The hosts from Vadu Soresti

The presentation page for the hosts

Our team has begun to search people who will host you this summer. If you want to relax, don`t wait until June, just visit the village without the obligation to attend classes. The residents are glad to welcome you from the end of April/beginning of May. :-)

We`d like to start with the introduction of our hosts, and later on this blog will be constantly enriched with new information:-)

So, registration for the Chinese language classes has been started. Select a date and a host and send us an email to leisureandchinese@gmail.com with your name, surname and nationality, mentioning any eventual preferences (for example, if you are a lacto-ovo-vegetarian), allergies (then your host will know which meals should be avoided), or other details that you think are necessary for us to know.

1. The Alexandru Family

The room is already booked for the period from 28 June to 5 July!

Hello! We are Mariana and Laurentiu, a young family from Vadu Soresti with two children: Elena (6 years old) and Andreea (1 year and 7 months old).

If you like eating healthy, we have milk from the cows we raised, chicken, turkey and duck eggs, chicken, duck, lamb, beef meat. All animals are bred by us. Vegetables with its authentic flavor are also waiting for you:-)

Or maybe you`d like to ride a horse in the bosom of nature? Or ride a cart in the forest? Our horses are eagerly waiting for a ride in the hills of Vadu Soresti village! They can also take you for a ride among the fabulous local scenery in a huge sleigh in the winter.

Other details:

Car: Yes

Bicycle for adults: Yes, 1 item

Cart: Yes

Cot/crib: Yes, 1 item

We invite children: Yes

Internet: Wireless, shared with our neighbors

Running water: Yes

Washing machine: Yes

W.C .: outside

Pets: Horses, cows, pigs, sheep, lambs, rabbits, dogs, cats

Poultry: hens, ducks, turkeys

We speak the following languages: Romanian, Spanish

We accept the clothing, school supplies, etc. donation: Yes 

The Alexandru Family`s house

From left to right: Laurentiu, Andreea, Elena, Mariana

2. Ligia Stefan

Welcome to the Chinese Language Camp Blog! Let us show you an old house which is 91-years old. Formerly it was used as a seat of local administration in Vadu Soresti. You will actually live in this room during your stay in the village! :-)

The house belonged to my parents, former teachers in Vadu Soresti. No ghosts or paranormal activities were detected in the house, but I could take you on a tour to the past telling about the village legends, about events and parties that took place at a time.

Until the time the Chinese Language Camp team obtains permission to organize courses in school or kindergarten from local administration, the classes will be held in my house.

Other details:

Car: Yes

Bicycle for adults: Yes, 2 items

Children's bicycles: Yes, 1 item

Children's tricycle: Yes, 1 item

Cart: No

Cot/crib: Yes, 1 item

We invite children: Yes, if accompanied by an adult

Internet: Wireless

Running water: Yes

Washing machine: Yes

W.C .: outside

Pets: a cat and a dog

Poultry: hens

Fruits: raspberry, strawberry, wild strawberry, apples, pears, cherry, apricots, hazelnuts, mulberry

We speak the following languages: Romanian, English, French; in the summer there`ll be our grandchildren who speak Greek and Turkish

We accept the clothing, school supplies, etc. donation: Yes

 

3. The Vlaicu Family

Hello! We are Dorina and Paul Vlaicu, a family of teachers in Vadu Soresti! J

As volunteers we take part in the International Chinese Language Camp - "Leisure & Chinese", either in its part related to the environmental protection, as well as in the development of rural tourism.

It`s a pleasure for us to welcome you as our guests!

Other details:

Car: No

Bicycle for adults: No

Cart: No

We invite children: Yes

Internet: Wireless

Running water: Yes

Washing machine: Yes

W.C.: inside the house

Pets: a cat and a dog

Poultry: hens and ducks

Fruits: plums, apples, pears

We speak the following languages: Romanian, French

We accept the clothing, school supplies, etc. donation: Yes

4. The Anghelescu Family

Hello! There are four of us: Oita (a professional cook), Valerica (a forester), and our daughters, Rebeca (12 years) and Diana (6 years).

If you visit us, you will have a chance to enjoy traditional Romanian food and honey produced by bees from our hives at the foot of the forest Nania. You can learn something about the mysteries of the forest, why it needs to be protected, and - last but not least - to gain knowledge about beekeeping.

