Saying Goodbye

    Well, my last week as come and gone and it was very sad. I had gotten very attached to a couple of the children and it was very hard to say goodbye to them. Especially Nicu, who was my favorite. 

    On my last day, I brought in champagne for the caregivers. I also had Vica help me write a card to them, thanking them for everything. She had also helped me write letters to all of the children telling them how much I love them and how important they are. I wrote the letters in Romanian and then wrote a little note in English telling each one something special about his/herself. I gave the letters to the caregivers and asked them to put them somewhere safe so that someday the children can read them. I don't know if that will every happen. Maybe the caregivers will just throw them away, or they will get lost, but at least there is a chance of the children knowing what they meant to me.

    The caregivers were very sweet to me all day and I took a picture with them.     Early in the morning on my last day, the caregivers dressed Nicu and took him out of the room. They've been doing that every day because he has been a little sick, and I think they were just taking him to another room to see a doctor. However, when I came back from lunch, he still hadn't returned. I asked Pasha, the nurse, where he was and she said he was in isolation. At first, I thought that meant he was at a different hospital and I asked what hospital he was at. She said he was here and I asked if I could visit him. She wasn't sure but the other caregivers said it would be alright. At four, I asked Pasha if we could go see Nicu and she led me down the long halls to a room marked Izolator. Inside, she told a nurse what we were doing and we waited. We waited inside a doorway and Pasha could see to the right but I couldn't. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but then Pasha gestured for me to come in and I could see Nicu being held by a nurse. He was very calm and wasn't doing much. But the minute he saw me he started jumping up and down and flapping his arms. We all laughed. He kept trying to get away from the nurse and come to me, but they wouldn't let me near him. I just waved and talked to him. It was really hard. I really wanted to hold him and kiss him. It was very emotional and I swallowed back tears. I really want to go see him on Monday before I leave for the airport but I know that it will be to painful for me. It would just reopen the wound but I already miss him so much. I wish I was in a better situation so that I could take him home with me. He is absolutely beautiful. I think it was love at first sight, but I tried so hard to be impartial and love all the children the same. I tried not to treat him special but he kept coming to me. I am so grateful for having gotten to spend time with him but it hurts so much saying goodbye. 

   I  am so incredibly grateful to have been able to have this experience and I am indebted to all of you who helped me. It truly was a life changing experience and I only hope I can work hard enough to deserve the love and joy I received from the children. I found out that I got into the Masters of Social Work program at FSU and will start this fall. I hope to continue my work with orphanages and international adoption. I'm hoping I'll be able to set something up with my grad school, where I can come back to Moldova to work with the children again as some sort of internship or practicum. If I could spend the rest of my life at the orphanage I would. 

Carla's Dreams

     Another volunteer has come and gone. She was only here for a week and was a lot of fun. She had my same silly sense of humor. There is one other girl here with me. She will be here for a month. Tomorrow a male volunteer from Italy will be coming. We're very interested in finding out more information about him. 

      Last Sunday, there was an event in the park near our apartment for children from orphanages all over Chisinau. The volunteer who was with me and I did face painting. I can now say I am a professional butterfly and spiderman face painter. We painted faces for 3 hours straight. It went very fast and was actually a lot of fun. I think people were excited because they knew we were foreigners. We would ask what they wanted and gesture to our faces. I had painted half a butterfly on the other volunteer and she had painted spiderman on my face. Sometimes the people getting their faces painted spoke some English and could tell us other things they wanted. We attempted other paintings such as cats, tigers, bats, flowers and 'something scary'. For 'something scary' I painted their face white and then put black around their eyes and mouth with a trail of blood leading down from their lips. They loved it. A couple of people also wanted the Moldovan flag on their faces. I needed some help with that. I asked Vica if we made it on the news for this event but she said that the President of Moldova was there and they had more important people to film. 

      The orphanage has been great and I am going to miss it more than I can say. I found out that another of the children has gone home to his parents. I have mixed feelings about this because he is the one I think was being abused. He was really scared when I first got there. I watched as a kid hit him over the head and he didn't react at all. He would also move away from me whenever I came near. After a month, he was running to me, wanting hugs and kisses and crying whenever he wanted some attention. I really hope his parents treat him well. 

    Nicu and Denis are so fun. Every morning, when I come in, they run to me and want to be picked up and held. I really want to take Nicu home with me. He is whiny and spoiled but I love him so much. His smile is breathtaking. Denis also has been running to me and loves being cuddled. I'm so happy I get to spoil them. 

