2010 Day 6

Larisa and a pumpkin!

Today was our last full day with the girls so we made sure to spend time with groups that we hadn’t gotten to before. We started with group 1 who are a really quiet group. All of these girls are in wheelchairs and have several disorders. They also have a range of different intellectual disabilities and don’t really interact a whole lot. Rodica is one of the girls in this group (I wrote about Rodica last year, on day 3). She was really sick earlier in the year and developed a condition where her skin was literally falling off. She got really bad at one stage and the doctors weren’t sure if she would recover. Thankfully Rodica did recover and was looking fantastic today. She’s loves having her tummy rubbed and even broke out in a few smiles.

Next we went over to the grass at the side of Blocks A & B, where groups 7 and 8 were handing out. All of these girls can move around and fight for your attention. I made a lego house with some of the group 7 girls and did some exercises with group 8 – now that was a lot of fun! The girls were knackered by the end of it.
We then had a quick coffee and gathered up the new toothbrushes that some of the volunteers brought over. Every girl in the orphanage has their own toothbrush with their name on it, in a holder in their bathroom (each group has their own bathroom as well). A good portion of the toothbrushes aren’t in great shape so we replaced them and wrote the girls names on them. Sunday is our day off here so we’re going to buy some more tomorrow to replace the rest. I’ll get a few pictures on Monday before we leave for home.

Birthday party

This afternoon we held a Birthday party for all the girls in group 5. As you can guess, it’s impossible to have a party for each girl on their actual birthday (and for some of the girls, we don’t even know their date of birth as they were abandoned by their families) so during the summer, we hold parties for each group. For the girls who know what’s going on, they love it.
A lot of the girls in group 5 are severely autistic and didn’t really understand the idea of a party. They did however, understand the sweets and cake.  Sveta is one of the ones who knew exactly what was going on. She’s 34 years old, 4 foot and has a disorder which means that she’s never develop as a woman, as well as a range of intellectual disorders. None of that stops her having fun though! During the party she was so excited we thought she was going to burst. She munched down her sweets, biscuits and fizzy drink as fast as she could. When she got her cake she started munching into that too but then grabbed it and started jumping around the place to the music. She was so excited that she just had to get up and dance but she didn’t want anyone taking her cake so that had to go with her too. It was so funny. We were all falling around the place laughing. Sveta got so into the music that she was in danger of dropping the cake so we convinced her to sit down and finish. Watching her dance was the highlight of my day!

The birthday party took us right up to dinner time. A few other volunteers and I treated ourselves to manicures and pedicures tonight – I know, I know, we’re supposed to be working! We convinced ourselves that we’re still doing good by supporting the local economy… I got a manicure and pedicure for 250 lei, which is around €15. Now how could you say no to that?
Night night.

Asea blowing bubbles

Gulea - butter wouldn't melt but she's got a mean right hook!

2010 Day 5

Galina and I in sewing class

Today’s post is going to be short coz I’m completely knackered! Spent the early part of the morning in school, at Math & Romanian class and then sewing. Sewing class was really brilliant. The teacher is a real pet and the girls love the class. Some of the embroideries they do are amazing and they also mend clothes for all the girls in the orphanage. It’s fantastic.

After class, Zina (our interpreter) and I took three of the younger girls for a walk and on to the trampoline. I bounced with them for about 45 mins and nearly passed out by the end of it! They loved it though. They’re the kind of girls who really tire you out coz they’re completely hyper but in another way they’re really easy to entertain coz they just like you to run around with them. Some of the quieter girls can actually be more difficult because you have to try so hard to get any sort of reaction.

All the playing took us right up to lunch time, when feeding Irina was a bit of a disaster. It took me the full hour to get about three quarters of her lunch into her. It was tough work getting a spoon full into her mouth and when you eventually did get it in, she’d either roll her head forward and let the food fall out or she’s just sit there, neither chewing nor swallowing, until she got bored. Sometimes then she’d just spit it out, which she thinks is hilarious. At least one of us was having fun!

