Special Surprises

Going to the sheep ranch

Tuesday we were treated to 2 special surprises.  The first was a trip to a working sheep ranch.  There we met a family of 5 who tend a flock of 800 sheep.  The sheep are taken out to pasture every morning and the shepherd/shepherdess stands guard over them all the time.  There are also a couple of sheep dogs who are always on the lookout.  The funny thing about the dogs is that they have a “pipe” tied around their neck.  When we asked why, they answered that it shows the dog belongs to someone – I guess it’s easier to see than a dog tag.  We were also told that it slows the dog down from chasing other animals (but I thought that chasing other animals away was the main reason for having the dog????).

Part of their fields

Just a part of their flock

This is the lady of the house

 

When we arrived at the farm, the sheep were being herded in for the evening milking.  The 3 men were sitting in a little shack, while the sheep were sent thru a small opening in the back of the shack.  One would grab the sheep by the hind leg and begin milking.  They had a great little operation going!  Average milking time was about 30 seconds (let’s say that out of the 800 sheep, 600 were actually milked, then 30 x 600 = 18000 seconds, or 300 minutes, or 5 hours divided between the 3 men = 1.75 hours each).  In reality, they probably milk at least 700 or more, as they keep few rams and we didn’t see hardly any lambs.  And they milk twice a day.  That means that those men sit for 4-5 hours every day and just milk.

Some of the cheese that they had aging

We also learned that this family supports itself totally off the farm.  They take the goat milk and make several types of cheeses that they sell.  They also have chickens and pigs, as well as fruit trees and vegetable gardens.  We were treated to a sampling of their cheeses, fruit right off the tree, and some plum brandy that they make (don’t let the bottle fool you, they just use it to “keep” their brandy).

A sampling of three cheeses

Their plum brandy

Later in the evening, dinner was at a local winery/restaurant.  Upon arrival, we were given a tour of the wine cellar and a lengthy explanation of how they make their wines.  They had barrels as small as 250 gallons, and as large as 5000 gallons – that’s a LOT of wine!  Most of the Romanian oak barrels were 150 years old and still in use.

Entering the wine cellar

Some of the barrels

Gabi - interpreter; owner - explaining

 

Our 2^nd surprise came after supper.  There is a group of the students from Point of Hope who have been taking traditional gypsy dancing lessons.  They were brought to the restaurant to dance for us.  WOW!!!!  They were dressed in gypsy outfits and danced one song that lasted over 10 minutes – very high aerobics.  Not only did they entertain us, but some of the patrons at the restaurant also came over to see what was going on.  After the dance, the kids pulled some of the observers onto the floor for another dance with them.  What fun it was to watch!!!  Everyone, including the visiting observers, was impressed with these children.  What a great surprise!  (Note:  I've tried all day to upload a video of the kids dancing, but to no avail.  Will try to get some technical help and hopefully can load it at a later date)

The kids were then given a break to cool down and get a drink.  About 10 minutes later, six of the children were brought back out so that we could hear of their fantastic work in school.  These children were all in the top 3 of their grade (and this is in the traditional Romanian school, not the gypsy school)!!!  This is a great testament to the work that is being done at Point of Hope.  The staff of teachers/administrators are taking these “throw away” kids and proving to the others that they are capable of succeeding.  In many cases, they are exceeding the “regular” kids.  That’s what Point of Hope is doing!!!