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Doug's Apartment
The Team Headquarters Today was full of many activities.
School Visit The Team started the day by going to the high school near Doug's apartment. What an experience that was. We both have a new appreciation for America's educational system but also find the world has many of the same challenges in educating our youth.
Observations from our school visit: We visited the school during the high school session. (The school runs 3 shifts during the day with the last shift being high school. Sessions start at 8 a.m. and run until 7 p.m. with the high school during the last shift.) When we arrived, there was a guard in the entryway. We said we would like to visit and asked for the principal. He pointed us to walk further so we just went into the main building. There was a closed door to the left which was the principal's office then a closed door to the right which housed several secretaries. After knocking on the principal's door and getting no answer, we just waited in the outer area for someone to come out of the secretaries' office. We were blessed to have a young teacher come out who taught
English literature and the English language. She offered to show us around--great hospitatlity. There were students everywhere. She saw some of her students, told them something, then we were off on our tour. Being an educator, I told her we realized she had students and we would wait until she was available. She said her students would be fine. There was the first indication this school was different than anything I had experienced.
I will share my educational observations with my fellow educators. Basically, Matt and I realized the appearance and actions of the students were no different than what we would see in an American school. Unfortunately for Romania, once a freed country, 2 of the first Western influences to appear in the country were MTV and McDonalds. These influences have brought challenges. A native Romanian, Maria (you will meet below) told Matt and me that the schools at one time had much structure but with freedom came much less structure in the schools. That was apparent during our school visit.
Even though the students resembled US students, one difference appeared when we entered a classroom. The English teacher greeted the class of about 35 students and
they responded with a like greeting. It was a "Democracy Values" class. The teacher of that class quickly told me she taught them human rights, basics of freedom, freedom of speech, etc. It was obviously a class where students were learning the values of freedom to ensure Romania would never fall into a Communistic life again. Matt and I were deeply touched...almost to the point of tears. As we were leaving this class, I told the class we appreciated the visit and to have a great summer break. They all stood up and responded with a "Thank you" in English. Wow. Matt and I will never be the same!
The stairwells were decorated with posters the students had made. EACH POSTER WAS OF A DIFFERENT STATE IN THE US! Last year and this year they had a certain theme they were studying around the states. They probably knew more about the US than most of the US students do! We were humbled.
At one point, our guide asked why we weren't taking pictures. Matt and I had decided we wouldn't take any in the school for fear they would think we were spying. We told Alinda (the guide)
that and she laughed but we sensed she appreciated it and she felt more at ease. Toward the end of the tour, we met Alinda's boss (as she said) but we don't think she was the principal. The boss asked me, through Alinda's interpretation, how their school compared to an American school. Respectfully, I told them we had many things in common. They were proud of their school, as it is the best high school in Bucharest for math and science. The students who attended this school were from the higher income families.
In concluding our tour, the English teacher shared her heart to a fellow educator. Her comments were those we hear in the US daily. Basically, she was "burned out" with the demands of being an educator. She had been to the US (New York and Las Vegas!) twice and was making plans to move to the "Land of Opportunity." Next week she had an interview with Hewlet Packard in Bucharest. All I could say was that I understood but that her students needed her. We exchanged e-mail addresses and then Matt and I tried to express our appreciation for the tour and visit. As we left
the building, we ran into the teacher whom we had met the day before. He was very gracious and thanked us for the visit.
Matt and I will never be the same as we look at education in America.
God bless the USA. Automobile Tour of Bucharest After our school visit, Doug drove us throughout a large portion of the city. The pictures you will see of the city today were taken out of our moving auto window.
The Team Photographer puts out a disclaimer: "This is not the normal quality of Matt's photography." He is a perfectionisht when it comes to his photography--maybe Mom can convince him his bedroom is just a big camera! During our city tour, we saw a city of contrast. As in the days of Communism (a time of "equals"), we saw much evidence today of the "equals" and "more equals." It is apparent there is great wealth in the city as well as extreme poverty. We continued to be amazed with the housing. Under Communistic rule, miles and miles of housing complexes (high rises) were built and were all government owned. You will see pictures of the housing built for the
Solution for No Parking on Sidewalk
In front of house protected by barbed wire on top of stone fence. Communist party heads and those built for the common people. There are miles and miles of these high rises, all connected, along the main roads. After the fall of Ceausescu, those living in the apartments were offered the opportunity to buy their apartment for a nominal price. Today, those complexes which were built for the "more equals" are still beautiful although the exterior granite is blackening from pollution. Those that were built for the "equals" are in a terrible decaying state. Again, miles and miles of these complexes.
Subdivisions? Doug said he had a couple of his engineers in the US one time and they were amazed by our subdivisions...and WalMart!
God Bless the USA. Park Visit We had a nice, leisurely stroll through Bucharest's main park...equivalent to NYC's Central Park but not quite the same. It a time when Romania has serious concerns about their population decline, it was good to see little children in the park with their parents and grandparents. We were there from 6 - 7 p.m. and saw about 15 children in the areas we covered. Mainly there were couples and older people. Looking at the park through the eyes of someone
Avon Building
Entrepreneurship opportunity: self-employment through selling Avon who has never known anything but freedom, Matt and I have a deep sense of joy seeing our fellow mankind with smiles, sounds of laughter, and children running freely. Oppression has been lifted even though the country has serious challenges still.
God Bless the USA. Dinner With Maria We have had the opportunity to meet and have dinner with several of Doug's American friends in Romania. Tonight we had dinner with an American working for Lockhead in Romania and Maria, a native Romanian who has lived under Communism and is now free. Her stories were deeply touching and actually very hard to relate to through the mind of a free person. Her stories of lack of food, fear to talk, fear of fellow co-workers who may be informants for the Communist Party, etc. left us speechless. For Matt, textbook studies came to life. For Mom, Communism was something that was related to WWII and that time period! Maria is just 48 and lived the oppression. Maria was full of life. She is the picture of the survivorship of the Romanians. As we parted tonight, I told her I was happy for her new life. Her comment: "I am
Television Romania
Once Communist TV which controlled the country happy for my daughter." She has a 15-year-old daughter who Maria says can't believe the stories her mother tells her. Hopefullly, Maria's daughter will never have to experience those stories. The next generation is studying "Democratic Values" in school so training of the mind is taking place. Matt and I will forever view the world and the countries now living in oppression in a different way.
God Bless the USA. Conclusion Everyday Matt and I grow more to appreciate our country. We are having a wonderful time and are truly blessed by Doug's hospitality. He is a walking history textbook so he is an excellent tour guide and host. Tomorrow we are heading to the countryside for a day's tour of villages southwest of Bucharest. Doug said our experiences will continue to overwhelm us.
Wish You Were Here!
The Matt & Mom Bonding God-Bless-the-USA Excursion Team Miss you Coop!
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daniel
non-member comment
Awesome! I'm so excited for ya'll and all that you are experiencing!