     I try to hold every baby at least once a day and usually suceed but some of the babies are in quarantine and I don't always get a chance to hold them. They are kept separate from the other kids and the caregivers have been having me take the healthy kids outside while they bring the sick ones into the main room. If the healthy ones are in bed by 3:30, I go into the sick room and hold the others. My little baby Vasili has been at the hospital because he was sick but now he's back and I'm so excited to spend time with him. I was worried he wouldn't be back by the time I left. He is so cute and loves being held. I talk to him and sing to him and his eyes get really big. He is the youngest of the bunch.

       On Friday, we went to Carla's Dreams' concert. I was so excited. Carla's Dreams is the singer who hasn't revealed his true identity. He is in the music video  link I sent last week. He is singing with Dara (another Moldovan singer) but the video features Roma's face as Carla's Dreams. We all thought Roma really was Carla's Dream. Vica kept telling us he wasn't but I said I wouldn't believe her until I saw them in the same room together. At the concert on Friday, I could see Roma standing across the room from the stage where Carla's Dreams was performing so I think I can safely say he isn't Carla's Dreams. 

     The concert started out with Dara singing some of her songs. Check out the link to her song 'Open you Eyes.' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFm0ApksBRw   Love this song!  

     After Dara performed for about half an hour, the annoucer told us Carla's Dreams was coming on stage. Vica had teased me that Carla's Dreams would reveal his true identity. I could hardly wait, but it never happened. At first, a bunch of people wearing different colored hoodies came out and performed a dance. It was interesting, especially with the whole hoodie thing going on in America. Then Carla's Dreams came out. He was wearing a black hoodie and had his face painted black. He sang a bunch of his songs and then Dara came out and they performed their duet. It was so great! Here is the promo for the club event http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc04OP6sKtg   And check out this clip from the club http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDcGlPVJoNs   The cameras never pan over to where we were at. 

     If any of you are interested in a gift from Moldova, just let me know what you want and I'll tell you the price. There are nesting dolls for around $15 . They also have some pretty boxes . And Soviet memorbilia. You can buy an old soviet pin for $5-10. . Or check out this link to see the actual craft market http://www.360cities.net/image/kishinev-sounenir-bazaar-chisinau-moldova#261.90,4.94,70.0

      I can't believe I only have one week left. It is going to be impossible to say goodbye. I will miss those kids so much.  

Becoming Famous

Once again, the other volunteers have left me. They were so much fun and I'm really going to miss them. Another volunteer comes tonight and then another tomorrow so I won't be alone for long but it is hard saying goodbye. 

     Last Saturday night, the four of us went to a concert in the park. It was Europe Day, a day celebrating Europe. Roma said, "Don't you have this day in America?" The concert was a bit of a let down. The security wasn't the same as the Moldcell concert and they didn't close down the street. The stage was in the same place as before, in the middle of Stefan cel Mare, which is the biggest street in Chisinau. At the Moldcell concert they shut down the entire street and it was crowded with people. At this one, they didn't shut down the street so the stage was four lanes of traffic away from us. The military was out guarding us from running into the street. It really didn't make much sense. We hung out at the concert for a moment and then went to get some drinks thinking they would shut down the street later, when it got busier. We went to a place near our house called Cocktail. We had a couple of drinks and, after an hour or so, headed back to the concert. We stood by the side of the road (it still had not been shut down) and started to get into the music. After a song ended, an annoucer came out and said something. We assumed he was introducing the next act. Then everyone in the audience turned to leave and we realized he had said Good Night. The concert was over. 

      On Monday, we went back to the orphanage to play with the babies. Another of my babies, Caitalin, has gone up to group 1. And we gained another baby, Maksim, or so we think. The first day he showed up he didn't look too good. He is probably 6 months old, has a very large head, very pale skin (through which you can see all his veins) and cries a lot. He also spits up a lot and I've been covered in it more than once. I say he is probably 6 months because they are feeding him solid food, although he is pretty small and can barely move. The other volunteer in my class said she noticed all the careworkers looking worried about him and reading over some papers. He wasn't there thursday or friday so we're not actually sure what is going on with him. 

