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	<title>almost &#8211; Ziarul Gandacul de Colorado</title>
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	<link>https://www.gandaculdecolorado.com</link>
	<description>Ziarul Romanilor de Pretutindeni</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2004 17:21:43 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<title>almost &#8211; Ziarul Gandacul de Colorado</title>
	<link>https://www.gandaculdecolorado.com</link>
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<site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">232272730</site>	<item>
		<title>The Prophecy of the Stones By Flavia Bujor</title>
		<link>https://www.gandaculdecolorado.com/the-prophecy-of-the-stones-by-flavia-bujor/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Redactie]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2004 17:21:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Cultura]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[almost]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amber]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[away]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birthday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bujor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[captivating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[characters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deathbed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[each]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[enchanted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entwines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[evil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fight]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[find]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flavia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fourteenth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[future]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[girl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[girls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hard]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[helping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[idioms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[including]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[incre­dible]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interesting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jouissance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[journey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lady]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lead]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[look]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[magical]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[main]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[me­ta­phors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[novel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[opal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[other]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[phrases]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[places]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plaisir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[play]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[possesses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[powerful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[powers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prophecy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reading]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[realistic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reflecting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[role]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[save]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[similes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[story]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[storyline]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[swords]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[takes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[their]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[them]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thirteen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[three]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[through]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[time]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[typical]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[underdeveloped]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[united]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[used]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[which]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[word]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[world]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[would]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[written]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[year]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[young]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gandaculdecolorado.com/the-prophecy-of-the-stones-by-flavia-bujor/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Out of 4 stars, I would rate this book at a 2 ½. An interesting novel written by a thirteen year old that entwines realistic fiction of a young girl on her deathbed with her fantasy fiction dreams. The main story is that of Joa&#8217;s dreams which are self reflecting of her own life. Flavia [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Out of 4 stars, I would rate this book at a 2 ½. An interesting novel written by a thirteen year old that entwines realistic fiction of a young girl on her deathbed with her fantasy fiction dreams.  The main story is that of Joa&#8217;s dreams which are self reflecting of her own life.  Flavia has used all the typical elements of fantasy fiction including the lady in the lake, a prophecy, magical powers and places, enchanted swords and rings, and a fight with  evil.  Three girls, Jade, Opal and Amber, find out on their fourteenth birthday what a powerful role they each play in finding each other and helping to save the world.  They are united by stones that each girl possesses that lead them on their incre­dible journey.  The storyline is captivating, but the characters and setting are underdeveloped.  Flavia tries almost too hard to have strong word choice through similes, me­ta­phors, phrases and idioms, which takes away from the plaisir and jouissance of reading.  In time, she will mature and grow as a writer and I look forward to future books.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">318</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lightness of Being with Ileana Barbu</title>
		<link>https://www.gandaculdecolorado.com/lightness-of-being-with-ileana-barbu/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Redactie]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2004 17:19:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Cultura]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[academy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[acceptable]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affirming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[almost]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[appreciation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artistic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[attention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[away]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barbu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[being]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ceramist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chaffed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chaos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[childhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[college]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[colorado]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[communism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[communist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[current]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[daughter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[denver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[discouraged]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dominate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drew]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emigrated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entered]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[escaped]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eventually]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exhibition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fifteen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freedom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[given]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grew]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[have]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ileana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[including]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[infant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inherent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[like]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[memories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[most]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moun­­tain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[myth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[narrow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[native]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[occupies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[originally]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[painting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paintings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paints]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[perceptions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[place]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pleasant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[professional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pursuit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[regime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restraints]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rocky]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[românia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rural]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[schools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sculptor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sculptures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[states]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[such]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[supplement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[survive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tea­ches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[today]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trained]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ultimately]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[under]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[united]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[university]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[until]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[very]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[viewed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[watercolor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[which]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[years]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gandaculdecolorado.com/lightness-of-being-with-ileana-barbu/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Ileana