Tutova: Tuesday Aug 4

Today was a very hot and muggy day. So hot they even turned on the A/C in the hallway of the clinic. We of course took the kids outside because if we can catch a breeze it makes it all that much better. I brought over barrettes to have a beauty parlor with the girls and they all looked so Frumosa after our session! So much so that even Amy Stretch wanted to get in on the action! Lunch today was goulash. Like our hamburger hot dish except it had one special ingredient in it- I know I no longer need to tell you what it was!

When we went back to the clinic two of the volunteer teachers joined us (Trent and Trevor.) Their help is always greatly appreciated. Trent learned how to hold and feed Maria-Cleopatra and burp her as well. We stayed inside for the afternoon in the cool air.

Trent and Maria-Cleopatra

We did not have an evening session because we were going into town for dinner. We had the wonderful marmaligua and sour cream, chicken, and mushroom sauce.- After eating that wonderful sauce you will never guess what I found hidden in there! We were at Alona again but this time we sat outside. During dinner Mihaela talked about what it was like living during communism (food rations [2 frozen chickens a month for a family of 4] and dinners of potatoes and beans) and how she knew when the revolution started (there was a delivery truck of frozen chickens and no lines waiting for them.) She also talked about how every college student had to join the Romanian Army. It consisted of class trianing 4 hours a week and practicing with real guns but no real bullets. She decided not to continue going to the class after a fall on the ice in all of her gear. Her dean of students was told to expel her but he wouldn't, instead she had to donate blood. We enjoyed great company and good wine. We stopped at the grocery store so people could shop- apparently peanut butter was on just about every one's list- we have a lot of picky eaters on this trip LOL. We had been looking for canned crap (aka Carp) and found a container of it- fresh and not canned so it was bought and pictures were taken!