        We've found out some more information about the babies. I asked the psychologist who speaks English about why the babies are here. She said that Daniela's mother was only 16 when she had her. She said, for most of the babies they are left by their mothers and will never see them again. Some of them, like Adolph, is left by his mom until she can get back on her feet again. And she told us that the twins are going to be adopted. Both of them to the same family. I asked her when and she said she didn't know. I was very happy to hear that. I also got a more accurate idea of their ages. The name cards on their cribs have changed and now contains their date of birth. I only got a look at a couple of them but I'll check them all out later. Now I know, Nicu and Denis are both a year and a month old. They are 8 days apart but are very different developmentally. Nicu is walking very confidently and seems bigger and more physically developed than Denis. Denis is still crawling and has a baby body. His legs curl up when I pick him up. I've been helping him to walk a lot lately and he's been getting better.

    We've been taking the babies outside (still dressed in 3-4 layers). The other volunteers brought bubbles and the babies love them. Valeru is very wary of strangers and is very aware when he is outside. I was walking with him and I think we got a little too close to some people because he started to cry and I had to pick him up. He's been giving me kisses lately but sometimes they turn into bites and I have a bruise on my arm from him. At first, he didn't like being held and would move away from me. Now he is running to me, sitting on my lap, and giving me kisses! Denis is also running (crawling) to me to be picked up. It is so nice to see them want some affection. It's also good to see them cry because it means they know their needs will be met. I'm sure the caregivers don't appreciate it though.

     Potty time is very dramatic, with everybody crying and whining. I've downloaded some children's songs on my phone and play that for them during potty time. That seems to help quite a bit and the caregivers have been requesting it. They'll clap along or hum to the music. It would be a good idea to get some kind of program for potty time. They are all sitting around in a circle, so it would be easy to do some kind of songs or activities with them. Julia has now joined potty time and she is often the loudest crier (as she always is). She is definitely Princess Julia and must always have her way. Luckily, we  can usually distract her during potty time.

      On Tuesday, we went to the orphanage in the morning and then left at noon. We went home for lunch quick and then Vica called and said she was sending a taxi to take us to the hospital where she was putting on an event for sick children. I wrote down the address to tell the taxi driver and when he arrived I showed him the note. He dropped us off and pointed to where we needed to go. We headed toward a gate that led into a big park. The address I wrote down was 93 Strada... but the building we were looking at was 82. I asked someone and they pointed to the building. Vica had told me that she would be outside the building and that we would hear music. She wasn't and it didn't look like any festival was going on. There was a map of the different buildings in the park area but they were labeled 1, 2, and 3. We headed to the one on the map that was called Pediatric, thinking that was probably were the festival was. When we got to it, nothing was going on. I asked a nurse sitting outside about the address but she said she didn't know. We headed back to the map and were considering our options when a woman on a bike, who had heard us speaking English, stopped and asked us if we needed help. She was a English translator who lived in St Petersburg but was home for the week to visit her family. We explained our problem and she went inside the building to ask. She was inside for at least 15 minutes and when she came out she said she knew the answer. She had spoken to the director of the hospital and they had told her where the festival was. She took us all the way around the building, a 5 minute walk, to an area being set up for a festival. We were so appreciative of her help. I'm not sure how we would've found it if it weren't for her. 

   Vica was there setting up and asked us if it was easy to find. We said No. She then asked us to ask some other volunteers what we could do to help. The other volunteers (Moldovans) told us to blow up balloons. 200 balloons and some very raw fingers later, we were finished. At that time the festival had begun and we found different areas to sit to play with the children. At first I played bean bag toss with some boys and then I found my way to a huge mat piled with legos. Parents and children would come over and the children would build things or (as was the case with many of them) throw things. They were very cute. All of the children were sick and most came from very poor families. You could see the relief on the parents' faces whenever their child laughed or smiled. They were so happy to see their babies having fun. This touched a cord with me because I was once a sick child and I'm sure that same relief could have been seen on my parents' faces. One little boy was really cute. At one point he grabbed a jump rope and started singing into the end of it while his mom strummed an air guitar. We all cheered for him when he had finished which only made him do it more and louder. Another little girl was picking up blocks and putting them back in their container. When a little boy came over to help him she screamed at him and her mom and I made eye contact and laughed about it. 

     There were a lot of news shows there and I made it onto three different channels. Two of them are posted to my facebook page and one we watched on tv. Check out these links http://tv7.md/ro/news/voluntarii-au-organizat-jocuri-pentru-copiii-bolnavi-de-la-centrul-mamei-si-copilului-12198.html      and http://www.publika.md/zambete-pe-fetele-copiilor-spitalizati--zeci-de-voluntari-i-au-amuzat-pe-micuti_846451.html . The girls sitting next to me are the British volunteers. And the girl with the big eyes and blue headband being interviewed is Vica. 

