Saints in Romania: Carnivals and Orthodox Mass

Welcome back to our journey in Romania! Yesterday, I left off with the promise of an afternoon carnival. I'm glad to say our Saints did not disappoint and put on a great experience for the children! It contained pie throwing, face painting, and an obstacle course that would have made Coach York proud. Here is a description of the afternoon from sophomore Helen Cunningham.

"When we woke up at 8:00 am, we started the day with some "football" and then a Romanian lesson. We learned some great phrases! We got to play at the park and spin a merry-go-round type set. We had lunch with the entire community were we honored those who had died within the past year. After lunch our group returned to create super-secret master plans for a carnival! We started with pie-throwing. John (or Ion as he is called here) whipped some vegan cream for us to smash in everyone's faces. My glasses and hair were casualties of this part of the carnival. Next, we timed the kids on an obstacle course where an unplanned obstacle, some village goats, got in our way! We rolled with it and a couple of us even joined in! Face painting and a rig toss also kept the kids engaged. We've only been here 24 hours I look forward to more excitement, fun times, and good memories for the rest ofthe  week. We miss all of you back in the states! Love, Helen."

Helen and the other students were not disappointed as this morning was another adventure. We hiked about 30 minutes to the nearby village to attend and experience the Orthodox Sunday mass. The hike there was breathtaking, with small villages and the Carpathean mountains surrounding us. Once at the church, we quietly entered on the balcony overlooking the main chapel. Although we were only present from around 11-12, the mass actually began at 8 am. It was definitely different than our Wednesday chapel service at home. Following service, we came back to Pro Vita for a community lunch. 

This afternoon our Saints will be spread out in the community with different age groups doing different activities. Check back tomorrow for another Saint's perspective of the our Sunday afternoon here in Romania!

Saints in Romania: Arriving at Pro Vita

Two plane rides and a bus later, we finally made it to Pro Vita! We quickly settled into our bedrooms and took a walk around the property. The night was short and everyone fell asleep early as we were all exhausted from over 12 hours of travel.

We woke up this morning to another gorgeous day! After a breakfast of cereal and tea, it was time for our first lesson in Romanian. My name is, hello, please and thank you were among the first (and most important) words we learned. 

Next, we toured the whole property and entered some of the children's homes. It was especially interesting to see the buildings that our school's previous travelers had worked on or raised money to complete! Especially cool was seeing the handprints of some former Saints on a barn they helped drywall. 

The morning ended with some playtime in the playground. Our Saints were swinging, sliding, clapping, and giving piggy back rides with the younger children in the community. 

Lunch was a special treat, as it is a feast day in the Othodox religion. The whole community and some people from the nearby village came together to celebrate members of the church that had died over the past year. We enjoyed a feast of soup, stuffed cabbage, polenta, apple pie, and birthday cake (it was 2 Pro Via member's birthdays, pictures below).

We are currently taking naps or going for walks before we plan and put on an afternoon carnival. The carnival will have a whipped cream pie throwing stand, ring toss, face paint, and more!

We arrived in Madrid. Everybody is with their families. Pics coming soon

Saints in Miami ready for Madrid! Ole ole! For now we are enjoying cuban food

Saints in the Bahamas: Three Days to Departure!

How fortunate do I feel? This time last year I was preparing to head to France as a chaperone for the Normandy Scholars program. I will never forget visiting the Pointe du Hoc memorial and looking down at the tall cliffs that brave US Army Rangers scaled in order to knock out six large German guns that were aimed at Omaha Beach. We also had a great time in Paris, wonderful students and, of course, the amazing Madame Van Way as our leader.

This year Mrs. Myhre and I are leading 9 students on a coral reef expedition to the Bahamas. We will be staying at the Gerace Research Centre on the small island of San Salvador. Operating out of this facility we will be contributing to a 20-year long study of coral reef populations. The students will be taught how to identify key coral species, how to map them, and how to perform a Point Intersect (PI) analysis - in order to determine what percent of the reef is constituted by live coral. It won't be all work, though! We will be taking several field trips during our week on the island. Last reported temp: 80 degrees F.

Here is a shot of me from 2008 in San Salvador, Bahamas. The next is one of the beaches where we will be doing our research.

Saints in Greece: Ready For Departure!

Well, the day is [finally!] upon us: we leave for Greece tomorrow. It seems that the gods are smiling upon and the weather for next week is shaping up to be wonderful (and for those of you who know the story of Agamemnon and Iphigenia, you'll realize we have had a lot less trouble getting good weather than they did back in the day...).

So all that remains is to pack our bags, get ourselves to the airport, and find out seats on the plane. Our Greek Odyssey will soon begin!

As we journey we'll try to post some simple pictures and thoughts here. So please check back often to see how our Saints are enjoying the Birthplace of Western Civilization.

10 Saints Prepare for Romania!

Hello! My name is Shannon Fusina and I am an upper school science teacher. I am very excited to have the honor of traveling with Fr. Sean Cavanaugh and 10 sophomore Saints this spring break to Romania.

This is the 9th year in a row that Saints will be traveling to the Pro Vita orphanage in Romania. Pro Vita is a private orphanage community located about 2 hours north of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Pro Vita is located by the village of Valea Screzii, a small mountain village. The community serves orphans, battered women, elderly, and those that cannot take care of themselves.

Map of Romania: We will be staying at the red "A" north of Bucharest

While abroad, we will have the privilege of using our hands to work on a service project on the grounds of the community, learning some basic Romanian (the only Romance language in eastern Europe!), traveling to Dracula's Castle on an overnight trip to Transylvania, and tutoring and playing with the young children of the orphanage after they return home from school. The students have already begun their service to Pro Vita by collecting two duffel bags full of school supplies and sports equipment for the children to enjoy upon our arrival.

Bran Castle: the legendary castle that is famous for being known as the home of Dracula

Follow along on our trip as I update on the student's activities, travels, and day to day activities!