Arrival in Romania

We have made it to Romania. I think at this point we are most excited about laundry facilities, unpacking our bags, and staying in one place for more than a few days. Our plane arrived in Bucharest at 11:30 pm and we were tired and eager to get to our hotel. First, none of the ATM machines in the airport would give us cash and second, we could not for the life of us find a taxi driver who was not trying to rip us off. Apparently, the "correct" price from the airport to the city center is about 20 lei. Almost everyone was trying to get us to pay 70 lei and when we finally negotiated down to 50 lei we decided to just go for it. We didn't have many other choices at 12:30 in the morning, and we couldn't find another way to get to the city center. It is just so irritating when you know that you are getting ripped off and can't do anything about it.

Thankfully we were able to sleep in the next day and then headed out to the train station for another travel adventure. We needed to use our credit card to buy a train ticket, since we only had a small amount of cash and that is a rather complicated procedure here in Romania. You must wait in one line to find out the price of the ticket, go to another line to have the credit card charged, then go to a third line to show them you have paid the correct amount and get you ticket. The only problem for us was that once we went through this process the train we wanted to take was long gone and the price of the next train was completely different. Talk about complicated!!!! When we did eventually get on the train we met a very nice Romania girl who has been going to school in Provo, Utah and she gave us some good insights. Also, Bruce and Sandie, the couple who run the group homes, were at the train station to meet us and take us to our village, Nicoresti.

I think it is going to me an interesting, exciting and challenging six weeks. Tomorrow Sandi will take us around to meet the kids and see the different homes. There is Casa Elisabeth, where 9 girls live, Casa Rachael where 11 boys live and Casa Hannah where 3 girls and 4 boys live. The kids at Casa Hannah have the most severe disabilities and are primarily confined to wheelchairs. This is the home that I will be working at, while Kenny will be at Casa Rachael. We will live in a volunteer apartment with 4 other volunteers. Fortunately we are going to be able to have our own room, but the shower will still only be every three days. We will keep you posted now that we have more regular internet access.