     After the festival, Valeru drove us to Malldova where we had dinner and fruit and chocolate. 

    On Wed, after the orphanage we came back home and got ready to go to the Primer of a music video. On monday evening, we were all hanging out in the girls' room when Vica came running in with the phone in her hand. She ran to the window and started waving. We looked out the window and on the rooftop across the street Roma, Vica's boyfriend, was waving back at us. He was shooting a music video. He is involved in filmaking and had been telling us about different projects he was working on. One was this video. It stars two singers, Carla's Dreams and Dara. Carla's Dreams is a russian singer who keeps his identity unknown. The public doesn't know what he looks like. Dara is a Moldovan singer. She was at the hospital event, singing to some of the kids. Wed night was the release of the video they were filming.

     The premier was at a restaurant and Dara sang a bunch of songs. Who knows is Carla's Dreams was there. In the video, Carla's Dreams starts singing. All you can see is his mouth and right away we recognized it as Roma's. Roma was in the video as Carla's Dreams, lip syncing the words. The song is about love and the different ways people treat it. It's really good. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrzwXHggSMg . We all have the song stuck in our heads constantly. 

    On Thursday, we did half a day again. This time we went to Vicotria's to teach. The other volunteers are studying to be teachers so they wanted to see an English class. Also, Victoria's son was in the hospital and she had to cancel some classes. She called me to take over her classes. The girls really enjoyed the class and the students were a lot of fun.

      Friday night (last night) was a big night for us. When the girls first arrived here they were very excited by all the David Guetta posters all over town annoucing his upcoming concert. I had heard of him but didn't know a lot about him. The girls were desperate to go and the tickets were only $20 so I decided to join them. Andre (Vica and Roma's friend) came with us, as our bodyguard. The doors opened at 6 but we got there around 7. We didn't have seats so we found a place to stand. Soon, more and more people were crowding in on us. David Guetta didn't come on until 10 and by that point we were being crushed by the crowd. People had weaseled their way in between us and for the most part we were separated. People kept pushing their way and I was literally jammed against people. I couldn't move my arms. Some people pushed past us to get to the guard. They bribed him to get into the 'Fun Zone' which was much less crowded. 

    At 11, my feet were killing me and I had to use the toilet, so I left everybody and told them I'd see them at the enterance. The concert ended at 1 and we were all exhausted. It was very cool but he kept saying "Moldovia" instead of Moldova. On the way out, a man overheard us speaking English and started following us. He was very drunk and wouldn't leave us alone. At one point, he stepped on my shoe and it ripped off. I had to shuffle it back to the car. Luckily, it was easy to fix. 

    I have two weeks left. It is going by so quickly. 

Jessica

     My three new volunteers have been here for a week and they are all wonderful. They're University students from England and we are having a lot of fun together.

     On Monday, I went to the orphanage as normal and they all went to do the medical stuff. Around noon a woman came into my room and asked if I wereJacy. This was strange for two reasons. One, why would someone be asking for me at the orphanage and, two, everybody at the orphanage calls me Jessica. All the caregivers call me Jessica and I'm not sure why, but I don't want to correct them because I think I would just confuse them. So now I answer to Jessica. The woman who came into my room and asked if I were Jacy handed me a phone when I told her I was. It was Vika and she was explaining to me where the new volunteers were at. We were hoping they'd go into Group 8 which is where the other volunteers worked and a group that needs a lot of help. However, the new volunteers wanted to be on the same schedule. So, two girls got put in group 6, another baby group. The other one was in group 1 for the morning and then spent the afternoon with me. Vika, however, just told me they would meet me at noon in the entrance area. When noon came around and they were not showing up, I went to the director to ask in broken Russian about the volunteers. She escorted me to their rooms.

     So now I have a friend with me in my class and it's a lot of fun. The first couple of days she kept picking up the same baby and I thought, she must really like Madelina. But she said she couldn't tell them apart and she thought she was holding different babies all day.

    The babies have been so much fun. We've been taking them outside a lot. They still need to be dressed in full winter gear despite it being in the 80s. At the least, they wear long sleeves and hats. On Friday, we got a new little baby, probably 3 months old, named Daniela. Eleana, one of the older ones, was moved into group 1 because she was getting too big. I'm going to miss her. She would run to me to be picked up and really liked being held.

