Don't let the bed bugs bite...for reals people.

Oy! Bad news everyone, we've been attacked by fleas. And it's way worse than mosquitoes, even though the bites are similar. They are worse only because they are in my bed. Every time I feel like a disgusting person, I try to remind myself (as Ally and the others have helped me) I am a very hygienic person. I don't have fleas, the apartment does. Still, it's a bit harder for me to fall asleep at night with that knowledge. Good thing I can sleep through anything right? Oh man, just talking about this makes me itchy. We'll figure this out though, little itchy bites won't kill me...just maim. Kidding....kidding! Basketball does enough of the maiming for me... :)

That's what I get for playing too hard on an asphalt court eh? I couldn't quite get all of the gravel out of it, so I may just bring that little bit of Romania home with me!

Alright, now that we've got the fleas etc. out of the way, and you still will all give me hugs when I get home, (remember, I don't have fleas) on to other business. First I want to say that I am very grateful for the knowledge that Ryan and all of the other missionaries are safe in Chile. 8.8...wow. My prayers are with them...

Aside from that very sad news, this week has been great. I finally got going with my research!! Thanks to an incredible woman I work with at Section 2 (not sure if I can say her name...) I have been able to get two interviews in this past week. For any of you that don't know, aside from working with the kids (which is wonderful, yet challenging, and oh so much more) I am here doing my own undergraduate research called "The Motivations to Nurse: A Study of Nurses and Nursing Students in Iasi, Romania." It's a professor mentored, university approved research project that stresses me out to the max! Anyway, that was such a relief to finally get to begin interviewing for my research :). Some other highlights of the week? We went to the Philharmonic to the "Seara de Balet si Opera" which was heaven for me! The music was incredible, plus they played excerpts from Offenbach, Carmen, and other classics and it was a lot of fun to get dressed up and go out to that!

I also had my first opportunity to go on splits with the sisters this week! I loved it...though apparently sister missionary apparel likes to give me a hard time. We were laughing so hard!

It really was a great experience for me, and would have only been made better if I had actually been able to freely converse with people. Really, I would love to serve a mission! I still don't know if it's in the cards for me but I'm still 19 so there's time to figure that out I suppose :) Anyway, Sora Kimball and I spent a couple of hours knocking apartments, and I had so much fun. They would open the door and automatically I'd take it away with "Bună seara! Credeţi în Dumnezeu?" Good evening! Do you believe in God?....wait for their answer and then let Sora Kimball take it away while I smile and nod. I've had quite a few people from home ask things like "So, are you fluent yet?" and my answer? No way! But I do alright, I get by. I'm pretty good at pretending that I know exactly what people are saying, and can say enough in response to make them think I know more than I do. Some days I do better than others :) I'm constantly learning, and it's a lot of hard work. I hope to know as much as I can before coming home, and I know that I'm capable of being fluent, time just doesn't permit. So I do the best with the time I can find and try to be happy with that. Wow, that was a tangent though! Basically, I loved playing missionary for a night, and have so much respect for what they spend each and every day doing.

On Saturday we got the chance to go and visit the city of Bacau (ba-co), which is about a two hour train ride away from Iaşi. It was my first time out of the city officially, and my first time on a real train with compartments and everything! The Harry Potter nerd in me was really excited about it, although it was certainly no Hogwarts Express. Similar set up, just...lots older and much less clean. Still fun though! We went with the majority of the youth from the branch here in Iaşi, and went for a combined activity with the youth there! It was a long day, but lots of fun!

Here's a picture of the sign on the front of branch in Bacau, and I love the name of the church. Just try saying all of that five times fast!

Here we have Erika, Radu, Mihai, our new friend Robby (who's here for a couple of weeks, he's come in the past with BYU but is now just returning to visit the kids), and Ally while playing a fun "Get to Know You" game.

