DAY THREE

We finally got to distribute presents today! In the moring we went to a different orphanage called Voluntar. When we first got there the kids put on a little show for us and sang some Christmas songs both in Romanian and in English... their accents were adorable when they sang in English! We then presented the kids with gift bags filled with goodies. It was so adorable to see them all opening their bags. A lot of the younger boys were just thrilled with their toothpaste and toothbrushes! Later in the morning when we were taking a tour of the place we saw them all brushing their teeth with toothpaste all over their faces. :) This orphanage is different than the main one H2H works with, Parish, for a couple of different reasons. First, the kids are generally younger than 12. Also, the kids at Voluntar go to a Romanian school with other kids, whereas the Parish kids have school in the orphanage. These kids are considered "special needs," but most of them are not. They are either there because one sibling is special needs, or just because that's where their parents left them, or mostly just behavioral problems. So going to Voluntar was very different because the kids were much more "normal" and well-behaved. A lot of it has to do with the director as well. The director at Voluntar is a very strong woman who runs a tight ship, whereas at Parish it was for a long time a mean man, but is now just a more layed back man.

After handing out gifts at Voluntar in the morning, we went to Parish for the afternoon. It was really fun to see all the kids for the second time, because we recognized each other and sort of knew names and whatnot. However, today I hung out with some of the older kids which was fun. First I played Rummikub (rumi in Romanian) with a highschool age(?) guy and girl, however it was not how we play it AT ALL! The orphans usually make up rules for their games so even Uno and Chinese Checkers is way different. Anyway, I liked some of their adjustments, but some just didn't make sense to me!

Another great memory (and painful) memory of the day was getting my hair braided by a girl named Ana. She is a senior in highschool this year. I talked to her through a translator and it was so fun to get to hear about her life. She has to leave the orphanage once she graduates, so she wants to do the girl's transition program and then go to University for social work. She wants to help orphans since she is an orphan and knows what they are going through. However, as a female orphan it will be really hard for her to get to go to University because she will need to get a job to be able to pay for it. So the girl's transition house is a HUGE help because it trains and equips her to be able to get a job and live on her own. I really hope she will be able to achieve her goals and be able to help orphans!

It was a great day! And I am SOOO looking forward to tomorrow because it is New Year's Eve! So in the morning we will be planning for the day and night, then heading off to Parish in the afternoon to do a movie and popcorn (interested to see if the kids sit still for that!). Then at 7pm til 1am we are having a party in the house for the graduates of the transition homes! There will be dinner, games, dancing, and talking. And at midnight, all the neighbors shoot off city-sized fireworks, since there's no laws against that here! Should be exciting!

P.S. I asked how many adults to how many kids and they said there are 3-5 adults for 50-80 kids. CRAZY! :P