     On Monday, in the afternoon, we were outside with the babies and a blonde woman walked up to us and asked something. The caregiver answered her and all we could understand was sleeping. The woman walked away, looking very sad. The next day, we were going to take some babies outside and we went to take Adolph but were told his mama was coming. Later, we saw the blonde woman, with a little girl, taking Adolph. I asked if Adolph was gone and the caregiver said yes. However, she must not of understood me, because he was back later, which means she was just visiting him. I felt so bad for the mom. I'm sure she had to choose between which kids to keep at home and which ones to give to the orphanage. Because Adolph is so little and harder to care for, he had to go to the orphanage. He is a  very happy baby and is learning to stand and walk, which his mom is missing. It must be so heartbreaking for her.

      Nicu has been so whiny lately, but it's really cute. His crying sounds like a kitten mewing and everyone makes fun of him. He just stands still and his shoulders start to shake and then you start to hear 'mew, mew, mew'. Then he'll throw himself on the ground. I think he's been tired lately because he's been doing it for no reason. One day, he just couldn't be happy so I picked him up and rocked him while singing. He feel asleep. I showed a caregiver and she woke him up because he needed to eat.

   Yesterday, everyone was really tired for some reason. Babies kept falling asleep while we were feeding them and Catalin fell asleep on the potty which was funny to see. His head kept slipping forward and then he'd wobble back awake.

     On Thursday, I didn't go to the orphanage because I had a sore throat and I didn't want to get everyone sick. Tuesday I noticed my throat was sore but on Wed after work I had completely lost my voice. I decided I should take a day off. I'm still fighting something but I wonder if it's some kind of allergy thing because there is so much pollen in the air and it's only my throat and a cough. There are some trees here that are shedding like crazy. It's like walking through a snowstorm. It gets everywhere and by the time I get home I feel like I'm covered in it.

    On Wed, Vika took the volunteers to the village to give groceries to the poor families. If you are interested in hosting a family from a village here go to http://themoldovaproject.com/. For about $45 a month you can feed a family. Many of these families have children in orphanages and want to get them back. The poverty is very startling. 

     Today, the other volunteers have gone to visit the caves monastary. I'm just doing errands and hanging out. Tonight, there will be another concert in the park that we will go to. I can't believe it's been 5 weeks. Three more to go. It's going to be so hard to say goodbye.

My Week Alone

       I have a couple of events to report on. Two tuesdays ago, the other volunteers and I were sitting at home after work drinking tea when Vika asked us if we'd like a healer to come to the apartment that night to give us massages. We were a bit shocked by the suddenness but said we would like that. Valeru had told us about this healer before. He said he is the best in Moldova. That night, at 8, Valeru, his wife and two kids, and the healer, with an assistant, arrived. First, Valeru got worked on in the living room while we stayed in the kitchen. After an hour it was my turn. I walked into the living room and the healer started asking me questions while Valeru's wife translated. He asked me if I had had a problem sense I was born. I said yes. He asked if it was my spine. I said no. He asked if it was my hips. I said yes. Then he asked me to disrobe except for my underwear and bra, and to lay on a blanket on the floor, face up. His massage was more about acupressure than actual massage. He was very interested in my history and told me I should've come to see him years ago. He told me to stop drinking cola and to change my diet. I asked him how I should change my diet and he didn't really tell me. He also told me to take calcium pills. However, I had just gone to the doctor before I had come to Moldova and he had said that my calcium was a bit high and I will need to run some more tests when I get home to see why. I told this to the healer and he said it didn't make sense. He worked on my neck for a bit and then told me my circulation problems have been fixed. I haven't been as cold as I normally am, but it's been 80 degrees here and I've been mostly sweating. He told me two more things that I have a lot of contention with.

     First, he told me not to drink anything half an hour before eating and at least an hour after. This is a commonly held belief here. Drinking with your meal dilutes the acids in your stomach and makes things harder to digest. This is something that I personally do not believe. In fact, it goes against my intuition, along with information a gastroenterologist once told me. Because of my stomach issues, drinking water with meals actually helps me digest. It breaks down the food before it gets to my tummy. I did some research online too and Mayo clinic says the only way you could dilute your stomach acid is to drink a lot of water.  

    Second, he told me not to carry things. Vika asked if it would be okay if I carried babies. He said I could hold them but I couldn't carry them. This is something I am completely ignoring. I have really good upper body strength and am not worried about carrying around babies. That is the whole reason I am here. I did enjoy my visit with the healer. He said I should see him again. It only cost $20 for an hour massage, so it was definitely worth it.

