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April
25, 2005
Saturday
Night in Beautiful Downtown Tecuci, Romania
What
is it they say about Saturday night? Well... it's not lonely
here at the Tecuci internet cafe that I am sharing with 20 young
boys playing video games and a manager who is smoking up a storm.
I don't get much internet access as you can tell by the limited
communication. There is a wireless receiver on top of town hall
here and it always seems to be down! So I write tonight.
This
is the end of the first two of three weeks for me. Bob left
last night for Bucharest and took a flight through Frankfurt
at 2 p.m. today. He arrives home after two weeks of incredible
work at the clinic: putting up shelving for the heaters, fighting
a drill without adequate bits, putting micro screening on 12
windows with a staple gun that he bought here which you would
use for stapling two or three papers together, etc. He had to
buy the bits and stapler and the latter broke with two windows
to go. To buy staples you have to go to a different store than
the one that sells the staple gun. Nothing is easy.. In any
event, the babies were absolutely covered in mosquito bites
at the end of the first week. The clinic is in the middle of
a field and they were vicious. They are now "clear" of bites
thanks to Bob. Of course he was standing on the home made ladder
which you wouldn't get on in your pantry. He was adored by the
staff and was frustrated that he had to leave. There are months
of work... no, truly years of work to do. I miss him already.
We
started with a team of ten. Some left after two weeks (including
Bob) so there are two a single man and I left on the team. Some
folks toured to northern Romania and the Black Sea over the
weekend. I stayed here and am working at the clinic by myself.
It is a great assist to have all the people here. It was hard
being alone last December. Unfortunately I did something to
my left shoulder (partially torn rotator cuff according to the
physical therapist on our team), so the lifting must be done
by the staff.
There
are four new babies here since December. One is 6 weeks old
and her mother is an 18 year old gypsy woman with another child.
She just left her at the hospital and moved to Italy. Michaela
is her name and they have her little scrunched up face peeking
through a red hat. It's hilarious.
Ramona
and Andrea are also in the tiny baby room. Andrea's mother ran
away and her father brought her in because he couldn't feed
or care for her. According to the staff she was a mess... and
now is cherubic. Bob held her for an hour yesterday. He was
great with the kids! I have a photo of him with one baby in
his left arm and a drill in the other. Another child is posed
with a level! very funny.
While
the children certainly don't remember me from December, they
connect very quickly. I love each one. Today I brought in yogurt
and half gobbled it up; half screwed up their faces at the strawberry
flavor. I then added some sugar and it was another story! Most
of the children don't have a clue as to what to do with solid
food. One of the women with the 1 to 2 year olds brought cheerios:
the kids hold them in their cheeks since they don't know how
to handle solid food. I find that distressing -- as I do so
many things. Today, again, I realized that the kids just don't
get out of the cribs without volunteers here. I got about half
out and tomorrow will work with the others til the team returns
on Monday. Bob and Dennis Larson, another U.S. volunteer, fixed
all the swings and we get some of the kids out each day. They
hate sitting in the grass since it's very unfamiliar. Every
tiny thing we take for granted is amazing. They also squint
like crazy because of the bright sun. I am going to suggest
that volunteers who are coming bring sun glasses.
The
staff thinks the microwave is great but hasn't a clue what to
do with it. A lesson on Monday when Ramona, our Global Volunteers
leader is here to translate. As with all of us, old habits die
hard. But once our lives are made easier, we adopt new things.
The
food is much better at this hotel but there is a disco on Friday
and Saturday night. It starts at 9:15 p.m. and ends at 3 a.m.
Last night I drank two cups of tea and took a sleeping pill
to make it through the noise. Of course I have been known to
sleep at basketball games, but others are not as rested!
The
weather is beautiful and all is in bloom. My two hours are up
here at the internet café, so I will write more again later.
Thanks for all your notes and your warm thoughts.
Love,
Glo (and Bob in absentia)
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