After lunch Ciara (another volunteer) and I convinced Felicia to get out of her chair and have a short walk. We got her out for a good 20 minutes, it was great. Felicia is really good at walking, she just needs more practise. One of the other volunteers had her out on her bike for ages this morning too, so she’s doing really well.

Queens of the tampoline (having a rest!)

A few of us went into the daily disco as well. As soon as I walked in the door, about ten girls all started screaming my name and came running towards me – I felt like a celebrity! They all wanted hugs and kisses and all wanted to hold my hand. They love to hold hands and dance around in a circle. The only problem is some girls get a bit possessive and always want to be holding my hand, pushing other girls out of the way. So today I tried a new tactic where they all copied my dance moves, which, as you’d expect, are unreal. We did clapping, jumping, hand waving, cardboard box, big fish small fish… you name it. After an hour of that I was fit to pass out. Again.

After the disco I took it easy and hung out with some of the quieter girls. I had zero energy left.

Feeding Irina her dinner was tough as well. The dinner was really liquidy and just fell out of her mouth most of the time. She managed to finish the whole meal though so that was good. After dinner I took her out for a walk, which she loved.

And that brings us up to the end of the day. I’ll definitely sleep tonight. Night night.

Group 17

Cristina & Veronica (two of the sweetest girls in Moldova)

A very colourful Cristina

Ana Banana and I

2010 Day 4

This morning we visited the baby orphanage in Chisinau. There are 87 boys and girls in this institution and they were all smiling and in great form when we went around to the different groups. Unfortunately when we left they weren’t as happy! I made the mistake of picking up one of the kids and although he was beaming for the 10 minutes that I cuddled him, it wasn’t worth it for the tears that followed when I put him down. I should have rememberd from last year but they’re just too gorgeous for their own good!

Angel Number 1

We walked around the orphanage and met a few different groups of kids. They were all beautiful and were delighted with the lollipops and bubbles that we brought with us. There were only three children that I recognised from last year and two of these have illnesses that don’t put them on the top of the adoption list. It sounds terrible but when families are interviewed about the children they’d like to adopt they don’t often answer yes to the questions “Would you accept a child with Down’s Syndrome” or “Would you accept a child with a learning difficulty”.

I think around 80% of the children in the Chisinau orphanage are adopted each year, going to families in Moldova, America, Italy, France, the UK and more… At the moment it isn’t possible for Irish families to adopt Moldovan children. This is for a number of reasons but one of them being the fact that there is no Irish embassy in Moldova. So even after going through all of the red tape and legally adopting a Moldovan child, it’s not currently possible to obtain the right visa without travelling to Romania. And that’s not the easiest thing to organise.

Angel Number 2

After we played with some of the younger children, we brought a group of 5 and 6 year olds to the play ground and pizzeria around the corner. All 11 kids, 1 interpreter, 1 nanny, 3 volunteers and 1 driver piled into a van with 9 seats and we drove to the pizzeria. The others followed in another van and on foot. The 5 minute journey was mayhem but their excitement was infectious and we were as hyper as them by the time we got there.

It was hard to keep up with the kids in the playground. They were running, screaming, sliding, pushing, swinging, chasing, climbing and best of all – laughing! They were so good and so kind as well. I was pushing two of them on the swings for about 10 minutes and when they were finished, they insisted that I get on the swing so that they could push me. They were angels. It must have looked like some sort of child labour with the two 5 year olds pushing me but they were having none of my protests! When the pizza and chips came they ate as much as they could fit into their tiny bodies. At the end they all sat back and stuck out their bellies – full to the brim!

After delivering the kids safely back to the orphanage, we made our way from Chisinau back to Hincesti. On Monday I started writing about the journey from Chisinau airport and gave up after half an hour of struggling coz there was just no way to accurately describe what it was like. Hopefully this attempt will be more successful! Our driver, who is a very nice man, is also the most terrifying demon behind the wheel that I have ever met. To be fair, it’s not just him, it seems to be the driving habits in Moldova.

