My students constantly say something that makes me laugh. For example a conversation first thing this morning.

Miss. Gerrits "Ok, now we are finished our challenge, take out your workbooks and lets learn something!"
Cameron "Uhhhh Miss. Gerrits... You're such a slave driver!"
Miss. Gerrits "Did you just call me a "SLAVE DRIVER????"
Joel "Yeah, Miss. Gerrits, you have to treat your prisoners with respect."
Miss. Gerrits "This is hardly a prison."
Joel "It even says in the Bill of Rights, no cruel and unusual punishment!"
Miss Gerrits is impressed that her students remember last Thursday's social studies lesson
Joel "Yeah, the Bill of Rights... wait that was for America, we are in Romania. It doesn't count here... never mind."

And so with that episode behind her, Miss. Gerrits wins the court case of the slave-driver teacher and forces her students to take out their notebooks to learn about scalene triangles.

heat

I haven't been very good at posting new and exciting things for you all to read. This is due to a number of reasons. The first being that now that I have been in Romania I just realize that this is my life and I don't think its exciting even though some of you crazy people out there think its very interesting. The second reason (ahem.. excuse) is that I've just been busy keeping up with trying to make school interesting for my students. (Seriously, 3 weeks of paragraph structure . . not the most enthralling subject matter) The third and final reason is that now that Romania has reached winter we have regular outages of electricity, preventing me from doing anything computer related. Three out of the five days this week our school has been without power for two or more hours. And because there is no power, there is no heat. Luckily, Deborah and my heat runs on gas/propane, unluckily for us there is a propane shortage in the city and our section of the city had no propane for about 15 hours this week.

I wondered how there could be a shortage of gas. I asked around and the answer was VERY interesting. Because it has been so cold, and radiators are not the most effective means of heating a badly built drafty apartment, Romanians turn on their gas stoves and ovens to heat their homes. Its kinda like having a fireplace... Only gas is burning not wood. And there is no pipe so the smoke/fumes just get spread around your home.

"Oh dear oh dear" says Deborah as she reads this over my shoulder.
I'll try to post more fun things later.

Funny student joke of the week
"hey Miss. Gerrits? Whats invisible and smells like carrots?" "I have no idea Cameron." "Bunny Farts"

Cold Cold Cold

The last few days in Bucharest have been COLD! I'm talking freezing freezing freezing I'm so cold I can feel my eyeballs turning to iceballs cold. I try not to complain too much, but it is cold and whenever I semi-mention that it is cold out the reaction I consistently get is:
"Cold? Nikki! You are from Canada! This must be nothing for you!"

The first day I laughed and shrugged it off but then this morning as my eyelashes froze together and I could see the frostbite growing on my hands I realized that, yes, I am from Canada, and yes, it is cold there but we are never OUT and ABOUT (ooot and abooot) in the cold. When it is cold we go from our houses to our cars to the next building. We dont walk around in the cold for 30-60 minutes getting from one place to another. We drive everywhere and so are not physically in the cold for extended periods of time. In Bucharest you walk everywhere and take public transport. You are IN the cold for 30-60 minutes.

And so I conclude my rant. I am from Canada, it's cold there. But Canadians avoid being in the cold. (maybe because we have evolved to the point where we realize its cold and we dont have to be in it...)Living in Romania, I can't avoid being in the cold. Walking to and from work, my semi-heated apartment, and my classroom which lost all power - and therefore heat - for a number of hours today.

Topic of this blog: I'm really cold. Really Really cold.

Pray for the Persecuted

Today for Bible class the ACSI curriculum we are using called for me to read a story about a Christian couple in China who were persecuted and ultimately martyred for their faith in Christ. I decided to tak this one step further because I feel that as Christians we often forget that people are getting tortured and killed simply for believing in Christ. Even working as missionaries in a country that doesn't persecute us, we forget that we have co-workers whose lives as missionaries are not as safe as ours.


I printed off a number of stories of persecution from
Jesus Freaks and had each of my students read a different one. (First I prepped them that some of the stories would tell them about torture and people dying) Then my students had to do a mini-report poster explaining Who was persecuted, where, when, why and how. Then they had to present it to the class. We only presented four today because it was getting quite depressing and overwhelming hearing all the stories of persecution. It was so wonderful to go around the circle after class and pray for each of the people we had read about, for their families and for the government of their countries. OUt of the lips of children I heard some powerful praying for our brothers and sisters who are suffering for Christ.

