Brasov weekend

Lots of pictures to follow =)

Friday was a short day at work because Anda had things to do. I just spent the morning with the kids. I found out that one of the boys likes to repeat english that he's heard on TV shows. he really like american gladiators and fear factor, and really understands what the descrition ""crazy" means. So I logged onto their computer and put on the show wipeout, and the entirety of the day center watched an episode. American TV win!

A new volunteer came to work at hospice with me. Her name is Lisa and she's from the UK and is super nice. I'm really excited to get to know her better. That night we went to fondue for the high schoolers last night, and I skillfully got the phone number of the waiter who wants to come hang out with us (specifically, one of the other volunteers!) We were sleepy, so it was an early night.

Saturday, we slept a bit and then took the bus to Poiana Brasov. It's a ski resort town, but in the summer they have one of the lifts open, so we got to go to the top of the mountain. It was a very hot day, so it was nice to go up in altitude! The highest point was 1800m, and took a pretty intense rock climb to get to! It was gorgeous. I also may or may not have taken pictures of random people we saw on the mountain. But it was really awesome because the weather was so nice, people were having picnics and it was super cute!

We got lunch in Poiana and shopped around for souvenirs, then went back home and napped and hung out for a bit. Last night was sergiana's for dinner where I got german beef stew which was absolutely delicious. Then we went to Musik cafe for drinks and to hang out. I talked to some of the volunteers I don't know as well, so that was really fun. Every single person here is so interesting and has a story, and I'm having a lot of fun discovering that.

Today, we stayed in Brasov to do some of the little trips we hadn't made it to. We started at the first Romanian school. It housed over 100 students with one teacher in the fifteenth century, and was where the first book in Romanian language was printed. And this was the printing press they used.

Our guide told us that it took over 2 years to make one book, since every page had to be done separately. It sounded like an incredibly intricate process, but was really neat to see some of the early books and literature.

We popped into the church next door. It was gorgeous and painted and ornately decorated. Nothing like at home!

Then we climbed a bunch of stairs to the citadel overlooking Brasov. I love the rust colored roofs of Brasov. I wish our homes looked this appealing from overhead! This view, which I feel like I have now seen from all angles, just continues to take my breath away.

After a delicious dinner of stuffed tomatoes and peppers, greenbeans, and lemon soup, our host mom Ana brought out traditional clothes from Maramures, where she grew up. This is an area in the northeast that still has tons of folk traditions that have been passed on through generations. We had a little photo shoot, and Ana said that the pictures were her souvenir to remember us! Besides the fact that she tied the skirt on super tight to the point where I thought I may pass out, it was a blast. Pictures can describe this better...

our host mom dressed up too!

Tonight, we stopped by the bakery and popped into the resturaunt by out house that we never made it to. So basically today I have eaten twice my weight. And I was worried I wouldn't like the food here!

te iubesc,
Alyssa