Buna Ziua! (Good Day!)

Flew from Paris to Frankfurt then to Bucharest, Romania. From up in the air all that could be seen was clouds, a thick heavy blanket if clouds. No land until we got to Bucharest. It was raining when we landed, poring actually which I'll say was His blessing for the start of my next adventure. Going through customs was easy, it took maybe 2 minutes tops. My bag was the seventh one to come out! It was a lucky day, indeed. I continued through the arrival hate where I met Alex, my greeter, who recognized me before I him. Took 90 minutes to drive to Brasov. Crazy drivers here, I must say. I saw over 10 road kill victims just during my drive. 

Brasov is beautiful! So many trees!!!! The city is in the center of a fortress once inhabited by the Saxons during the 13th century. It has a lot of German and Turkish influences, mostly in the architecture and cuisine. My house is located just under the Brasov sign in the mountains. The Brasov sign is just like the Hollywood sign in CA. I'm hoping to hike up there before I leave. The house is 500 years old, but in very good condition. I was greeted by my host mother, Rodica. She only speaks Romanian but I'm getting used to talking to her in sign language or using body gestures. My room is very big, fitting three beds, three shelves and a wooden table where we eat. I met one of my roommates, Christina, who's from Norway and is volunteering in one of the orphanages. She is very quiet and so sweet. She invited me to an organ concert at the Black Church that night where we'd meet our other roommate. 

The Black Church is only a 5 minute walk. It is an old gothic church that was once called saint Mary's church until a fire took much of the inside of the church. The foundation is still there as well as some of the articles inside. The concert ticket was 10 lei which amounts to about $3. My other roommate, Harriet, is from Australia and is quite eccentric. She is teaching drama at the high schools and day centers. We all hit it off instantly. 

At dinner we had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fish fingers, vegetable soup and pickled vegetables. All made from scratch by Rodica. 

My supervisor is a salsa teacher here in Romania. Her school is very prestigious and has traveled to many different countries to perform and compete. I took one of her salsa classes last night and am going to a 2 day salsa convention with her this weekend! What a surprise! I'm teaching a workshop to her students on October 11 where all the proceeds will be donated to the local orphanages. 

Started my first day teaching at the orphanage today. It houses 12 girls and 12 boys. The boys are very eager to learn and are very respectful and love to play. The girls are more reserved. It's a little hard because they speak romanian and just a little English. Not even a little, just yes and no. We did hand motions and a few basics then played futbal. I walked the boys to school, well actually they walked me, but I supervised. They're ages 8-11. Very good kids. They love to hug you and hold your hand and are always happy despite all of the tragic experiences that they've gone through. I'm very excited to be working with them every day!  

Thank you for all the support! I would really love to hear your feedback, even just a short comment! I like to see that people are reading! 

Pictured is the centre or square of Brasov and a view of my room. More to come!