Aurelia and I :)
Me, Elder Oberhannsly, Robby, and and others being very involved in a grueling game of balloon volleyball with a string for a net. After the activity we found ourselves with a lot of time to kill before our ten o'clock train ride home, so a few of us took a trip to the nearest grocery store to pick up food for the trip home and found a couple of treasures along the way. It was so foggy outside, the air just shimmered and it felt like I was constantly standing in a cloud. I was wet, but it wasn't raining, crazy! It made for some really great pictures, doesn't this just make you gasp?

And then for the best find ever, they don't mess around with their playgrounds here! I was SO excited, I mean just look!
Yes, that's right it's a mini Farris wheel!! Those would so be in every way illegal and considered unsafe in the states, but it sure was a lot of fun!

We summed up the week with a great time at church on Sunday, although we did have to say goodbye to Sora Jones, who's served her time and is going home. We will definitely miss her! I also learned today the full extent of why I am grateful for my trencher black coat. While hurrying to church in the morning, I had an...accident....

Kasey and I got our ab workout laughing about the fact that my skirt just randomly fell around my ankles! I couldn't believe it! And a Romanian man just happened to be walking past at the precise moment that it dropped and I yelped...awesome. Needless to say we got more than a few strange looks as I quickly remedied the problem. Once we were out of eye sight and could breathe again, Kasey just had to re-enact the moment for the camera and like I said before, I am truly grateful for the long black coat that has served me well :) Thanks for talking me into it Mom! It's been a great week, I can't believe I only have 47 days left!

My Week in Pictures!

Hello again from Iasi! Alright, I've been a bit of slacker lately with the blog, I know. Last week was Valentine's Day, so of course I spent that entire day having a grand ol' time with a fondue dinner here in the apartment. It was so great, everyone gave to each other in their own little way and we had a great day :) One of the many gifts given were long stemmed red roses from Kasey. Here we are being silly and taking pictures.

That was a great day, and as my last post said, I love these girls. Through the good and bad they are such a huge part of the learning and growing that I'm doing here. Since last Sunday, life has continued to be busy with Section 2, schoolwork, friends, and trying hard to make the most of my time here. It's so hard to choose what to share with all of you, I have so much I could say! So I decided to try and make a bit simpler for myself by doing a week of pictures, seeing how I haven't been posting too many of those :)

Monday

We host FHE for the branch every week, and this last week I volunteered to take the reigns and do a Valentine's party! It was actually an extremely stressful day for me, one of those "I have no idea how I'm going to get everything done" kind of days and when it was all over, oh what a relief! I spent the afternoon making sugar cookies and frosting to decorate which in and of itself is stressful...I miss my normal kitchen appliances...and normal tasting ingredients. Part of the adventure I suppose! But I wasn't too happy about the blister on my palm from the little whisk I had to use. That plus trying to come up with translations for all that I wanted to say in a lesson made for a very stressful but rewarding experience.

Tuesday
Tuesday was a great day! There isn't a lot that I can say about the wonderful kids I work with everyday, for confidentiality reasons I can't take pictures or use their names. But they fill my days with so much joy! I've definitely had my discouraging moments, when I feel at a loss, not knowing what I can do for them. They have been given their own set of trials, and it has been so hard for me to come to terms with their hardships. Yet I know that they do so much more for me than I can do for them in my short time here. I give them someone to cuddle, a loving smile, a song. What they give to me is so much more, something that will last far longer than the tickling or the dancing. And the boogers, bites, drool, and throw up too...who cares? These children are incredible, and I now understand why we need to wear scrubs while working :) I consider it a good day when my scrubs are yucky after three hours of work, that means I was able to do my job. We change each morning in this little room at Section 2. I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to work with these kids!

Wednesday
We try to make point of trying new things and getting out of the apartment. Wednesday was a normal day, finished off by an outing for something yummy. I found Romanian ciocolata calda... so think and good! This was our attempt to get a picture of me with a chocolate mustache but I was laughing too hard. Worth a shot though eh?

Thursday

Yet again, another normal day! I thought I'd throw this picture of Erika in, I walked with her (since we're never allowed to be alone) to one of our favorite little shops so that she could get a yummy sandwich...man those things are good! I finally got to talk to my sister Stephanie too, I don't know if I've said this enough, I love my family! At home I certainly don't see them every week, but something about being on the other side of the world has made me miss them more than I ever have, and appreciate every little piece of home I can get.

