here - it's like the red-haired step child of feta and goat cheese.

One of the definite highlights of my cultural visits thus far was to a Romantisme Hebraique Concert at Liceul de Muzica. The program included Bruch, Achron, Perlman, Lalo, Bloch, Saint-Saens, Williams, and Warshawsky. I had goosebumps as I got lost in the performance - the acoustics were amazing in the incredibly old performance hall. It was a very touching experience for me, especially when the theme of Schindler's List was performed. I can't imagine that there was a dry eye anywhere in the house - mine certainly were not. The musicians were so good that there were 2 anchors!

I found my wine! It is actually called segarcea. I discovered a bottle for sale at Chios Teresa, though I ordered white instead of red. I am looking forward to going back for a glass of cabernet sauvignon. We sat on the outdoor deck watching the paddleboats go by. It is really incredible how long the daylight lasts. It is bright from about 6am until after 9pm. I've certainly surprised myself in being able to stay asleep in the early morning as we don't have heavy curtains in our room. I am quite enjoying basking in the sunlight.

There is no way to get an accurate weather forecast. Every time I check the current or future forecast it predicts rain or states that the current condition is a thunderstorm. It is never correct! It has been decided that the weather forecast is permanently predicted as rain and thunderstorms. This makes dressing very challenging in the mornings.

The most amusing part of the day was finding a ping pong ball on our balcony. I threw the ping pong ball back onto the balcony of our neighbors, which requires successfully overcoming a wall obstacle. Next thing Mallory and I know, a milk carton, sneaker, plastic water bottle, and finally, a medium saucepan were thrown into our room via the balcony. We are holding the saucepan hostage for 2 RON and a bottle of Segarcea. Thus far, the ransom has not been paid.

Romania, Day 6

The day began with a tour of Muzeul Universitatae, University Museum. The school can be traced back to 1518, when it was a Jesuit college. The museum was full of interesting electrical devices and artifacts from the university's history.

Next up was a tour of the historical city district with Professor Ardevan. He was wonderful, enthusiastic and made the history of Cluj incredibly interesting.

Statue on Strada Universitatii outside of Universitatae Babes-Bolyai

Alva Magnum (Great Hall), Universitatii Babes-Bolyai

Biserica Reformata - dating back to the 15th century

A room of interesting carvings - Biserica Reformata

A very friendly cat who enjoyed rubbing up against our legs during Professor Ardevan's lecture on the St. George killing a dragon statue.

If you look very closely, you will see the remains of a stone cannonball in the buttress wall.

Jeff and I with Dracula graffiti

We walked down Strada B-dul. Eroilor towards the Neurologic Clinic for Children Cluj-Napoca for our early afternoon appointment. On the way, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a health food store with gluten free cookies! I was thrilled!!! And, they were really really good. Romania continues to surprise me.

Walking through the streets, there were fascinating shops and absolutely stunning architecture:

Roma gypsies selling absolutely stunning flower arrangements

This is the tuperware lunch crowd - me, Mallory, and Caitlyn. I think after today, everyone of our group now possesses the same tuperware box.

This, we believe, is quite strange and could perhaps be the making of a terrorist

The next stop was the Neurology Clinic for Children Cluj-Napoca. It was a very upsetting experience for me. The building was three stories high, and lacked any sort of wheelchair accessibility. There were 35 beds for children, crammed 4 or more into a room. Although the walls were brightly coloured, there were no toys in the rooms, there was not a family room or playroom for the children, and there was hardly any room for visitors. There were no common areas and a TV could be found in the hallway with a few hard plastic chairs. We were shown a video EEG with no attempt to protect the patient's privacy. We were also guided through some of the rooms which were occupied, and there was no permission requested from the patients or their parents. There was hardly any lighting, it was so dark and depressing. Even the playground was overgrown with grass and weeds. There was also no regard of safety. The gate to the backyard was wide open; there was a loose sewer in the path from the garden to the entrance. In other buildings, there is also a lack of safety and windows do not have any barrier to block someone from jumping out. Every single window of the clinic was covered in bars. It was absolutely awful. I was so upset that I felt my eyes tearing. I know that there has been huge progress to even have such a clinic, but the conditions are simply terrible and sterile.

Our day concluded with a lecture on Children in Institutions in Romania. I was really thrilled to hear about the drastic improvement of conditions since the fall of communism. However, one thing I learnt made me incredibly angry and feel hopeless. For a Romanian child to be adopted, the birth parent(s) must give written consent. If biological parents cannot be located, the children then cannot be adopted. Shocking. Awful. And something that I hope will change in the near future.