Romania was legitimately all about the climb

What an adventure this has been.

Thursday

We ended up leaving a little later than expected, but I’ve become accustom to running on Moldovan time anyways (Dad you would hate the running late thing). We had been waiting for another couple, family friends of the Burlescu’s, who had seemed to have gotten a little lost. Anyway we headed out for Moldova pretty late, crossing the Moldovan-Romanian boarder closer to midnight. I was thrilled to add another stamp to the passport, as as was Mikayla, who tried to film the whole event. Apparently you’re not suppose to do that though, and a boarder guard opened her door and started speaking to her in Romanian. At the moment, we were eating pretzels so I told Mikayla to offer him one. I guess we were in a pretty silly mood offering boarder control pretzels, after eleven most nights I become delirious. Once the officer left Ana-Maria translated that he asked what we were filming…Opps.

Getting through customs took a little time, but once we were finally through I was able to fall asleep until we were awaken to eat potatoes and chicken (at like 3 am… on the side of the road. At that point in my life I had to take a step back and ask myself, “how the hell did I end up here… on the side of rode in the middle of nowhere Romania eating chicken and potatoes?!” So that was interesting, I can check that one off the list of things I haven’t done yet.

we made it. 

Customs at midnight.

After that strange experience, I completely passed out until we pulled up to the cabana in Lacu Rosu around 6 am. Good morning world.  BUNA DIMINEAȚA!

It was freezing when we stepped out of the car, freezing like if you told me that I had actually been transported to the Alps, I would have believed you. Mikayla and I were a little more than cold in our running shorts and long sleeves... minus two points for the dumb Americans. When asked if we wanted to go to sleep, we more than eagerly accepted.

At around nine we woke up to Ana-Maria and her friend crying. They had been at Locu Rosu for a week with the British boys camp that had just left to go home. Young love is tough, am I right? After lots of hugs and trying to cheer Ana-Maria up. We ate a late breakfast/early-lunch in the outside dining area. The scene here is really beautiful. It was pretty chilly being up in the mountains, but the sun felt amazing. We then went for a long walk around the lake, which is actually a flooded forest; you can still see the stumps peaking up through the water.  I felt like a zombie and my stomach was off  (like very off.. like I wanted to curl up in a little ball and not move kind of off), but the walk was still really nice.

We came back to cabin to eat and relax, and I passed out so early... too exhausted and nauseous to function.

Pondering if we actually want to climb that mountain.

(we did)

silly leaf hats with Mamachica

Photobombing tante luisa

those damn tree stumps. 

our whole group minus Inga who took the picture!

Ana-Maria and her friend rocking their new England hats.

Sidenote: Many Moldovans apply for a Romanian passport if their ancestors are Romanian because with a Moldovan passport you usually need a visa for other European countries because they aren't a part of the EU.

The Cabana

And the forest

Friday

Today we went swimming in a salt pool! The place was almost resort-like, with these two large pools and surrounding bars. They were extremely salty because they use natural water from the salt mines that surround them. I was amazed that the water was so clean and clear. Also you really couldn’t go underwater though because the water was so incredibly salty, it would sting your eyes. This is what happened to me when Inga said we would go under on “one, two, three” … turns out she only meant we would go shoulder deep. The pools were great though and it was a perfect day for swimming. Floating was so easy, if you picked your feet off the bottom, you’d be on you back in seconds. It almost felt like zero gravity… I had never swam in water so buoyant. It was a great day of relaxing and I finally got a little sun this summer ( I am so pasty… by Wescott standards ). I felt so dead when we drove home (we were about an hour and half away.) The drive was so curvy… like Kelly drive on crack, for all my Philly readers who can relate. Papachica also was not taking the turns slow at all… there were a few nail biters when there was oncoming traffic flying around the same turn. Also the fact that he did this all stickshift is extremely impressive. On the way home we stopped at this one peak to pick and eat blueberries (mom, you would have been all about it). I am now craving my mother’s homemade blueberries pies and having the slightest bit of homesickness set in.

Candid

SO SALTY

I'm like actually convinced Moldovans don't drink water. 

We'll all float on okay

Also the Italian hat always for the win.

Eating ALL of the blueberries

YUM

YES ROMANIA

Purple tongues! 

Something was really funny

I swear

Cousin Christina!

Saturday

Today we slept so late, almost until nine! I don’t think I’ve slept that late during this whole trip. Waking up in the mountains is great, very chilly, but refreshing. After eating breakfast, we headed out to hike a mountain called “the Killer”. I noticed Papachcia had wine with breakfast, pregaming the whole event. Another two points for my adoptive Moldovan father. Papachica is always killing the game with the wine.

Anyways the hike was a good one; I have no idea how long it took us to get to the top, but probably close to an hour and half. We stopped about halfway in this picturesque wild flower field to snack on eggs and cucumbers. I felts as though I may have fallen out of a storybook, the view was amazing. Of course we took tons of pictures, but they not do the sights justice at all. After resting for awhile, we all headed back down the slope with Mamachica and friends collecting flowers for tea (everything is edible if you believe).  Once at the bottom, we stopped for ice cream, which really hit the spot because the hike was really hot, most of us were shirtless by the top even with the change of altitude making it cooler. While we snacked on ice cream, a cold front came out of nowhere and it suddenly was pouring. Then minutes later it was hailing… the weather in Romania is probably as predictable as @ElizabethWescott’s moods.

