A great reminder of what it means to have a "servant's heart"

As the last day of July is quietly put to bed I figured I better write about the past month. It began with relaxation after a fantastic vacation in Greece with my family and ended with more relaxing, but in between was craziness! I spent a week working at a camp up in the northern portion of Romania, near a city called Satu Mare. (Google it if you are curious) At the camp were 90+ kids, many of which only spoke Hungarian a language I speak next to nothing of, that I and 4 other PCV's were responsible for entertaining and teaching English. Exhausting! Sleeping in the same room as ten 11-12 year old girls is not conducive to the amount of sleep I need to function. Needless to say, all of us volunteers survived.

Satu Mare and camp pictures

Now what I really want to talk about...while at camp and in Satu Mare, I met what could possibly be the nicest couple I've ever met in my 25 years on this earth. Loren and Ottilia and their children Mate and Dora are an adorable and extremely generous family. They stayed up late to wait on Kaitlin and I to arrive at the train station and to stay a night in their apartment. They prepared a wonderful spread for dinner and breakfast for us. Ottilia went out of her way to care for all of us volunteers during camp. The children are precious and constantly greeted me with hugs and high-fives! Then after camp they invited us to stay another night...we went out for a fantastic meal (the best I've had here in Romania) and then we toured Satu Mare before stumbling into and out of a Timisoreana Beer Festival in town. I was just blown away by their graciousness and the fact that they did it just because that's who they are. What a great example of what it means to serve your fellow man and expect nothing in return.

I really hope to keep in touch with them and maybe even stop in for a visit if I'm up north again.

Just across the hall...

I've been living in my humble, little bloc apartment for nearly 12 months...and yesterday was the first time I'd seen the lady that lives across the hall from me. We passed in the hall, and the sweet woman told me she is my next door neighbor! I'VE LIVED HERE FOR 12 MONTHS!! How did I not know the person that lives just across the hall from me?! Crazy. I immediately felt bad...I'm naturally a little reserved so it's not the easiest task for me to get to know my neighbors, but I'm over that because I still have another 11 months to get to know this new neighbor better!

Anyway. My toasted, red, splotchy self was walking home from the pool today and my new acquaintance was sitting on the steps in front of the building. I apologize...I have yet to learn her name, but I promise that will be the next question I ask her. She politely asked me to sit down next to her for a chat in the shade (she warned me it was just too hot in the building to go up quite yet). I've learned that Romanians don't hold back too many personal details in conversations, and this was another instance to prove that point. I asked her how she was...she said she has diabetes so things are hard for her. She has 4 children...3 are married and her youngest daughter (25) still lives with her and her husband! Rock on! I don't feel bad at all for living with my parents when I get home! We had a nice little chat, and I told her that today was my parents' 26th wedding anniversary. Mom and Dad--she sends you sănătate (health) and o casă de piatra (a house of rock).

How did I not know this lovely woman during my past 12 months living here? She seems delightful. Pardon me...I'm going to make some sugar free muffins to show my affection for my neighbor just across the hall!