Pop Rocks!

Wow family I think this week can be summed up best by a quote from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close that reads, “Anyone who believes that a second is faster than a decade did not live my life”. I can honestly say this week has been one of the longest and fastest of my lifetime. I also must say that the above-mentioned book is one of the best I have read in a very long time. If I was a book critic, which I am not, I would agree with the Baltimore Sun when they stated “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a miracle, a daybreak, a man on the moon. It’s so impeccably imagined, so courageously executed, so everlastingly moving and fine”. Please if you read one book this summer let this be the one.

Now as for me this week started out with some Pop Rocks. I took them to the hospital to share with Fluorine and Marius. I figured that after our daily English lesson, which they hate, they might enjoy a little treat. The boys thought pop rocks were an absolutely wonder so they kept asking more for more. But as many of you know, who eat pop rocks, the more you eat the sticker they become making them harder to get out. When Marius asked for more I was having a hard time getting them out so I gave the package a little flick and a bunch came pouring out at once. Poor Marius end up with a bunch of pop rocks up his nose. Luckily with some strong nose blows Marius got them all out and we had a little laugh about it. I am so glad that he has such a wonderful sense of humor. Later that day when his brother was visiting Marius found one stuck to his face and he quickly popped it in his mouth to show his brother. It made me laugh not only because it was sick, but also because it made me happy to see him doing things that all kids his age would do.

The next big thing that happened this week also had to do with Marius. So in his room there are a few other kids. One child named Gabi who is burnt very badly and another who just has burns on his tummy named Leu. Leu might be one of the cutest little boys in the whole world. I have spent a lot of time blowing bubbles with him this week, which I might say I am becoming very good at. On Wednesday I did not go to the hospital because I was dealing with a little anxiety but the other girls did. A few hours after they got home I got a phone call from Marci, Marius’s aunt. She told me that one of the kids had sprayed mace in the bathroom that he said he found on the floor in the hospital. As soon as we heard I feared that the mace was Mindy’s and sure enough it was. What made the situation worse is that the little boy was Leu and he did not find the Mace but had stolen it out of Mindy’s bag. The poor little boy had no idea what he had taken so he ended up spraying himself right in the face. I’m sure that surprise will cure him from stealing for a while. As a result we were not allowed to go back to the hospital. There was a huge part of me that thought they would never let us come back. Although I realize that it was not our fault I can still see how that would make them really mad at us. But on Saturday after days of worry we found out that we could go back on Monday as long as we bring chocolates for the nurses, who now are not very fond of us. Done and done I say! I called Marci to tell her and she said Marius has been sad all week and refused to talk to Leu. Poor little Leu I feel so bad for him but I am glad that we get to go back. I have been missing my Marius like crazy. I love him so much!

The other best thing that happened this week is simple. Maria my little down syndrome baby gave ma a kiss for the first time. I realize that this is not a big one but it more then made my day.

As for now I am yours and I will talk to you soon with the exception of when I am hers.

-Elisa Thelys Bushman

True love will find you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm7fQW32ggE

Long Lost Friends

Now how to begin other then by saying this past week has been a true delight! Each day has of course been full of its trails but the good things have most defiantly outweighed the bad. I believe I have come home every night being amazing by something that happened. Now I don’t want you all to think something huge has happened because I truly don’t think that is what Romania is all about. Coming back has reminded me how it is those small things that make everyday so worth it. So here let me tell you about some of those things.

The orphanage has been great but I fear my heart is being stolen by my kids at the hospital but don’t worry they are all orphans too. Being there makes me so excited about my future. I know it might sound weird but I love being around sick kids. I think they are wonderful or at least most of them. I have been spending a lot of time on two different floors this week. The fourth floor where Marius is and ICU were Marion is. First I will tell you about Marion. Marion is one of the kids from the orphanage, where I work in the mornings, that has severe epilepsy. He is a very sad case in that his epilepsy is so severe that he is completely non-responsive and cannot control his movements. It now has become so severe that he has been moved to ICU until he passes away, which they say could be at any time. Most of the time Marion is asleep but when he is awake he is constantly seizing. I never knew Marion when he was able to respond or smile but I know at one point he was a slightly chubby little boy that could smile. I make it a point to go see his everyday and tell his stories. When I go the nurses look at me like I am kind of crazy because I am talking to someone that cannot understand me in a language that they don’t know, but this does not stop me. I also put baby lotion on his dry hands and feet. I realize that Marion most likely does not care about being moist but on the off chance that he does I thought it would be good to cover all the bases I could. I have really grown to love this little boy over the past week and find myself missing him when I go without seeing him. The other day when I was talking to him Osmond, a little boy that was in ICU the first time I can that now lives there and call the nurses mama, came running in and gave me a big hug. As we sat there talking to Marion together Osmond just kept patting his hand as he said his name. I’m not sure why that meant so much to me but it did. I guess I was glad to know that someone else knew him.

