Buna Ziua Everyone!!
A week has gone by here in Brasov and I finally have a moment to write a bit about what I’ve been up to! Time has already gone by fast and because of that I’m so thankful I have a couple more weeks here to continue exploring and connecting with people. As of this Monday I’ve officially started my volunteer work in the villages near Brasov. My schedule for the week is pretty hectic and most days I’m in 2 different places (one in the morning and one in the afternoon).
This Monday I went with my supervisor to a day center in a village called “Prejmer.” It’s two bus rides away from the main city center in Brasov and about 45 minutes or so one way. The villages around Brasov are quite different from the main city area as many are residential and not a hub for restaurants, bars, or historical buildings. But each of them have their own charm and I immediately found Prejmer to be quaint and quiet. That morning I met with both of the main coordinators of the day center and they explained to me how the schedule for the day would work. In the morning the center has activities for children ages 6-11 and then in the afternoon a group of preteens come for their own activities. The center during the summer is similar to a summer camp where kids can come for a couple hours and then head home. Most of the children that attend are from either the school where the camp is being held, or from the foster home down the street. I was a little nervous for my first day teaching as most of the kids (at least the younger ones) don’t speak English, and I haven’t learned enough Romanian to really communicate. But both supervisors helped me with translation and lucky for me most of the beginning drama games use sound and body language. The younger kids were ADORABLE and they loved games like, “Zip, Zap, Zop”, “Indian Chief”, and “Sound Machine.” Actually I don’t think I’ve worked with a kid yet who hasn’t loved “Zip, Zap, Zop.” It’s ALWAYS a hit. We also made paper masks and I helped color and decorate them. Next week we’ll be making puppets together!
Right before the younger group left for the day a little girl (who had only spoke Romanian to me while I was teaching) came up to me and said “thank you” (in English) with the biggest smile on her face. It was one of those moments where my heart was all a flutter because I could just tell by the look on her face that she was being so sincere. It’s moments like those that I’ll hold on to during this journey. In the afternoon we had a group of preteens come for drama activities and for free time. Compared to the younger kids, the older ones are a little more like….well, teenagers! They absolutely participated, but they’re on summer break and would rather socialize and hang out. I remember being 13 and out of school so I COMPLETELY understand. We played a couple games together and this group also loved “Zip, Zap, Zop.” Overall, it was long day at the center, but when I left I felt like I really made a difference in their day and that they enjoyed all of the drama activities we did together!
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays I spend time at a foster home in a different village called “Ghimbav.” You also have to take a Brasov bus and then a small shuttle bus to get there. I really need to get more of a hang of the bus system here. When I was in Chicago I had the CTA basically memorized, so it feels weird sometimes to not know where some buses go or what the stops are called. I’ve only been at the wrong stop once so far! Hopefully next time I’ll remember where to get off…Anyways! In Ghimbav I spend 3 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons holding drama classes at “Casa Samariteanul Milos.” There are about 20 kids who live at this foster home (aged 7-19) and when I arrived that day the director told me that several were very interested in learning anything drama related! We had about 9 kids participate in my class. Some of the kids knew only basics in English, but we also managed to understand each other through gestures. That’s one of the reasons I love theatre so much: it’s universal. They also loved all of the games and really enjoyed working together to write a short story (that eventually we’ll turn into a small play or a skit).
I’ve never been in a foster home before, but from what I’ve been told by other volunteers, this particular home is very nice and many of the kids are siblings. There are many foster homes throughout Romania due to the aftermath of communism and the lack of financial resources for many families. Nicolae Ceaușescu decided during his reign of the communist party that the way to build Romanias economy was to have more workers. So people were encouraged to have many children, abortion was banned, and there was a tax placed on families who had less than 5 kids. Many poor families during this time (and currently) had more kids than they could afford and they were told to place their children in state run institutions. Now most of the foster homes are small homes either owned by the government or by private owners. Some of the kids are orphans, but others have been placed in the home because their parents can’t take care of them, but they are still living. Some parents are working in other countries. I’ve been told that they come to visit their kids from time to time. The kids at my foster home all live together under the same roof and some have been there for many years. I work with two girls who are siblings, but in so many ways, all of the kids there are siblings to each other. You can see it in the way that they play, argue, explore…it’s one house of 20 brothers and sisters. The community they have built is so strong and I even found myself feeling a little like I was an outsider to their tribe. But instead of dismissing me, they were interested about my life, what I wanted to teach them, and whether or not I wanted a piece of cake from the kitchen. Which of COURSE I did; it was delicious. They are all so unique and beautiful in their own way. There’s one girl who is extremely bright and you can tell she has a serious interest in the arts. I hope I continue to build my friendships with them over the next several weeks! We even brought up the idea of a talent show!!
Also on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, in the morning time, I volunteer at a center called “Fundatia Rafael”, or “Rafael Foundation.” The foundation was created in 2007 by a small group of Dutch humanitarians who set their sights to create a center in Codlea, Romania for children and adults with disabilities. The center allows adults with disabilities the chance to receive therapy, care, enrichment, and social interaction in a safe and positive environment. The adults who visit Rafael also have the opportunity to work in an upstairs workshop (making candles, cards, and other crafts) for a small stipend. They all work together and when I was there yesterday a supervisor told me that they had gotten a huge order for about 50,000 candles from a local hospice center. Their work is BEAUTIFUL!! The foundation is a lovely place with arts and crafts hanging all over the walls, a therapy room, a kids therapy room, and a wonderful workshop. One of the other volunteers I’m living with is also from Chicago, and she has been volunteering at the Rafael Foundation for the last 4 weeks as an occupational therapist. She encouraged me to make Rafael one of my volunteer placements, but also informed me of the reality for all of the children that visit 3 times a week. My friend and fellow volunteer, Tom Rowe, recently wrote an article about his experience at the foundation. Please check it out on his blog site here.
