Swords, Spears, Slaying and Such: The Art of Medieval Warfare

The castle. Awesome! I had never been to a castle before and I’ve always loved the medieval time period in history, so it was a dream come true for me. I honestly don’t know that much about medieval things outside of movies like Lord of the Rings and Braveheart because it seems to get skipped over a lot in schools so the castle was educational too. One room in particular struck me, it was the room that was once the main entrance to the castle but was made into a defense tower. The upper floors had all fallen down but you could see where two doors once were on the second level, and in the doorways, were two big cages with spikes sticking out of them. I wonder if they were used as scare tactics with dead bodies kept inside of them for on-looking foes (like of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves). Another interesting room was the room with the body armor and weaponry. I can’t imagine going into battle holding a shield and a sword, my entire body covered in armor, and somehow having to move and flex and slay the enemy. I would be scared to death! Throughout the whole castle, I was just imagining royal people, dressed in scarlet and purple robes (I don’t know if that’s really accurate) climbing the steps in the towers, eating at huge tables, dressing for battle, and peasants in the courtyard buying and selling items. In my imagination, the castle came alive and I was kind of a part of it all. I loved the experience!

skiing & snowboarding!

AHHHHH!

[read post below]

Dreams Do Come True: Snowboarding in the Carpathian Mountains

It has been snowing periodically for the past several weeks and the mountains look absolutely gorgeous surrounding us. It is an amazing sight to be able to look out of the windows and see snow-capped mountains all around. The students and some of the staff have been talking about wanting to go skiing if there would be a chance. Snowboarding happens to be one of my favorite activities and it is the one thing I have truly been itching to do since we arrived….and we went!!!

We were not completely sure if there would be enough snow up on Straja (where the FNO cabana is and where participants go in the summer for Viata), but we attempted to take the van up the icy road. The van made it, and Straja, as we were told, happens to be one of the number one skiing locations in all of Romania. We just happen to be able to see it from the apartment we are in! Its popularity is evident by the license plates of the cars from around the whole country. Wow. It was busy, and it also happened to be Romania’s national day- how fun.

Two Romanian students connected with the FNO came with us to make sure that we could get along alright due to our imperfect Romanian language skills. I and Daniel, one of the volunteers, were the only ones to rent snowboards, but it only cost 30 lei for a nice board and pair of boots…that’s less than $15! Also, instead of buying a day pass because we were not going to be there for very long, we paid 3 lei for every time we went up the lift…which is less than $1.50 per time! What??!!?

The view was spectacular and conditions were fair- but certainly good enough! We had a nice range of skills and since the cabana is right at the face of the mountain it makes it nice to just chill there when tired. Daniel and I managed to take the lifts all the way up until we were in the clouds…how funJ We couldn’t see anything and it was definitely snowing, or hailing…it kind of hurt our faces. It was seriously like floating through a white tunnel and I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life. I still feel like it was a dream…we skied in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania!!!!!

Inebriated Turkeys and Such

So this was probably the funniest and most memorable Thanksgiving I have ever had. The week before the traditional American holiday, Thanksgiving, all of the students and volunteers here decided that we wanted to figure out a way to have turkey for Thanksgiving. Well, here in the valley, Penny Market (recently opened, with even a parking lot!) was probably our only hope for a possible frozen turkey and they had none. So we decided, hey this is Romania, people raise their own turkeys, we just had to find one. Well Aron, the guy that has been making the amazing bunk beds we now sleep on, set out on the mission of finding us a turkey. By foot, he walked through the Valley to find us a turkey, and to our surprise found us ole’ Susan (that’s the name Briana, the Bates’ daughter, gave the turkey)- that’s right folks, a REAL turkey.

As a group we decided to split up the duties as far as plucking and cooking and initially Ryan was going to be our turkey slayer, but Aron did the honors. However, it is a known fact by Romanians that it is only proper to inebriate the turkey prior to the killing. It tenderizes the meat…I mean relaxes the muscles. Aron fed that turkey a whole bottle of rum, the turkey could hardly stand and gobbled…I mean guzzled that rum with no problem. I’ll spare the readers from what happened next, but in no time we were plucking old Susan’s feathers, preparing her for the plate.

