Moldova and over and over

Hope nobody minds me going on and on about my trip to Moldova, it was just a jam-packed experience that I apparently have a lot to say about.
Well, that and I have over 500 pictures.

Here are the greatest bunch of folks you'd ever want to meet. Each one brought something special to the party. It was an honor and a privilege getting to know them all. Wanna meet them?
Let's start with Liz and Mercy, shall we? These two earthy angels volunteer the whole of every summer acting as coordinators for Outreach Moldova volunteers. They made each one of us feel welcome and comfortable. They gave us newbies a chance to get acclimated, gently guiding and suggesting; instead of telling us how to interact with the girls, they led by example. They're also no bull-shit, you-get-what-you-see straight talking ladies. Oh - and they're funny as hell.

I think they are both about the coolest, warmest, nicest and most down to earth people I have ever met and any minute in their company was a treat. Hell - I'd go back to Moldova just to hang out with them.

Me and some of my bunk-mates:
Maria, Eunice, Superstar Sharon, Martha's twin Mary
Mary's twin Martha, myself, Theresa


Q: How many Irish volunteers does it take to blow up a kiddie pool?

A: Uh, yeeeaah, that's gonna take One Moldovan fella with an airpump.
Nice try though folks.
Maria, the always smiling Donna and Elena.


At a restaurant, on one of our two afternoons off.
Maria, and the Dublin blond bombshells: Linda and Ailish (call her Eyelash she won't mind ;-)
Maria was one of our interpreters. We had about 5 to 7 at any given time, mostly high school girls with sweet personalities and great English. They made the experience a lot easier with their mad language skillz - plus we all shared a lot of laughs.

A couple of group shots above and below.

Anne (beautiful singing voice) Liz (Moldova's Dolly Parton) and Mary (or as I like to call her - Trouble)




Suzanne, Mary, Martha, Theresa, Sharon, Me, Peter (Moldova's Kenny Rogers)
Our first afternoon off, at the lake, knocking back a few jars.

Olga, Tina (holy crap is she funny!), Suzanne (yeah, she's kinda funny too, I guess) and Victoria.
Those of keen eye may notice Suzanne's is sporting a hot super glam look. Not sure by whom - but she got her makeup done that day.
So did Peter.
And here he is paying it forward and doing someone's nails. Gotta love a guy who ain't afraid of a little makeup.
Chilling out in the afternoon: Mariana, Irina, Luda and Mary.


Maria and Maria.
Volunteer Maria is a wonder, I swear that woman never sits still. During any of the daily downtime we volunteers had, while the rest of us were eating, smoking, napping, watching movies, reading or chatting she was busy baking scones and apple tarts for us or knitting up sweaters for the babies - thus she became my knitting guru....
That's right y'all, I knitted a sweater while I was there!! A tiny little sweater, but a sweater none-the-less. With lots of help and instruction, Maria and Eunice inducted me into the knitting mafia.
Vera and Eunice, the sweetest person on the planet and the third member of the holy knitting triad.
Theresa - one of my new favorite people, as cool as they come and cuter than a goddamn button. I adore you Paulie!!

Martha's twin Mary, Sharon, Theresa
Mary's twin Martha and Suzie.

Oh boy! I love this group. Let's start with the twins - the dynamic duo from County Clare. These two were the bunk mothers - always looking after us, feeding us, cleaning up, keeping peace and just generally being good mommies to anyone needing one.
Sharon - only twenty years old and this was her second trip to Moldova, with a third planned this September! But don't think she's some boring goody-two-shoes, this girl is hysterically funny, that is when she talks slow enough for anyone to understand her.
And Suzie - our patron saint. Suzie is the reason we all were there, the reason many of the girls have a good life, or even a life at all. Suzie started the charity, Outreach Moldova, and is living there full time to oversee it. Although officially the orphanage is a state owned and run operation, as far as I am concerned anything good happening there is a direct result of this woman's actions. She blows me away. And she's my friggin age! Talk about getting a complex from not having achieved anything in my life!