As I write this blog I am looking for a 'cause' a specific event or person that my class can write to a government about to demand fair treatment and release. In highschool I was very active with Amnesty International I wrote many letters on behalf of prisoners and sent petitions all around the school. My class is excited to think that writing letters to a government offical could help one Christian. I said to them "Imagine a president or a prime minister getting letters from a group of sixth graders saying that they KNOW he is torturing this person, and that they KNOW he is breaking laws ABC&D and that they DEMAND this persons release! I think it would be very powerful to receive letters from you!" I'm excited to find a person/cause that my class can support. If anyone has a good suggestion for us leave me a comment or write me an e-mail

Comment System

FYI the comment system on my blog has been changed back to the way it used to be. So now EVERYONE can leave comments again! Whooohooo. I also am mentally working on a good blog to put up. I realize I've been copping out the last little while. Something good will come soon.

I like you

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Making an Outline

How to Make an Outline
1. Have a title that lets the reader know the subject
2. Main Topics - use Roman Numerals
3. Main Points - use capital letters
4. Subtopics - use lower case letters

Title: Life in Romania
I. I'm laughing
A. Romania has canned wieners.
a. They are in a glass jar with a resealable lid
b. They are in some sort of preservative juice.
B. A horse and wagon towing a car
a. Horses and wagons are a common site in Bucharest
b. Horses towing broken cars are not a common site
c. The car was red.
d. The horse was brown
II I'm Rich in American food
A. Esther sent me a package of food I miss
B. Deborah brought back american food after Christmas
C. We now have 6lbs of Brown Sugar which has been rationed and portioned to last 6 months.
a. brown sugar is good
b. brown sugar can not be found in Romania
III I have good ideas
A. Cooperation activities with my class
a. I tied their hands to their neighbors hands and made them eat breakfast
b. we walked around blindfolded and did dishes
B. Survivor Math
a. Our next math unit will follow a "Survivor" theme.
b. There will be challenges, tribal council and immunity
Conclusion: I laugh, I eat, I think.
Conclusion 2: (one that one of my students randomly put on their outline: Gypsies have blood groupings coinciding with those of the S Himalayan tribes)

Missed

One of the things I have missed the most since coming to Romania is the lack of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman in my life. I know you are thinking 'Oh PLEEEEASE Nikki, get over it!" And I'll take this opportunity again to tell you that you don't know what you are missing. I have had the blessed opportunity to watch My Michaela and Sully the past two mornings as someone at Romania Cable has had the epiphany to subtitle and show the final two movies, which although terrible representations of the goodness and purity of DQ, still brightened my life the last two rainy cold Bucharest Days.

Here is a list of things I know about Dr. Quinn.
#1 It is true, Dr. Quinn has indeed gotten me through every difficult situation I have ever been in. Let me elaborate for those of you who are laughing. (ahem Chief C and K.Furt)
a) When I was in elementary school I was a looooser and in all seriousness DQ and te progressing relationship between Sully and Michaela gave me joy and peace. In addition, Colleen was somewhat of a loser as well and so I could relate to her character well.
b) In 9th grade I broke my ankle/leg so bad that I was forced to drop out of school and lay bedridden for three months. My one highlight during these dark depressing days? DQ was on every morning at 9am. Through Jakes Alchoholism and the unjust treatment of the Indians I was able to cope with my injuries and look forward to a brighter day when Sully would come save me.
c) For a certain period of my life I went on an exchange and my host family was..... difficult. Praise be, DQ was on every night at 6 giving me a momentary respite from the dificulties of my program and life. I learned from Theresa Morales and Jake Slicker, as well as Michaela and Sully, that religious differences are there, but they can be delt with in a respectable mature manner.
d) As the end of my second year of University rolled around I found myself roomate-less for the coming year. As I wallowed in my self pity I heard through the grapevine that a certain neighbor of mine had a number of DQ episodes (epis). I went to borrow them proclaiming all the way that I was the number one DQ fan in the world. This person did not belive me and so we had a contest, and never again have I found someone who had a knowledge of D.Quinn as broad and deep as my own. I also had a new roomate and a new friend.

#2. Tommy-hawk throwing is an esential skill that all men need to have. And I tell you the truth the reason why I am still single is because no man has proven to me that he can thow a tommy-hawk at a moving target.

#3. Sullivan Entertainment has an obsession with killing characters off. Charlotte Cooper, Maud Baray, Marjorie Quinn, Chief Black Kettle, the old lady, Elizabeth Quinn, 2 miscarriages, hundreds of Indians, Snow Bird, Walks on Clouds, Ingrid (woah I almost forgot about her!) Abigail Sully, the baby, not to mention all the patients....

#4 How is it that Dr.Quinn always has exactly what is needed wherever she is? I mean seriously who charries around a Trach? ohh I might need to do a Tracheotomy when I go visit the library this afternoon, I beter take a Trach and my surgical tools... She also has been known to carry around all the makings needed to bomb a mine in her little black bag. I need to get some better things for my little black bag. I dont think that kleenex, lipgloss and bobby-pins can make a bomb. (unless... I was MacGuyver!)

