Saying Goodbye to Romania

When we originally planned our trip to Romania, we decided to stay and extend our trip. The funds that were raised through your donations were able to fund our mission including our airfare, translators, and supplies for the orphanage only leaving our hotel stay for our own personal expense. We were then allowed the freedom to use our own personal funds to enjoy some sightseeing during our days off to help us transition and decompress from the emotional week we had prior. Saturday we visited the ASTRA museum, one of the biggest open air museums in Romania, documenting the countries folk heritage and civilization through time. The ASTRA includes many exhibits and historical sights including windmills, craftsman workshops, churches, and agriculture in a picturesque countryside surrounded by mountains. After the ASTRA, we went to watch the Sibiu Street Ball tournament where we had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in true Sibiu culture. We noticed many people wearing NBA jerseys and American music was being played throughout the games. We ended the night with some shopping and a delicious dinner at a Uruguay restaurant. 

Old Romanian houses at the ASTRA

Historic Windmill

Lunch at the ASTRA

ASTRA sunflower agriculture exhibit

The next day we woke up very early to catch a bus to head to Brasov, another town in Romania about two hours away. This was the most difficult day for us to communicate as we did not have our translators with us. Navigating a bus system is hard on its own, but even more so when you can’t speak the language or read the signs. Somehow, we managed to board the right bus (which was really an oversized van) and headed to Brasov. Once in Brasov, we explored many famous sights including the Black Church, Tampa Mountain, and Bran Castle. Brasov is a bigger city than Sibiu with more people, with the Bran Castle being one of the biggest tourist traps we saw during our time there. We walked through the most narrow street in Romania, Strada Sforii or the “Rope Street” and Valdora and I climbed to the top of the Brasov sign on top of the mountain (made to replicate the Hollywood sign in California). On our return back to Sibiu, we were faced with more obstacles including getting taken to the wrong bus station, avoiding being scammed by a taxi driver, and sitting at a deserted bus station waiting for our late bus. Yet we managed to make it back to Sibiu safe and sound, and enjoyed an amazing dinner at La Turn complete with an outdoor show and firework display. We were happy to be back in Sibiu which feels like home to us now.

Black Church in Brasov

Rope Street

Brasov, Romania

Bran Castle aka "Dracula's Castle"

Valdora and Ashley climbing the "B" in the Brasov sign

On Monday, it was back to work early in the morning with our translators in tow. We were going to see a teenage patient with a spinal injury who comes to the other orphanage as an outpatient as requested by the resident physiotherapist. We were told that this boy had had a deformity of his spine and surgery was performed to correct it. Due to complications, he now presents with paraplegia, unable to walk or stand. Due to lack of physical therapy intervention immediately after the injury. the patient presented with severe muscle contractures and scoliosis, however was very mobile and functional with the strength he had left. He was able to transfer himself in and out of his wheelchair, on and off the floor, and put his socks and shoes on. We addressed his functional mobility and collaborated with the physiotherapist on a home program, stretching, strengthening, balance, and positioning. The family has already traveled to Spain and France to seek alternatives for treatment. We discussed different treatment options that are used to treat patients with similar presentations back in the States. We were happy to see that this child had a strong support system at home, which was refreshing as we had yet to experience that. 

We returned back to Prichindelul to deliver a pair of braces and shoes for the baby with a history of club foot deformity. We were pleased to see that the signs we had left were still in place. We were able to say our last goodbyes to the children, who greeted us with hugs and smiles. We were saying prayers over their lives, that God would provide them comfort when they were alone and safety from illnesses. We had to keep our goodbyes short because it was so difficult knowing we were seeing the children for the last time. As we left, two of the older girls were waving us goodbye as we exited the gate. Then we had the other difficult task of saying goodbye to the rest of our translators who we formed strong bonds of friendships with in such a short amount of time. After this emotional roller coaster, we attempted to drown our sorrow with shopping, sweets, and exercise. That night we returned to one of our favorite restaurants in Sibiu, Max, where we again had another delicious Italian dinner. 

Our final day was jam packed with all of the the things we did not have time to do on our stay as well as everything we wanted to do again. Cristina, Ashley, and Sarah started our morning at a quiet cafe with delicious coffee. Our server recognized us from Prichindelul. She told us that her first visit to the orphanage was on Monday with her friend and that she planned to continue visiting. It’s amazing to witness the changes already taking place in the community for the children. She was just one example of the many Romanians we interacted with that thanked us for our visit to serve the children in the orphanage. Throughout our conversations over the past week, we have learned about the beginnings of other grass-root organizations to support children with disabilities in the orphanages.

Ashley and Cristina returned for a follow-up visit with the teenager with a spinal cord injury. It was a productive therapy session centered around collaboration between the Romanian physiotherapists and American physical therapists. Cristina and Ashley were excited that the local therapists were so open to exchanging ideas and absorbing information. The Romanian physiotherapist told them that his main focus was to make the children smile.

In the afternoon we continued to immerse ourselves in the variety of cultural offerings in Sibiu. We purchased traditional Romanian souvenirs, shopped at the local farmer’s market and walked through hidden streets and squares we had missed. Cristina also enjoyed visiting the Brukenthal Museum, the oldest operating museum in Europe. Valdora, Ashley, and Sarah enjoyed an afternoon snack at the oldest restaurant in Romania. In the evening we could think of no better place to end our time in Sibiu than returning to our favorite restaurant, Max, our favorite cafe, and then ending the night at a local pub.

Ursus Cotton Pub in Sibiu

We want to thank all of you for reading our blog documenting our time in Romania. We are eager to share more of our stories with all of you. This trip has been a blessing for all of us and we would not have been able to do it without your support. Our hope is that this trip is just the beginning of our relationship with the children and translators in Romania. Our team is grateful to have such supportive family, friends, and co-workers who assisted us in making this opportunity possible. We could not have done it without your support and prayers. We will continue posting blogs from the translators as we receive them.