Today, I spent the whole day in PT, and I learned a lot. So I felt the need to immediately write down the things I learned. This is mostly for myself and my iSURG project, but feel free to read =)
The only super exciting treatment I did today was with Yonella. I once again treated her alone and am actually feeling like a real PT. I did some of her exercises with her, and then we would throw ourselves back onto the waterbed for break time and she would laugh and laugh. I really enjoy working with her, and am definitely getting the hang of it.
I learned a lot today talking to Anda while we waited for a patient to come that never showed. She was telling me that a lot of genetic problems are seen in gypsy's, because a lot of them are related. In Romania, the state gives money to the families of those who have diseases and disabilities. Anda was telling me that even though many of the gypsy's know their child will have a problem, they will keep having children to get the money. She told me the story of one boy who has cystic fibrosis. He is almost constantly left alone in the hospital or in hospice, but his parents and 10 brothers and sisters survive off the money that he brings in due to his disability. The money, apparently, is also why Yonella is in foster care. After the state cut some funding, her mother said she wanted her out. Anda was also telling me that some parents will break their child's legs or throw hot water on them, and then make the child beg for money, as an injured or disabled child is likely to get more charity. It's really sad to me that these children are being exploited for money, then not even loved in return. Most of them are just left to die.
I asked what will happen to those that don't die. Similar to America, at 18, you are a legal adult and have to find a place for yourself. The government tries to help these children get a job, but there's really nothing I can see available to them. Some of these kids are so intelligent, and they wont even get the chance to show it. But I guess it's almost the same as at home. If you have a label and something wrong with you, the vast majority of people are too busy telling you that you "can't," instead of realizing all that you can do.
That's all for now! Off to the post office and to get some food =)
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Happy humpday (week 2)
Buna seara!
Sorry I haven't been online in a few days. Nothing super exciting to report, but things nonetheless!
Lets see...it's been VERY cold. like in the 50s, but rainy and gross and gray. Should have brought another hoodie!
Monday I got sent home from work early because one of the boys we see mondays was sick, so Anda had to make a house call and with his shaky system, they wanted as few people around him as possible. That morning, I helped to treat Yonella. We're teaching her to transfer from her wheelchair into the bed and vice versa. She was SO excited about this, it really just melted me. Later that night we went to a pizza place for hot chocolate, which I had been craving. It wasn't super wonderful, but it did the job for the evening.
Tuesday, I started the day in the children's center. We colored pictures of our favorite places and played some very extreme games that were hard for me to understand since I didn't know the language. In the afternoon, I treated Yonella by myself! I was a little overwhelmed that they left me alone, but really excited! I kept joking after the fact that it's a good thing she can't feel her legs! While we did her stretches, she taught me how to count in romanian and learn some colors! That night, we went out for drinks for one boys last night. He had been here learning romanian and was really proud of my ability to count to 10 without falter! I got hot chocolate again and it was absolutely wonderful and filled with whipped cream and was all pudding like...next time I'll take a picture =)
Today was again a short day because the last wednesday in each month is cleaning day. While this kind of grosses me out that they only clean the toys and equipment once a month, I guess it's better than never. We treated two cousins in the morning. They were both gypsy, and one had down syndrome and a heart condition and the other had cystic fibrosis. I thought their names were both Benjamin, but I must have hear wrong because I got looked at like I had 4 heads when I said their names were the same. If anything, I am gaining a lot of confidence here when it comes to working with children. We worked on the second one's breathing, and to do that we bounced him up and down on an aerobics ball. He wanted to bounce with me, so I got to hold the most adorable 4 year old and throw him up and down and then make him blow a whistle. It was an interesting hour of physical therapy, but amusing nonetheless.
Tonight we went out for ice cream and snacks at the grocery store. I'm all ready for the next week =) We also are learning how much a cab is home from town, since we are foreigners, many drivers try to overcharge us. The volunteers as a whole are all pretty tough though, and if you tell us it's going to be pricey, we all jsut walk!
Just for my mom, here's the only bear I've met so far. I will name him George-Martin. Just because that's the name we've been giving every nameless creature!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Sorry I haven't been online in a few days. Nothing super exciting to report, but things nonetheless!