     On Saturday night, after one of the volunteers had left to go back to England, the other volunteer and I went to the Moldcell Purple Festival, in the park by our apartment. Moldcell is the cell phone company here and they were having a huge 15th anniversary party. The street in front of Parliament was blocked off and a huge stage was built. We wandered over around 8. We had to pass through a makeshift gate where Police Officers stood with metal detectors, checking bags. Once inside, we got as close to the stage as possible to listen. The singer was singing Lady Gaga 'Bad Romance'. She wasn't very good but it was very entertaining. We had looked online to see who was performing and saw that Oceana was their main performer. We had never heard of her. We listened to some other performers for a little longer and then went to get a drink. Then we headed back toward the stage. About 20 minutes later, after a guy from Istanbul who sang in English and issued directions to the crowd like 'let's start a wave' which no one understood, Oceana came on. We both really liked her. She sings in English and her top hit is 'Cry Cry'. She is from Germany originally. I really liked her music and downloaded some of her songs. It was a really fun festival but it started to get really crowded so we headed home. We were a little disappointed because the website said there would be special effects that had never been seen in Moldova before. All we saw was the Parliament building lit in a purple light. However, later that night we heard fireworks going off and assumed that had been what the website was talking about.

     This week has been a bit lonely without my friends but I've managed to keep busy. On Sunday, after dropping the last volunteer off at the airport, I hit up a second hand market. I bought 6 shirts for around $15. Monday I didn't go to the orphanage because it was a holiday and Vika asked me to go with her to her mom's house and then to a picnic. Her mom lives in Transdniestria, an area of Moldova bordering Ukraine that considers itself a separate country from Moldova. They have their own President, Police Force, Currency, etc. They just aren't recognized by the rest of the world. I had to bring my passport and we had to go through customs (I didn't get a stamp in my passport though). It reminded me a bit of the DMV, a kind of no-man's land. Once through the check point, we went to Vika's mom's house. Vika's mom was very nice. She didn't speak any English and when Vika wanted to run to see her cousin and told her mom to entertain me, I asked to see pictures of Vika as a baby. She was very sweet, and gave me some wine to take home to my mom.

     After lunch with Vika's mom, Vika, her boyfriend, three of their friends, and I went on a picnic. We were on the bluffs high above the river Neistre. We had fresh veggies and bbqed meat. It was very delicious. We were there for 6 hours. It was a little hard because everyone spoke Romanian and Russian the whole time. I did engage a couple of people in conversations and we played a card game, but it was long. We didn't get home until 11. I was exhausted.

      The next day, Tuesday, I worked in the Orphanage all day. I had missed the babies and gave them lots of kisses and hugs. I found out today that the baby I call Baby John is going home. His grandma was coming to get him. I was very happy for him, although I will miss him. Also, Cristian, one of the twins, is back. Yesterday, I asked one of the caretakers where he was because he has been gone for three weeks. She said bonav, and since I didn't know what that meant, I wrote it down and asked Valeru's wife (Victoria). She told me it meant sick, so I assumed it meant he was in the hospital. However, when I came in today, he was back. I was very excited to see him. 

      Across from the orphanage is a military compound and last week a bunch of the guys from the military compound were at the orphanage doing some construction outside. It looked like they were building a set of stairs that led nowhere. We were very interested to see what the finished product would be. Perhaps a cool playhouse or a set of swings. Then, when we arrived last Friday we were shocked at what we saw. A life-sized replica of Jesus on the Cross, complete with blood and cuts. It was not what any of us expected, especially at a government run orphanage. A lot of the rooms have pictures of Mary with Jesus, but this thing was huge. It had spotlights shining up on it. I'll put a picture of it on facebook. It was very shocking.

     Wed and Thurs I only worked until 12 at the orphanage because I had told Valeru's wife that I would help her in her English classes. It was a lot of fun teaching, I forgot how much I liked it. On wed, I taught two intermediate classes, and on thurs there was a beginner class and an intermediate class. One of the classes was a group of 14 year old boys and they were a lot of fun. They asked me lots of questions about America. Each class was an hour, although I usually went over. I mainly played games and talked to everyone. I really enjoyed myself.

    Valeru's family is so nice and I really enjoyed spending time with them. They cooked me lunch and dinner and I ate a lot.