As for the rooms, you can choose one of three rooms available in Vadu Soresti, one is situated next to the gym and two rooms are in the house, at the foot of the forest Nania. in Pruneni, which is less than 3 km from Vadu Soresti. In both cases, toilets and showers are inside the house.

In the backyard of our house we will make bonfires J

         We cordially invite you to enjoy being in the open air with us! J

Car: Yes

Bicycle for adults: No

Cart: No

We invite children: Yes

Internet: Wireless

Running water: Yes

Washing machine: Yes

W.C.: inside the house

Pets: sheep and goats (in the barn), pigs, calves and two dogs

Poultry: hens

Fruits: plums, apples, apricots, cherries, sour cherries

We speak the following languages: Romanian and a little English

We accept the clothing, school supplies, etc. donation: Yes

The house in the village Vadu Soresti

Oița and Valerică in the fitness room

Fitness room

THE ROOM IN VADU SORESTI:

THE ROOMS OF THE HOUSE NEAR "NANIA" WOODS (PRUNENI VILLAGE)

The house near the woods and the yard where you make the camping fire

Beehives near the forest

Beehives near the forest

ROOM 1

ROOM 2

5. The Anghelescu Family

Hello! We are Maria (retired) and Paul (administrator of a company dealing with heating and water sewage systems) Angelescu.

We are very happy to take part in activities organized by the Chinese Language Camp team. We can offer you two rooms.

We must say that we get on very well with our neighbors - a family of teachers Vlaicu, so you will be able to make new friends meeting them, as well as students and tourists staying in Vadu Soresti. :-)

We are looking forward to meet you! :-)

Car: Yes

Bicycle for adults: No

Cart: No

We invite children: No

Internet: Wireless, shared with our neighbors

Running water: Yes

Washing machine: Yes, shared with our neighbors

W.C.: inside the house

Pets: sheep and pigs

Poultry: hens

Fruits: plums, apples, peaches, grape, walnuts

We speak the following languages: Romanian

We accept the clothing, school supplies, etc. donation: Yes

ROOM 1

ROOM 2

Bonuses for students accommodated in Vadu Soresti

Chinese courses will have continuity for participants and after leaving the camp. Students will stay overnight in Vadu Soresti may continue online courses on Skype or Yahoo Messenger, QQ, or Chinese, or advanced training for HSK. We will ensure, of course, and the materials needed.

The online module organized after completing one in the camp, students will have access depending on the time spent in camp:

1. The participants of the courses for one month in Vadu Soresti, will be able to continue the online module another month, 3 times a week, free of charge.

2. The participants of the course for three weeks in Vadu Soresti, will be able to continue the online module still 3 weeks, 3 times a week looking forward to hearing from you and the fourth week 10 euro per hour.

3. Participants of the courses for two weeks in Vadu Soresti, will be able to continue another two weeks module online, 3 times a week, free + two weeks with 10 euro / per hour.

4. The participants of the courses for one week in Vadu Soresti, will be able to continue another week module online, 3 courses, free other three weeks with 10 euro/ per hour.

16 people are interested already for the module which will begin on June 28 and the maximum number of students is 30.

Expecting their e-mails in which we specify the period of their stay at Vadu Soresti: one week, two or three weeks or a month, to know for sure when other places are available, but these "other places" won't be for beginners who have no notion of the Chinese language.

The students I mentioned above will be able to come to classes only dated 28 June or July 28, the team organizing the same way twice: June 28-27iulie; august 26th-28iulie (for the month of July has 31 days).

Keep you up to date with any changes and continue presenting Chinese camp location:-)

Looking forward to hearing from you,

          The team "Chinese Camp"

'The story of the School "Vadu Soresti"

Welcome to the world of education in the Romanian countryside! :-)

We`ve already mentioned the school in Vadu Soresti in this blog, when we described the project "FROM ZERO". As we wrote, a part of the funds has been devoted to the renovation… of the abandoned institution.

This "abandonment" began in 2008, when students had to start going to school in Zarnesti, waiting for the renovation of the building, and the primary school from Pruneni was moved to... Vadu Soresti.

However, in 2010 the School of Vadu Foresti lost its legal status. Therefore, the local children (according to the latest available data, their number is 132) go to school in Zarnesti, still in the same municipality, but not as close to home as the previous generation of pupils.

Among the members of our Chinese Language Camp there are people who have to spend hours to get to school every day (since primary school), and it definitely means a waste of time. Child should either use their time to learn, or to have fun, but the time spent in the bus on the way to school is unrecoverable. I think it`s quite clear, though.

