Give some light, take some.

As I sit in this seedy basement internet cafe in Bucharest 12 hours before heading to Greece on our way to Israel, I try and pull together my experience in Eastern Europe. I have loved my time here, absolutely loved it, every minute. Every second. But the more time I spend, the harder it seems it gets to piece this whole experience together, make proper sense out of it.
The last few days have been spent in Bucharest, enjoying the city here, which happens to be far more beautiful and interesting than I would have ever expected. I am thankful I got a chance to see it, but in all honesty it is not what I will remember about Eastern Europe, or Romania for that matter.
Despite this, the last couple days have been a good chance for me to reset myself. I got a few simple reminders from different people and events to center myself around who I am, and not to worry about the other stuff. I found myself eager to get out and explore, and to move, to search, and to find beauty in the smallest of things. I started to cherish the moment, the person, and the place a little bit more.
But there was a lot more to Romania than all of this. I have to flat out say that my time spent with the Romania Project was some of the most positive time I have had in a long time. For some reason it felt as if it fell into perfect harmony with my time in Calcutta. Certain thoughts, hopes, dreams, and convictions were all confirmed, as well as light being spread on others. To think that I was not even excited to come here in the first place...
As I mentioned in the post before this, we spent most of our time in orphanages and schools in both Cluj-Napoca, and Beclean. My heart lies most in Beclean, a small town in mid west Romania. Beclean in flat out beautiful. Some of my favorite times were just walking the country road, casting smiles on the elderly folk who would sit on benches outside their homes in the afternoon. The rolling mountains, the extraordinary skies, the small houses and farms, the simplicity. It's a place I would love to live for 6 months or a year, and just escape from the rest of the world. It's amazing that places like these still exist. Thank the Lord.
But the vast scenery of Beclean is still not what will resonate with me long after I leave this place. What will stick with me are the amazing people and moments I had while I stayed there. The one to one conversations, the group chats, the sharing of stories that often brought tears to the eyes of everyone listening. There was brutal honesty, unimaginable trust given, and some incredible bonds made. Sounds cheesy, but the truth can't be avoided.
I am thankful for everyone whom I met there. The Canadian team was beyond expectations (which were already high), the Romanians, even though an equal part of the team, served and treated as though we were family. You guys lit up the room with your vibrant antics and shared truth with all of us foreigners. It was an amazing feeling. So first I want to thank you to all of you guys, you all did wonders over there, believe me.
However the thing I will remember most about the trip to Cluj and Beclean, will be the children. The children who when saw love, ate it up with a desperation I had not seen before. The children who would beg you to play with them until every ounce of you energy was exhausted, and then would beg for more. The children who wanted to be held and kissed and cherished. There were so many of them, so many it's hard to think about. But there are a few who made impacts on me specifically. Andrea, the tiny 5 year old girl, whom I only spent one afternoon with, but was possibly the funniest kid I have ever met. She and I had fun to no end. Raul, who latched on to me from the moment I met him and never let go. Him for giving me some of the firmest, most honest hugs I have ever had. Bogdan, for stealing my stuff, then pawning it off on other kids. For being hilarious. And probably most of all, Rezvan, who taught me forgiveness. Who showed me what it really means to love your enemy. I will never forget that googly-eyed, crooked-toothed boy. I love him.
These are the things I saw and learned in Romania. I went to Romania understanding that I was there to be a light to them, I didn't know that by the time I left they would be the ones brightening up my life.
As in most of the lessons of my life, these things are unexpected, and untimely, but always perfect. I just hope I can keep my eyes open long enough to see them all.