#5 The old Colleen is 100 times better than the new Colleen

#6 I secretly have a crush on Preston

#7 IT'S JUST THE BEST SHOW IN THE WORLD. END OF STORY

New Years in Bucharest Romania

I have been meaning to write something all week about my New Years in Bucharest. But really there are no words to describe it. I"ve tried in e-mails to use words to describe what it was like, I've used words like; crazy, insane, awesome, wierd, woah, yowzers, aiaiaiaeeeee, but none of these words - or even all of these words together, fully describe the once in a lifetime experience I had December 31/Jan 1.

You'd think that I had a crazy night out on the town, but really I simply went to a friends house. We played some cards and then went on the roof to light off and watch fireworks. around 11:50 is when it started getting crazy. I believe with my whole heart that every single person in Bucharest lit off at least two fireworks each and with a popultion of around 3million - - that means alot of fireworks.

People were lighting them off their roofs, off their balconies, in the middle of the road, even out their windows. People were even lighting them out their windows - and purposely aiming for the windows of the apartments across the street! Apparently its a tradition! Anyways, the craziness of 11:50 culmulated at 12:00 with at least a million fireworks going off in sucession. Standing on the roof of the Loftis' apartment in whatever direction we looked we could see hundreds, no probably thousands, of fireworks going off. No words. I remember laughing SO HARD and then stopping with my mouth open just in awe that there were even that many fireworks in the world. around 12:20 things slowed down, or at least I think they did, I don't really know. All I know is that by that point the city was covered in a haze of sulfer and smoke from all the fireworks.

Its interesting to note that the fireworks started at 5pm and continued till around 3am. And I still hear them going off a few times a day even now - five days later. It was just crazy!

4.5 Stars out of 5

NARNIA is a good movie.

I have read the Chronicles of Narnia a few times - well the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe anyways and I just thought they were childrens fantasy stories. It was not until last year when one of the fantastic professors at Redeemer pointed out to me very clearly that C.S. Lewis wrote books that are full of Christian inuendo. So tonight I watched the movie from the perspective of a Christian and the story capitvated me with its direct Christian undertones. The whole Character of Aslan is based on Christ. It is just a great story and the movie was very well done. Nikki gives it 4.5 stars out of 5.

Pictures from the Mountains

Over the Christmas holidays I had the opportunity to spend a few days in the Carpathian Mountains just north of Bucharest. Here's some pictures.



This is the Cabana (lodge) that we stayed in.

Having breakfast

Playing 'Nertz' (Dutch Blitz)

Me, Jenn and Amanda

This is what many of the houses in Sinaia look like. It's a beautiful small city with great houses that all look like mini castles.

I have said before that there are beggars everywhere - and as foreigners we seem to attract them. A few children came up to us begging for money but instead of giving them money we bought them some food instead. This is a picture of Matt buying Hot Dogs for the children. You'll notice that one of the boys is carrying a lamb. Around Christmas I saw this a number of times. The Gypsies would carry around lambs as they begged. I'm not positive what the significance of it is, but we are fairly certain it is related to Christ being the lamb. I'll post a good picture of a child with a lamb later. One of the other interesting things that the Gypsy beggar children do is walk around with a stick about 1 foot long that is decorated with flowers or tinfoil and they shake it against your body - touching you with it many times - as they sing a song to get rid of evil spirits that you have with you from the old year. Then, as always with the Gypsy beggars, you are supposed to give them money to thank them for driving away the evil spirits.

333 IN Three's 333

My mom once told me that all things come in groups of three. Here's some groups of three that have happened to me in the last two weeks.

Broken Three's
1. My kitchen light
2. My shoes
3. My umbrella

Sore Three's
1. My back (I fell down a mountain, dangerous and funny I don't regret this pain.)
2. A blister on my heel (borrowed some boots for the mountain and now I have a blister. Warm feet and a supported ankle were worth this pain.)
3. My right arm from shoulder to wrist (played squash for the first time in a long time and used muscles I had forgotten about - but well worth the pain.)

Homemade Three's
1. Oliebollen
2. Smartie Cookies from Canada (Thanks Mom!)
3. Bits and Bites - A Gerrits family tradition sent to me from BC! (Thanks Mom)

Things I can't get in Romania but were sent to me in the care package of all care packages
1. Macaroni and Cheese
2. Brown Sugar
3. Chocolate Chips

Some Christmas Pictures

The Christmas Gang


Christmas Stockings

Pictures of Falling Down the Mountain

This is us at the top of the mountain



The blob in the top right corner is my friends at the top of the mountain, the bigger blob in the center is me falling down the mountain.