In the Internet we found some evocative images of this school. It does not look so bad, so the restoration doesn`t seem impossible, neither do further repairs. 

 Apart from the option which implements valuation of the school building, there are variants in which the reconstruction can help distinguish Vadu Soresti.

 We know that this statement might sound strange, so we use the information recorded by Mr. Professor Constantin Baciu, so you can realize what are its sources and reasons.

 Although the school mentioned above is located in a rural area, this building is 115 years old. As an institution, for the first time is was mentioned in documents in 1845, 170 years ago. Back then, only 15 students visited the school! At that time, 9 pupils attended the school in Clociti or currently Pruneni (in the pictures of Nania Forest in fact you can see Pruneni). And we you go back in earlier times, we can learn from the archive documents that in 1838, 177 years ago, the activity directed at "recovering" the local education has already started. On the 28 April of the same year, potential teachers were gathered from the villages Zarnesti, Clociti (today Pruneni) Ghizdita and Vadu Soresti.   

The schools were closed in 1848, during the Revolution, many teachers participated in these events, among them Radu Poescu, a teacher from Vadu Soresti and Clociti, is mentioned.

       In 1865, after the Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza (ruler of Moldavia and Wallachia between January 24, 1859 - February 23, 1866) had adopted the "Act on public education," according to which primary education in Romania became free and compulsory, a small institution Vadu Soresti Primary School appears in documents. Let us mention that the acquisition of general (compulsory) education lasted 7 years in 1948, and 8 years in 1963. From 1877 until 1912  Ilie Poescu from Prahova county (western part of the province Buzau) worked there as a teacher. After having married in Vadu Soresti, he founded a school on the basis of existing institution, in the old building.

       

And now we are going back to the year 1900, when the old school was torn down and a new one was built, according to Minister of Education Spiru Haret`s plan, which comprised the construction of schools in all Romanian villages "for cultural emancipation of the peasants and liquidation of their ignorance." Among the names of the teachers in the years 1920-1968, the name of Rebeca Dobrescu appears, so the testimony of the School of Vadu Soresti shows that from that time (perhaps even earlier documents exist), education in the village does not discriminate sex, and girls were encouraged to study.

Some teachers of those times - Matei Dobrescu, Alec Ionita Nestorescu, Irina and Pavel Munteanu, Ion and Aurelia Stefan were buried in the cemetery Vadu Soresti, near the church, but we will tell this story next time.

You will meet other teachers and professors (there are mostly former Vadu Soresti school students among them), if you come to the village to attend Chinese courses, or as a guest or tourist. Some of these teachers retired after 1968, some of them are still working. According to the available data (only until 1988), "local children from Vadu Soresti" have become: engineers (13), doctors (70), professors (17), economists (3), teachers (12), officers (7), priests (2) and architects (12).

Of course, up to 2015 the number of those who have succeeded professionally is much higher. Therefore, reading "Tales of Vadu Soresti School", shown here in a nutshell, can be very interesting and even useful - for writing a paper, for example. You have a chance to find out further details, to know events and stories associated with an educational institution in particular, and the Romanian village in general directly from the source, from the local teachers.

Pre-school education also attracted officials` attention in 1963, when 8 years education became compulsory, a kindergarten was founded, which is now called "Kindergarten with basic curriculum Vadu Soresti". According to the latest data, 30 children visit it.

Also in 1963, outbuildings for school laboratories were built, new furniture and teaching materials were bought, a school library was founded, which later "melted away" reason, time and place being unknown. We got this information only on the spot.

Also, there was a Cultural Centre, different shows and festivals were organized, where the students of Vadu Soresti School themselves acted as actors and singers on stage. There was a cinema, where local people were meeting each other for decades to see the pieces of "seventh art".

Once, in the same building you could also be a witness of weddings and other Romanian customs, representing cultural values since the time of Dacia and preserved up to our days. So, without going to the "territory of paranormal", you can travel back in time in Vadu Soresti.

Basing on the data we have, "time machine" mentioned above can be found now in kindergarten building, because not only it has not been forgotten, it exists and waits until you learn about it.

Cultural Centre, built near the school, is a beautiful renovated building, it looks even nice on the outside, but inside it is dark and deserted after the fire.

We wish you a good day!

The "Chinese Language Camp" Team