Romania…yet again, another country I never pictured myself in before the race. Now that I am here I love it. I love the simple, but hard working lifestyle. I love that family comes first. I love that the gypsies know how to live life.

I knew nothing about gypsies before coming here, except that I used to dress up as one as a child. I thought they were mysteriously beautiful, and now I know that is a truth about this culture. They have no homeland and feel like foreigners even after living here for years. Romanians do not accept them and look at them as a lesser class than a pure blood Romanian. Gypsies are one of the only people groups in the entire world without a homeland. They are scattered all throughout Europe trying to survive. Without a homeland and without being accepted by anybody they are forced to have a wandering spirit that is always seeking.

Family is the heart of every gypsy. After being here a little over two weeks I already feel like I am a part of the community here and have my own Romanian family; and trust me it is a large family! There is not one person who would not help me if I asked them. Take Adi for example: he is literally the hardest worker I have met this entire year. He will make two trips up the mountain to gather firewood for the wood-burning furnace that keeps his family warm. Then he will go and get dirt for his relative that is building a wood-burning stove. During all of this he brings his four year-old son with him, because little Adi is such a daddy’s boy and can’t leave his fathers side. Adi works day and night to provide for his family and he does this without uttering one complaint. He loves his family deeply and it is shown by the way he hugs his daughter, the way he pushes little Adi on rollerblades, and the way he kisses his wife Lilly on the cheek. He helps bring community to a wandering population.

I am changed because of Villa Tecii. I have always seen myself as a wandering spirit, and now I know that is just because I am part gypsy!

Take a look HERE at some of the pictures from Romania to get a better idea of life here…

The people here clean their carpets in the river, so we helped them bring the carpets down and clean them. That is some hard work! We also helped prepare some land for farming, and had a little bit too much fun in the process.  There was even a night that all of us girls learned how to dance like a gypsy. (The secret is to wear twirly skirts that do all the work for you.) And one of the best things has been loving on the cute kiddos! A special treat for me was to celebrate my birthday here. A Romanian birthday tradition is to take a bite out of your cake and then they smash it in your face. Sandu and I share the same birthday so we both had a yummy mess to clean up.  And on our last day we gave the kids a huge surprise by having a face painting party and an Easter egg hunt. I think for most of the kids that was their first egg hunt, and it was awesome!