Bar­bu, Romanian artist who lives in Boul­der, Colorado had an exhibition re­cently called Light­ness of Being. The exhibition featured both watercolors and icons. The water­co­lors possess an ephe­meral quality em­pha­sizing the very fragility of our physical being while affirming an inherent human spirit. Ileana drew on myth and history for her inspiration, including such [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ileana Bar­bu, Romanian artist who lives in Boul­der, Colorado had an exhibition re­cently called Light­ness of Being. The exhibition featured both watercolors and icons. The water­co­lors possess an ephe­meral quality em­pha­sizing the very fragility of our physical being while affirming an inherent human spirit. Ileana drew on myth and history for her inspiration, including such figures as Joan of Arc and Medusa. The exhibition also included paintings of the Prisma Group, which includes Victoria Kwasinski, Carlene Frances, Vicki McDonald Loppek and Pat Orbin.<br /> Ileana Barbu maintains a studio next to a Greek Orthodox Church in far northeast Boulder. Artists can often be understood by where they create their art. In the case of Ileana, this is particularly true.<br />Ileana paints on a balcony that overlooks what used to be the congregational hall of the church. Her space is not very large, and it&#8217;s crammed with a plethora of paintings, drawings, ceramics and sculptures that testify to her creative range. Ileana doesn&#8217;t mind the clutter. She&#8217;s just thank­ful to have a place where she can work away from the chaos of a life trying to survive as an artist.<br /> Like many artists, Ileana relies on teaching to supplement her paintings. She tea­ches in two schools: the Rocky Moun­­tain College of Art and Design in Denver and Boulder&#8217;s Colorado Academy of Art.<br /> Ileana grew up in Romania, and has pleasant memories of a rural childhood. She did not feel the artistic restraints of a communist regime until she entered the university in pursuit of a professional are career. As a free spirit, she chaffed under narrow perceptions of what was viewed as acceptable art. Almost fifteen years ago, she escaped from Romania with her infant daughter, and ultimately emigrated to the United States.<br /> Living under communism, has given her an appreciation of freedom and eventually religion, which was discouraged in her native land.<br /> Ileana was trained originally as a sculptor and ceramist, but today, painting occupies most of her attention. She paints in all media, but oil and watercolor dominate her current paints.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">316</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>My School Years in Romania (IX)</title>
		<link>https://www.gandaculdecolorado.com/my-school-years-in-romania-ix/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Redactie]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jan 2003 19:46:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Romania]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[10th]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[12th]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accompany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[actually]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[almost]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[along]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[already]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[around]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[balls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[because]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[better]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[both]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[branch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[center]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[child]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chosen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[circle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[class]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[classroom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[communist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[continued]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dancing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[definitely]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[draping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ducklings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[everybody]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[failed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[first]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[german]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[grade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grades]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[highschool]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[inside]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[kiss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kneel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[knew]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[language]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[like]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[math]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neck]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[opposite]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[other]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[part]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[participating]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[pick]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[picked]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prestigious]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[proms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[real]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[same]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[school]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[social]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[some]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[somebody]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[start]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[starting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[students]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[supplementation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[taken]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teachers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[them]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[tutor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tutors]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[would]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[years]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gandaculdecolorado.com/my-school-years-in-romania-ix/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Highschool In 8th grade or even sooner, some parents hired private tutors to rehearse their kids into exam taking. There was some exam at the end of the 8th grade and you got a diploma for it. The more important exam however, and the one where the stake was much higher, was the one for [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Highschool </p>
<p>In 8th grade or even sooner, some parents hired private tutors to rehearse their kids into exam taking. There was some exam at the end of the 8th grade and you got a diploma for it. The more important exam however, and the one where the stake was much higher, was the one for admission to the highschool of your choice. Sometimes, the tutors were the highschool teachers that you would have as your examiners. It did not hurt if they already knew you and you had already paid them a pretty sum for them to tutor you. <br /> When you applied to the highschool, the grades that you had had previously did not count. They were not taken into account or made part of the grade to admit you. Because I was a very good student, my parents did not want to hire any tutor. And it might have turned out to be a big mistake. I almost failed to get a good enough grade to get in. The exams were both written and oral. From these, a final grade was computed and the scores were tabulated. Students were then ranked from the highest grade to the lowest. And if the school had a certain number of available seats for incoming 9th graders, that&#8217;s exactly how many would be admitted, starting with the highest score. It was quite expected that there would be 5-6 competitors for the same seat. Especially for the more prestigious schools like this one was. In the end, I managed to get in through a supplementation of seats. We knew that if the child of a high-ranking communist official did not make the grade but wanted to get it, some kind of supplementation would take place and along with the child of the communist official, others, like me would get in. <br /> If you failed, you had to keep trying, or switch to other less prestigious highschools or apply for a trade school. But you needed to go to school for 12 years. <br /> Once I was in, I proved myself again. I did better and better in the four years of high school. The last year (the 12th grade), I had straight 10&#8217;s. I was on the principal&#8217;s honor roll (my picture was in the teachers&#8217; area along with pictures of the best students. <br />At the beginning of 9th grade, we had our &#8220;Ducklings&#8217; Ball&#8221;. We were the Ducklings, the freshmen. A Miss Duckling was chosen. The ball was held in the halls of the highschool. I went to see just how it was, but left quickly because I was incredibly shy and didn&#8217;t want to dance. One of the famous traditional dances was &#8220;Perinita&#8221;. It was