Hiking - Day 3

March 13th, 2017

Today we spent time with the kids at the Orphanage...

~ We were in one of the chapels on the Pro Vita property, the farther of the two, and began chanting various hymns. Although we sang most of them in English all the kids were respectful and stood in chapel watching us until we did some hymns in Romanian.

~ So much love; love, love, love from everyone to everyone - so much laughter and joy

~ I was told I look apparently older and more mature because my mind is higher "like a lady's..." I guess the glasses make me look like a teacher or something :)

~ Sense of strong, connected, supportive family

~ During Vespers each kid came up and hugged the girls in our group... so beautiful 

~ All feeling that we are getting attached... 

Walking around Pro Vita 

Chapel that is higher up

Raresh & Christiana 

Chanting in the Chapel 

The Children - Day 2

March 12th, 2017 - Sunday after Liturgy

After a much-needed nap, we went outside and were immediately engulfed by children. Each child greeted us with so much love and each child picked a college student and continuously held our hands or wanted to be held. It was so beautiful. And it is beautiful to see how the family community is built around the idea and fruition of a family life. The older kids take care of the younger kids and vice versa.

In the mashup vespers we had, the children lead the service and did not let Father cut the service since he couldn't find the book. One of the boys, who is 15 years old but looks much younger, was the leader at the chant stand and encouraged the child chorus to sing louder when they were not chanting and reminded others who were talking to keep silent. Even the Prayer of Thanksgiving during dinner, this boy Raresh, reminded the older boys and some of the younger ones that a prayer was going on and lead the prayers. 

In between vespers, we each hung out with the children in different ways. Yiana and I got to spend a lot of time together. I'm not sure how young she is but most likely between 8 and 11 and I would twirl her around on my back until I was dizzy and she kept clapping with joy and asking to do it again. Every child loves our cell phones and cameras. They each had a turn taking photos and then looking at the photos with such awe. 

We couldn't understand each other, just "da" (yes) and hand motions. Yiana brought me around the areas near the closest homes and showed me the little, dirty river at the bottom of a small hill. We then played on the playground and she loved to take off my glasses and put them on, though they are so strong, along with my scarf (check out the picture). 

It was amazing at one point a thought entered my mind about the math packet I had to still do. But looking at Yiana and seeing her joy in the moment we were spending together, I was reminded that all that was trivial and truly the present moment is the most important. God will provide the rest that we worry about and we have to strive to be fully in the present moment because this is where we encounter Christ. What really reminded me of being present was when Yiana began singing as I was carrying her around and it was so amazing to see her joy because in the present moment we were together, enjoying our time. 

In the evening, Raresh kept making us all make passwords to get through the door to where we were staying and eventually we decided to taser him to get into the house, which was so funny, he's so ticklish. He is one of the kids that loves to say my full name after dinner we had a debrief session where we learned a lot more about the orphanage and how the communist regime effected this nation, which is shown through the piety and love of Christ the people have here. Glory be to God for all things! 

 

   

Diving Liturgy - Day 2

March 12, 2017

We are definitely in an Orthodox Country...

We were driven this morning into the nearby village of Valea Plopului for Divine Liturgy. We were in the "winter church" which is slightly smaller, and thus warmer when you pack many people into it along with 5 priests and a Deacon.

The church itself was beautiful. The iconography decorated the walls and my favorite icon was that of the Virgin Mary protecting and blessing what seemed to be the saints of Romania. 

I was amazed by the devoutness and piety of every age in the church. It was crowded, but no one was talking. People were chanting with the chanters and continually doing prostrations. Even all the little kids greeted each icon with at least three prostrations. We knelt so many times during church, proving to myself that I am completely out of shape both physically and spiritually. 

After the service, there were two smaller sermons. One explaining to the people that there was an Orthodox group of college students visiting, the other was the Deacon who had what seemed to be a very powerful sermon, though we understood nothing other than "St. Gregory Palamas," and Fr. Robert telling the congregation about his parish and Orthodoxy in America. It's amazing that each Orthodox Church around the world is also celebrating this Sunday of St. Greogory Palamas of Great Lent. At this moment, soon in the United States Matins will be beginning...At some point of the Liturgy, they did two or three petitions in English which was really cool :) 

After church, there was a mini coffee hour outside where we were served bread with a garlic spread and hot red wine, which was amazing. 