Lets see...it's been VERY cold. like in the 50s, but rainy and gross and gray. Should have brought another hoodie!
Monday I got sent home from work early because one of the boys we see mondays was sick, so Anda had to make a house call and with his shaky system, they wanted as few people around him as possible. That morning, I helped to treat Yonella. We're teaching her to transfer from her wheelchair into the bed and vice versa. She was SO excited about this, it really just melted me. Later that night we went to a pizza place for hot chocolate, which I had been craving. It wasn't super wonderful, but it did the job for the evening.
Tuesday, I started the day in the children's center. We colored pictures of our favorite places and played some very extreme games that were hard for me to understand since I didn't know the language. In the afternoon, I treated Yonella by myself! I was a little overwhelmed that they left me alone, but really excited! I kept joking after the fact that it's a good thing she can't feel her legs! While we did her stretches, she taught me how to count in romanian and learn some colors! That night, we went out for drinks for one boys last night. He had been here learning romanian and was really proud of my ability to count to 10 without falter! I got hot chocolate again and it was absolutely wonderful and filled with whipped cream and was all pudding like...next time I'll take a picture =)
Today was again a short day because the last wednesday in each month is cleaning day. While this kind of grosses me out that they only clean the toys and equipment once a month, I guess it's better than never. We treated two cousins in the morning. They were both gypsy, and one had down syndrome and a heart condition and the other had cystic fibrosis. I thought their names were both Benjamin, but I must have hear wrong because I got looked at like I had 4 heads when I said their names were the same. If anything, I am gaining a lot of confidence here when it comes to working with children. We worked on the second one's breathing, and to do that we bounced him up and down on an aerobics ball. He wanted to bounce with me, so I got to hold the most adorable 4 year old and throw him up and down and then make him blow a whistle. It was an interesting hour of physical therapy, but amusing nonetheless.
 |
| This is proof that I'm doing cool stuff and have friends, and am not just taking random pics off the interwebs and being a hermit. |
Just for my mom, here's the only bear I've met so far. I will name him George-Martin. Just because that's the name we've been giving every nameless creature!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Monday, June 27, 2011
Weekend of Castles!
Hi!!!!
This weekend we designated for castle hunting. There are a few castles that are relatively close to Brasov and were sights that I knew I would never be able to leave Romania without doing. Most of the volunteers hadn't gone to any yet, so we organized a trip for both days and had different people come with us! It was a great way to see some beautiful things and get to know everyone better!
WARNING there are going to be pictures sporadically inserted in this post =)
Yesterday (saturday) started with an adventure on Republicii street in the pouring rain trying to find new volunteers. One girl was easy to spot do to her having a cell phone and her green coat. Alex (our manager) sent 2 new volunteers in a cab to find "three girls speaking english". It was quite a humorous morning, but we all found each other and headed to the busstop. We got tickets, found the right bus, and went to autogara 2, which is a main busstop but actually is just a parking lot where further going busses stop. We found one rather painlessly going to Rasnov, which is where we began our day.
Rasnov is a big fortress on a hill. It was used to guard the city and see attackers. To get up there now, however, you can either walk (which we didn't see as appealing because we weren't sure how long this walk up was) or take a little train. This little train was basically a tractor pulling a cart with benches on it. At the actual fortress, there were men walking around dressed as old gaurdsmen who had swords. I really wanted to hold a sword, so after a few pictures with the guys, I got my sword picture!
This is the view from atop the fortress. I really liked all the reds of the city below and the mountains. This definitely would have been the perfect spot to spy on the surroundings!
Next, we walked back down the hill to try to make our way to Bran castle. What we didn't know, however, was where the busstop was. We wandered a bit through a completely deserted few blocks until we found a bus sitting by the side of the road. I'm learning to not be afraid of the language barrier here, so I got on the bus and asked for Bran. We learned that many of the busses here are privately owned and will take you anywhere, so off to Bran we went!
When we got there, we stopped at a coffee bar for lunch and to wait for another volunteer who was meeting us there. Then we went up to the castle!
