SIGHETU, MARMATIEI

MUSIC PROVIDED BY
 

THE JOURNEY TO ROMANIA

NOVEMBER 28, 2005- JANUARY 23, 2006

  BUCHAREST

I flew out of Los Angeles International airport at 11:05 A.M and headed to Munich Germany.  I landed in Germany around 8:00 P.M and had to wait for an hour before my flight from Germany to Romania had left.   Finally my flight was ready to leave and I landed in Bucharest at 12:00 A.M.  My first night in Bucharest I stayed at a hotel, (Hotel Comfort) which was about five minutes away from the airport.  I had a shuttle pick me up since the ride was free for staying at there hotel.  Once I got booked in I went to see if there was anything interesting around the hotel, but there wasn't so I headed to the bar and got a golden bear and coffee since I could not sleep.   I have to admit that I did miss Romania a lot more then I thought I did and I was so happy to have been back home.  I never really had the chance to see the full site of Bucharest until this trip.

The following morning Dana (a worker with the Romanian Relief Network) picked me up from the hotel and we headed to the apartment I was going to be staying for two weeks.  The apartment belonged to Alien McHenrry (Founder of the Romanian relief network).  For the first few days that I had the apartment to my self  I went around the city seeing parts of Bucharest I had never seen before.  

One of the things that I was very great full for was  that a food store was right in front of the apartment down stairs.  I didn't know what to cook since I didn't even know how to cook Romanian food.  But my first question to an employee at the store was if they had any cabbage roll.  I was so surprised to have actually have found cabbage roll already made.  The first night I went ahead and bought the whole thing of cabbage roll that they had made for the day, since I was starving by the time nightfall came through, the only thing I had to do was just heat them up.   The women serving the cabbage roll,  asked if I knew how much they were.   I didn't care how much they were, I wanted to buy them all since I loved the Romanian cabbage roll after all.  If I ever got board at the apartment I either watched PRO Television or TVR (Television Romania) hoping to hear muzica populara or seeing Romanian films.    Most of the shows that Romania was airing was American films, which was odd to see it in Romania, I think they showed more American films then Romanian films.  

On December 4th I had to go back to the airport to pick up Don Rubis, flying in from Washington DC, who would be spending three weeks in Romania with me. On the first day that he was their we hanged out and went out to eat since we didn't buy any food for the apartment. Water in Bucharest was pretty bad, so we were told to buy our waters fresh from the store. 

On Monday morning around 9:00 AM, Don and I went to visit a hospital where the Romanian re leaf network had there project going.   Dana and Ileana gave us a tour of the hospital and a tour of the program that the Romanian relief network had started.  The hospital in Bucharest seemed to be old and reminded me of the hospital where I had grown up in Sighetu Marmatiei and of course there weren't enough staffs employed to work at the hospital.    

The actual question is how can any one make any changes for the better if the State dose not have the funds to provide.  The Romanian relief network can only do so much to help when there so many kids at this hospital. The state cannot afford to hire more employee's to be able to give the children the attention they need or make any kind of improvements because the lack of funds that Romania dose not have or is not willing to provide the funds. 

The Romanian re leaf net work was making a huge difference in the life of the children that were staying at the hospital and I could not help noticing how the children loved being around Dana and the other staff employed by the Romanian re leaf network. 

We did find some children that didn't have a family or children that were staying at the hospital because the hospital was kind enough to allow some of the street children to stay their since I'm sure that even the nurses and doctors themselves felt bad for these young teenagers who were stuck on the streets because they either ran away from home avoiding the violence of their parent's or because they were kicked out.  The hospital had programs for children and families that stayed their and I did notice that lots and lots of family members did stay with their kids at the hospital.  Romanian hospitals are so different from the hospitals I am used to seeing in the United States, and that is not a bad thing at all when I say that. 

Don and I were not sure if Romania still needed medical supply's that was not sold in Romania.  Don's company donated over $200.00 to help the children in Romania and I spent a large amount on medical supplies. 

Don and I both wanted to thank the Romanian re leaf network for their kind hospitality and for everything that had been set up for us and everything that was done for us.  I really wanted to thank Alien McHenrry especially since she was the one to have invited me to visit her foundation when I had met her at the 2005 national reunion.  You can find out more about Alien's foundation by clicking on links and you will be able to go to her website to find out more details about her foundation and her work in Bucharest.  