Friday
What a day!! Everything about this day was wonderful. The kids were all healthy and up (so many of them have been sick lately, which has been hard for me). Then after work I came home to the best surprise ever from Mario...MAIL!!!!

I got a letter from each of my two best friends in South America :)...I pretty much consider it a miracle that the letters even got to me because Shawn definitely didn't spell everything right. That was such a blessing, and the other girls got packages etc. as well. It was pretty much Christmas, we were all so giddy!

The weather here has been incredible, very humid, and rainy. It feels like spring, and feeling the sun on my face puts an extra spring in my step as always! After the letter party with Mario, Christine, Ally and I headed to the basketball courts to enjoy the marvelous weather. It felt so good to be out and active! Only I missed my frisbee...Christine made it pretty obvious that I haven't played b-ball since I was 15. But it was great all the same!

P.S. I definitely live in a big city, which is so strange still. Just picture those scenes in movies where the gangs meet up on the courts, with the cracked asphalt, graffiti, and chain-link fences. No exaggerations, that's where I live! I may miss my mountains, but there's certainly still beauty everywhere, you just have to look a bit harder :)

Saturday
What a great end to a great week! Mihai, our fearless and extremely helpful guide, cultural informant, and most importantly friend, took us out to visit another monastery: Biserica Manastirii Galata. Built in 1582-1584, this 500 year old building took my breath away once again. We didn't get to go inside this time though, so we'll try again another time. I love the peace and quiet, this entire afternoon was wonderful for me. Enjoy the pictures, I tried to capture everything that I could. The walk there, the dogs and their presents left behind, the beautiful old cemetery just outside the walls of the monastery, and the friends I was able to share it with.

Green is coming!!!

Dogs are everywhere in the city...and I love them, so many are just adorable and so lonely. Christine gets upset with me because the dogs can tell that I love them, and they often follow me :)...she doesn't like that too much. With so many dogs there's plenty of...you know...

Iasi in all its glory.

Pink bus!! And a lovely concrete apartment building...

And finally the moment you've all been waiting for...I'm so sorry but these pictures do hardly any justice. Classic Mihai.And inside the courtyard you find...

Needless to say, I was happily exhausted at the end of our trip. While enjoying the peace and beauty of the cemetery, I couldn't help but think...life is so short. Steph got me thinking about it the other night...her children are growing so old! To think I held my little niece Sariah, so tiny as a newborn, and in one week she'll be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Where has the time gone? There are so many people who have led good lives over the generations, all over the world. How grateful I am to know that life doesn't end in a cemetery, with candles and flowers and stone.

I'm grateful for each day that I have to experience new things and grow. I'm already halfway done here in Iasi, wow...once again, how time flies!
'Til next time, vă îubesc, şi eu sper că sunteţi bine!
I love you all, and I hope that you are all well!

A Tale of Six Girls

Yup, it's still freezing here! It is definitely so much better than before though, plus I really do well with cold temperatures (unlike others in the apartment... cough cough) and we're learning how to keep warm Romanian style :)

P.S. I want to throw a shout out to Lisa for the blue pashmina from London that has been my number one clothing article for years now, and you may have noticed is in almost every picture. Love you sis!

Wow, what a week it has been! A wave of sickness hit us full force, I was the first last Saturday night when I was hit with a fever, and pretty much every person has had a roller coaster of a week with their immune systems. It was super frustrating to miss working at Section 2 both Monday and Tuesday, because those kids are the most important thing to me. Plus, Monday night was so hard for me to fall asleep because I felt...unclean. I sleep on a floor, on a mattress with mystery stains and sheets, blankets, and a pillow that just aren't...mine, and have been used by countless people before me. But even that I've obviously overcome and had a "meh, I'm fine!" attitude towards the whole thing so far. What really got to me was...dun dun dun... the mold. Yes, I found mold in the apartment and I thought, "Holy cow!! This is why I feel terrible every morning!!" So falling asleep on Monday night was difficult because I couldn't help but stare at the little spores growing on the ceiling above my head...shudder. Tuesday morning after being told to stay home for one more day, Erika and I decided enough was enough and we went on a four hour cleaning rampage. Here's a video Erika and I made of her jumping on my mattress trying to destroy the mold right above my bed.



