Romanians sure know how to party!

      So Wednesday I had an European experience that I will never do again.  I went to the pool.  But starting that morning, my stomach was hurting some but it went away, so I went along with the plan and gathered my sunscreen and towel for a pool day with the gals.  We were supposed to meet at 10 am outside the metro stop at Stefan Cel Mare, which is only 1 stop away from me, so I left like 30 mins before so I wouldn't be late and they wouldn't be waiting for me.  But I guess my brain in the morning forgot about Romanian time, which is somehow set about 15 mins later than normal time.  I got there faster than I expected at 9:45, so I just walked around the area and found a 2nd hand store to browse in.  At 10 Jess showed up, and at 10:15 Edith, who was organizing the outing, arrived.  Then we started calling everyone to find out that 2 of them were still in bed!  So we got some icecream and just chilled on the sidewalk for who knows how long until everyone, which included Desiela, Otniela, Roxana, Cristina, Edith, and Jess, showed up.  Then we started walking, but we only had an address and some vague directions, so thus we got lost.  Thank goodness for iPhones with the Maps app!  So we finally arrived at this country club looking place at about noon, 2:15 hours after I got to the metro stop.  We didn't know you had to have a reservation, so we got the crappy chairs in the shade.  So we jumped in the refreshingly cold pool and seeking out a place to lay our cushions & towels in the sunshine.  The pool water/sunshine was amazing and definitely needed, but the atmosphere...not so much.  You kind of hear stories, and this was apparently not as bad as usual, but I was shocked.  There was only 1 topless girl, and the majority of the rest were wearing thong bikinis.  Like seriously?? I don't understand at all. Eww! There were only a couple guys in Speedos thankfully, but that should never be allowed either.  They also had this deafeningly loud dance music that I could barely hear myself think let alone understand Romanian, so thus it was not a language learning experience for me at all.  It was just such an immoral atmosphere, and it truly made me sad, along with the disgustedness.  But this is the world, and although I will never choose to be in the "European pool" atmosphere again, it once again brought me out of my little "Christian" bubble and broke my heart for the lost.    They're just so blinded by this idols of this world and are totally missing the answer to their questions.  


      Also, my stomach ache came back a couple times throughout the day, which 90 degree weather doesn't help.  It wasn't too bad until Jess & I couldn't take anymore and left around 4 pm.  We started the 20 min walk back to the metro and I just could not do it.  She knew something was wrong with me when I said we had to take a taxi home or she would be carrying me.  The taxi ride was super short and when I got up all those steps to my apartment, I flopped down on the couch and didn't move for the next hour.  I napped on and off and then finally my stomach couldn't take it anymore and I ran to the toilet where I puked like 10 times.  Fun fun.  I don't remember the last time I puked, but I once again am reminded of why, although for the obvious reasons, I will never be bulimic.  I HATE puking, but thankfully my stomach ache was gone and all that was left was the weakness and just weird sicky feeling for the next day.  I took a shower and went to bed at 8 and slept, although tossing and turning, until 8 the next morning.  Then I spent the rest of the day on my couch in front of my fan, trying to beat the heat and watching Glee.  Being sick sucks, especially when nobody's there to take care of me, but off days that I have nothing better to do than watch tv are sometimes nice.  I thought about going to Lisiana & Catalin's Civil Ceremony, but standing outside in the 90+ degree afternoon would not have been the best idea, so I had to miss it and a meeting for day camp. But the next day I was ok, still a little weak from not eating much, but I went to my language lesson & our last Bible study/icecream party & was just fine!

      Friday night Jess spent the night with me, after a late night at her house giving each other pedicures and painting our nails.  We spent most of the day Saturday primping, doing each others' hair and makeup.  I even taught Jess how to properly put on makeup since she's never really worn much.  It was fun being girls and Jess looked even more gorgeous that she usually does without makeup!  Anna also came over in the afternoon and I curled her hair for her since she was a bridesmaid in the wedding.  She had some cute Shirley Temple curls, but by wedding time later, it calmed down & looked beautiful!  Around 4 we walked down to Obor where we were picked up in Hillary by the Graef and Parmerlee gang and headed to an area right outside the city to a fancy club/restaurant for the wedding of Lisiana & Catalin.  It had been pouring earlier, and when we arrived the dark clouds were looming overhead.  And we thought it might hold out until the reception, but God decided to make it interesting.  As soon as the music started and they bridesmaids and groomsmen started walking out, it starting downpouring, not just a little sprinkle.  There were a couple rows of chairs set out for the guests, but we all ran to the porch to watch from a dry place.  The bridal party was on a big circular platform next to the lake, and people brought them umbrellas.  The bridesmaids and groomsmen walked off the platform and joined us under the porch before the started much of the ceremony, but Pastor Soterius, the bride and groom, the umbrella holder, and the photographers and videographers stayed and quickly performed the ceremony.  It consisted of a brief word from Soterius about marriage, the exchanging of their personally composed vows, the exchanging of the rings, a kiss, and then running for cover.  Although the rain flattened some of the girls', well and Lisarius', curls, the rest of them had so much hairspray it didn't affect them much.  They all looked gorgeous as usual, especially the bride of course, and they had very stylish abstract European hairstyles and dresses, which were silky fushia.  