More Angels with some weirdo

When we left the airport on Monday, it took me a few minutes to figure out what side of the road people drive on here, since he was driving on both sides – as was everyone else. There are nearly no road markings, sometimes there is a white line in the middle but not often. Also it seems customary to beep the horn at people as you over take them, especially if they have been in your way for a few seconds. Speed cameras? No. Speed sign posts? No. Speed limits at all? I think the physical limit of your car is all the limit that is imposed. I’m probably exaggerating, there’s bound to be some sort of limit but I couldn’t work it out! There were several points during the journey that I said my prayers and closed my eyes. Driving to and from Chisinau today was no different but I am very happy to report that we all arrived back to the orphanage safe and sound (but maybe a little shaken!).

This afternoon we were back to normal in the orphanage. We went to group 4A who we affectionately refer to as “the little demons”. They’re some of the cutest girls in the place but also some of the boldest! We seemed to get them on a good day though and suffered no injuries worth reporting. J We brought some of them out for a walk and brought them down to the trampoline. I was nominated as the volunteer jumper and my strategy was to keep jumping and prevent them from getting up at all! It worked too and they were laughing till their sides hurt coz all the jumping was too much. A couple of them were chasing me around the trampoline and they did manage to catch me a few times. When they were all tired out we brought them back to their room at the front of the complex. I’d say they’ll sleep tonight!

Swinging Angels (one of the cheekier ones!) and fellow volunteer, Tim

On the way back to the volunteer quarters we stopped and played with all of the girls that we found on the way. I ended up promising to buy shampoo for three of the girls on Sunday. The girls are so funny… towards the end of the week they all start asking you for presents coz they know that our day off is Sunday and we’ll be shopping. My plan is to play dumb as much as possible, otherwise I’ll have a list as long as my arm! The girls are really clever coz they ask all of the volunteers for presents. Some of the most popular items are photo albums, ear rings, radios, ear phones, batteries, shoes and shampoo. Most of them have these things already though so it’s hard to know whether or not you should buy them at all. And there’s also the issue that apparently some of the nannies take things home with them or convince the girls to ask on their behalf. You can hardly blame them when they see the girls here with nicer things than their own children have. Poverty doesn’t always bring out the best qualities in us.

I have to say though that all the nannies that I have seen treat the girls really well. You might think, well why wouldn’t they? That’s what you’d expect and that’s what they’re getting paid for. But the attitude here wasn’t always the same and it’s down to the work that ORM do. One of the toughest challenges that face most charities is changing attitudes. ORM have done a brilliant job of changing the attitude here in Moldova. If you want to see what it was like before their work started you should try to get hold of a documentary called “Convoy to Moldova”, shown by the BBC and RTE. It’s pretty appalling so if you’re easily upset, then I wouldn’t recommend watching it. Thankfully it’s all changed now.

Tomorrow is another full day so I better get some kip. Night night.

The two Angels who insisted on pushing me on the swing

Lots of Angels

2010 Day 3

Dance Class

Getting out of bed this morning feels like a week ago! We started in gym class where the girls were doing all sorts of things from sit ups to basket ball. They all seemed to enjoy it. We then went on to dance class and if I’m honest, that was more of a work out than gym class! The teacher is fantastic and is so enthusiastic. We did squats, jumps, steps and floor work. I was wrecked by the end of it but it was definitely the high light of my week so far.

After class we had time for a quick coffee break before heading to the disco. The disco was crazy. All the girls want to do is dance with you and pull you around the floor. It’s hard to keep them all happy but it’s worth it if you can – otherwise they’ll slap you and pull your hair out! Not in a viscous way, just enough to get your attention. I can understand why some of them get a bit frustrated. They already have a hard time communicating and with hundreds of other girls to compete with it can be hard to get the attention you need. Despite losing a few hairs and getting bruises in their place, it was brilliant fun.

Some of the best dancers!

I had to escape after an hour of running around and sat with a group of girls who were hanging out beside the farm. One of the gang is a really cute girl. I think her name is Catea but I’ll have to check that tomorrow. She’s fascinating to watch as she has hallucinations – or at least that’s what it looks like. She seemed to be giving out to someone today, shaking her fist and smacking the ground. Then it all seemed like it was a joke coz she started laughing and then smacked her behind in a motion that sort of looked like “kiss my ass”! I was gonna say that her head would be a nice place to be but that might sound a bit weird following the last sentence… what I mean is, she’s always smiling and joking and life is all about being happy right?

