 |
| Iasi from my window |
When I first got to
Romania, I had no idea what to expect. I hardly knew the language and I knew
little about the people and customs, but I knew that I needed to be there and
that my semester there would change me in ways I could not expect. (sidenote: I cannot post any pictures of Romanian children as it is illegal to take pictures of any institutionalized children)
 |
| Trip outside of Iasi |
 |
| Tomesti |
 |
| outside of Iasi |
Romania is in itself
an interesting and beautiful place. The countryside in particular is gorgeous
and varied.
 |
| me and my co-interns |
At the orphanage, I ran a room of 8-11 children, depending on the week. It was a special needs orphanage so most of my children had some sort of disability. The children ranged in ages between 6 months and 7 years. I spent my mornings with those children Monday through Friday. I taught the older ones to read and write and I worked on all of the children's lingual skills and fine motor skills. My emphasis was to increase motor abilities and I worked closely with the resident Physical Therapist. I did a lot of PT and I saw a lot of success. I received a 2 year old who could not even lift up his head. After a month of rigorous PT, he could not only lift up his head, he could roll over and sit up! He was such a happy and fun little guy. I have many other similar stories but I cannot convey how fulfilling it is to see the results of your hard work, prayer and faith in helping a child.
 |
| Co-interns in scrubs coming home from the hospital |
In the afternoons, I worked at a Pediatric Hospital and saw some of
the most heartbreaking things of my life. I used the PT I learned at the orphanage to help all the little ones without parents who were sick at the hospital and all by themselves. It was so sad to walk into a room of 4-5 babies knowing that each of them had been abandoned either by the death of a parent or by a negligent living parent. I worked with these children to prevent bedsores and muscle atrophy, as well as to try to keep them on-track developmentally. Sometimes a child would be so ill that the best things I could do was hold them or pat them gently to comfort them. I saw children in so much pain that death came as a relief as it ceased their suffering. In Romania I definitely had both the best and the worst days of life.
 |
| Golia Monastery in Iasi |
The very best thing
about Romania was the people that I met. The children that I worked with are
incredible little people. I am not capable of explaining just how much I love
those little ones and how much they have changed me. Nor can I explain how
difficult it was to leave them. I’ll just say that if Romania ever changes
their adoption laws, I will desperately try to adopt any one of those children.
They are so fun and wonderful. Yes, they were difficult at times, but overall
they were such a joy. Their ability to love and grow was so inspiring and they
really just bring me so much happiness with their sweetness and curiosity.
Besides the children, the Romanian people were very kind and helpful. They were
quick to try to help us with the language and with finding our way. Our
neighbors were kind and interested in helping us and bringing us food. The
branch members were the same. The people were really so loving and appreciative
of the work we did.
I was told before I went that no matter how much I change the children's lives, they will change my life so much more. This definitely has been true. I would go back to Romania in a heartbeat. It was an amazing experience and I really am so grateful for it. I'm grateful for the places I visited, the things I saw, the lessons I learned and the people I met. It was worth the heartache, the break from school, the expenses and the time. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.
 |
| me at a monastery |