Once we finally made it back to the cabana (mostly dry!), we all collapsed. I had only intended to shut my eyes for a second, but ended up being more than an hour. 

When Mikayla and I finally did wake, we enjoyed soup on the front porch with Inga. The weather continued to be strange AF because it was muggy, but at the same time pretty cold. As I watched steam rise off the mountains, it was hard to imagine out of any place in the world, I was here in the middle of bumblefluff Romania. I definitely have been missing everyone at home a little more this week, especially my family because I could see them loving all this – being outdoors and all the hiking. As much as I love being on this impromptu vacation, it is all bittersweet. Half of me if here, but the other half is half a world away.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out and playing different indoor games… from Jenga to this new one, Dutch Blitz, which was this tricky, fast-paced, and strategic card game – Mikayla hated it. The rest of the day was pretty slow paced, I think the hike had us all beat.

Mamachica was also obsessed with bears, "Orsi" and was jibber jabbering about them the whole hike, it was hilarious. She claimed these were bear tracks, I'm not sure I'm convinced...

popping all the pills for all the pains

Eating our ice-cream

Sunday

            Today we slept in to nine again—we are sleeping in so late and I'm still so dead by the end of each day. At breakfast, another couple and their young boy (he has to be around two) joined our group of the Burlescu’s family friend. Our group then decided we would be doing another hike (YES!). Today’s hike was hella steep, at certain points I had identity crisis and wasn’t sure if I was Maddie Wescott or survivor man, bear grylls  About halfway into the hike Mikayla had started to feel really nauseous. This whole trip our stomachs hadn’t quite been right, but on today’s hike we were both very much on the struggle bus. And struggle buses aren’t so good at going up mountains. We did make it to the top though, with Mikayla only throwing up once! Woohoo! Girl is an inspiration. I’ll drink to that (and of course we did, Papachica ALWAYS with the wine). Also a huge shout out to the dad in our group doing the whole hike with his two year old son on his shoulders, talk about a super dad (don’t worry @BertWescott, you’re still the best in my book).

The view was amazing though and (for me) worth the climb. We drank wine and snacked on tomatoes, cucumbers, and walnuts. While Mikayla’s stomach settled, the group took tons of photos, trying (and failing) to capture the amazing expanse. I was so amazed how I could possibly be this lucky to have ended up here of all places. To all those Eastern Europe doubters, this place is sick.

On the way back down, my stomach took a turn for the worse (too much heat, not enough water?) so I opted out of taking photos in the grassy wildflower field. I so desperately needed shade, and the field was just baking in the heat. Looking back I think it was due to a combination of the heat, humidity and our new Moldovan diets (highly bread and grain based), but Mikayla and I were determined not to let anything deter us from putting Romania on the map. While we rested, the adults in our group all collected flowers for tea… they left with arms full that they would later dry back at the cabana. These Moldovans do not mess around with their flower collecting and tea making.

            When we arrived back at the cabana, we ate some soup, as is the Moldovan way. When in doubt, eat all the Borș or Zama. I was cracking up as they kept offering Mikayla wine to settle her stomach. I can never remember a time where alcohol has helped settle my stomach… but maybe the Moldovan body’s work differently? The Americans were not killing it today, so we eagerly agreed when Inga suggested we nap for an hour before our next activity.

            That next activity being zip lining. Are you jealous of Romania yet? We walked/hiked a little ways from the cabana to this zip line that had been set up between two taller trees in an opening. Zip lining with Romanian mountains as a backdrop was really cool, even if it had begun to rain on us. Honestly, the light drizzle felt nice after such a long day with headache and upset stomach. The group’s tensions from the hike and exhaustions definitely dissipated with this zip lining excursion. With the rain picking up, our clan hiked back down to a small outdoor cafe to enjoy beer and this Romanian pastry, called Kütõskalács. It sort of looks like a stretched out doughnut, but much thinner and covered in cinnamon and sugar. Over this snack we tried to teach mamachica the word “acquaintance” because she has been having us saying really hard Romanian words all week. Apparently our attempts and accents are pretty funny because it usually ends up as all the Moldavans hysterical.

 I’ve definitely picked up more words here in Romania because everyone in our group has been speaking only Romanian. I’ll list a few so you can all be super impressed with my cultural immersion (@Zach #Cultured #worldly)

Here we go: Plin (full), Îmi plaçe (I like), oboset (tired, I use this one often), Munte (mountain), Copaci (tree), Ai nota (swimming)

Now that you’re thoroughly impressed I’ll continue with this blog post that is already entirely too long (sorry friends).