Back at the Orphanage, we were brought into a different room for lunch where many of the priests came after Liturgy with other parishioners. At the end of our meal, Father Marius joined our table and asked us what we knew about Romania. I mentioned that some of my friends told me that Romanians only eat pork. Father answered that it was because when the Turks were invading, since as Muslims they did not eat pork, the Romanians were only left with pork and adapted to it. We continued talking about icons on glass that we had seen at Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City where our Romanian in residence friend explained the history of such icons. Fr. Marius was telling us that those icons are from the other side of the Transylvanian mountains. 

Father Marius also spoke French, so I got to speak with him in French about the education that is offered here in Romania, especially for languages. It was amazing! We could both understand each other fully and it was so cool to have a common language (besides English)!! 

Father then also told us that there is a tradition in Romania on March 9th to commemorate the Saints of Romania. The girls usually bake bread called kotiva (probably spelled that very wrong) and usually they make 40 loaves for the Saints who were soldiers. Each loaf is shaped like a soldier and is covered in honey and nuts. While baking them, the girls put the "qualities" of the Saints into the breads, so that when the bread is eaten after church, the faithful also get to partake in the qualities of the Saints. 

Father Marius and his wife teach religion at the school in their village. It was super cool being about to speak with him and learn much about Romanian history and geography! 

~ Survival of the fittest to get anointed and to receive Communion... Just like in Greece everyone mobs at once to get to the front  

 

In the Church (their winter church since it's warmer)

Father Tenasea

The Narthex

 
Enjoying our bread and hot wine


In Church

Arrival in Romania - Day 1

March 11th, 2017

We're here!

It's a beautiful country. To me, it's a mix of Greece - χορηγό style, Mexico, and a little of Kenya. 

At the airport, the customs officer was probably the nicest border patrol person. He said "oh, you're Greek. Do you speak Greek? I know some basic phrases and bad words." And we thus decided to part ways with γεια σου :) Outside the airport, we got picked up and began our three-hour van trek to the Pro Vita Orphanage in Valea Plopului. 

We almost got into an accident when a chicken had to cross the road.... yes, it's not a joke. 

What is really cool is that each home has their own small plot of land attached where they grow their own things. 

There are so many churches. We even passed a sign for a church dedicated to St. Spiridon in one of the villages. 

We walked around the campus/orphanage area with many of the new friends we had made from the orphanage. We hiked up to the closest church (picture below) and saw the beautiful mountains all around us. Many of the kids at the orphanage that we met thought my name was so funny and they kept repeating it over and over again. One of the girls thought I was a teacher and much older than I was (maybe it was the hat). I was told I looked at least 25-30 and surprised them with the fact that I was 19.  

We watched many of the boys play soccer, watched the large pigs eating near the fields. We then met Father Tenasae who is crazy great. He thought I had been to Romania before (asked me twice if I was sure that I had not been there before) and told me that I looked Romanian.  

~~~

We unloaded one of the food trucks, filled with donations for the orphanage. Inside the kitchen, there was a huge carcass of definitely a pig just lying on the kitchen counter....

We had a mini Vespers that all the kids lead, with the Father Tenasae prompting them for different prayers. Definitely a feeling of being at home...even though we can't understand the language. 

Dinner - there was so much confusion of where to go and where to sit, but you could feel so much love - we learned how to eat raw onions with salt from a wonderful Romanian lady who tried to speak to us in Romanian and then German, but we had no common language... nonverbal communication is amazing :)

American pop music - on the radio (which I guess I shouldn't have been as shocked) and a way to connect with the kids... everyone knew a lot of  

 

The Carpathian Mountains

 

Pulling up to the Orphanage 

 

 

Our view from where we were staying 

 

Drum? 

 

Cheers for our raw onions