I could go on and on and post a ton more pictures but I'll bring it to a close here, great trip, great new friends, great experience. Our group of volunteers are planning a reunion in September and I can't wait to see them all again.

Peace out.
-k.


p.s. Have I mentioned how much I love Liz & Mercy?

Gruppa Patru aka Group Four

Ladies and gents, meet Group Four:
the celebrities of the Hincesti Orphanage and Outreach Moldova.
Group four is a happy happy place.

They are mostly small and young, ranging between ages 6 and 12, with a lot of little down- syndrome angels. They demand, and get, loads of love and affection from anyone within their grasp. Step into their day-room and they swarm you, climbing legs, arms reached out, chattering, laughing, bonking you on the head, handing toys, grabbing your fingers and leading you somewhere. I dare anyone to enter their sphere of influence and not be smiling and laughing within 30 seconds. Group four were the first group I visited, led by some of the repeat volunteers. It was a good introduction to the next two weeks.

(Nicoleta above)

So group four are everybody's little darlings. I found it a good group to visit when I felt I had less to give, emotionally speaking. A good group to cheer you up, a good group to see after you had visited one of the tougher groups or experienced some other girl struggle so much it made your heart break.

(Me and Madalina above)

Maybe I should take a minute to explain how the orphanage is organized. There are 350 girls divided into about 20 groups, each group is made up of 15 to 20 girls
of roughly the same capabilities and functionality.
Some groups give you a lot back for your efforts,
others can't, but they are no less deserving of love,
attention and affection.
Most times you visit with the less glamorous groups but
sometimes you are so emotionally wiped out
you need some giggles.

(Olga above)

That's when you pop in to group four and laugh your ass off for a half hour. Then you can leave rejuvenated and get back to 'work.'


Each group gets two outings a year, both are during the summer when the volunteers are there to lend extra hands. Each volunteer group does two outings a week, one on Wednesday and the other on Saturday. We were lucky enough to have group four on our first outing. Yay!! Above is Filipenco, but they call her Julia (Yoolya) but all the repeat volunteers call her Angelina Jolie because she is SUCH a drama queen and media hound. This little bit will wrap you around her finger so fast it'll make your head spin. And you'll love every minute of it, until she cries cause she doesn't want you anymore and has transferred her affections to someone newer and better. Sigh. A real heartbreaker this one.

Before each outing the volunteer coordinators (Liz and Mercy, my heroes, more on them in another post) assign each volunteer one child to watch, take care of, hang on to, to have and hold and not let go of. It goes without saying that each child is a treasure, but still I felt lucky and blessed to get this little lady: Anna Banana. Here she is rocking my shades in the bus to Chisnau (Kishnow) the capital city where we all went to the zoo and...
McDonalds!!!!!
Anna is tiny, at age 12 she's about the size of a skinny little 5 year old. She is dainty and delicate but also likes to rock out to any kind of music. She's partial to hip hop and can throw some ferocious gang signs. She also LOVES to be in control of the camera. As you can see above she is less than impressed with my photography skillz not to mention me showing my fillings in our self portrait. She never spoke a word to me but this little chick is downright elegant in her ability to communicate with her hands. After her initial grab at (and my speedy withdrawal of) my camera she made it clear she understood the concept of the wrist strap and proceeded to take about 100 pictures. Watching her have such a blast with it would have been worth the price of the camera had she broken it.

Needless to say, I came back to Anna and group four again and again. Here we are with another little sweetie, Sasha (whose real name is Alexandra, I don't know where they come up with these nick-names for them, though come to think of it, maybe I was just getting all the names wrong? After all, there WAS a rather large language barrier.)
Lilia above...couldn't you just get lost in those eyes?

When you do go visit group four and they grab and hold and cling and drag the absolute GREATEST thing you can do is take a few of them out for a walk and end up at the trampoline. Oy! I loves me some trampoline but I ain't no youngster anymore. It was absolutely exhausting, but worth the effort, to get the laughs and give them the thrills. Here I am above with a very demanding Anna (why oh why is the trampoline more fun for her atop my shoulders???) and Sabina. Sabina can't bend any of her limbs and I swear I thought I was going to fall and crush her a hundred times but we all managed to survive and have a blast.