Well the other two boys that have really stolen my heart are Marius and his roommate/best friend Fluorine. These two little dudes are both burn victims. Fluorine was burnt when he was climbing a telephone poll (don’t ask he is a 12 year old boy). Marius was in a fire that both of his parents died in which he miraculously has survived. After being in a coma from December to February Marius woke but to reveal the wonderful boy that I have grown to love in just two weeks. When I came to Romanian I knew he would be here because the girls that came before are trying to get him to come to America to get treatments and reconstructive surgery so his face can be rebuilt. Working with Marius has been amazing not only because he is the biggest tease in the world but also because he has the most amazing aunt that we have also gotten to know. Marci has come here from Boston to help with Marius and as it turns out all of the other kids in the room especially his new friend Fluorine. She is amazing and just gives to these little boys all day long. The most amazing thing about Marius is his love for others. He is constantly thinking of everyone else around him except when he is playing the DS that Pete gave me before I left. (By the way Pete he is so good at it you were right. I cannot believe what a perfect gift it was. You are amazing and the boys here all love you for it,) I was just about to say my favorite moment with Marius so far was ______ but then I realized that every moment I have spent with him has been the best. So I guess the right thing to say is one moment that stands out to me was one day when I came in all sweaty from the long hot walk to the hospital. I sad down next to Marius and he quickly lifted up his little hand to brush my hair out of my face. It really just meant the world to me. I love that boy. I also love all of you and I hope you made it through this email.

Until next time I’m yours,

Elisa

Hello hello again!

Hello my US world I am sorry that this is late, but I have just had a hard time thinking of what exactly I want to say and exactly how I want to say it. I thought that with time both of these would come but I fear they have not so please do bear with me as I try my best to make this email worth your while.

First I would like to thank all of you that read my last email. It meant the world to me. I loved all of the sweet replies I got from so many of you. I must say this experience means so much more knowing that so many people who I admire and love are a part of what I am experiencing. Keeping that in mind I hope you enjoy this past weeks adventures.

Because getting into the orphanage was not in our seeable future, on Monday of last week, we decided to go to Brasov (Transylvania) to see Dracula and the beautiful countryside there for a few days while we waited. I fear I had forgotten just how long the (9 hour) train ride was which meant I also forgot to tell the girls to bring treats because they do not sell them on the train. In the end it turned out for the best because we made friends with a lot of old Romanians by sharing the treats we bought during a quick 2 min stop in some unknown town between Iasi and Brasov. The old lady in our compartment (who we name Bunica Tamera or Grandma Tamera) was very hesitant about talking to us at first but we used our poor Romanian skills anyways and found out a lot about here. She told use about her daughter Juliana who was living in Australia, in order to make money for her family (which is a very common thing in Romanian culture). She expressed how much she missed her and how sad she was that she could not talk to her grand children because they could not speak Romanian. It was enlightening to see first hand how the poor economic situation in Romania truly affects the people. When she left Bunica Tamera kissed us all on the cheek as she called us by her daughters name.

The rest of Brasov was a blast but I have bigger and better things to tell you about. While we were waiting for a tour of a local castle I got a call from Mario (our in country caretaker) saying that she got us into the orphanage and hospital starting Friday morning. After a dreadful over night train ride where the conductor made us pay an extra $140 dollars because we could not understand we got back to Iasi just in time to go to the orphanage and meet the kids. It was amazing to see them again! I could not believe how much and how little some of them had grown. One child that really surprised me was Cosmina who we had called our little doughnut because she never moved and was rather chubby. It was crazy to see her walking and interacting with the world around her. Another highlight was seeing my little Alex who had become a very dear friend the last time I was here. When I walked in Alex went berserk and started smiling like crazy, he remembered me! Alex is 11 and has a severe case of cerebral palsy but has a more then perfect mind making it possible for him to remember unlike the majority of the other children who do not have this capacity. Alex like all boys loves to tease. Just today when he was teasing me by pretending like he was going to bit me he lost control of his head, which swung and hit me giving me a nice bruise across my face. He felt so bad that he almost started to cry. Although I did not like to see him sad it was nice to have one of kids care in return. Seeing him and all of my other kids, even though they had not idea who I was, was amazing! I feel bad that I cannot express what I am feel but I think that some things are not meant to be expressed in words. I feel blessed that I have been able to experience some of these things. Well I have reached my page limit which means I must go but I hope that this email reaches you all in safety!