This castle is said to be the setting for Dracula, though apparently Bram Stoker knew nothing of it. It had a lot of displays inside of old armor and some of the queens things. It used to be the home of Queen Marie, so it was decorated to look as such. They didn't stress the vampire thing, though I thought that would have made a great addition.
Afterwards, there was a little village type thing that had little huts with people selling goods, so we walked around there like the tourists we were and bought some things, then booked a cab home and promply ate and curled up in bed! Long day!
Sunday began again at the busstop, but this time off to the train station. After almost listening to a little girl who said this wasn't the train we wanted, we were on the correct train off to Sinaia. This was a 45km trainride south through the moutains, and was quite pretty. Sinaia is a resort town and home to Peles Castle, the royal estate, which is where we went to tour.
The tour took us through the main rooms of the palace. All the original furniture and paintings are there, and it is beautiful. Every room looks different, many modeled after different countries. There was so much gold, doors made of mother of pearl, many secret doorways, and just room after room after room. It was gorgeous, and definitely a place I'd like to play hide and seek in. Six of us girls went today, and we all decided we could get used to such a lifestyle. Even the Queens ladies in waiting had huge rooms!
This was our favorite sign. It was made especially for us. I'm also glad that I constantly carry my CMU ID card everywhere. Tickets for the tour at Peles were a quarter for us as they were for other adults!
And this is me with the castle (to prove that I was there!). Afterwards, we went for pizza because it was 5pm and none of us had eaten lunch. Then we attempted to find the train station and got terribly lost, but between the 6 of us and a very nice cab driver who pulled over to show us the way, we made it back there and got tickets for the train back to Brasov. There were a TON of stray dogs around the station that kept wandering in and out of the lobby, but as long as I don't come home with rabies, they don't really bother me. I'm pretty sure I saw a dead some kind of animal that looked like it was at some point hit by a train. No one believed me at first, but I'm pretty sure I was right. That was a little sad.
Bedtime for now and work tomorrow!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
This weekend we designated for castle hunting. There are a few castles that are relatively close to Brasov and were sights that I knew I would never be able to leave Romania without doing. Most of the volunteers hadn't gone to any yet, so we organized a trip for both days and had different people come with us! It was a great way to see some beautiful things and get to know everyone better!
WARNING there are going to be pictures sporadically inserted in this post =)
Yesterday (saturday) started with an adventure on Republicii street in the pouring rain trying to find new volunteers. One girl was easy to spot do to her having a cell phone and her green coat. Alex (our manager) sent 2 new volunteers in a cab to find "three girls speaking english". It was quite a humorous morning, but we all found each other and headed to the busstop. We got tickets, found the right bus, and went to autogara 2, which is a main busstop but actually is just a parking lot where further going busses stop. We found one rather painlessly going to Rasnov, which is where we began our day.
Rasnov is a big fortress on a hill. It was used to guard the city and see attackers. To get up there now, however, you can either walk (which we didn't see as appealing because we weren't sure how long this walk up was) or take a little train. This little train was basically a tractor pulling a cart with benches on it. At the actual fortress, there were men walking around dressed as old gaurdsmen who had swords. I really wanted to hold a sword, so after a few pictures with the guys, I got my sword picture!
This is the view from atop the fortress. I really liked all the reds of the city below and the mountains. This definitely would have been the perfect spot to spy on the surroundings!
Next, we walked back down the hill to try to make our way to Bran castle. What we didn't know, however, was where the busstop was. We wandered a bit through a completely deserted few blocks until we found a bus sitting by the side of the road. I'm learning to not be afraid of the language barrier here, so I got on the bus and asked for Bran. We learned that many of the busses here are privately owned and will take you anywhere, so off to Bran we went!
When we got there, we stopped at a coffee bar for lunch and to wait for another volunteer who was meeting us there. Then we went up to the castle!
This castle is said to be the setting for Dracula, though apparently Bram Stoker knew nothing of it. It had a lot of displays inside of old armor and some of the queens things. It used to be the home of Queen Marie, so it was decorated to look as such. They didn't stress the vampire thing, though I thought that would have made a great addition.
