I will not be able to get on everynight as I had planned so I have been keeping a journal and will write down everything there.

May 30, Sunday

So Romania is nothing like \i expected it to be. Instead of 70 children there are around ten and instead of no langauage barrier there is virtually no English. Donica, the mother of the family I am staying with speaks very little English, as in seven words of English. Today is the 3rd day of our month long trip and Romania is amazing. It is one of the poorest places I have ever been but it is also one of the most beautiful too. The people and the language and the town are so gorgeous. it is a sort of dilapidated beauty but it is beuatiful none the less. One of my favorite Romaninan words so far is intelleg? Paired with Nu it means I do not understand. This has many meanings to me. The first and most obvious being I have no cue what you are saying because I am a stupid American and the second being I donot understand how these children were orphaned. They are such wonderful children, full of life and energy and joy. The fact that they are orphans surely means that their parents died for no one in any kind of mind frame would ever give up a child as wonderful as these are. Children that are beautiful on the inside and out. Their names are Lau (which is short for a long name I can not pronounce), Allin, Darius, Salina, Iliana, Flourica, Flourin, David, Maria, Razvy, and another I cannot remember at the moment. Being here in this poor town has made me cry more than once. To see people that are so poor but so happy is simply amazing. Today we went to a hospital to sing to the patients. I have found that no praises to God are as beautiful as those sung in the languages of other nations. English must be the ugliest language. but anyways the hospital was rather small. Maybe about ten rooms. I wish I would have taken pictures because even my words will not tell you the full awfulness of these conditions. The sight of this hospital would have made someone with a stone heart cry. A room the size of a hospital room in America for 1 person was a room for 8 men or women in Lipova. A room the size of a small walkin closet fit two patients. No air and no supplies was a huge problem. The family I have been staying with the past few days are too friendly just like the rest of Lipova. We play cards every night and eat mostly amazing food. Tuesday I go to help tech English in schools.

I miss everyone back home and send love