HOUSE OF ANGELES

Don and I both wanted to thank the THE HOUSE OF ANGELS for their kind hospitality and for everything that had been set up for us and everything that was done for us.   You can find out more about THE HOUSE OF ANGELES by clicking on links and you will be able to go to her website to find out more details about her foundation and her work

THE CITY OF BARLAD

 Barlad is another small city and a beautiful Romanian town which I would love to visit again.
 Don had been to Romania before with global volunteers a few years ago and he had taugh English at a high school where Mihi was a teacher.  Don seemed to have gotten pretty close with some of his student's and he wanted to find them all and see them again.  Thanks to Mihi Don was able to find most of his student's and we took them all out to dinner and Don had a blast hanging out with his friends.  While we were in Barlad for a week we stayed with Mihi, his wife Dioana and his son George.  George and Mihi spoke very well English so we took him (George) with us almost every where we went to help us with our translation. 
In Mihi's house we had to have palinka with our breakfast and I wasn't used to drinking Palinka period since i hated the way it tasted so strong, after drinking it morning after morning I had gotten used to it.  
A few days after being in Barlad we went to a hospital in Tutova, which is the county of Barlad to see some of the children where global volunteers were doing their projects.  On the day we had arrived at the Tutova hospital a group of Americans had arrived to work with the abandoned children for a few weeks.  It was really strange to see other Americans in Romania.  The Director gave us a full tour of the hospital and this director actually cared about these abandoned children and explained every tour in detail wanting us to know as much as she could provide and she was very honest.  Right after that visit Don and I went to another place, but this place was the nicest place for children that I had ever seen in Romania.  I'm not sure but I believe, this was a boarding school for special needs children and teenagers.  The hang lounge was awesome and fixed very well for the teenagers to cook for themselves and a huge television sets displayed for them to watch in their spear time.  the sleeping rooms were fixed very nicely and I could believe that Romania had a boarding school for special needs children and the staffs actually took their time to help train these young teens to be on their own and to respectful to others. 

Since we had a few days left in Barlad Don and I went into the city to see the rest of Barlad that I had not seen  and took plenty of pictures from each city I went to and videotaped as much as I could of each city for memories for when I get home sick.  George helped us a lot and we didn't know what to give him as a gift for his help so we thought giving him US money is what he would want.   I really wanted to give Dioana something but I didn't know what to give her until I realized I had brought star bucks coffee for someone else in Maramures.  But I decided to give the coffee to Dioana instead with a star bucks coffee mug and other star bucks things that my sister (Robin) had put together. 
Romanians love coffee and of course Romanians love Palinka (plum brandy wine)

Don and I both wanted to thank the Mihi, Dioana and George for their kind hospitality and for everything that had been set up for us and everything that was done for us
SIGHETU MARMATIEI

On December 12th we took a train from Bucharest straight to Sighetu Marmatiei, which was a 13 hour long  ride.  Before we  could leave Bucharest we had to wait five hours at the North train station since, we looked at the wrong timing of when it.   Don and I had bought lots of hot chocolates to keep us warm, but the weather in Bucharest was just to cold for me to handle. We looked to see if there was a warm room where we could wait until our train left and we never saw one until 30 minutes before our train arrived.   We left Bucharest around five in the evening and landed in Maramures around six in the morning.  If it were not for Diana meeting us at the station, I don't know what I would have done or where I would have gone since I didn't remember the streets name where Onisa and Ildi lived. Since Don and I had more luggages then needed, we had to take two taxi's to Onisa house and leave our things there until we were able to find a hotel. Onisha offered to make Don and I something to eat, but I thing we had bought plenty of food in Bucharest that we weren't even hungry, but I did drink a few cups of coffee before heading to Diana's apartment.  While Don and I took a Taxi to Diana's apartment we left all of our bags at Onisha's apartment.  when we got to Diana's home, her mother Ildi came to greet us, made us more coffee and tea since we were so cold.  That morning we found a motel, which wasn't the greatest motel in Romania but I was happy to have found a place to stay in with fire place. 

The following morning I had finally gotten my three bedroom apartment for only $62.00 USD a month (which was about $2,000,000.00 lei in Romanian money)
Ildi and Diana had been trying to get me an apartment for the whole two weeks that I had been in Bucharest, and had hoped that by the time I had landed in Maramures the apartment would have been ready for me to move into right away.  When I saw how nice the apartment was, I hoped that I had owned that apartment considering the amount of work that had been done to it to make it look so nice.   Diana , Ryan (Daina brother), Don, and I had cleaned up the apartment and fixed it up.  Here is the funny thing about renting the apartment from the women I had never met or spoken to in person the whole entire time I was in Romania.  While Don and I were out of the apartment, the women that I was renting from would go into my apartment and add things to the place to make it more of a home for me.  These are some of the things that she would do or bring while were we out, rugs to cover the living room and the bedroom floor, washed our dishes sometimes, simply things like that. 