danced in a circle with everybody participating. A person (girl or boy) would start the dance. He/She would be inside the circle and holding a kerchief would look around at the people dancing around him/her. Then he/she would pick someone of the opposite sex by draping the kerchief around her/his neck. The person thus chosen would have to accompany the person that chose to the center of the circle. They would both kneel and then kiss. Then the first person would join in the circle and the other person would be the next person to choose somebody of the opposite sex to bring to the center and kiss. That was definitely not for me. <br /> This was the first school social event. There were no other balls or proms prior to that. Actually, after the Ducklings Ball, there was one other ball, when you graduated. <br /> In 9th grade, you decided whether you wanted to go to the humanistic arts (&#8220;human&#8221; branch) or Sciences (&#8220;real&#8221; branch). That&#8217;s what they would be called in Romanian: uman or real. I did not like math and the math teacher I had in the 9th grade made my mind up. He almost flunked me in math. I barely made a 5 in one of the trimesters. This completely soured me on the &#8220;real&#8221; side. <br /> So, starting in 10th grade, the classes would be taken apart and re-assembled into Human and Real. Some of the colleagues that I had in the 9th grade went to the Real side; I went to the Human. But then, from the 10th to the 12th, we stayed together in the same group. The grades were also differentiated by a letter. For instance, there was Grade 10 A, 10 B, 10 C, up to H. When we graduated from highschool, there were about 200 of us. <br /> At the start of highschool, we were required to pick a second language to study. The choice for us was between French, German and Russian. And I picked German, which I studied for 4 years all throughout highschool. But, I forgot 99Î of it. When we had German class, we had to go to another classroom where we would meet part of the &#8220;D&#8221; class (the kids who had picked German). I was in the &#8220;C&#8221; class. Then we would go back to our regular classroom for all other courses. Of course, we still continued with lessons in our first foreign language, the one that we started in 5th grade. For me, this was English.  </p>
<p>(to be continued)</p>
<p>Simona Georgescu</p>
</p></div>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">128</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Romanian American Freedom Alliance</title>
		<link>https://www.gandaculdecolorado.com/romanian-american-freedom-alliance/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Redactie]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 13 Jul 2002 18:40:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[America]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1989]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1990]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1993]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1994]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[addition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[alliance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[allows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[almost]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[american]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amputating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amputee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[assistance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[because]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bertram]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brought]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[came]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[charge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[colorado]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crimped]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dances]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[death]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[december]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deep]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[denver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[difficulty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[doctors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[donations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[event]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exception]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[existed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[express]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[families]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[festival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[first]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flagstaff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[folkart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[form]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freedom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fundraising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[funds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[generous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[goldberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[handicaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[have]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heritage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[î15]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[illness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inexistent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[joyful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[known]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[major]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medical]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[membership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[most]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mountain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[naţional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[newly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[notable]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[orphanages]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[other]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personally]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[picnics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prosthesis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rafa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recepients]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reciepients]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[replaced]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rich]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[românia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[romanian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[romanians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[separation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[serves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[severe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[severely]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sort]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[statescu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teenage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thanks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[themselves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[these]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[took]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[treasures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[were]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gandaculdecolorado.com/romanian-american-freedom-alliance/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[RAFA was founded in the summer of 1990 as an immediate result of the revolutionary upheaval in Romania in December 1989. Several dozen Romanians gathered at the Capitol in Denver on December 30, 1989, to demonstrate in support of the revolution and to mourn all those who had been killed during the Communist dictatorship. With [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>RAFA was founded in the summer of 1990 as an immediate result of the revolutionary upheaval in Romania in December 1989. Several dozen Romanians gathered at the Capitol in Denver on December 30, 1989, to demonstrate in support of the revolution and to mourn all those who had been killed during the Communist dictatorship.<br /> With the opening of the borders and the newly found freedoms, the Romanians from Colorado were eager to help at last the battered native country.  <br /> On a snowy February day Dana Gall, Irina Frangopol and Ingrid Fotino met at Dr. Iulia Gorelik&#8217;s home to discuss starting a charitable organization.  A series of meetings at the various churches and one restaurant in the Boulder-Denver area followed the organization to be named the Romanian American Freedom Alliance. In the fall of 1990 they were ready to start officially as an incorporated organization with a budget of î1,000 due mainly to the effort of Magda Blagaila who organized a bake sale and inspired one of the largest groups of Romanians assembled at church to make very generous donations. <br /> The first donations were in the form of food collected from grocery stores and clothes (about 10,000 lbs when packed) and transported (free) by the newly formed Freedom Lift, an indepen­dent American initiative. However, most of their assistance over the past twelve years has been in the form of money (about î1,000 a year) which RAFA members took personally to the reciepients. The recepients were families in deep financial difficulty because of death of a parent, severe illness, fire, handicaps, old age, children in orphanages. A notable exception: in 1993 RAFA brought a teenage amputee, Dan Statescu, for medical care in Colorado where he was fit with a prosthesis, all free of charge, thanks to a most generous group of doctors led by Dr. Bertram Goldberg.<br /> At first the funds for this sort of assistance came from membership dues (î15 per family from about 20-30 families) and from donations at picnics on Flagstaff Mountain and other parks. These picnics have now been replaced by the major annual fundraiser, the Romanian Festival on the Pearl Street Mall, started in 1994. In addition to fundraising, the Festival serves the purpose of making the Romanian culture known in the form of food, dances, folkart and books about the national heritage and treasures. It is a joyful event that allows the Romanians to express themselves as a rich culture, crimped no more by the amputating separation that existed when travel out of Romania was almost inexistent and communication was severely limited.</div>
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