Afterwards, there was a little village type thing that had little huts with people selling goods, so we walked around there like the tourists we were and bought some things, then booked a cab home and promply ate and curled up in bed! Long day!
Sunday began again at the busstop, but this time off to the train station. After almost listening to a little girl who said this wasn't the train we wanted, we were on the correct train off to Sinaia. This was a 45km trainride south through the moutains, and was quite pretty. Sinaia is a resort town and home to Peles Castle, the royal estate, which is where we went to tour.
The tour took us through the main rooms of the palace. All the original furniture and paintings are there, and it is beautiful. Every room looks different, many modeled after different countries. There was so much gold, doors made of mother of pearl, many secret doorways, and just room after room after room. It was gorgeous, and definitely a place I'd like to play hide and seek in. Six of us girls went today, and we all decided we could get used to such a lifestyle. Even the Queens ladies in waiting had huge rooms!
This was our favorite sign. It was made especially for us. I'm also glad that I constantly carry my CMU ID card everywhere. Tickets for the tour at Peles were a quarter for us as they were for other adults!
And this is me with the castle (to prove that I was there!). Afterwards, we went for pizza because it was 5pm and none of us had eaten lunch. Then we attempted to find the train station and got terribly lost, but between the 6 of us and a very nice cab driver who pulled over to show us the way, we made it back there and got tickets for the train back to Brasov. There were a TON of stray dogs around the station that kept wandering in and out of the lobby, but as long as I don't come home with rabies, they don't really bother me. I'm pretty sure I saw a dead some kind of animal that looked like it was at some point hit by a train. No one believed me at first, but I'm pretty sure I was right. That was a little sad.
Bedtime for now and work tomorrow!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Friday, June 24, 2011
"I think you should get two letters"
I got to help treat my first patient today!!!!! His name is Andre and he has muscular dystrophy (Which, coincidentally, if you spellcheck, it comes up as astrophysics). I moved his left leg and arm as Anda worked his right side. I really like the feeling of movement as it glides over my hands, as silly as it sounds. It's really neat to feel a joint and know you're causing that movement. I feel like normally, we don't even realize all the work our body does to make the tiniest of movements. I spent the day in PT, working with the children from the center, doing breathing exercises with a girl with a major heart problem, and measuring kids for new wheelchairs. it was a lot of fun, and Anda is talking care to say things in English so that i'll understand what is going on. I'm definitely learning a lot!
After work, we walked down to the bakery. We've been really intimidated because this place always has a huge line and people rambling off in Romanian. We got some pastry that looked like a cinnamon bun, though it didn't taste it, but was delicious nonetheless. The other pastry we got was really flaky and crossaint like and was covered in a nutella-like frosting. SO GOOD. And the best part? Each was about the equivalent of 70 cents!
Tonight we went to dinner with all the other volunteers, which was a lot of fun. I feel like I fit in a lot more, and they're just a really fun group of people. We're from all over the world (specifically, all over the US, UK, Malaysia, Canada, and Australia). They're just a really nice group of people, which is what I expected when people are coming half way around the world to volunteer. Then we went out to get chocolate fondue and drinks with two volunteers from the UK. The two of them, Manasa, and I are going to visit Rasnov Castle and Bran's Castle (aka Dracula's castle!) tomorrow and invited a few new volunteers to join us. We're not sure who is going to show up, but it should be an awesome day no matter what. I'm charging my camera batteries!
On out way home, Manasa and I were having an intense conversation about recommendations for grad school, because, what else would we be talking about. All of the sudden, the guy in front of us turns around and tells us that he thinks we should get two letters, in perfect, east coast english. We were taken quite aback, because all we seem to hear here is Romanian and sometimes a slight amount of hard accented english. Turns out they were a couple here on vacation from Philly. Small world indeed!
Pictures the next time I blog for sure! I'm excited to visit a real vampire palace. Maybe I should scrounge up some garlic....
te iubesc,
Alyssa
After work, we walked down to the bakery. We've been really intimidated because this place always has a huge line and people rambling off in Romanian. We got some pastry that looked like a cinnamon bun, though it didn't taste it, but was delicious nonetheless. The other pastry we got was really flaky and crossaint like and was covered in a nutella-like frosting. SO GOOD. And the best part? Each was about the equivalent of 70 cents!
