Volleyball time?

I have survived my Romanian language midterm exams!! On Monday, I had my written exam, and today I had my oral exam – which was a special birthday treat for me. 😉 It is hard to believe that the semester is already half-way over. The weeks fly by so quickly here, and it seems that …

A Day in Sibiu

Today we traveled by bus to the lovely and historic city of Sibiu! We started the day with a tour provided by our Romanian teacher, Elena. We walked on the first iron bridge built in Romania, which is also known as the “Bridge of Lies” or “Liar’s Bridge”. According to legend, if one were to …

“…and the truth will set you free”

Faith and ministry are a huge part of Veritas and the Romanian Studies Program (RSP). Veritas is the non-profit Christian organization that the RSP students partner with. The goal of Veritas is not only (if possible) to meet the physical needs of the people of Sighisoara, but also the spiritual needs. All of the programs …

What exactly are you doing in Sighisoara?

I have been asked this question quite often, and to be honest, I was not so sure of the answer myself for the first couple of weeks. Because Jill and I are the very first Hope students to participate in the Romanian Studies Program, we were both unable to give many details about what exactly …

Climbing to the Scaunul Domnului (Chair of God)

  Probably one of my favorite days so far this semester was this past Saturday when we went on a hike in the Calimani Mountains. Our destination was a look-out peak called Scaunul Domnului (the Chair of God). We started our hike at 10:30 am and reached the top of the cliff around 2:00 pm! …

Elderly Club Group Outing!

One of the highlights from last week was being able to bump around on a tour bus all day for an Elderly Club Group Outing! We visited the Brancoveanu Monastery and the Brukenthal Palace near Sibiu. A team from the United States joined the excursion with the elderly, along with Damen, a Romanian adopted by …

The First Glimpse

I have been in Romania for a little over one week now and it feels like so much has happened already! This past week has been filled with all sorts of emotions. As I am still soaking up the new environment and trying to settle into my new routine, I found it helpful to organize …

Veritas Open House Day!!

On Thursday, September 19, Veritas celebrated its second annual Open House Day. This day was the official “Welcome Back” party and fundraiser for the students involved in the Kindergarten and the after-school Kid’s Club and Teen’s Club programs. There were lots of games for the children to play, and there were even fun activities for …

Let the Adventures Begin…

In THREE days I am leaving for Sighisoara, Romania, and I could not be more excited! Last week, I had a final meeting with Professor Sturtevant, the professor and chair of the department of social work and sociology at Hope, and Jill, my friend and fellow Hope social work student who will also participate in …