"Bright, brighter, and brightest.."

ORPHANAGE:

We have kids come and go pretty frequently. It has been challenging to not get too attached. I have yet to master saying goodbye to a child I will never see again, and quite honestly I don't think I ever will. Don't even ask about coming home. I just can't think about it. (I miss everything about home, including clean floors and MY BED). BUT... That doesn't make the thought of leaving any easier. I choose not to think about it, and am going to continue acting like I will be able to hold these angels of mine forever. I am always amazed at how quickly I fall in love with each kid. I just want to kiss and hug them all day long.

FUN fact of the day: Recently we have had children diagnosed with Hepatitis A, Lice, etc. (Note to self: I should probably lay off the slobbery kisses for a while). Many kids are also battling small illnesses. This definitely poses as a challenge some days.

Insight on the kids in my rooms: (around 20)

- I could probably talk about the kids for days. Each one is so unique and strong. I work with a couple children who are the size of a small two year old, but really around six years old. They have minimum brain functioning as well as physical abilities. It breaks my heart to hear them cry or moan, as they are in pain a lot of the time. Feeding tubes keep these children alive. I love the times I am able to sit and hold them. Although I am tone deaf (I blame it on my genes. Thanks mom and dad), I have found singing them soft songs immediately calms them down, and allows them to feel more peaceful.

- I work with many young toddlers (1-2 years of age), most of which battle small mental disabilities. I constantly see the detrimental affects of fetal alcohol syndrome in many children. It breaks my heart to watch them suffer for something they had no control over. Despite many challenges, I love being able to run around with each child, teaching them to walk and play.

- I also work with a lot of infants. (I love babies!!!!) I can't begin to explain how much I adore each one. Their sweet innocence melts my heart. I love being able to teach them how to hold onto my finger, or try to get them to smile. After working with them, I come home wanting to have 10 babies of my own. It has been hard to watch them learn to self soothe, because we can't be there with them 24/7, like an average mom would. But, I CHERISH the moments I am able to rock them to sleep.

HOSPITAL:

I keep getting more and more attached to kids we find there. Nothing beats the feeling of walking into a child's hospital room and see their face light up when they recognize who we are. (Yes, we are the loud Americans who make the children crazy, sorry hospital staff...). Each child carries their own heart breaking story, and sometimes it is hard to watch them play out. But, I have learned to appreciate the small smiles or laughs from a suffering child. Also, I have been pleasantly surprised at how well we can communicate with them, although we don't speak any of their language. I admire their ability to let us be a part of their lives. I hope one day I will be able to tell the children how much of a blessing they have been in my own personal life. I learn from them everyday. They teach me strength, courage, hope, faith, joy, and most importantly love.

KINDERGARTEN:

It's getting easier! I have come to the conclusion that nothing goes as planned, and I have to go into my lesson with an open mind and ability to adapt quickly. There is no way to predict the children's behaviors that day. Some days they love us, some days they spit at us, some days their too hott to do anything, some days they won't get off the floor, some days all they want to do is sing, etc. I don't blame them. We come in at the end of their day, and it is literally a sauna (not exaggerating) in the room. We can't open doors or windows, no A.C., and it's 90 degrees outside. I wouldn't want to learn English either. Haha But the "ah-ha" moments, or the "I love you teacha" moments are worth it. (I still will never have a career in teaching though...) Haha.

EVERYDAY I am reminded of how blessed I am. I am also reminded of how much further I have to go to become the person I want to be. Something I have had to really work on in Romania is "focusing on the good". Always looking at the "bright, brighter, and brightest" side of life. It is really easy to be overwhelmed with sadness and dismay while working somewhere like an orphanage. You can effortlessly slide into discouraging thoughts and feelings of hopelessness.

"How could a mother leave her down-syndrome newborn?...What possibly went through the minds of the parents who abused these three beautiful girls...Why is the world so rotten?.... Why can't I do more?"

When I look at problems that are so large scale like these, I become lost in them. Frightened because they are beyond my own capacity to fix. Quite frankly, I could (and have) spend time agonizing over it, getting mad, crying, but nothing I do will help solve the problem if I am not being the solution. I decided I have to personally take the lessons I am learning, and apply them in my own life. I have to be the change I want to see. I can't change anything by being an outside force. I can only enforce change by living it, loving what I have been given (which is so much), and making the most of it. (I definitely have not mastered this either).

***While traveling across the country is filled with so much uncertainty, I have not once looked back and felt regret towards my decision to leave for the summer. I already want to come back. (cough cough....Dad).



I love and miss my family, like always.