Playing with the girls brought us up to feeding time. Irina was a joy again and ate every morsel of food. Our lunch was chicken with veg and salad. I too ate every morsel!

After lunch we played with a few of the girls who are able to move around. We sang songs and tired them out as best we could. We played hokey pokey, chasing games and ring a ring a rosie. The last one always makes me laugh coz it’s about dying! Morbid I know… for those of you who’ve never thought about it or just never heard, the song is supposed to have been written about the black plague. The words “atishoo, atisho, we all fall down” is about dying after a good dose of sneezing! Lovely.

The farm

Zina, our interpreter, then brought me up to the farm for a visit. On the farm they have, chickens, hens, goats, pigs and rabbits. Lots of the girls have jobs on the farm. Some of them feed the goats, others bring them for walks, others collect eggs… They really enjoy having a sense of purpose. Other girls help out around the orphanage too. Some of the older girls help feed the younger ones. I’ve seen others bringing laundry around and others helping in the kitchen too. It’s great.

After the farm, we went up to visit the girls in isolation. These are the girls with the worst medical conditions and need constant supervision. Some of them looked so sad, it was really upsetting. It would be amazing to know what’s going on inside their head. I’m told that there isn’t much brain activity but they must have some perception of the world. Most of them respond to touch and they all have little souls in there. It’s so sad to see them stuck inside a body that won’t work properly for them. You just want to pick them up and make them better. It makes you realise how lucky we are and also how useless. That’s really how l felt for most of the day – completely useless.

Enough of the negative I hear you say. Dinner time with Irina was a success again. We went for a walk afterwards and she was falling asleep by the time we got back. Next, I played with a few of the girls in group 10 and brought them for walks as well.

Another highlight, which soon followed, was getting Felicia out of her wheelchair. Felicia is a very special girl who is well able to walk but stays in her wheelchair 90% of the time. It took me most of the day to convince her but eventually she agreed to let me sit in her chair and she pushed me around for 20 minutes. Tomorrow we’re going to have a race – I’ll be in the wheelchair and she’ll be on her zimmer frame. I’m pretty sure I’m going to lose the race and possibly injure myself but if it gets her out and about then it’s worth it!

Night night.

2010 Day 2

Slept relatively well last night, thanks to a nice sleeping tablet from Mam (Mam’s always have sleeping tablets) and was up bright and early at 8am. Breakfast was the same as home apart from my usual latte. Instant just isn’t the same!

Romanian and Math class

We began the morning in school, at Romanian and Math class with group 4B. This group has two of the cutest kids in the whole place – I think Nina and Irina are favourites with everyone! During class we learned the days of the week, counting from one to ten and the names of some animals. The girls were all great. We probably didn’t help the lesson much though as we were distracting them a lot.

Next we went to art class with group 10. That was a lot of fun! Some of the girls are so creative. Their paintings were beautiful.

Nina and I

Our last class of the day was English, again with group 10. Now this class was a whole other story! The teacher, Orla, is Irish too and is fantastic. You can tell that the kids really love coming to English class. During class the girls learned the words: bed, bedroom, wardrobe, mirror, duvet, eyes, ears, nose, neck, necklace and hair. I quizzed some of them later and they all remembered. The best part of the class was the finale where all of the girls jumped up and sang Barney’s “I love you…” and “If you’re happy and you know it…”. If it wasn’t so damn cute I’d have been cringing! I was treated to several renditions of the song throughout the day. It seems to be a firm favourite.

Art class with Christina

After school we had a short coffee break and then we took group 12 out for walks. All of these girls are in wheelchairs and they love bring brought around the complex. I got a bit over enthusiastic running down a hill with Zina and ended up kicking her chair. I have a lovely cut on my baby toe now as a memento. Some of the girls in this group are really quiet and it’s hard to get a reaction out of them. I had a great time with Zina though. She even started copying the things I was saying. She’s now well able to wave and say “Hi girls!” every time I say it. She doesn’t say much in Romanian so I was really surprised when I heard her joining in whenever we walked past a group.