Thursday we ate to our little hearts content. I couldn’t believe how good the food, especially the tender turkey, and the best part was that we almost had more dessert than food (9 to be exact!). We invited some of the FNO staff to join us for dessert. It was wonderful.

Final Thoughts

In two days we plan on leaving this beautiful town called Lupeni, Romania. In two days we make the five hour journey south towards Bucharest. The semester has come full circle, and now it is time to reflect on what we have learned. It is impossible for me to summarize this semester in a few brief paragraphs. If anyone back home wants to know how our semester was feel free to ask us if you see us in person, we will gladly take time out of our day and explain to you the true Romania. For you will not find the true Romania on this blog, nor in pictures, or in pamphlets you might recieve. Websites do not give Romania justice, either do books you can read. Romania is a majestic place full of hardship and struggle, it is also a place full of laughter and love. I would recommend this semester to anyone who fills lead to come, but, understand this, this place will hurt you, but it will also heal you! It will teach you how to love the seemingly unlovable, it will teach you how interact with a culture far different than your own. It will cause you to rethink everything you thought you knew about life, and then some. If you are considering coming, think about your motivations first, are they true, are they genuine, than leave it before the Lord to guide and direct you. It takes a different type of person to serve in Romania, this semester is not for everyone, but for those who will come, get ready, and hang on to your hats, because your in for one heck of a ride!

IMPACT and Church!

I LOVE the youth and leaders I have gotten to know this semester. The first night of my home stay my host sister, Persida, took me to the Pentecostal church with her. She is one of the IMPACT leaders there and is also very involved with all the other programs that go on. This first night, I was able to go with her to what I would describe as "praise band" practice. It was my first night at the church and my first day with my host family; I was a little nervous and overwhelmed at the swift change of atmosphere. I hadn't spent more than an hour at the house (def. did not have the names of my 8 new host brothers and sister down) before we were going to the church and I was meeting even more people. However, God knew exactly what I needed that night and as I sat listening to them singing familiar praise songs (though in a different language ) I was greatly comforted and felt truly at peace with whatever this semester would bring.
The comfort I recieved from being with the youth that first night has stayed with me these past few months. I went to the church the night we arrived back from our 7 day backpacking trip in the Retezat (where some of us had gotten very ill), I went there after we arrived back from many of our trips; Cluj, Horezu, Hunedoara, I went there the night I got back from fall break even though I was no longer living with my family, and I went there every day when I felt the apathy I encounterd in this city was weighing me down. Every time I have walked into the church I have been greeted by the smiling faces that run to greet me and bring me hope. Seeing them working together and being involved with IMPACT and their community has been nothing short of inspiring. I have enjoyed getting to know each of them individually - watching what they each bring to the group and how they all function together.

Tonight is my last opportunity to go to "praise band" practice. I really do not think that I have been able to completely grasp that fact yet. I will still see them tomorrow and Wednesday before we say our final goodbye's. I am really going to miss walking into the church every week and being greeted by the wonderful, inspiring friends I have made there. I will miss them all very much.

Shopping in Lupeni

Corrina, Bri and I are making lunch, and we need more cheese. So I quickly slip on a pair of shoes, put on a hat and scarf, and run downstairs and across the street to Euro Riva [it is so handy to have all of these little stores that are just a few minutes jog from the apartment]. I wait in line behind a few other women. They are buying eggs, milk, freshly cut meat and candles [in preparation for Day of the Dead]. I peek around the ladies in front of me to make sure the store has what I need, and to make sure I have brought enough lei with me. I repeat over and over in my head, “joo-ma-ta-tay kilogram day brunza, she una cash-ca-val mi-ca” partly to remember the shopping list, and partly because I really want to say this correctly. [Brunza is a type of salty cheese made from the milk of sheep; cascaval is a somewhat tasteless type of cheese similar in texture to mozzarella cheese.] Finally it is my turn. I step up to the counter, aware that there are several other Romanian women in line behind me. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, and say “jumatate kilogramme de brunza, si una cascaval mica” slowly with a thick American accent, stumbling over the word “brunza.” There are only a few giggles behind me, accompanied [I am sure of this] by all-knowing smiles. Most people here in Lupeni seem quite aware of the presence of Americans. The clerk successfully understands my requests, weighs the cheese and tells me how much I owe [in Romanian, of course]. I hand her a zece lei bill, knowing full well that she probably does not have exact change. I expect to receive a piece of gum or a box of matches for change, but not this time. The lady insists that I have the bani she needs, even though I do not. So wanting to diffuse the situation [I am now thoroughly embarrassed], I point to an orange in a bowl on the counter and ask, “si una portocala?” She weighs the orange and shrugs, then hands me the cheeses, the orange, and 50 bani. Sometimes, I wish that at home we could get oranges instead of change. Oranges taste better than bani anyway...