Tonight we went to dinner with all the other volunteers, which was a lot of fun. I feel like I fit in a lot more, and they're just a really fun group of people. We're from all over the world (specifically, all over the US, UK, Malaysia, Canada, and Australia). They're just a really nice group of people, which is what I expected when people are coming half way around the world to volunteer. Then we went out to get chocolate fondue and drinks with two volunteers from the UK. The two of them, Manasa, and I are going to visit Rasnov Castle and Bran's Castle (aka Dracula's castle!) tomorrow and invited a few new volunteers to join us. We're not sure who is going to show up, but it should be an awesome day no matter what. I'm charging my camera batteries!
On out way home, Manasa and I were having an intense conversation about recommendations for grad school, because, what else would we be talking about. All of the sudden, the guy in front of us turns around and tells us that he thinks we should get two letters, in perfect, east coast english. We were taken quite aback, because all we seem to hear here is Romanian and sometimes a slight amount of hard accented english. Turns out they were a couple here on vacation from Philly. Small world indeed!
Pictures the next time I blog for sure! I'm excited to visit a real vampire palace. Maybe I should scrounge up some garlic....
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Picnic time!
Buna!
Today, the children's center at the hospice went on an outing. I'm not quite positive where we actually went, but it was in the mountains and there was lots of open space and a stream where people sat in their bathing suits and babies splashed in the water. I got to spend a lot of time with the kids, and I'm starting to understand what they're saying.
I'm going to have super selective hearing when I get home because I am becoming a pro at zoning out of a conversation when it is in Romanian.
Yesterday I got to observe a little more PT. I got to help with a boy who has spastic tetraplegia. He was super adorable. Anda (the PT who I'm working with), was explaining to me that if we don't work on stretching out his muscles, that he's going to need surgery as he grows to increase the length of the tendons. Anda had me holding his one leg straight while she stretched the other. While this might sound like a simple task, for someone who is spastic, they have their muscles super tight and all their joints closed. I felt like I was putting all my weight on this three year old's knee. We also worked with a boy who has advanced muscular dystrophy. We were trying to make him cough, because he cannot do it himself and it's important to clear his airway. I'm really enjoying all that I'm seeing here, for it's quite different than the disorders I've watched being treated at home.
Tonight we were lazy and sat at home and skyped and watched so you think you can dance. We're working out our plans to go see castles this weekend, and are deciding what other things we want to do in Brasov. Besides Dracula's castle, here are the other things we want to do:
-Rasnov Castle
-Peles Castle
-The citadel above the city
-Ride the cable car up mount tampa (though I want to hike it!) and take pictures from the top of the city, and go behind the Brasov hollywood-esque sign
And here are some pictures from my picnic!
My friend Yonella! Playing with bubbles =)
This is the pretty place we went.
This is the kite I worked for like 2 hours to get to fly so that a girl in a wheelchair could fly a kite. This is a difficult task when there is little wind...
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Today, the children's center at the hospice went on an outing. I'm not quite positive where we actually went, but it was in the mountains and there was lots of open space and a stream where people sat in their bathing suits and babies splashed in the water. I got to spend a lot of time with the kids, and I'm starting to understand what they're saying.
I'm going to have super selective hearing when I get home because I am becoming a pro at zoning out of a conversation when it is in Romanian.
Yesterday I got to observe a little more PT. I got to help with a boy who has spastic tetraplegia. He was super adorable. Anda (the PT who I'm working with), was explaining to me that if we don't work on stretching out his muscles, that he's going to need surgery as he grows to increase the length of the tendons. Anda had me holding his one leg straight while she stretched the other. While this might sound like a simple task, for someone who is spastic, they have their muscles super tight and all their joints closed. I felt like I was putting all my weight on this three year old's knee. We also worked with a boy who has advanced muscular dystrophy. We were trying to make him cough, because he cannot do it himself and it's important to clear his airway. I'm really enjoying all that I'm seeing here, for it's quite different than the disorders I've watched being treated at home.