P.S. I always sound like a chipmunk when I hear myself on videos...do I seriously sound like that all the time? Anyway, we couldn't get it all gone without completely taking the whitewash off of the walls, but after vacuuming my mattress, washing everything I sleep with, and cleaning every surface of the apartment, including all the mold I could see, I felt so accomplished and it was a wonderful feeling. I woke up the next morning feeling marvelous! Since then I haven't felt perfect every day but I am definitely past the killer bug that got a hold of me last week. Woohoo!

So as I've thought about what I wanted most to share with all of you for this week, I thought about these five girls I'm living with. I can honestly say that being here with them has already taught me so much about myself, and each and every day I am filled with a bit more love for each girl individually. We are all so different, something that I think all six of us can agree has been the number one biggest challenge for each of us in this new environment. But we are gaining sisterly relationships (aka love each other even through the arguing etc.) that are really blessing my every day. So if you'll stick with me for a few minutes I'd like to tell you a little about each of these girls that are teaching me so much.

First there's Erika, our very own Alabama girl. We're going to travel the world together!! Ok, we're going to backpack Europe which doesn't quite equal the world, but it'll be awesome all the same. I got to know Erika probably better than any of the others before leaving Provo and yet as we all know, you don't truly know a person until you've lived with them right? Erika is an amazing person! And genuinely obsessed with Nutella :) while looking up recipes she discovered that this week on February 5th is "National Nutella Day" and proceeded to make pretty much the most delicious cupcakes ever...seriously.


I've also learned that Erika, with her "y'alls" and southern stubbornness (which I love, no way is that a derogatory title) is so good at enjoying life. The other day after our cleaning rampage she treated me to a gogoshi and we sat with the sun on our faces on a park bench and I just...love this girl. I think my favorite thing about her though is her love of her future profession. She is such a teacher in every way and the way that she loves the kids at Section 2, and the way I know she'll do so much good for so many in the future just makes me want to be better. She will make an incredible missionary come August. Love you Erika!


Next is Abby, or Abbster as I've often called her. Filled with fun and a classic Abby wink every time I make eye contact, this girl brings us all together for a lot of fun! I mean, take one look at this self portrait she made the other day, and you'll know exactly what I mean :) Oh man, I love this picture! It's just so...Abby!


Although Abby and I talked about how we sometimes hate to be stereotyped by our hometowns, I hope she'll agree that I love the California girl inside of her, and I agree that I'm definitely a Utah girl. Abby is her own person, but that Cali sun has helped make her what I'm so grateful for. What most people may not get to see about Abby is her incredible maturity. She studies harder than almost anyone I know, and has a way of connecting with anyone in any situation that is truly incredible! As Abby herself sings in the shower (in an awesome high pitched tone), "I wish they all could be California, Minnesota, Utah, Alabama girls!" :)


Why yes, she is in fact wearing a diaper. We found adult diapers in the apartment that girls in the past have used at hospitals and of course I had to put one on her! I'm grateful to have Abby there to listen to me anytime of the day, and give to me an encouraging wink when I look her way. Te iubesc!

Seriously, I know six girls is a lot (trust me, we all understand how six can be an overwhelming number) but I have three more girls to write about. Come now, it won't take you that long to read it, ha but I guess feel free to stop here. For those still reading, you won't want to miss hearing about my girl Ally!