Apartment Living

For a few weeks now, we've all been living in Apartments 8 and 11. The transition has been a good one so far with a whole new set of challenges and joys. Probably the best challenge and our greatest joy is coming together to work as a team and really learning to interact as a community. This is a different challenge than what we faced at our homestays. There, we were interacting with our families and getting a feel for the culture--experiencing all the insider joys of Romania. We integrated into the community of Lupeni. Now that we have merged into this community, we are working on building up another kind of community. The seven of us living in close quarters feels almost like a return to a campus--complete with bunk beds and sharing closets.
As we all know, living with someone takes a lot of effort. Living with six others takes just that much more effort. Especially after all of us were spoiled rotten at our homestays. Some of us hadn't been allowed to wash our own laundry for over a month! Cooking, cleaning, laundry, sharing space and time comes as quite a shock after that. An illustrious saying on Northwestern campus says that nudity builds community, I rejoin that community can be built perfectly well while fully clothed--it just takes a lot of meals and mops and movies and games of Sequence. Doesn't sound as fun, but works just as well! and we're all about efficiency here in Romania. ;)
I've been really proud of our group so far. Not only have we all stepped up to the challenges included in living together but we've managed to have a great time doing so, even despite the lack of nudity. Ciocolata ceasul, Sequence, O Brother, Where Art Thou, Grey's Anatomy, and Rummy can win over it any day. Especially with the new addition of knitting! My ultimate favorite part of it all though is that every night we all get together around a massive wooden table to eat the meal that we have prepared. Sometimes it's delicious. Sometimes it's interesting. Sometimes it's an adventure. It's always a good time.

A Drive Through Romania

An excerpt taken from my journal on a drive through the Romanian countryside.

(During an outing to Horezu, where we stayed with the grandmother of a New Horizon employee, Andreea.)

"It is on drives like this that I really see true Romania. The houses, old wells on the side of the road, people washing clothes in the river, weeds everywhere, haystacks in people's yards, and always horses and stray dogs. Though the apparent poverty in the scenery is ugly, the simplicity of the lives of these Romanians is beautiful. At home our world is so fast paced with cars and cell phones and convenience. Everything is available all the time and we make ourselves available to busyness every waking second. We don't even imagine a world like I see here. People walk their cows along the side of the road, chickens wander through the weeds under grape vines hanging in the yard of an unfinished, authentic Romanian house that will probably never be finished. A yard like that would be seen as an "eye-sore" at home, making the local newpaper as such. And the owner of the house would be seen as lazy, pathetic, and disrespectful of the community. Yards like this make the communities here. And these communities make the Romania I see on this drive. Welcome to Romania; beautiful, isn't it?"

The Retezat Trip

Candi's Thoughts on Retezat

During our time in the Retezat, we had the opportunity to hike to the summit of Peleaga Peak.

This is a taste of what I saw:

The entire day, I kept thinking, "I can't believe I'm getting credit for this."

~~~~~~~

The backpacking trip had many purposes; it wasn't just to push us physically. Every day was an opportunity to practice backcountry skills, as well as leadership skills. A huge chunk of the second to last day was spent hiking back to where we spent our first night. This day was grueling, knowing the huge task that lay ahead. We hiked in one day what we had previously hiked in two days. Before leaving Bucura, I knew it was do-able, I just had to mentally prepare. I can see in the next weeks spent here in Romania how the memory of this particular day can, and will be, helpful. On days that I am dreading the task ahead of me, I will remember puting one foot in front of the other, focusing on the task at hand, and it will give me the mental strength I need to keep going.

Andrew's Thoughts on Retezat

Our latest rendition of team red trekkers included a seven day hike through the famously unknown Retazat Mountains in east central Romania. The fact these mountains remain unknown adds to the splendor and experience of the trip. I would just like to say the experience was full! And what I mean by this is each day new challenges arose in which our commitment to the community and group could have been compromised, but instead of the group being compromised the group grew together, much the same way a muscle grows back stronger after it has been partially torn, or the way grass comes back thicker after a prairie fire. With the challenges came a loss of self, a necessary good that must accompany such challenges or the group faces complete collapse. This loss of self manifested itself in many ways such as helping those of us who were in need down steep mountain trails, and carrying more than ones load to ease the burden of others, to singing songs to pass the time, and listening to Dana's Resees Peanut Butter Cup Story (Seriously who eats 63 out of 64 in one sitting!?!). There are many other ways people served, using their God giving talents to bring smiles, laughter, and some tears on a trip that was designed to not only challenge mentally but physically. If one cannot call this trip a success than that person needs to revamp their definition or add a new entry into old Webster because in the eyes of all who were a part of this trip, it was grand, a tale of heart and heart ache, a tale of service and sacrifice, and most of all a tale grace and forgiveness! For a true team spirit was formed on this trip and it is the wish of this participant that those who partook in this communion of brotherhood and sisterhood would continue to strive for those same ideals we held dear on the trail and bring them back with us to Lupeni and eventually Northwestern, or wherever God leads us on! Grace and Peace!

Retezat Reflections by Lindsay

Wind breaks over the crest of the mountain, racing effortlessly up the rocky trail I just labored to ascend. I let down my heavy pack and stretch out on the short brown grass. A clear blue sky fills my gaze while craggy mountains encompass the perimeter of my view. I contentedly close my eyes, alone in the stillness.
But I am not alone. Fourteen other individuals lie nearby, absorbing the same view through different eyes. Moments later, we stand together for a picture. Reaching the top of this mountain was both an individual and collective accomplishment. We do together what we cannot do alone, because we are a team.
Within the beautiful stretches of Retezat National Forest, I learned that what I can do alone sharply collides with what I cannot do alone. As an independent individual, this wall of definition was difficult for me to surmount, but necessity gave me no choice. At our final destination of Lake Bucura, food poisoning rendered me nearly powerless. I was internally reeling out of control, and as sickness crumbled my usual proprieties, I was helpless alone.
But again, I was not alone. My team was there. Ilie, Katie, and Davia became more for me than leaders; they became team members who did for me what was impossible for me to do by myself. Community became more for me than an over-used cliché of Christian circles: it became a necessity. When all I could do was lie in my sleeping bag in the Refugio with a puke bucket in front of me, God placed a community of individuals around me to be my support and help. I only had to let them. Though it might appear that we are doing others a service by not depending on their time, energy, or support, I think it actually requires getting over ourselves to need others. As I learned this humility, I realized that I needed to stop feeling bad about how much I couldn’t do and to simply rest in God’s provision for me.
In another time and circumstance, these same team members might have disappointed me or let me down, but regardless of human imperfections, God created us to be in community with each other. In Retezat, the Lord blessed me with an unusual opportunity to depend on my team, and though the lesson was physically miserable, I am grateful for what He taught me.

Ashlea's Thoughts

I have only been in Romania three weeks and my reasons for being here have already changed. I came to Romania to be immersed in a culture much different than my own, particularly a different religious culture, so that I might be able to fully experience another part of God’s beautiful creation and better understand my relation to it. However, the emphasis of this particular program on experiential education and sustainable development has quickly come to the forefront of my time here.

Seeing the apathy that Communism has placed in the hearts of the Romanian people is quite demoralizing and often too overwhelming to comprehend. On the other hand, programs like Viata and IMPACT have shown me ways that the youth of Romania actively struggle with issues of distrust and apathy, and then try to overcome them communally. Being with them, I have been challenged with issues of development and faith and how they work together; how experiential education inspires people to trust, how faith is grown through those experiences, and how those experiences help to develop the heart of a country.