Tonight we were lazy and sat at home and skyped and watched so you think you can dance. We're working out our plans to go see castles this weekend, and are deciding what other things we want to do in Brasov. Besides Dracula's castle, here are the other things we want to do:
-Rasnov Castle
-Peles Castle
-The citadel above the city
-Ride the cable car up mount tampa (though I want to hike it!) and take pictures from the top of the city, and go behind the Brasov hollywood-esque sign
And here are some pictures from my picnic!
My friend Yonella! Playing with bubbles =)
This is the pretty place we went.
This is the kite I worked for like 2 hours to get to fly so that a girl in a wheelchair could fly a kite. This is a difficult task when there is little wind...
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Pictures and PT
So while i'm using this blog as a way to keep up with people from home, I'm also going to use it as a way to keep tabs on my thoughts about PT here.
Today I started the day in the children's center. It's basically a place for kids with special needs to come during the day and be just like any other kid. They have a few computers and games and lots of adults who care about them. Because I'm awkward, I went right up to a few of the girls playing and introduced myself. Even though I've had this experience of being in a place where people don't speak my language, it never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to communicate with children even when you can't use words. We walked for what seemed like an hour to a park where we sat for a while and watched the kids play. A few of the kids are in wheelchairs, and their parents rarely take them outside, so this is a really great time for them. In the afternoon, I shadowed the PT while she worked with 2 kids. PT in Romania seems to focus on the same principles as PT in America: giving the child confidence that they can do something and can become something. It will be interesting to see this concept take shape.
Tonight we're heading to dinner with all the other Projects Abroad volunteers. We met a lot of them yesterday and they're all super nice. While many of them are leaving by the end of June, there will definitely be a group to replace them, all of whom I'm sure are JUST as nice =)
And now....PICTURES!!!!
republici street, the main street in Brasov
The black church
One of the skinniest streets in Europe - Rope street
a random street we were walking on. This is basically how pretty all the streets are.
Peacock flowers!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Today I started the day in the children's center. It's basically a place for kids with special needs to come during the day and be just like any other kid. They have a few computers and games and lots of adults who care about them. Because I'm awkward, I went right up to a few of the girls playing and introduced myself. Even though I've had this experience of being in a place where people don't speak my language, it never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to communicate with children even when you can't use words. We walked for what seemed like an hour to a park where we sat for a while and watched the kids play. A few of the kids are in wheelchairs, and their parents rarely take them outside, so this is a really great time for them. In the afternoon, I shadowed the PT while she worked with 2 kids. PT in Romania seems to focus on the same principles as PT in America: giving the child confidence that they can do something and can become something. It will be interesting to see this concept take shape.
Tonight we're heading to dinner with all the other Projects Abroad volunteers. We met a lot of them yesterday and they're all super nice. While many of them are leaving by the end of June, there will definitely be a group to replace them, all of whom I'm sure are JUST as nice =)
And now....PICTURES!!!!
republici street, the main street in Brasov
The black church
One of the skinniest streets in Europe - Rope street
a random street we were walking on. This is basically how pretty all the streets are.
Peacock flowers!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Monday, June 20, 2011
First day of real work
Good morning!
While you have been sleeping, I have had quite the busy day. We got picked up (with very short notice, may I add) by Raznav, one of the Projects Abroad supervisors. He took us to the office so now we know where that is, and introduced us to some of the other volunteers (who apprently, had no idea we were coming. we've clearly been corresponding with the wrong person). Manasa spent the day there and got to know some of the others, so now we have friends! Well, I guess Manasa has friends and I don't, but we're getting dinner with them all tomorrow, so then I will have friends! There's about 10 volunteers here from all over the world, so I'm really excited to get to know them. There's talk of maybe going to Moldova this weekend? I want to goooo!
So while Manasa was off socializing, I got taken to the hospice. I first met the physical therapist I'd be working with, Anda, and while her English is a little choppy, we were able to communicate. She told me that I would mostly be working with children with neurological disorders, though the hospice also does a lot of work with adults who have cancer. I'll spend half my time there in the day center, working with the children who just come in for the day, doing mostly acitivities such as crafts and computer and other things that allow them to have a normal life. Many of them have muscular dystrophy, and it almost is unhear of for a kid in a wheelchair to be taken outside here during the day. The other half of my time I will work in PT, with both the inpatients and the kids who come to the center. I start all that tomorrow.