Curling Anna's hair

All make-uped

The bridal party exiting the platform in the downpour!

My adopted family :]

      Then came the pictures.  I was the unofficial unpaid photographer of the night and I took pictures of every couple in numerous poses and places, and I love it!  The venue was gorgeous with a lake, a couple waterfalls, lush green grass and stone walkways, a lighthouse-ish building with a wide bottom porch for the tables and a large, hardwood floored dance room.  And thankfully the weather cleared up, the sun peaked out, and we had a beautiful sunset for the backdrop in the pictures! Now I only have literally 500 to look through, edit, and email to all the people who have already started begging me!

Lisiana the GORGEOUS bride

Cristi & Amy

Daria & Claudiu

The bottom of her dress was filthy!

Octav & Emma

Half of The Marker represented

Desiela, Simona, Alin, & Ana

Simon & Vera who are getting married so soon!

Mihai & Andreea

The bridal party

Ana!

      

Stefan & Jess

Vali & Cristi

     The food at a Romanian wedding is like one of the most fancy meals you can ever think of.  Thankfully I took pictures of everything so I can even remember all that they served us.  I sat at a table with Simona & Alin, Jess & Stefan, Alina & Robert, Alina, Marius, and Adi.  The tables were pretty much completely covered with the beautiful flower arrangement in the middle and the numerous pieces of silverware, wine glasses, and plates.  There were rolls and nuts on the table the whole night, but the 1st appetizer of ham, sausages, stuffed tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives was served at 9 pm.  The next course an hour or so later was a fish and potatoes.  I had to be pretty brave to eat this fish, and Jess had to teach me, considering it still had it's head, eye, & even teeth!  The next course a couple hours later was sarmale, or cabbage rolls, with mama liga, a corn mush kinda like grits.  This was probably my favorite part & it's a totally typical traditional Romanian meal. Then at about 4 am, came a grilled pork and potatoes, which was good but fatty, and I couldn't really eat that much of it that late.  Then finally not too long later was the singing of La Multi Ani, the song they sing for every occasion, the cutting of the cake, and also the eating of the yummy chocolate "cake."  The food was all very good, but it's way more than any one person can eat and it's very very expensive.  To go to the reception of a wedding, the guests have to pay for it.  It's a pretty sweet deal when you're the one getting married, but for the guests it can be very pricey when it's about $100 a plate and you have multiple people in your family!  

The entire fish... 

Check out those teeth! I think it was a pirhana

Sarmale & Mama Liga

Pork & potatoes

Chocolate cake!

LOVE the fireworks on the cake!

      The dancing was as usual my favorite part of the festivities.  We had jumping up and down dancing, the traditional Romanian circle dances, and I even taught them the real dance for "Cotton Eyed Joe"!  They had I think 3 bands and a DJ that switched off throughout the night.  The Alfa Omega band, consisting of Alin, Vali, Lisarius, Stefi, & Desi, which played the good music like "Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night," "Proud Mary," and "Livin' La Viva Loca," and we had a blast dancing with them.  Then there was a traditional Romanian group and a Gypsy kind of band, who sang the stuff the old people wanted to hear and dance to with the traditional circle dances.  

The alfAOmega band

Doin some traditional Romanian dances

I participated!

One of the traditional Romanian bands

      We literally partied the night away until the sunrise at about 6 am the next morning!  I was surprised how many old people who were still there until the very end of it all!  The last couple hours in between the dancing and eating we were mostly sitting around, gathered around the heater to stay warm, some with their heads on the tables, staring blankly and trying not to fall asleep.  A 12+ hour wedding is kinda ridiculous and extremely tiring, but it was a blast with all my AO friends!  

Huddled around the heater

Hello sun!

      I got home around 6 am and immediately went to bed.  I got about 4 hours of sleep before I had to go to church to help with the set up.  It was kind of really sad having church with only about 25 people and no music, but we also got to have a time of sharing prayer requests and praying out loud for them as a church body, not just the small groups.  


      And now it's about 9 pm here & I'm going to bed!  Gotta be good and caught up on my sleep for VBS which starts tomorrow morning! Please be praying that it all goes smoothly and that many kids will come, enjoy themselves, and learn about Jesus! :]