Mikayla and I have definitely been spoiled with Ana-Maria and Inga, who will usually speak most English with us at home and around the house. Here, I’ve found that I am grasping for small words that I recognize and trying to form meaning from the jibber jabber. Most of the time I feel as though I am surrounded by the silly nonsensical language of minions. I so wish I were bilingual here, but at the same time I’ve found that the little Spanish I remember from high school has helped me remember Romanian. (@DannyWescott, I know you hate Spanish, but stick with it kiddo)

One last point, it has been both freeing and isolating without any wifi. @ElizabethWescott, I think you would have died about five minutes into this trip without wifi or data. Absolutely died.  Also I’ve been most homesick on this entire trip while here in Romanian.  I miss hearing from my parents a lot. There are little things throughout the day that I would love to share with people back home. Sometimes it’s just for a moment, but I would kill for a lot of you to be here experiencing this with me.

Kütõskalács! 

Kütõskalács!!

yesss.

I'll take all of them!

Monday

            Today we rose early (7 am!) to hit the salt pool. It was much hotter, both in and outside of the water. Our whole group left with a little color, myself included. My burn was strangely blotchy from the salt drying on my skin. Side note: This salt pool is the real deal, like absolutely stings any cuts or bug bites. Another day of relaxing, which was really nice because I think my body is really feeling the hikes from the days prior. Definitely a wake up call that it is time to get back in shape and fast. It has been really difficult training here this summer and trying to make the most of this abroad experience. It has probably been one of the biggest things I’ve struggled with because I know I should work out, but at the same time running at 5:30 am leaves me exhausted and less adventurous after work. I’ve come to the (harsh) conclusion, that in life that majority of things really don’t matter, especially collegiate sports. It’s four years of my life that when I graduate really won’t mean anything, so I might as well make the most of the amazing experience that is my reality now. I’ll try to continue training, but I definitely will not be in the best of shape this fall. Yet I’d rather be in crap shape and know I made the most of Moldova.

            We ended our Tuesday with Ana-Maria coming into our room and asking if “we want to play a game with kids”. Another camp of Moldovan kids had arrived today or yesterday, and Ana-Maria is all about organizing games. Despite the language barrier, the games were so fun. These kids are just so silly; I couldn’t stop laughing. The day ended on a very fun note.

            Tomorrow we head back to Chisinau and my last week of Moldova begins. I cannot believe that in a week I will be back home. I’ve never felt farther than at this point right now.

These cows got in our way.. silly cows.

cows. cows everywhere. 

blueberries! 

Not blueberries!

Tuesday

Plot twist, we will come home Wednesday. At this point in the trip, Mikayla’s stomach had only gotten worse and she really needed the medicine that she had brought from the U.S.

While Mikayla stayed in bed, I ventured with the group down the lake. A whole combination of things were really bringing my spirits low on Tuesday. I never really knew what was going on or what the plan for the day was because everyone would naturally just speak Romanian to each other.  While walking down to the lake, I felt just so detached from the group who were all chatting together in Romanian. When Mamachica put her arm around me, I wanted nothing more for my own mom’s arms.

Naturally I started to cry, but it’s okay because no one noticed. I have become really good at silently crying #lifeskills.

At the lake we rented these rowboats, and I paddled around trying to avoid all the submerged stumps of the flooded forest. The stumps and fallen trees were actually a huge pain in the ass, but after that rowing experience I think I could easily row Head of the Charles in a single. I would kill all the turns. Actually maybe we a father-daughter double (@BertWescott). Also dad, side note.. there were men biking up some of these mountain, and you're probably the only other person I know who would be crazy enough to do that... mad props.

Anyways, it felt really good to be back on the water, even though the rowing was not at all what I was used to. Mamachica was loving the fact that they had a bona fide rower paddling them around, she is so silly sometimes.

Next we searched for the perfect Ia—the traditional Moldovan/Romanian shirt. They white and flowy, and come in all different embroidered patterns and colors. I found such a pretty one with red stitching that Mamachica ended up loving just as much, so she bought one too!

Back at the cabin, Mikayla was not feeling much better at all. All the same, Inga and Mamachica insisted that she need some fresh air. We then as a group traveled to a pasture to the home of some shepherds. The smell of the fresh milk/cheese/dairyproducts/chickenpoop/pigfeed as well as the sweltering heat made Mikayla feel so much better!! (only joking). Though her spirits were lifted because I am such a fabulous companion and forced her to take silly pictures with all the farm animals.

I am so grateful that I was able to see such a beautiful country though, and the mountains were truly spectacular. It just reminded me how it’s such a crazy big world out there and how crazy I am to see this small part of it. All the same in this great big world, I am excited to return back home to my small part of it. 

just being super awkward and such

Just awkward only child things.

Cheese!

This guy is the real deal.

this tree is drunk

Climb everything!  

Everything is climbable! 

how did I end up here of all places.

Go pet the piggies Mikayla!

#noEnglishnecessary

Finally finding the courage to pet it

 It was ignoring me for awhile.

just eating more blueberries.

@Bert Wescott #DreamHomes. You would really love it here.

Can you tell Mikayla feels AWESOME

They had cheese stored everywhere in this small house. It was actually nuts.

We love hiking.

Always Moldovan flower children at heart.