There's a cool room that they use for PT called the multi-stimulation room. It's nothing like I've seen in America. It has a large water bed, fiber optic strands of light, a multi color discoball, a tube with bubbly water running through it....im sure I'm forgettting things. The water bed moves to the vibratons of the music to help kids who are deaf to hear. It's an interesting concept, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it used. I feel like I would get really overwhelmed in there, but I'm told it's great for excersises and the children love it.
Today (finally!) I helped with a fundraiser near the center of town. There's an artist from Romania that made 5000 of these clay heads, all with different expressions. He lends them out to different cities and organizations to raise money, so hospice has them currently. The story is that they're all singing for the children, and we walked around trying to get donations. I got to talk to a few people around my age from Romania who were practicing their English on me, so that was really nice (see I did make friends!). They taught me a little Romanian, so we had a good day. We talked a lot about the education system here, and it's really interesting to hear how unhappy many of them are, how they say people only go to university to make more money, and then they leave. They all seem to be intrigued with America. I feel like a comodity, which is strange. It's funny that the lifestyle you kind of just fall into is so far fetched and amazing to others. We're pretty lucky.
Thanks for sticking with me...that was long! I walked back from town today all by myself and really feel at home. This is definitely going to be a fun 2 months (once I get internet....)
te iubesc,
Alyssa
While you have been sleeping, I have had quite the busy day. We got picked up (with very short notice, may I add) by Raznav, one of the Projects Abroad supervisors. He took us to the office so now we know where that is, and introduced us to some of the other volunteers (who apprently, had no idea we were coming. we've clearly been corresponding with the wrong person). Manasa spent the day there and got to know some of the others, so now we have friends! Well, I guess Manasa has friends and I don't, but we're getting dinner with them all tomorrow, so then I will have friends! There's about 10 volunteers here from all over the world, so I'm really excited to get to know them. There's talk of maybe going to Moldova this weekend? I want to goooo!
So while Manasa was off socializing, I got taken to the hospice. I first met the physical therapist I'd be working with, Anda, and while her English is a little choppy, we were able to communicate. She told me that I would mostly be working with children with neurological disorders, though the hospice also does a lot of work with adults who have cancer. I'll spend half my time there in the day center, working with the children who just come in for the day, doing mostly acitivities such as crafts and computer and other things that allow them to have a normal life. Many of them have muscular dystrophy, and it almost is unhear of for a kid in a wheelchair to be taken outside here during the day. The other half of my time I will work in PT, with both the inpatients and the kids who come to the center. I start all that tomorrow.
There's a cool room that they use for PT called the multi-stimulation room. It's nothing like I've seen in America. It has a large water bed, fiber optic strands of light, a multi color discoball, a tube with bubbly water running through it....im sure I'm forgettting things. The water bed moves to the vibratons of the music to help kids who are deaf to hear. It's an interesting concept, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it used. I feel like I would get really overwhelmed in there, but I'm told it's great for excersises and the children love it.
Today (finally!) I helped with a fundraiser near the center of town. There's an artist from Romania that made 5000 of these clay heads, all with different expressions. He lends them out to different cities and organizations to raise money, so hospice has them currently. The story is that they're all singing for the children, and we walked around trying to get donations. I got to talk to a few people around my age from Romania who were practicing their English on me, so that was really nice (see I did make friends!). They taught me a little Romanian, so we had a good day. We talked a lot about the education system here, and it's really interesting to hear how unhappy many of them are, how they say people only go to university to make more money, and then they leave. They all seem to be intrigued with America. I feel like a comodity, which is strange. It's funny that the lifestyle you kind of just fall into is so far fetched and amazing to others. We're pretty lucky.
Thanks for sticking with me...that was long! I walked back from town today all by myself and really feel at home. This is definitely going to be a fun 2 months (once I get internet....)
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Saturday, June 18, 2011
We're HERE!