Next on the timetable was feeding time. I ended up feeding Irina in group 2, which I was delighted about. I fed Irina last year so I know all the tricks to get the grub into her. Some of the girls are really hard to feed so I was relieved. She gobbled up all her food and I got a few laughs out of her too, so lunch time was definitely a success.

Next was our own lunch. We had stuffed peppers and chicken & pineapple salad. It was yummy.

Unloading the aid truck

After lunch we unloaded the aid from the truck that arrived yesterday. A lot of the aid was for the local hospital in Hincesti and the men unloaded all of that in the morning. We unloaded some of the lighter stuff (nappies, wheelchairs, clothes, shoes, books, toys, etc.). There was huge excitement in the orphanage. Lots of the older girls rallied round to help as well. They loved helping out and were in great form. You could see some of them eyeing up the goods in the hope that they’d get their hands on them!

By the time everything in the truck was unloaded we were pretty filthy and tired. We had time for a quick rest and wash up before feeding again. I hung out with some of the girls for a while after dinner. Didn’t really do a whole lot other than tickle them and talk rubbish! They don’t understand me at all but they understand tickles and smiles. Almost got my ear pulled off by one girl but other than that, there were no further casualties during the day.

Daisy chain with all the girls

The funniest episode of the day happened just a few minutes ago… I was on wash up after our own dinner and one of the girls, Masa, came into the kitchen to say good night. She gave me a big hug and a kiss and then demanded to know if I loved her more than Felica, one of the other girls. I of course said that I loved them both equally! What a cop out right?! Honestly though, they’re both lovely girls. Masa then told me that she loved me and went to kiss me on the cheek – or so I thought. Instead she grabbed my face and planted one right on the lips. I’ll have to watch out for her tomorrow!

And that brings the day to a close. Pretty full on for the first day but it was great. Don’t think I’ll need a sleeping tablet tonight. Night night.

Me, Tamara & Ana on the trampolene

2010 Day 1

I’m back! Arrived in Moldova a couple hours ago and I’m settled into the orphanage now. The girls were as welcoming as ever and showered me with hugs and kisses. It got a bit crazy at one point where about 30 girls were all trying to get my attention. They were pulling my hair, arms, legs and clothes and were shouting things that I have zero understanding of… The nannies thought it was hilarious. Although it was a little overwhelming, it was amazing at the same time. The girls were just so excited to have someone new to play with.

If I’m being honest, I was pretty nervous coming over again… Last year it was a huge culture shock and I was completely unprepared for the experience. Previous volunteers that I had asked for advice all told me things like “Oh definitely go for it, it’s the best experience of your life”, “it’s the most amazing thing you’ll ever do”, “you’ll have such a great time”… Let me first say that they were 100% right but it was also one of the toughest things I’ve ever done and one of the saddest experiences of my life. I wasn’t used to dealing with so many illnesses and disabilities and honestly, that’s all I could see for the first while. But coming here today was completely different. I didn’t see any disabilities. I just saw beautiful, smiling faces who couldn’t wait to come over and give me a hug. I know this is completely cheesy but the girls here in the orphanage are an inspiration and I’ve gotten so much more out of coming here than I could ever give.

Righto, I better get myself to bed and rest up for tomorrow so that I can earn my keep.  A truck load of aid arrived from Ireland today and we’ll be unloading that first thing in the morning. Night night.

2009 Day12

Fun Friday English Class

This morning we attended a couple of the girls’ classes. First we went to English class where Jacqui (the fabulous teacher) was running “Fun Friday”. It lived up to the name! Jacqui and the girls were listening to music, looking at photos, painting nails, doing hair and eating sweets. 🙂 It was great fun. One of the girls painted Niamh’s nails but it ended up more being Niamh’s hands as the nail varnish went everywhere.

