LA MANCHA workshop

July 2005 - ROMANIA

Workshop facilitators were: Cate Devlin, Alex Bitz and Glenn Austin.

Many thanks to our romanian friends: Andreea Ciobanu, "mama" Bitz, Andrei Vladareanu , Father Tanase, Professor Germinia Craciun .

This time we carried $2500 in cash, toys, medication, clothes, school supplies for the Asociatia Provita  orphanage. All our thanks to current and alumni parents for their contributions. More than 200 orphans benefited from your gifts.

As a reminder we financed and built a  two levels house and just finished building a bridge .

My experience

On La Mancha, I learned a lot about other cultures, different types of people, and myself. We had a great time and we all came back with a lot more knowledge as well as a better idea of how other people live.

I had the opportunity to spend four days with a family in a simple Romanian village. They live a very different life than I, but I still connected with them and found that they were amazing people and a lot of fun to be around. They lack many things that we are convinced that we cannot live without. They don’t have running water, cars, indoor bathrooms, or computers. Yet they live lives that are happy and simple, free of jealousy, envy, greed, and grudges. As uncomfortable as it was for us not to shower for four days, we eventually got past that discomfort and realized that there are more important things to worry about.

              We visited an orphanage and formed a lot of bonds and connections with the kids there. They are full of life and spirit despite all of the hardships that they have been through. They were excited to see us and they loved the attention and love that we gave them for that short period of time. I spent a lot of time with a three-year-old girl named Andra. She was full of smiles and laughter. All she wanted was for me to hold her and show her that I loved her. Being with her really warmed my heart and made me feel really good inside.

              We also had the privilege of spending time with a few Romanian high school students who showed us around their hometown of Ploiesti. We spent the night in their apartments and had time to get to know them and learn about how they live. There was definitely a huge difference between our lifestyles, but we found that no matter where you go, teenagers are teenagers. Their family’s hospitality and kindness were amazing. They devote a lot of time to their guests and put a lot of effort into making sure that we are happy and comfortable.

              Overall, we had a very exciting and eye-opening experience. We learned about the value of culture, family, hard work, and perseverance. As I get ready to graduate from MBA and move on with my life, I know that La Mancha will always be something that I remember and hold close to my heart.

Daniella S.

Josh R. and Alex Bitz                                                         Daniella S. and Leigh Ann G. working on the MBA bridge.

At the orpanage                                                  Homework

SUMMER TIME

A group of boys returned and shared their experience from 10 days exploring their journey to manhood.

It's summer and the school is on : it's good to be different!

To see more pictures of the above events click here.

To see more pictures from Spring 2005 events click here