Elisa Goes to Romania Again!

Before I begin I would like to say if you have no interest in Elisa Bushman's adventures while living in Romania don't read another line! But if you would like to hear about them just cross your finger that I send you a weekly email. And if you don't want them keep those fingers crossed that you don't. I am excited to share my experiences with each of you. I hope that you like them. I also plan to set up a blog but I have not had time yet so this mass email will just have to do. I have also included some pictures to give you a visual of what is up.

Hello my dearest family and friends! I don't know exactly how to start this set of emails. How does one start a story that they don't know the end of? Truly a question I have yet to figure out. As a result I am currently listening to Bob Dylan in hopes of getting the inspiration needed to put all of my recent thoughts into something legible. Let us hope that Bob can inspire another young impressionable youth so this email comes out well.

I would like to begin by telling about my travels to Iasi, Romania, where I will be living for the next three months while I volunteer at a local orphanage. I remember very little from my first flight from SLC to JFK. I fear that I slept the whole way with my head up next to the window. As I waited for my second flight I noticed that many Hasidic Jews were also waiting for my flight in addition to a small group of people speaking Romanian. As I started talking to the Romanian group and found they were also Jews. I'm not going to lie this made me very excited because I have been researching the Jewish population in Romania this past semester. The first thing she asked me was if I was Jewish. I quickly said that my grandma was Jewish and she became very excited while stating that meant I was Jewish. I did not have the heart to tell her that in all actuality I was not really Jewish because my grandmother's mother was not a Jew but I did not have it in me to take away her obvious excitement. So I smiled and said I guess that does mean I am Jewish. This in turn made her granddaughter, Rebecca, very excited who started asking me dozens of questions while inviting me to come visit my homeland of Israel where they lived. I loved it! I felt so welcome. She insisted that I call the Jewish missionary in Iasi when I get there, so I could rekindle my lost faith. It made me smile realizing how very similar people of faith are.

On my actual flight to Vienna I was, as always, sitting in the very middle middle of the plane. But to my great delight I was sitting next to the littlest oldest grandma with a German accent that I have ever seen, her name was Stella. Stella was on her way to a Holocaust memorial service commemorating 70 years since the start of the holocaust in Vienna, her home. She was asked to both participate in the service and speak at about a dozen other appointments. I loved sitting by her because I got to help her with physical things while she in turn she told me stories about her young adult life in Vienna. When Vienna was first occupied Stella was a young mother. She said the Nazi's came in and forced the Jews to clean the streets with toothbrushes in order to humiliate them. When they came for her she had just finished washing her new baby. They told her she needed to go clean the streets and she simple looked at them and said can't you see I am busy. The SS officers' in turn looked at her and left. At first this surprised me but after getting to know Stella over those 9 hours I was not that surprised. She was one fiery woman little woman. I am not sure what it was about Stella that I loved so much it could have been that every time I fell asleep she would tickle my back (Ike you would have loved her) and every time I woke up she would smile at me and ask how I was. I personally believe it was much more then that. I have always been a firm believer that there are just some people in this world we click with. Stella was one of those people for me. When I left I gave her a small artwork I made of grandma Nola with a note and this really made her excited. She said thank you about one million times and gave me her card so if I was ever in Manhattan I could come my and see her. I waved goodbye and wished her luck on her very busy week to come. After getting off the plane I looked back to find about 20 little people just like Stella sitting in wheel chairs all on their way to he honored as holocaust survivors. I was simply blown away. Truly I was on a very special flight.

Sorry I have gone past my page mark! I promise to do my best to never do this again. But quickly I would like to say that Iasi is more beautiful then I could have dreamed it to be! I was here in the winter last time and it was just gray gray gray. Now it could not be more green green green. I love it! I have attached some picture of my apartment, which has quite the fancy bath, so you can all have a better content of where I live. Until next week I love you all very much and will hopefully have more interesting stories for you soon because with any luck they will let us into the orphanage. I am really excited to go and see my kids again.

-Elisa Thelys Bushman