After English class we went down to the sports room. Victor and Andrea are the sports teachers here. We played a game of darts and Victor wooped our asses. It wasn’t really a sports class as none of the girls were there yet – another Fun Friday. 🙂 Rosa came along towards the end so I guess we can call it a proper class!

After our classes we had another team meeting to see how everyone enjoyed the two weeks. Iurie (pronounced Your-ee, or at least that’s how we’ve been pronouncing it!) drove us down to the local pub which is called the Neptun. There is a lovely thatched balcony overlooking the lake. So we all sat here for an hour or so and chatted about the experience. It was really nice. Mercy (our wonderfully fantastic manager) bought us all a soft drink and asked us only nice questions! :p

At the Neptun

Everyone had great things to say about the time that they have spent here. The first timers all found it tough but still loved every minute and the returnees agreed that they found it easier this time around and loved it even more. When you’re not used to working with people who have disabilities, it can be tough seeing past the disability. As time goes by and you get to know the girls, you do start seeing their abilities and personalities rather than seeing their disability. It comes on so slowly that you don’t even notice it. I still find it tough with some of the more severely disabled girls but I’m getting there.

Everyone around the table said that they would like to come back to Moldova again. If you’re interested in volunteer work but are apprehensive about going somewhere abroad then this is the place to come. We’ve been so well looked after by ORM that it feels like a home away from home. And we’ve been given the opportunity to do some amazing work. Before I came I wasn’t really sure what would be involved. I was nervous about what my reaction might be so I kind of shied away from learning about it. I just signed on the dotted line and hoped for the best! I needn’t have been so worried though. All we’re really doing here is loving the girls and trying to put a smile on their faces.

The girls have a comfortable living and ORM do a fantastic job of rehabilitating them and preparing them for the outside world where possible. They are getting to do loads of things now that we take for granted at home. I’m talking about simple things here – cooking, sewing, reading, writing, art, sport, etc. It’s really great. The seasoned volunteers loved seeing the difference in the girls from last year to this year. Some of them have learned so much and are walking when they didn’t before and talking when they didn’t before. Without ORM this just would not be happening and the girls would still be lying in their beds.

After our feedback session/chat we headed to the market to buy some fruit. I also wanted to pick up a birthday present for Maria. She had asked me earlier in the day to get her a watch on Sunday so she wasn’t expecting to receive anything today. She was thrilled and she has been wearing the watch ever since.

Disco

After lunch we had planned to spend some time with one of the groups but a disco had started up on the green so we went to that instead. I had brought some bracelets and necklaces for the girls but I got completely mobbed when I started taking them out. I lasted a couple of minutes before I had to run for cover in the volunteer quarters! I went back out a few minutes later (minus the jewellery) and the girls were much calmer then. We danced around to the music and had a great time. One girl, however, was still a bit excited and yanked out a handful of my hair – not nice!

And so there is another end to another great day. It’s really hit me now that on Wednesday I’m going to have to put on a shirt and trousers, put on makeup, blow dry my hair and go into work… it’s gonna suck. I just want to play with the girls all day! Tomorrow is our last full day with the girls and I think I’ll be a bit teary at the end. Better get to sleep so that I have the energy to make the most of it! Night night.

2009 Day11

This morning we met with group 10 for “personal hygiene” where we literally washed the girls hands, removed several layers of old nail varnish, brushed their hair, re-painted nails and took them for walks. It doesn’t sound very complicated but we met quite a lot of resistance from some of the girls when it came to washing their hands. We had to bribe some of them with necklaces and eye-shadow.

Nina blowing a kiss for the camera

It was boiling hot today so walking the girls was tough work. I had to keep sneaking inside for drinks of water and I’m totally wrecked now.

Lunchtime was difficult too as the cooks were a little bit ambitious with beetroot. Irena spat out every spoon full where she usually gobbles it up – it was a complete disaster. It literally looked like pink slop and tasted like flour (yes, I tasted it). It’s very nutritious but that’s not going to entice any child. The nanny tried to feed Irena too and even she didn’t have any luck. Eventually we gave up as  Irena gets another big meal later anyway. That’s another surprising aspect – the girls eat mountains of food! I have no idea where they put it.

