I trust all of you have now resumed normal life after the festive season! This week's tale of life here is very much about the small things in life, that seem to be more evident in my life here, than back in the UK. There were no great train journeys, strange customs, or even any trips out of Tarnaveni, but this week has continued to open my eyes to the great Romanian way of life, that I have become so accustomed to, and the surprises, that always seem to be just around the corner...
Returning to work has been tough after the Christmas break, followed by the visit of my friend, but it has been great to see the patients again who are warm in their welcome, each time we see them. Visiting one of the women's wards for a weekly ward round is becoming increasingly difficult for me, as they many of them are becoming very 'hands on', whilst many of the patients that went home for Xmas have returned, mostly better for the time away...
In 'la strada' (the street) life continues to be very pleasant, and this week me & Helen began our first English class for the orphan children from across the road… they were all pretty good at the basics, and before we even began the lesson, we were invited to sit and eat with the kids..(I thought this might happen.. so I made sure I didn’t have tea first...) we have planned to do these lessons every Monday evening, and I would love the opportunity to bring these kids over to England for a visit with their foster mom. One thing we have learned is that the term 'orphan' here does not necessarily mean the kids don't have parents, some of the kids do have parents here, but the reasons why they were placed in the orphanage are unknown to me and private to the kids too. But one thing I do know is that in a couple of years these kids will have to leave the house they are living in, if they are unable to work, and have nowhere else to go, and work is not always possible here. There is no state system in place here remember. And despite this, these kids just get on with life, enjoy the time together, never complain of not having the latest clothes or possessions, and always want to help you to do anything...
Tuesday & Wednesday night was football night, as we got no English premiership football on TV here, but we do get the FA cup and Carling Cup games, so the girls allow me the TV rights to watch the games! The other highlights of the week have been seeing he lord of the rings films, (one playing each weekend for three weeks running), and seeing some breath-taking scenery around the hills of this town. I got up early (well 0900) on Saturday to with my neighbour Jacky to walk her two dogs... (one of which I'll try and add a photo of to the is email). We just drove for no more than ten minutes to the surrounding hills and took a walk over the snow covered tops, walking through fresh fallen snow that glistened like it was covered in diamonds. Once at the peak of the hill, you could see for miles, and with no one else in sight, it felt so liberating. On following the dogs through a small piece of woodland we emerged through the sun-soaked trees to see a range of hills (small mountains) towards Medias. As with the valley here it is often covered by a morning mist, and this was the case here, you could see what appeared to be mountain / four or five ranges of hill tops, peaking through sheets of mist, and with clear blue skies adding a stunning back drop! I am trying to be descriptive here because I did not have my camera and I don’t think any photo could do this scene justice! All this has been just a ten minute drive away. It’s amazing what you see when you look what is right in front of you!
I could write more about my second visit to Mac Mac disco..,. which felt like an under 16 disco when I arrived... or about another Friday night in Crama restaurant with Lia & Giani, but I won't because I guess this weeks abiding memories for me have to be the country side view... so I'll leave you with them, and urge any of you who want an experience with everything.... come to Romania! Until Next week!
(The pictures this week are of some of the creative activities we have undertaken in club)Regards from Romania
Dan
No comments:
Post a Comment