Last night the Mathew family team arrived to work once again at Horizon of Hope and we could not be happier. Shawn, Candy, Shelby, and Ian Mathew are here along with KarlAnn, Alex, Elijah, Molly, Phil. They joined up with Michael, Henry, and Nicole who have already been here for two weeks and life has just been too busy to share about them.
You can read the Mathew’s blog here and keep up with their trip.
March 1st in Romania is a cute little holiday called “Martisor” meaning “little March.” Symbolically it is related to woman in celebration of life and continuity. The idea is that men/boys will give little Martisor to girls/women. Since this year is a leap year they say that the rules are different and the girls have to give to the boys. At pre-school the rules don’t really apply and everyone gives and everyone receives. Wikipedia has some fun information about Martisor here.
Lydia and Miriam left for Gradinita (pre-school) all set to give out their Martisor to their friends.
The girls were just as excited as they returned home with their own stash of Martisor that they had received. The Martisor are actually little pendants tied with a red/white striped string. The colors red and white are symbols of the coming of spring. You usually pin the Martisor to your shirt.
This celebration reminds me of what Valentine’s day was for me as a child where we would give and receive Valentine’s cards. Valentine’s day isn’t celebrated here in the way I was used to growing up, but Martisor is just one of the little special things that I am glad my girls are able to enjoy. They aren’t growing up in the culture I was raised in, but the Romanian culture is filled with special things for them to enjoy as well.
Sophia doesn’t go to pre-school, thankfully her big sisters were generous to share their Martisor so she could be a part of the fun too.
So Happy 1st of March with love from Romania.
It is about time to give this blog of ours a life again. The lack of posts is not because of the lack of things to post about that is for sure. I will begin this re-start with a little update on each one of us.
Petry continually stays busy with a VARIETY of things. He has been handling different projects at the HOH center. You can read all about that here on our HOH blog. He is very close to completing his master’s in Transformational Leadership through Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN. It truly has been a transformational experience for him. Can you imagine writing endless papers in a foreign language while there are three little girls running around a 600 square feet apartment?? I am still amazed that he has been able to keep up, but he has and we are so blessed because of it.
I continue to keep busy taking care of our three little girls and all that that includes. A new grocery store, Kaufland, opened in Fagaras and I am delighted to share that I can now buy flour tortillas, peanut butter, and Oreos. The opening of this store was HUGE for our town and in a way it made home feel a little bit closer for this American. This past November I started teaching English at a NGO that opened in Fagaras called the Association for Valuing Education. I teach three different hours of English to 3-4th grade students and it has been such a joy to be back in the classroom. I also started teaching two hours of English at a little pre-school close to our apartment.
Lydia turned 6 years old in October and she is now in her last year of “Gradinita” or pre-school in Romania. This fall she will begin 1st grade which is considered “starting” school in the Romanian system. Lydia is a people person and loves to be a part of the action. She has a sweet spirit and is always waiting for the next adventure. She took ski lessons this winter and took 5th place at a ski competition for her age group. Lydia’s two front teeth are loose and she can’t wait or them to fall out.
Miriam turned 4 in September and she enjoys her pre-school class too. She is becoming our girly girl. She wants her hair to be long so badly and unfortunately as her hair grows, so do her curls. She is a sensitive soul and is the first to tell us she loves us. When we pick her up from pre-school she runs into our arms as if we hadn’t seen her in days. Miriam talks a lot about being a mommy and having her own family one day too.
Sophia is 22 months and keeps us on our toes. She brings such joy and laughter to our family. She is continually doing things that keep her sisters in stitches. Her vocabulary is growing daily and her volume the same. Sophia definitely has a set of lungs on her and we are thinking she might have a future in voice.
Hope you enjoyed hearing from us!
Merry Christmas!
The celebration of Christmas should bring joy in our hearts. Our desire is that we all acknowledge the meaning of Christmas and live our lives accordingly.
The Groza family wishes you a Merry Christmas.
Petry, Kyle, Lydia (5yrs), Miriam (3rs) and Sophia (7 mo.)
Fagaras, Romania