Buna!!!! We arrived safe and sound last night in Romania. Our host family is lovely and it's been a blast to walk around and get accustomed to Brasov. Sadly, we do not yet have our own internet, but hopefully we'll be getting it on monday so that we can upload pictures!
Today, a guy from projects abroad took us around the city and out for a traditional Romanian lunch. I was a little afraid to eat strange food, but it was delicious! I learned a few important things today:
1. Where the fountain is. Apparently that's where everyone meets.
2. Not to question the food I'm served and just eat it. So far, it's worked for me.
3. People will stare at me because I have curly hair and am walking with an Indian.
4. Brasov is beautiful and there are lots of stores I recognize (KFC, adidas, McDonalds)
5. Adjusting to a new time zone is not as easy as I thought.
That's all for now! When I get internet I'll be able to post pictures!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Today, a guy from projects abroad took us around the city and out for a traditional Romanian lunch. I was a little afraid to eat strange food, but it was delicious! I learned a few important things today:
1. Where the fountain is. Apparently that's where everyone meets.
2. Not to question the food I'm served and just eat it. So far, it's worked for me.
3. People will stare at me because I have curly hair and am walking with an Indian.
4. Brasov is beautiful and there are lots of stores I recognize (KFC, adidas, McDonalds)
5. Adjusting to a new time zone is not as easy as I thought.
That's all for now! When I get internet I'll be able to post pictures!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Thursday, June 16, 2011
La revedere!
We're leaving for the airport in about an hour. I am all ready and fully packed (except of course, my laptop!). My mom keeps questioning if I have enough, since there is extra room in my suitcase, but that just leaves more room to bring things home!
I have no idea what's ahead of me, except for a lot of traveling. Tomorrow, I arrive in Bucharest around 4:30pm local time, so 9:30am here. Then we have a 3 hour drive with one of the Project's Abroad managers through the country. Bucharest is in the south of Romania, and Brasov is more central. The drive will take us through the mountains, and though I'm positive I'll be exhausted, I'm really looking forward to seeing the country.
So here is me saying la revedere (click here for pronunciation: http://www.jeroenvm.dds.nl/Sounds/wav21.wav) which means goodbye! I probably wont be back for a few days until I'm recuperated from jet lag, but I promise pictures of Romania next time. I have internet at my host parents house, so I should be here often!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
I have no idea what's ahead of me, except for a lot of traveling. Tomorrow, I arrive in Bucharest around 4:30pm local time, so 9:30am here. Then we have a 3 hour drive with one of the Project's Abroad managers through the country. Bucharest is in the south of Romania, and Brasov is more central. The drive will take us through the mountains, and though I'm positive I'll be exhausted, I'm really looking forward to seeing the country.
So here is me saying la revedere (click here for pronunciation: http://www.jeroenvm.dds.nl/Sounds/wav21.wav) which means goodbye! I probably wont be back for a few days until I'm recuperated from jet lag, but I promise pictures of Romania next time. I have internet at my host parents house, so I should be here often!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
Sunday, June 12, 2011
You're the best for reading my blog!
Welcome to the start of my most crazy insane summer ever. I am crazy excited to head off to romania this thursday evening! For now, it's all that fun-ness of packing, now that GRE studying is over! It's crazy to think that this trip that I've been planning since November is in just 5 days!!!!
The title of my blog is te iubesc. In Romanian, this means 'i love you'. I think it sounds gorgeous (pronunciation: teh YOO-besk) and was the perfect welcome title. For now, I'm just jamming to my favorite Romanian song (shout out to amer who found this with me!) and dreaming of Brasov. I can't believe how soon it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXCWeWE0g8A
Keep an eye out here for pictures and updates. Supposedly i have interwebs at my host mom's house, so I should be able to update often!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
The title of my blog is te iubesc. In Romanian, this means 'i love you'. I think it sounds gorgeous (pronunciation: teh YOO-besk) and was the perfect welcome title. For now, I'm just jamming to my favorite Romanian song (shout out to amer who found this with me!) and dreaming of Brasov. I can't believe how soon it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXCWeWE0g8A
Keep an eye out here for pictures and updates. Supposedly i have interwebs at my host mom's house, so I should be able to update often!
te iubesc,
Alyssa
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