Christmas is Coming to Town! 

Hi It's me again, Ping! This last month was very wild, I've had a lot of exciting experiences in just one month. I will share some of the most memorable and I think you guys would love it! 

I've visited one of the most well-known castles in Europe, Bran castle. You might think ‘Í never heard of it! What makes it special?’ Well, this castle is the inspiration behind the story: Dracula! It was beautiful like they said, and it has a lot of rooms full of interesting things such as an armors room, Romanian folklore rooms, Monarch's bedrooms, etc. I personally liked history, so I liked this visit very much. Moreover, I've got a chance to visit Amfiteatrul Transilvania which is a viewpoint near the castle. I must tell you; the view is stunning! Hills are starting to be covered by snow and you can see a little village from up top. Marvelous! Moreover, I've got a chance to visit Muzeul Amintirilor din Comunism or Tales of Communism Museum, this museum exhibits Romania in the communist era. It was tragic to witness the cruel history that Romanians had to face at that time, it’s never easy for me to know but we, human beings, must learn about it and try to prevent similar things from happening in the future. 

The monthly activity for children this month was making Bua Loy! I really had a great time with them. We spent time learning what it is and how to make it, then we made it! We rolled Bua Loy together, the children were very creative while making it, we had various colors and shapes of Bua Loy; one of my favorites is facia dumpling Bua Loy! What creativity! Even if the taste is quite bad (sorry kids!), they really enjoyed the time we spent together. See you next month! 

I’m not only spending time in Brasov, but this November I've also visited Bucharest for the first time as well! I had a conference about volunteering in Europe which was a very formative and interesting topic, I met many cool new people, everyone truly has passion about volunteering and wants to make it better. Moreover, I used my free time to wander around in the capital. It’s like Bangkok but with better air! I went to a Christmas market and tried Christmas wine for the first time, It’s delightful! 

The 30th of November was the highlight of the month. Brasov turned on the Christmas lights for the first time this year! I’ve been there and it was full of the Christmas spirit. Everyone was cheering and singing. I was very excited even if it’s quite freezing! I will be there Every time I have a chance! I cannot wait to tell you about my upcoming story for the next month. See you!

Ping, Thai volunteer in Brasov, Romania.