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Juni Sibiului

Project End

Joe & Connie

At the end of the forth day of work we closed the door behind the last customer, number 2,860 and began to clean up. Everybody in the line had been helped. The mayor informed us a presentation would follow.

Members of the village gathered in the hall and a band began to play Romanian tunes. Soon the mayor and ace-translator Mona were on the stage offering thanks and presenting an honorary citizenship certificate to each of the Americans on the trip. Jim Cameron paid respects to the people of Vurpar on behalf of all of the Americans and happy birthday, in English, was sung to Doris Yoder, one of the Lions.

After the presentation a folk dance ensemble, Juni Sibiului from Sibiu preformed and then the band played while we all danced. A couple beers were drunk, some tuica was poured and lots of smiles were offered.

Making Tuica

Making Tuica 2

After an hour of merrymaking we loaded into the bus and began a tour of Vurpar. Joe and Connie Marcheggiani wanted to drive themselves. First, we went to the mayor’s office to see the center of community life. Afterwards, we toured the school and then the home of Emil and Rodica Dragan. We felt it important that the members of the group see the inside of the school, which brought back more than a few memories of similar schools in Indiana, and that they see a working home, complete with larder, wine vats, pork on the hook and chicken coup.

The bus then took us up the hill past a tuica distillery where Simon and Carlos Gutierrez examined the process. Carlos was one of the two doctors who came from Monterrey to help. By chance their local partner in examining eyes, Ovidiu Banea, happened to speak excellent Spanish. After the short stop at the still the bus went on to the Romanian church and then out of town. Some of the Vurpar boys waved la revedere as we passed the village limit marker which had been made especially for the visit.

Romanian church	Tumbstone Dragan	Welcome Sign

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