Things I have noticed around the city

Alrighty so I guess I should share some interesting things I have noticed around the city:

1. There are food places EVERYWHERE here, and not your typical Mcdonalds or Dairy Queen. Just down the street from my apartment there is a soft serve ice cream shop. There's a soft pretzel shop across the street from me (which is amazing), There is also a pastry shop across the street from me. As well as pizza place, gyro, and hamburger places. It is amazing walking down the street and seeing so many places to quickly grab food. To go with that there are also stands with water, soda, icecream bars, magazines, and newpapers. They are super nice when you are walking around and you run out of water and can't fill it up anywhere. 

2. There are flower shops all over the place. Here in Romania it is customany to give a gift, to someone when you first meet them. Example: When a student first meets their teacher for the year they usually give them flowers. Just imagine being the teacher, say you have 20 kids in your class. That is 20 bouquets of flowers. I would think what in the heck am I supposed to do with 20 bouquets of flowers?  People are constantly buying flowers. The bouquets are beautiful and are between 10 and 20 Lei 

(2.50-5 USD) They are so cheap!

3. Ok this one drives me crazy! It's hilarious. So when you are crossing the street or walking down the side walk, it seems like the people dont move out of the way. So I feel like I'm constantly trying to move out of the way. It cracks me up every time!

4. This one is kind of funny too. So there aren't any stops signs here. Obviously there are stop lights on the  bigger busy roads. so when you are on a small side street you have to start walking across the street and hope the car has enough time to stop. Alot of the time they come pretty close to you. Yea it's a little scary.

5. Alright I love this one. Just about all the cars are stick shift here, it's just great. Although it is sad when they kill the car and their stopped at a cross walk or light with a line of cars behind them. I do have to say it is a little funny.

Well that is all I can think of right now. I'll try to think of more soon! 

Exploring Europe is my favorite

I love Romania more and more everyday! today my group went to the Botanical Gardens. They were beautiful and there were so many trees around us. I felt like I was in Oregon again... So just about all of these pictures are of the lovley ladies I am with. These girls are the best! I've loved getting to know them and am so excited to get to know them even better! It has been very interesting seeing all of the different food they have here. We get some pretty different food for lunch and dinner. Although as a group we decided it was time to sit down and have some good ol' American food. After the gardens we went to a highly recomended burger place near our apartments. To tell you the truth that burger was amazing! It may have been because I was really hungery and really wanted something American. I'm not completely sure, but it was pretty good. Also yesturday we were told by one aparment to get waffles from this one place by the mall. My apartment decided it was a great idea to get them after working at the orphanage. Well we walked over there and we all got one, boy I can not tell you how wonderful that waffle was. After eating it, I did have a sugar rush. Ok well that's all for this one, see ya next time!

  Infront of the Botanical Gardens

Vivo's The burger place 

The wonderful waffle. Yes that is ice cream on it. Oh and chocolate sauce!

Another week (and a bit more) down!

Wow I can't believe how fast this trip is going by. It feels like we just got here, yet next Thursday we will have been here a month!! I think that is just crazy! and when we start throwing vacations into the mix, we won't know what happened to the time. Alrighty, so we officially started working at the orphanage on Monday the 5th. I was assigned to isolation room, this room has ALL of the babies and let me tell they are so stinking cute. They have already stolen my heart; I love them unconditionally even when they are frustrating me because they won't go to sleep. It breaks my heart when I lay them down for a nap and the start screaming the second I walk out of the room. I'm learning to be okay with leaving them to figure it out themseleves. I work in Isolation with my roommate Leah and she is the best! I love her to death. It's nice to have someone else to figure things out with. We  also started shifts at the hospital on Monday the 12th. My shifts this week were today (tuesday) and tomorrow. Today was interesting. We have to go to each floor and say this phrase "copii fara mama" which translates the child without a mother. These kids are ones who's parents are working and can't visit them a lot. Sometimes kids from the orphanage I work at are there, so we visit them too. The nurses usually tell us that there aren't any kids. So we just move on the the next floor. Next week we will start working shifts at the apartments that have orpahns in them. The apartments are across town so we have to take a bus. I forgot to mention that we work the hospital and apartments in the afternoon from 2-5. 

Ok, so kida funny stroy. So after working at the orphanage one day a group of 5 of us went to the grocery store. I was with two girls from my apartment and realized I needed something from across the store. I told them that I was going to go get it and find them. So we split off, well after getting the item I walked around the store and up and down every isle of the store looking for these girls. I also looked for the other two girls and they were no where to be found. Turns out each group of girls thought I was with the other. Needless to say I was left at the store. So I had to walk home alone, which is totally fine.

Anyways that is all for this week folks see ya next time!

The veiw from my bedroom window

Another pretty building. I believe it's a church 

My church building

 I love the Palace at night

The concert outside the Palace on Saturday night. It was so cool!! They sang a lot of American songs. The also sang Phantom of the Opera and Disney songs

This crepe was THE BEST!! I got it from the Palas Mall food court. It had chicken, mozzerella and tomato in it.  

Ok so this is really sweet. So we pick up our catered lunch and dinner at the same spot every day.

There is a flower shop right next to the pick up spot. Well the older gentleman that runs the flower shop kept looking at me and the girl from my group I was with. After a bit he comes up to both of us and gives us flowers. It was super sweet.

This is the orphanage I will be working at for the next for months

Another veiw of the orphanage

I could literally live in scrubs!

This beautiful lady is Leah, I work with her in Isolation. (the door behind us is the door to the room we work in). Leah is also my roommate, I love her to death. She is literally the best!!

Touring around Iasi

Hey everyone! Im sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been touring the beautiful city I get to live in. On Monday the Sister Missionaries took us around the city. They took us to what looked like a downtown part of the city. I'm not sure if it was but it was beautiful.

The building behind all of us sitting is an opera house! If you didn't know I love the opera!! 

The next three pictures are of a my favorite church in Iasi. The church is called Catedrala Mitropolitana. It is the largest Orthodox church in Romania. It is dedicated to Saint Paraschiva, to the Presentation of  Jesus and to Saint George. Its form was inspired by the late Italian Renaissance style. These pictures do not do this church justice. Especially the picture of the inside.  

Ok so the next 9 or so pictures are of the inside of the Cultural Palace, It is about a five mintue walk from my apartment. The inside is magnificent! and all of the rooms are HUGE! The architecture is just beautiful. I just can't put into words how amazing the inside of the palace was. 

We started working at the orphanage today. (Thursday). I have to say I am already in love with these kids. They stole my heart the second I layed eyes on them. I wish I could take pictures, so I can share their adorableness with you :(. I find out either this weekend or next week, which group of kids I will be working with for the next four months!! I am beyond excited! not to only toch these kids lives, but to find out how they will change mine. Well I guess that's all for this time. Thanks again for all the love and support I really appreciate it. Seee ya next time!