Day 4- June 18, 11:20 p.m Radauti, Romania

Road Trip!!!

Travel, Travel, Travel was the keyword today. Our team began the day at 8:30 with some pictures in front of the inn. We packed up and went to downtown Brasov for breakfast. Most of the team had omlets, but some tried for waffles or pancakes, which are considered dessert, not breakfast. It added to the confusion add breakfast-time.

Our intentions were to attend 10:00 a.m. services at a large Lutheran cathedral in downtown Brasov. Due to the breakfast fun, we were 5 minutes late, and very suprising to us, the congregation had locked the doors!!! If you are not there by the start of service, you do not get in!! Tough crowd. Our disappointment was short-lived. We decided to drop in on two Orthodox services, which was a totally new cultural experience for most of the group. The services are held standing up with no seats, with lots of chanting and insence. It was a very moving experience for all.

We quickly packed back in the van to begin our journey to Radauti, which was about a 7 hour drive with no freeways! Our journey held many adventures, including a rest stop and game of frisbee with the locals in the Transylvania mountains, a light lunch at a local eatery, and many many views of local people, agriculture, and terrain. We were amazed at the contentment of the local people, who seem to live lives much more simply than ours, as well as the very small farms who still use horses and man-power. We saw only 4 or 5 farm tractors on our entire drive across Romania......simply amazing. Most fields are only a few acres or less in size and livestock roamed freely in towns across Romania.

The team was troubled when we saw the recent aftermath of a bus/car accident in Suceava, which is about 20 miles from Radauti. The police had only arrived and we witnessed the victim that the accident took on the side of the road. It reminded us of how fragile life is and how dangerous we should consider our trip to be.........Romanian drivers are either crazy or completely in trust of one another....they pass with only inches to spare!!

We arrived in Radauti with amazement at a city that is trying very hard to reinvent itself and find progressiveness in the opportunities of the free world. They have more new construction than we saw in other parts of the country. The city is not large, only about 30,000 people, but seems to be a warm, inviting place with it's eye toward the future. We, our team, is excited to be part of that growth as we help Habitat and the Habitat families build a foothold here. A walk around town, followed by a dinner of appetizers closed the evening. The group retreated to either watch the World Cup or email home.

Kevin S. and I were offered the "palatial suite" at the Amnar hotel, due to our willingness to room last night with the 20 rowdy kids. A very nice reward, indeed, as you can see.

We look forward to Monday, tomorrow, when we travel by foot to the work site and begin our mission, meet the Habitat workers and the families. It is late, so I must get some rest.

Till tomorrow...........................

Day 3 - June 17, 2006

Our day started in Bucharest at the Green Forum Hotel. We had breakfast as a group and then "hit the road" toward Brasov, which is about 300 km to the north of Bucharest. It was tough adjusting to road travel again.

We made a touring stop in the city of Sinia, a beatiful mountain city where the king of Romania (King Charles) used to live in the early 1900's and late 1800's. It was an amazing place with a beautiful view, very intricate armour displays and amazing detail on the hand-carved wood work. The group also toured the Sinia Monestary and the historic church facility there. After a traditional Romanian lunch at a local restaraunt (tochitara, a meat dish with cornmeal and egg on top, and goulash), it was back in the van to Brasov, the second largest city in Romania. We stayed at a small, independant inn at the edge of the city, called Bella Vista. Hardly American-type accomodations, but we felt welcome in a very beautiful location.

In the evening, we drove to downtown Brasov for a walk in the city square, where we were able to have a refreshment and dinner. Most of the group had pizza.....mine was "Dracula" pizza, which had spicy salami and hot peppers, topped with spicy garlic red sauce.....mmmmmm, mmmm, goood!

Kevin Schmitting and I volunteered to stay on the half of the inn which had 20 teenagers also as guests. This was do to a slight miscommunication on rooming needs. I am used to noise and being able to sleep through it, so I thought I was a good candidate. The group finally hit the sack around 3:00 a.m. On top of that, there were dozens of wild dogs mixed with traditional Romanian music wafting through the hills all night long. Kevin and I got enough sleep to keep us happy! OnIf you are ever in Brasov, stay at the Bella Vista for a charming visit. (I was not paid to say that).

Day 2 1/2 June 16, 2006 9:30 p.m. Bucharest time. 1:30 p.m. CST

Let's call this day 2 1/2 since it is a very long day after traveling. I am having hard drive problems so blogging is becoming more difficult, but I will try to stay in touch. It feels like the computer is now just dead weight. We are sharing PC equipment to stay connected.

We arrived in Bucharest about 1:30 Bucharest time and waited a few hours in the airport for the rest of the group. James Smith is still delayed and will not arrive till midnight due to an airline scheduling problem. A goofy start to the trip, but we are all being flexible!! We arrived at the hotel around 5:30, rested and had dinner. We also were able to meet Amanda, our Romanian guide and host. Some of the group is now doing a short walk and others of us are emailing and staying connected. Tonight we will get a bunch of rest and prepare for more travel tomorrow.

Our group is now complete. It includes Kevin Schmitting, Kevin Peterson, David Gregg, Dave Francis, Debi Brace, Sarah Aurenhammer, Brian Boyle, James Smith, and myself, Don Stingle.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we will go to Brasov, and hopefully see some sights. While Bucharest is the capital, Brasov offers more interesting sights (so we are told).

We are still not sure what we will be doing on the worksite in Radauti (pronounced Ra-da-ootz), but are looking forward to our Habitat for Humanity work there. We should arrive there on Sunday afternoon. The weather will hopefully be good for us, but we will "take what we get."

On to some rest for the night.................

Don

Day 1- June 15, 4:45 EST

Four of us are now in the Detroit airport. (Debi Brace, Kevin Schmitting, Kevin Peterson, and myself). We are comparing notes and expectations and wondering what our surroundings and new friends will be like in Radauti. Is this a big city or a small one? What will we find to do for fun. The unknown is more than half the fun!! What kind of jobs will we be doing on the worksite?

We will be leaving for Amsterdam in 1 hour and will be meeting up with at least one other member of the team there (Dave Francis). After a short layover, we will be on to Bucharest, Romania. We should get there about 1:20 p.m. local time and 5:20 a.m. CST. I assume we will be tired, but maybe we will be running on adrenaline by then.

Gotta run

Day T minus 1 - Welcome

Welcome to my Blog of the ThriventBuilds Worldwide Habitat Global Workplace build in Radauti, Romania. Our team's experience will begin on June 15, 2006 and end on June 27, 2006. I will be updating this blog, as my access to connectivity allows. Please check back often to share in our team's experiences in Romania!