Garden Party

After lunch there was a garden party for all of the girls and they absolutely loved it. The three entertainers were brilliant. There was a clown, singer and MC. The MC did a great job of rounding up all of the girls and playing games with them. The singer got them all up dancing. And the clown had them all clutching their sides – he was fantastic. We gave out biscuits and fizzy drinks during the party and the girls loved this as well. It was so wonderful to see them all smiling.

By the time dinner came around Irena must have been absolutely starving as she gobbled up every scrap of food on her plate. If she was able, I think she was have licked the plate too!

I usually play with the girls for a while after dinner but today I was just exhausted. The heat was unreal and it completely drains your energy. It’s mad to think that in the winter the temperature here can be minus 30⁰ C.

I think the exhaustion from the last week and a half is catching up on me. Must sleep now! Night night.

2009 Day10

This afternoon was spent as usual – playing with all of the girls, painting nails, plaiting hair, bringing them for walks, colouring pictures, feeding, jumping on the trampoline, changing nappies, pushing swings, drying tears, tickling and anything and everything else! I only have three days left with the girls and I feel like I’m only getting the hang of it now. I’ll really miss them when I leave.

This morning was very different to every other. One of the girls who had been here for three years passed away a few days ago and her funeral took place today. Lucica was 14 years old and suffered with a genetic heart condition. All of the volunteers who met her said she was a wonderful person who was always smiling. I’m looking in our profile book now and there she is with the biggest smile on her face. She is beautiful.

We got up early this morning to go down to the market and buy mantillas for the funeral. We tried bartering with the lady at the stall but she was having none of it. She probably even bumped up the price for us!

We then made it back to the orphanage in time for breakfast and dressed ourselves head to toe in black where possible. Suzie told us that once our shoulders were covered we’d be ok. About 7 of the volunteers went to the funeral along with 3 interpreters, Suzie, Mercy, Liz (ORM managers) and a number of staff members from the orphanage.

The funeral took place in a village a couple of minutes away from the orphanage. This is where Lucica’s grandparents live and where Lucica had visited the previous weekend. Her health has been deteriorating for the past 12 months but the deterioration rapidly increased over the last week and on Saturday she closed her eyes for the last time.

Lucica’s older brother suffered with the same condition and their parents nursed him for 6 years before he passed away. They never recovered from this and knew that Lucica would be the same. They were broken hearted and could not watch another child die. They knew that Lucica would receive the medical care that she needed in this orphanage and she came here in 2006. Her parents moved abroad and Lucica was visited by her grandparents, who themselves buried 6 children with the same condition. The pain in their eyes today was unbearable.

Walking down the lane to Lucica's wake

We paid our respects this morning at Lucica’s grandparent’s house where Lucica was laid out. We each brought two red carnations. In Moldova, even numbers of flowers are for the dead and odd numbers are for the living. When we arrived at the house there were people gathered around outside and we could hear singing coming from the living room. Lucica’s mother and father came out to thank us for coming and they truly appreciated our being there.

We were then invited inside to see Lucica. It took a couple of seconds for our eyes to adjust to the dark room and when they did, we could see Lucica laid out in a beautiful white dress with flowers in her hair. Her coffin was covered in deep purple velvet and the inside was cushioned in white satin. She looked so peaceful and was smiling slightly – almost as if she was just having a nice dream. Along the back wall of the small room, there were about 10 old women singing hymns. I’ve been to a couple of wakes before but it was very different attending one for a child. I kept expecting her to sit up and smile. It seems to wrong that she should be taken away from us so soon. But I know that she is looking down on us right now with her beautiful smile.

The custom in Moldova when visiting the dead is to place the flowers inside the coffin, place a donation on the persons chest as a contribution toward the cost of the funeral, kiss the persons forehead and bless yourself. The whole experience was so surreal and I was terrified of doing something wrong. I felt like an imposter who shouldn’t have been there. But at the same time, it was wonderful to be there for Lucica and her family, who were so welcoming. They even invited us back to the house for lunch after the burial. We respectfully declined this offer as we did not want to impose.

