Romania: Days 9-11

Day 9, Saturday, May 13, 2017

We headed out from Eforie Nord today on a 6-hour trip to the Transylvania – the northwest part of the country. For lunch, we stopped in Constanta at a mall for shawarmas and Starbucks. Our final destination was Peles Castle. Our group made it in time for the last tour at 4 PM. It was a modern castle built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The fireplaces are all ornamental as there is central heating and air. Our tour group was large and our guide had a heavy accent, so we mostly benefited from viewing the rooms and not hearing the history. The grounds were gorgeous, especially set against the backdrop of the Carpathian Mountains.

How many people does it take to pack a van? Apparently a few plus some onlooking support :)

Road trip from Constanta to Transylvania. Six hour ride.

Yes, they have Ikea in Romania.

Nearing our day's final destination.

Peles Castle in the distance.

Peles Castle

Peles Castle

With a court jester.

Found a knight in shining armor.

Group photo

The castle grounds

I was able to get on wifi at the gift shop while we waited for some in our group to take pictures. My sister was still in labor and the doctor was planning a c-section as she was not progressing further. Our hotel was nearby and we headed through the drizzle to settle down for the night. Dinner was served in a fancy room with a long table. After dinner, we took communion together, sang, and gave thanks as a team before Dr. Jim presented on the Shroud of Turin. The men of our group presented the women with roses for the upcoming Mother’s day. I went to bed after finding out I was an aunt to a niece, born at 2:22 PM Eastern time (9:22 PM Romania time).

Dinner at our long table

Mother's Day rose

Day 10, Sunday, May 14, 2017

Mother’s Day. My sister is a mother for the first time this year. After much difficulty with her labor, the doctor delivered a beautiful baby girl by c-section. I am an aunt to a niece! My mom (and dad) are visiting my sister and bro-in-law currently to help out with the baby, and I am incredibly happy they can be together this mother’s day. It has never seemed strange to me to see other children resemble their parents, but my niece looks so much like my sister, it’s a little shocking.

After coffee and breakfast, our team packed up for our 2^nd day of sightseeing. We headed to Bran Castle, which is fondly known as “Dracula’s castle.” The tour guide was named Mateo and he was a tremendously good guide. His English was great and he was funny. We learned about the history of the castle, how it become associated with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and toured many of the rooms. It was a rainy day, which made it more memorable.

Bran (Dracula) Castle

Bran (Dracula) castle

Found more knights in shining armor!

Our lunch was Romanian goulash with bread and a Hungarian dessert called Kürtős kalács. Essentially it is dough wrapped around a large rolling pin and spun over the fire, drizzled with butter, sugar, and nuts. So delicious. The smell of the bread cooking as sugary sweet.

Goulash for lunch. So warm and delicious on a rainy day.

We had a few hours to wander the shopping district near the castle and purchase some souvenirs.

Shopping district.

Then we started the 2.5 hour trek back to Bucharest.

Cows grazing along the road without a fence or tether.

Our van was having some issues by the end of the trip and started smoking, but we made it to the airport hotel just fine. Our hotel was swanky with beautiful chandeliers, nice beds, and fancy food.

Our swanky hotel room the last night of the trip.

After dinner, we spent some time taking pictures with team members and giving each other goodbyes.

Loved making and cultivating these friendships this week.

Reunion with my teammates from the Healthcare trip in 2010 to India when I was a student.

Day 11, Monday, May 15, 2017

Our fight left early this morning. We were up at 5 AM for our 6 AM shuttle to the Bucharest international airport. We had a slight scare when one of our team members realized she couldn’t find her passport. After searching, she found it at the hotel restaurant where we ate last night. So glad it was not taken! Once we were at the airport, we had another slight scare because the check-in attendants kept telling us the flight was overbooked. I was prepared to give up my seat if they compensated me ;) Our entire team made it on the flight. The flight from Bucharest to London was about 3 hours – all of which I slept. It’s hard trying to sync your body with jet lag, but I figured if I slept in the morning when it was evening in America and tried to stay awake the rest of the trip, I would be able to adjust more quickly. Again, it reminds me when I watch movies that they never portray how one actually feels when they travel halfway around the world.

The security at Heathrow Airport in London was intense. We were each questioned before we were allowed to leave our arrival terminal and proceed to security at our departure terminal. We also had to clear security at our gate. Dr. Jim, Rob, and Sally split off from our group in London and the remaining 19 of us continued on to Dallas. The international flight was spent eating snacks, meals, and ice cream and watching movies – Dr. Strange, Date Night, and Miss Peregrine’s House for Peculiar Children.

It’s been a good trip. When one goes abroad, everyone at home will ask how the trip was when you get back. Sometimes it is hard to put into words a full week-long experience with the roller coaster emotions, new friendships formed, and cultural aspects encountered.

The take away from the trip which I keep returning to is stretching out of one’s comfort zone. As a new “international” provider, it was challenging trying to manage chronic illness in one encounter and most of the time I didn’t. Much of what our patients sought was a listening ear, reassurance that their physicians were guiding them correctly, curiosity of the American doctors, and prayer. I believe our team fulfilled this purpose. It was also incredibly rewarding being able to help guide and educate the students who are interested in medicine. In some ways, it feels like I were just there in their place, but oh how many things have happened to shape my life in the past 7 years since that first trip to India.

Going through the chaos of customs and security again in Dallas/Ft Worth