Since Don and I didn't know how to cook much of Romanian food we mostly ate out at Pizza kriz or a restaurant next door to Ildi's work.  The first time we went to Pizza kriz, I ran into saufu, a cook who used to work at my orphanage before it was shut down in 2001.  I reorganized him right away when I saw him from a distance but I didn't say anything in case he hadn't remembered who I was.  As Saufu was getting ready to leave the restaurant he stopped by my table and wanted to know how long I had been in Romania and who I was staying with.  I've been back for three weeks now and I live on my own. I think it surprised him that I was actually capable of living on my own.  Who cooks for you?  he asked me?  I  cook for my self. I responded.  You know how to cook?  He asked me.  Yea, I know how to cook and live on my own, is that so hard for you to believe? Ok, I may not know how to cook Romanian food but I sure was not going to let him know that. 

That night I went into town to get something to eat and on my way home I ran into another person who used to work at the orphanage.  Izidor?  I turned around to see who it was. I saw a  women with a hued jacket over her head  and a man walking with her.  I'm sorry do I know you?  I asked.  It's me, Emilia.  What are you doing back in Romania? she asked.  I moved back here three weeks ago.  Aren't you afraid of what might happen to you?  What do you mean by that? I asked her.  After you left Romania the last time you were here, there was a lot of problems here and many  people were angry with you because of what you did.  Emilia, you have to believe me that I never meant to put it that way and I didn't know that the television program was going to show that on TV.  I began to wonder if something bad was going to happen to me if I continued running into people from the orphanage since I did betray them and wrote a book about what really happened in that orphanage.  just a few days after that I ran into anther women who was just as surprised to have seen me back in Romania.  Izidor, what are you doing back, she asked me.  I moved here is what my response was to her.  Aren't you afraid that the government might kick you out of the country for what you did.  No I am not afraid for the fact is, Romania is not a commonest country any more and believe me I did my homework before I decided to return. 

The following morning Don and I visited the old folk's home where Cardos and Anita live at.   While Don waited in the school room with the young adults I went into the director's office to communicate with the director's wife in regards of working for the old folk's home since I was looking for employment.  Izidor, I would not be able to give you a job here, because you are a US Citizen.  If a US organization paid for you to work here, I'd have no problems allowing to work here.  Dr. Melinda, I am not a US Citizen, I am still a Citizen of Romania.  It had surprised her that after all these years of living in the US I was still a Citizen of Romania.  I actually showed her my passport to prove to her that I was still a Citizen of Romania.  After communicating I realized that this place would never give me a job for the simple fact of what I did for a television program in 2001 and because of what I had written in my book.  Dr. Melinda asked me not to videotape or take any pictures for the timing that we were there visiting the kids. I was actually pretty angry considering that I knew why she didn't want me to take pictures or videotape anyone.  I respected her choice and asked if Marin was here?  Marin will be back tomorrow and you can see him if you want to.  A few days later Don and I came back to see Marin and of course I had brought my video camera and my photography camera.  When I saw Marin, he wanted to talk with me alone and told Don to go wait somewhere else until we were done.  Marin, don't be so rude and ask him nicely if you want to talk privately.  Don want back to Ryan's apartment while Marin and I went to a coffee shop to see what he wanted to talk to me about.  He had lots of newspaper articles with just about every picture that was taken off my website and every newspaper was a front page story.  I tried finding out what the articles had to say about me.  The articles were about what I did with the American television and the book I had written.  Izidor? Is this true what they've written about you in these articles? Is it true that you wrote a book about the life in the Camin Spital?  Yes it's.  I told him.  How could write something like that, he asked me.  Marin, what do you remember about the Camin Spital? I asked him.  well, I don't really remember. why are you questing something you don't even remember and why dose this bother if you don't even know what the book is about.  Then of course we started right back where we were in 2001, where he wanted me to help him get out of Romania.  I don't know any other way to explain this to him so I told him this.  Marin, I don't know how many times we are going to have to go over this,  I am not able to help you get out of Romania.  Why? Because I am not with the immigration.  You will have to find an immigration office and file paper work through them.   I left it to that and we departed.    A few days later I went to a private institution to see a few staffs that used to work at my orphanage and she wanted to give me some pictures of my first Christmas in Romania in 1989, but I already had the pictures that she wanted to give me.  She asked about all the kids that had come to the US.  I had explained to her that they are all doing just fine and are happy with the families they have.  I don't think she believed me because she  still wanted to know if Ana, (the very first girl that had left my orphanage) was alive and where she was living.  She still believed the rumors that we all heard back in 1991, that the Americans killed her for her body parts, which of course it was never true.  Izidor, do you have a copy of your book with you, she asked.  I told her that I didn't,  even though I had brought 13 books that I was giving out for FREE to the good staffs.  Izidor, what did you write in your book?  I wrote about what happened to us and how we were beaten with broomsticks and how we lived our lives like we were a waste of time to care for. That's not true izidor, she said.  Really were you there to see what I went through and see what happened to these kids?  I asked her.  No I wasn't but I know that would never have happened since my mother worked there and told me how things were.  Your mother was one of the mean ones and of course she wouldn't tell you everything into details of what happened.  I told her that I was not ashamed of what I did with 20/20 and of what I wrote.  if you don't like what I wrote then don't read the book.  How can you remember all this?  she asked me.  Sometimes we are smarter then we look and we can remember things when when we want to. 