Allyson... wow this girl is... beautiful. In all that she does I see her enjoyment of the beauty in things that many others would never see. I absolutely love this picture of her, it totally encompasses her! She's sitting at the desk she bought (yes she was going crazy without one) and chances are she's adding to the average ten page a day journal that she diligently writes. For her it's a release, and I'm working hard to love it as much as she does, she's a great example to me in so many areas. You will also notice the incredibly cute french beret. She's a french studies major, speaks fluently, and loves all things Europe/artsy. I want her to be my future children's french teacher because she will be wonderful at it! The way she cares about people and each of their stories is something I look up to. I can look at a person on the street, probably think about what they looked like as a kid or what they'll look like as an old person (I know, it's something weird I do in my head) and then hear her say "I wonder what her life is like, I wonder what her story is" and I can't help but smile. We've had a lot of fun one on one times, including getting lost on the tram together :) Ally, je t'aime!

Then there's my Kasey. In the picture below she's hugging our tiny gas stove, but it's a good example of something she probably wins the prize for in the apartment, she's the ultimate hug giver and caring "mother." Ha, she is such a hoot, just the way she talks makes me chuckle because it's just so... Kasey! If you'll allow, I'd like to share a story about her that explains just how much this girl means to me.
Last week when I came down with a fever, something I've dreaded finally happened. As most of you probably know, I've kind of chosen the "hippie" route as Kasey would call it. I don't like to use commercial medicine unless it's absolutely necessary, which it hasn't been for me for almost three years now. Now, I know this is weird, and hard for people to understand at times. But it's who I am and it's something that can create awkward feelings for me when others offer me drugs when I know they just care and are trying to help. I won't get into all of my strong opinions about all of that now though, all you need to understand is that the girls finally found out that I really don't take anything if I don't have to, and needless to say I felt pretty attacked because they were all frustrated with me. I told them that I didn't expect them to understand or even like it, but I asked if they could respect me. That was a rough day for me, and missing church on top of all that really had me down. That same day when they all came home from church I found Kasey in her room furiously looking up "home remedies" for fevers online for me. She kept telling me "Camille, you can take a cool bath, and it says to drink lots of liquids, and I'm sure I'll find some other stuff too. I want you to feel better, I hate to see you sick!" and I left the room practically in tears. She hadn't told me anything I didn't already know but the fact that she had accepted who I was, and was trying to help in any way she could, reaching out to me even though earlier that morning she'd said something like "Camille I will be furious if I have to take you to the hospital because you won't take something." just made me love her so much. It's hard to feel different, to feel like what you believe is strange and maybe even sneered at at times, but her love in that small action is something I'll never forget. Man, I love her!

Last but certainly in no way least is Christine!! This week Christine and I really got to know each other so much better, and it's been WONDERFUL! Here's a cropped picture of her that I love, her face is classic :) plus her hair is gorgeous as always. I'm growing my hair out of course, but so many times I look at her and feel an urge to cut it again. Plus she and Ally are teaching me to french braid like a pro so that if I have any little girls in my future, they won't have ugly hair. Wow, I get off topic fast! Back to Christine, I mean just look at her :)I share the wonderful mattress on the floor with her, and can't even count the number of funny stories we already have chocked up. Seriously, I laugh my head off when she goes past the room silently jamming to her ipod as she folds laundry. And the things she says in her sleep (including the time she woke me up laughing in her sleep)...priceless! Christine just has a way of making everyone laugh, and one of the greatest things she's taught me so far is not to be afraid of who I am because she is herself 100% and I love that about her. She also has a way of getting out her feelings that oftentimes I'm jealous of, I want to be able to communicate how I feel as well as she does. We have so many things in common, and we seriously have so much fun together, even if we are different in some very large ways. She'll make an incredible and FUN wife and mother someday, not to mention an incredible nurse. Christine, love you, you are truly one of a kind girl!

So, this week I didn't recount a whole lot about my daily comings and goings. But those haven't been all too extraordinary, and these girls fill pretty much every moment of my day. Although I've only known them for a total of five months or so, I feel like I know them all so well already and can't wait to learn more. We may bicker (a lot) and are such a funny mix of people and personalities, but I love each of these girls like a sister, and am grateful to share this part of my life with them.

Classic picture below!

Long story short, I LOVE YOU ALL!

And to all of you back home, don't feel left out, I miss and love you too. Just be glad to know I'm so blessed to be here with these girls. 'Til next time, cu drag!