After we had all been to see Lucica, we were standing outside saying a few prayers and chatting amongst ourselves. We were expecting to then head to the church for her funeral. Instead, some relatives and friends brought Lucica outside and around 70 or 80 people gathered around the front garden. A priest then began the service. Lucica’s parents are part of a different religious community to the one here so the service could not take place in the local church. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful service. The birds were singing, the sun was shining and there were children running around playing.

Funeral procession

We were taken by surprise on the location of the service and Niamh and I ended up about two feet away from the coffin with Lucica’s family. Lucica’s mother and father just looked broken. I can’t even imagine the pain that they must be feeling. They have one other son and he has the same heart condition that Lucica and her older brother had. He is 4 years old and will start to show symptoms in another 2. Burying one child must be hell. I can’t even contemplate it, let alone burying a second. And knowing that your third child has the same fate… it’s worse than my worst nightmare.

After the service, the procession to the graveyard began. The local school had brought out all of its students to watch the funeral party go by. It was a lovely mark of respect.

On the way out, everyone was picking white feathers from the ground. Here in Moldova they say that when you take one of these feathers, you take an angel with you.

An angel was buried today but she will be with us forever. Lucica Marian. R.I.P.

Local school children

2009 Day9

Today was a very tiring day! We had the most fantastic morning at the baby orphanage which is about an hour away from the orphanage here in Hincest. We all piled on to the bus this morning and were so excited to arrive. The children were beautiful and we loved every minute with them.

Four beauties who did not want to go back into their cot!

Another beauty who smiled for every second apart from when I took the picture!

The baby orphanage houses orphaned or abandoned children under the age of 6. Boys and girls both with and without disabilities stay here and when they reach the age of 6 they move on to other institutions. The girls and boys who do not have any disabilities move on to separate orphanages. The boys with disabilities are moved to an orphanage in another part of Moldova and the girls are moved to the orphanage here.

This little boy came running with open arms as soon as he saw us

Loving the slide, just like kids at home

There are over 100 children in this orphanage but we only got to meet a handful. It seems to be pretty well run and all of the children that we met seemed really well behaved and healthy. It was lovely. The only thing which they all seemed to be lacking was love that a family could provide.

The kids were so excited to see us and came running with open arms. It was heart breaking putting them back down when we had to leave. I felt terrible for the nannies too as we left them with a load of screaming kids…

One of the babies in isolation

This baby wouldn’t stop smiling when he woke up. 🙂 He was fabulous. He is 4months old and has been in the orphanage for 2 of those. I’d love to know more about his background but there wasn’t anyone with us at the time to translate.

Part of our job when we were there was to clean up the yard. And what a task that was! I didn’t take any pictures but it would have been fantastic to see before and after shots. We moved what felt like tons and tons of half cut up trees – enough to fill three trucks.

Lifting girls in and out of the bath is nothing compared to all of the lifting we did today. It was very satisfying work but I won’t be rushing to do it again. Give me a desk and computer any day!

We watched a docunemtary this evening called “Convoy to the dying rooms” which is of how the orphanage used to look. A team from Northern Ireland filmed their trip to install a heating system. The orphanage director was all smiles but made it as difficult as possible for them to make any improvements. All the aid which they brought was locked away upon arrival and the volunteers were told that it had to be counted by government officials.

The volunteers found that children who couldn’t walk were lying in dirty cots filled with their own urine and feces. There was only one washing machine for whole place and they had no washing powder. The documentary was filmed in 1999 and at the time over half a million pounds had been donated to the orphanage over the past year. No evidence of this was seen by the volunteers. After a couple of very frustrated days, the volunteers just broke the rules, took matters into their own hands and broke into the stores. They cooked meals for the children, distributed new clothes, burned the old ones (so that the staff couldn’t take the new clothes and put the old ones back on them), threw out the old mattresses and replaced them with new ones, installed the new heating system and prepared a new play room complete with new toys.

It was a very upsetting documentary to watch. I don’t think I’ll be sleeping too much tonight.