    Tomorrow I'm going to go shopping for sandals. I only brought one pair of shoes along and am really kicking myself for not bringing my comfy sandals. There is also an American Film Festival that might still be going on, so I thought I would check that out. On Sunday, three volunteers are coming and I'm excited to meet them.

 Check out my pics on facebook.

Description of My Babies

My friends have left me and it was very hard to say goodbye. They were such awesome people and we got along so perfectly. I'm really going to miss them.

    This week went very quickly. On Thursday we went to Swan Lake at the National Opera and Ballet Theater. The tickets were $9 and in a great spot. It was very beautiful and the woman who played Odette did a great job changing her personality between the white and black swan.

    It has been very hot this week so we get to take the babies outside in strollers every day. However, the babies are still dressed in their winter clothes. They wear thick snow suits over their clothing and warm, woolly hats. It's 70 degrees! Whenever I take the winter stuff off  when we go back in, the babies are drenched in sweat. I really want to take all that clothing off of them but I've heard people comment on the kids being too cold. My room at the orphanage is a sauna and i sweat as I hold their warm bodies against me. Friday afternoon, I finally got to take a baby out without all 
the winter clothes and woolly hat. He just wore a cap. It was a relief.

     It's supposed to get even hotter this week and then get down into the 60s. I was expecting much cooler weather for this time of year and brought quite a few long sleeved shirts and cardigans. I'm thinking about hitting up a second hand market for some cheap t-shirts. 

       I thought I would tell you a little about the babies I am working with. I'm not going to post any pictures out of respect for their privacy, but I will tell you about them. I have 16 babies in my group. 

Julia-Blond hair, bright blue eyes, probably 9 months old. I call her Princess Julia because she is always crying to get her way. And not just little whimpers. Full blown wailing. One minute she'll be perfectly happy, and then the next, she'll realize you aren't bouncing her high enough and she'll start to cry. She has to be moving constantly. She loves the swing but you have to be pushing her all the time. She also likes the walker but you have to be pushing her around the room in it. At one point, I was feeding a baby, pushing Julia in her walker with my foot, and had another little girl playing with cups on my lap. 

Vasili-Brown hair, green eyes, 3 months old. He loves me to sing to him. He whimpers and cries when he's hungry or wants to be held. He loves being held. He spends most of his time in his stroller. He is very sweet and cute and I love feeding him. He stares into my eyes and I talk to him the whole time. He smiles when I give him kisses. He is the youngest of the group.

Nicu-Brown hair, brown eyes, chubby cheeks. He is really cute but he is also pretty demanding. He is probably about 1 1/2 and is throwing tantrums left and right. He knows I'll do whatever he says so he always looks straight at me. When he is in his playpen, he wants out (as do all the kids) and will follow me around the room crying. I'm teaching him sign language and to feed himself, and he is learning fairly quickly. He loves to come to me and have me throw him in the air. He also likes to be pushed on a little car. He could get away with murder with his smile.

Catilin-Short, dirty blond hair, brown eyes, probably almost 2, the oldest of the group. He is just learning to walk and seems to have something wrong with his feet. I've been making him walk with me to get him used to it and he has been doing better. He also cries and whines at me a lot. For the longest time, I thought he was a girl because it sounded like everyone was calling him Catilina. Then, at potty time, I realized he was not a girl. He hates potty time and cries the whole time. He also cries when I say bye bye. He is a little more advanced than the others. I gave them the toy where you put the different sized donuts on a pole. He was the only one who could do it. The rest just banged the donuts together. I'm teaching him to feed himself too and he is doing very well.

Elena-Brown hair, brown eyes, chubby cheeks, probably almost 2. She is also just learning to walk. Nicu is the best walker of the group and he seems the youngest of the older ones. Elena loves being thrown in the air. She likes being held and wants to be in my lap a lot, even when I have other babies there. She is the caretaker of the group. When a baby cries she goes to see them. She likes pull the swing when the babies are in it, or rock their little playpen. She also likes to push Vasili's stroller. She goes up to caretakers to be picked up. She hates being in the playpen and will rock side to side whining. She is very sweet.

Denis- Pronounced Denise, bald, brown eyes, around a year old. He is a bit nervous. He cries when the other ones hit him with a toy but instantly stops when he is picked up. He doesn't really like being held, and doesn't seem to trust people. I spent a lot of time with him outside on Friday and I think he started to trust me. At first, he didn't really want to touch me but then he was climbing on me and smiling. He is very sweet and rarely complains. He really hates the potty but can be distracted pretty easily. He rubs his head against the playpen bars when he is upset. He can't walk but I've been trying to make him. He is holding the spoon and cup pretty well to feed himself (with my guidance). He is often left in the playpen alone because he doesn't complain like the others.