The Rafael Foundation has been trying to start a program for disabled children to come from an orphanage only about 10 minutes away, but it’s taken them many years to have the government and orphanage approve the program. Now that the program is in place a group of 10 kids come to Rafael for 3 hours, three times a week. During that time we have circle time, free play time, a snack, and outdoor time. The kids LOVE interacting with each other, practicing walking, and playing with the toys at the center. But the devastating part of this situation is that once these kids go back to their orphanage, almost all of them are kept in large cribs every day. They are only bathed twice a week, changed twice a day, and many of them are not held or picked up. Other volunteers from Rafael who have visited the orphanage have told me stories of how sad it is to see these kids thriving at the center, and then when they see them isolated and without physical stimulation at the orphanage, it’s beyond heartbreaking. I felt so fortunate this week to spend some time with the kids at the center. Even a laugh or a smile from any of them made it seem like the whole world stopped and all that mattered was their happiness in that moment. Eventually I will have the chance to visit the orphanage, but I have already been warned how difficult it is to be there.
In 1990, 20/20 did an evening special on the Romanian Orphanage Crisis and it was the first time the entire world had a glimpse in to how terrible the conditions were for orphans in this country. You can Youtube the video here. It’s completely shocking and makes my blood boil and my stomach hurt. After this documentary was aired the government started closing many of these orphanages or improving conditions of the remaining institutions. But, I have been told that conditions are still dreadful in some of the orphanages here. Also the mindset of some of the staff can seem like we’re still in the communist era. For example, there’s a child at the orphanage that kept taking his mattress off his crib to throw it on the floor. So instead of finding a logical solution, they’ve simply taken his mattress away and he has to sleep on cork board. My fellow volunteer who visited the orphanage I mentioned in the last paragraph said the large cribs can hold 2 or 3 kids at once, but most of them are laying in compromising positions. Many have several limb abnormalities and its shocking to realize that some were born with these disabilities, but others developed them over time due to lack of nutrition and care. These kids are also complete orphans, they have no parents and were given up or abandoned. I’ve been told that sometimes when a disabled child is born the hospital will tell the parents they aren’t fit financially or mentally to care for the child and that it would be better to leave the child in the hospital. It seriously makes me so upset and it’s even hard to write all of this now. I think many of us feel like we wish we could change things or do more to help here, but the Rafael Foundation is such a blessing to the disabled children and adults of Codlea. I feel lucky to be able to spend any time there. I’m hoping to work with the adults on basic skits to understand situations, such as, “situations where you are being a good friend” or “situations where you feel happy.” Next week with the children I would love to bring music in to their morning time with some new nursery rhymes. I’m not able to post pictures of any of the children from the orphanage. Just know that they are all BEAUTIFUL, SMART, AND LOVELY.
Being a volunteer has been such an eye and heart opening experience. It makes me want to do more, to be more, to see more, to experience more, to love more, to care more, to speak more, to help more…. If anyone reading this has any desire to volunteer abroad: DO IT. Go. Theres no other feeling like being in a place where you are directly making the lives of other people better. I am so fortunate to have grown up in a first world country where I was financially, emotionally, and physically taken care of. Being here in Romania has opened my eyes to the lives of others and their daily routines. It’s made me want to be the best version of myself so that I can be a contribution to our world and to society.
Other than working, we’ve had a little fun this week! The other night we went to a trivia quiz at a bar and karaoke and it was a BLAST!!! I have loved making new friends and when we all go out its a lot of fun! Two nights ago we were all beyond exhausted so we had a “girls night in” and drank wine and attempted break dancing! Haha! I felt like I was at sleep away camp all over again (minus the wine.) Last night we had a small meeting for tea and board games and then we celebrated two of the volunteers since they both left today to go home or pursue more travels! I can’t believe the week has flown by!
This weekend I’m thinking of heading over to Sinaia on Saturday to check out Peles Castle with a couple of the other volunteers! It’s supposed to be gorgeous and one of the best castles in Europe. I’ll be sure to take photos!!
That’s all for now as it’s been a long day week, and I’m ready for a hot shower and some quiet time.
Look out for a new post after the weekend! Miss you all.
Noapte Buna.
All My Love,
Katrina
Hi Friends, Family, Bloggers, and fellow Wanderlusts!
By nature “theater people” are personable and social butterflies. We live to connect and communicate with others and it’s inevitably a part of our art. When I talk to friends who live in Europe they mention how the Arts are a central part of education and how it is well respected to be an artist in many major European cities. Needless to say the United States regards Arts Education in a slightly different way. As I was applying for opportunities to work and volunteer overseas I was surprised to find that a main question on more than one application was: “Do you have any theatrical experience?” I was shocked that a question so specific would even be listed on an application. But being an artist is considered a respectable job and other countries recognize the skills that artists bring to the table in a work place. Creativity is an essential part of the educational system in other countries around the world. When I spoke with an advisor for my volunteer program she was elated that I would be able to use my theater training from college to work in tandem with my passion for education. To put it all simply she loved that I was a creative and hardworking person. And that I could also hold a conversation like a real, live human being. There are SO many jobs overseas looking for native English speakers with a passion for connecting with others and seeing the world. Whether you would rather work with adults or with children the opportunities are out there. And shockingly enough, having any sort of theatrical experience gives you an automatic “leg up” because the arts are recognized as a significant part of daily life and a tool to make connections with others.
Miss Kiss Abroad 