Actually I think I was the only one to come out of this half hour a little worse for the wear.

-k.

Time for Lunch!!

Hincesti Orphanage, Moldova, May 2008

All volunteers were assigned one child to feed, twice daily, for each day we were at the orphanage.

You start out timid, choking on the smell, scared of hurting your girl, unsure of whether she hears you, sees you, notices you. Can she chew? Swallow? Will she have a seizure and choke? Does she even want your attentions? You try and fill her silence with songs and nervous chatter. You might get bullied by the Nanas who take care of her. You and she might cry in frustration. You're sure to get her food all over her.

But within a day or two you realize you've started developing a bond. You figure out the most comfortable way for her to eat, that she doesn't like the tea after dinner and would rather take her pills dry. You learn what songs she prefers (Rawhide, My Girl and Yellow Submarine)

That's when you start getting this reaction just by walking into the room.
Ladies and gents...meet Elvira. (Elveera) She is 21 and according to the doctors has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and severe mental delay.

You learn the word for up (zuus!) when she starts slouching in her chair. You give a little dramatic fake cough each time she clears her throat and you both crack up.

She lets you know with her hands that all she wants is to GO OUT!!!
'Vira ate like a champ for me twice a day just to get to the prize at the end: a nice long walk around the grounds. You learn how to say "Eat. Walk." (Mancari, Plimbari) as you mime each thing so she knows one will follow the other if she complies. She knows what you mean but still thrusts a demanding finger under your nose, indicating the door, where she wants to go NOW!!

But for all her demands Elvira's a good girl and she'll eat and be the first one done every single day.

You sing silly songs at the top of your lungs as you run her up and down the paths. She likes when you race really fast on the down ramps. Until, of course, you break her wheelchair on the second to last day. (Oops!)

She beams at the little gifts you bring her.

Pretty soon she's insisting to Nana that you accompany her to the toilet and you willingly agree, rewarded by making her laugh as she makes her business.

She sulks when you bring her back from her walk and say goodbye, but forgives you and beams again when you come back for the evening meal.

You get to know the girls the other volunteers feed each day as they bond with each other.

Volunteer Linda and her Katusha.

Theresa (aka Trees R. Green) with her Rodica.

Me with Peter's Irina (a cheeky little chatter bug that EVERY SINGLE PERSON at the orphanage knows and adores.)

Christina the Screamer.
She's the little one in the chair and she eats next to Elvira. She's a little devil and will pinch, bite and scratch as she screams for her dinner (I've got the bruises to prove it.) She's a handful and I think they wouldn't dare assign her to a volunteer. But she doesn't need one because another of the girls has "adopted" her. Christina and "Mama" Luda above.

Luda arrives at Christina's group for every meal time. She's not compelled to, she just does.

Luda is in one of the more functional groups and can do what she wants while the girls that need more help get fed first. But she chooses to spend her time taking care of Christina and she does it better than anyone else can.

She manhandles Christina with the firmest, sweetest affection I have seen and gets her to quiet down and eat like nobody else can. Luda got such a kick out of it when I called them Mama Luda and Baby Christina - these were the moments that made me laugh and cry simultaneously.

So anyway - there's a slice of life for you. Just a sliver really. Doubt I'll be able to describe it adequately. Definitely not today or tomorrow. It feels surreal to be home. To be back at work, in my own bed, at my own computer. It feels like I am in the wrong place. The wrong time. There is some relief in coming home, of course, even the best vacation is nice to come home from. But if I could go back, I would in a heartbeat.

In the meantime, I miss you Elvira. I hope someone in the next group of volunteers falls in love with you like I did.

Introducing....

Meet Olga (pronounced Olyah)

Olga is 26, gives giant hugs, loves to sing, will hold your hand as you walk and escort you nearly anywhere you want to go in the orphanage.
Her favorite sing-along songs include Old MacDonald and He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. She may not know the words exactly but she does a damn good job of faking it.
But her all time favorite is the Ole Ole Ole soccer song. If she is crying, this is sure to cheer her up.