LOVE,
Morgs

P.S:

Ash: Let's keep pretending you aren't wearing all my clothes.
Hayds: Don't you dare crash my car.
Bracks: Make Ash and Hayds take you on dates to get yummy treats.

:):):):):):)

"Flashlights need batteries"

Future tip to self: Put batteries in the flashlight before you find yourself actually needing it.

Earlier last week our power decided it was tired and needed a break. This led to some very journal worthy moments....

#1. Frequently, the box above our front door would send off sparks into the air. Our light bulbs would do the same. This meant we were on fire lookout for a couple of days. (How nice....our own terrifying firework show for a couple of days). Haha

#2. No plugs = No electronics = No wifi = No way to communicate.

#3. No hot water... Although this was quite honestly the least of my worries.

#4. I will never take light for granted again. The pitch black is extremely difficult to maneuver in. (Oh ya, and if you didn't get the memo before, flashlights need batteries, specifically before it is too dark to find them...).

#5. After waiting for the electrical company for hours, we finally went to bed at midnight. Around 12:45 a.m. we heard a knock on the door. Apparently it's acceptable for workers to come at 1 a.m. in Romania to fix your power.
**Side note: After they left, we realized they could have came in and killed us, kidnapped us, etc. And no one would know because we had no means of communication. (Ooops, maybe should have thought that one through, sorry mom).


SNEAK PEAK into a typical afternoon in Iasi:

Our neighbor, a fairly old man, pushed his way through our front door as we were trying to shut it one afternoon. (Ummm pretty sure in America we could have called the cops). He kept speaking/yelling to us in Romanian. I think he thought if he spoke louder we would understand. He then started trying to give us a language lesson, yet he doesn't know english. Soon after, he decided he would sit down on our couch to take a rest. After playing signs for a few more minutes, he left, only to have his wife come in minutes later. We still to this day aren't sure exactly what was going on, or why they came into our apartment. Haha


TRAVELING EXPERIENCES:

As if caring for the amazing children is not rewarding enough, we are also able to spend many of our weekends exploring beautiful Eastern Europe. It still feels like a dream some days. Other days it's more of a pioneer experience. But... I've learned to enjoy both.

This past weekend we traveled to Brasov, Romania. There are colored buildings and little cobblestone streets everywhere you look. It is also in the middle of a mountain region so the weather is nice and the area absolutely beautiful. It was fun to see this part of Romania, as Iasi (where we live) is most definitely not a tourist area!


While in Brasov we visited many sites.... Get ready for an overload of pictures.

• First time staying in a Hostel:

I was surprised at how well our stay went at our hostel. The owners were extremely welcoming and helpful. We stayed up in the attic room, where we were able to sleep all 12 of us. (Bring on the sleepless nights). Haha I had a very good time. Sharing a bathroom/home with other foreign travelers was very different. More than once we were asked if we were americans; and after they started talking to us, specifically mormons. It was very interesting to see their reactions.

• Riding a public bus across the country:

The title says it all. It was most definitely not luxurious. Funniest moment: The bus driver was speeding along as always, weaving in and out of cars, when suddenly he slammed on his brakes. I mean like SLAMMED. As a result, the entire bus was covered in a someones exploded wine. The floor, ceiling, windows, seats, and of course passengers. The rest of the day we smelled like rum flavored wine. I just had to laugh and look at it as a good story to tell. haha

• Some things I learned:

Apparently it's acceptable for random men on the streets to ask you to add them on Facebook. I can't begin to count how many times some foreign speaking "middle-aged men" came up to us asking to be Facebook friends. It was probably one of the oddest things I have encountered over here. They also like to take your picture a lot. (Sometimes I want to shout...HELLO.. I'm not an animal at the zoo, I know what you're doing).

Streets of Brasov:

Bran Castle (Draculas castle). It was much different than I expected!

Rasnov Fortress:

Peles Castle. (This was probably one of the top most beautiful castles I have ever seen. The inside is literally miraculous. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but it has been compared to Versailles in France!)

Sapte Scari. (My new favorite hiking spot. I want to hike there everyday. It was about an hour hike to the canyon, and then we climbed 7 long ladders in the middle of the canyon, to get to the top. I have never seen something so beautiful. Ahhh. I already want to go back, who wants to come???).

Hike to Brasov sign:

Smallest street in Europe:

It is harder than you would ever imagine to get where you want to go in a foreign country!! I missed my babies by the end of the weekend trip, and couldn't wait to come back to the orphanage. I'll give an update about the orphanage, hospital, and school later this week. Love and miss you all.

LOVE MORGS

P.S: It's been a month since I left. What????

P.S.S: I'm in the middle of planning a trip to Greece in a couple of weeks... AHHHHHH. <3 WHAT A DREAM.