I was invited to visit many of the former staffs to see them and I felt uncomfortable visiting them because in my mind I did feel that I had betrayed them because of what I wrote about them in the book, even though the book is true.  I had a women tell me this.

Izidor the newspaper came to the old folk's home asking me about who Anna was?  I was scared when she had asked me that because the truth was she was Anna, but in the book I had changed her name and was I great full to God for not allowing her to even see the book while I was in Romania.  If she had read my book I knew she would have known that Anna was actually her.  I told her that it was a house nanny that was mean to us and she never bothered to ask much about Anna after that.  I tried avoiding talking about the book as much as I possibly could, but sometimes it was in possible.

One night I went to a restaurant, casa iurca to capture Romanian folk music on video and well I was eating my dinner a man across from me notices who I am and asked me to join him and his friend.  I told no and he insisted that I join him.  I did join them and his first question to me was where is your video camera?  Are you back to cause more problems here?  I was scared when he had asked me that because I knew what he meant by that.  Do you think that we can't take care of our own people?  he asked me.  Here is what I told him.  No I don't think you can take care of own people because if you were able to take care of your people you should have done it when you had the chance 10 years ago when we were discovered by the world.  I am not scared of you and if I had the chance to do that again I would have done it in a hart beat.  He was really good friends with the director that I had met in 2001, and of course I had to finish my last words with these words about her.  Go tell the fat ugly director to get a life and stop kissing her ass. 

ENCOURAGING

I believe that the newer generation in Romania is going to make a huge difference of how people look at life and how people should not judge others by their disability, and assume that just because your disabled your not capable of working a hard job or be able to survive on your own.  Please remember that any thing is possible if you set your mind to it.  If you give those the the chance, let them prove themselves of what they are capable of, rather them assuming it automatically.  I am 27 years old,  I have a disability from Polio.  I work a full time job as a Restaurant general manager and believe me when I say this.  My disability may show and you can't miss the way I walk, but I sure don't use that as an excuse to get out of life or allow it from doing any thing I want to do with my life. 

If someone makes fun of you because of your color, looks, disability  or what ever reason it may be, realize this.  That person dose not have anything better to do with their life and of course they are unhappy with their own life which is why they feel that picking on others makes them feel good for a period of time, until it comes back to byte them 10 times worse or 10 times harder.    if you show that it bothers you, your giving that person more reason to pick on you or to put you down even more.  Why?  Because the person is getting satisfied of being a bully.  But the more you ignore it and don't show that your bothered by it, that person will just end up walking away and leave you alone , knowing that your not bothered by their bully. 

Don't try to be something your not.,

Don't try to live other people's live because it is not your life to live.

If you don't want people to judge you then how is it Ok for you to judge them. 

Do you want people to respect you? Then treat others as you want to be treated

Remember we only get to live one life and only one life so live your life to the best of your ability and make the best use of it.

If you have any questions or commons please feel free ask them and don't forget to sign the guestbook

Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for

CONTINUE TO PHOTO GALLERY