Valeru-Curly blond hair, blue eyes, dimples, almost 2. When I first got here, he never cried. I watched as Catilin hit him over the head with a toy and he didn't react at all. Then, this Friday, he got hit and started crying. I picked him up and he stopped. He is a pleaser and is almost always happy. He was sick and went to the infirmary for a while. I think he must have been abused at home. He is very cautious of everyone. While the other older ones play with me, he doesn't really come near. He does like being thrown in the air, but he won't come to me like the others will. He doesn't cry at potty time and can also be left in the playpen for long periods of time because he doesn't complain. He is very talkative though, always making lots of sounds.
Stanislav-Blond hair, brown eyes, big cheeks, probably 9 months. I call him Baby John because he looks like my brother when he was a baby. He loves being held and curls up in a tight ball against my chest. He is a bit fussy. The masseuse comes every day to massage him, and he is a bit jerky in his movements. I also call him tongue baby because his tongue is always sticking out of his mouth, even when he smiles.
Euraslav-Brown hair (only on very top of his head), brown eyes, probably 6 months. The masseuse comes for him everyday too. He smiles whenever I say his name or look at him. He likes being held a lot.

Maria-Black hair, black eyes, 6 months. She also gets massaged daily. She is pretty calm, doesn't cry very often and is usually just laying in her crib sucking her thumb. At first, she didn't smile when I cooed to her. I'd tickle her and she didn't really like it. Now, she smiles whenever she sees me. She loves to hear her name and loves being touched. She definitely shows signs of attachment disorder. I think it is good she is attaching to me. She is a very cuddly baby.

Madelyn-Brown hair, brown eyes, probably 7 or 8 months. She is pulling herself up and starting to sit. She cries sometimes to be held. She likes to explore and coos a lot to herself. She smiles pretty easily.

Adolph- Blond hair, bright blue eyes, cleft chin, 7 or 8 months. He loves to explore. He is pulling himself up and crawling a little. He can sit up on his own. He can be pretty demanding at times but once he is a place where he can explore, like his walker, he's happy. He smiles pretty easily and likes being tickled. He is a very pretty baby. He moves around a lot and is almost always on top of another baby. We'll hear some crying and look over to see Adolph climbing on another baby.

Andrei-Brown hair, brown eyes, 5 months. He has a tooth coming in on the bottom which shows when he smiles. He has a pretty congested chest but laughs really easily. His laugh is a smoker's laugh. He loves being tickled and cuddled. I wasn't sure if he was a boy or girl until recently and didn't know his name. To find out what his name was, because I was too embarrassed to ask after being around him for so long, I looked at the names on the cribs. I thought I could figure it out by default, knowing all the other babies' names. I noticed a crib with Basile on it and I thought that must be him (although it still didn't really tell me if he was a boy or girl, however it sounded more like a boy's name to me). Then, later, I realized that that wasn't his name. That crib was for the 3 month old who never sleeps in it. I looked around for another crib and saw Andrei. I had been cooing to him that he was a pretty girl for a couple of months by that point because he was almost always dressed in pink. They don't really pay attention to clothing colors at the orphanage, I think whether or not it fits is more important.

Cristiana  and Crisitan- Twins, girl and boy, brown hair, brown eyes, 6 months. Cristian has been sick the past couple weeks and has been in the infirmary. Cristiana is very sweet and playful. She loves being in the walker and will push herself over to you. She talks a lot. She likes being held and cuddled. She is just learning to sit up on her own.

Artur- Brown hair, brown eyes, sticking out ears, 6 months. I think he is the most attached to me. He is always looking at me and smiles whenever I say his name. He cries for me to hold him. He loves to hear me talk to him and look into his eyes. He smiles very easily and laughs. He likes to touch my hand as I feed him his bottle. I wasn't sure if  he were a girl or boy when I first saw him because he was wearing pink. However, when I asked what his name was I figured it out.

Monasteries

      This past week has been very busy. I've worked at the orphanage every day and really enjoyed it. I have a couple of older children and am trying to teach them some sign language. Right now, they just cry and whine whenever they want something. I'm trying to teach them to say please and show me what they want. I've gotten them to start coming to me. I'll move my fingers and say 'Come on' and then they'll totter towards me and I'll pick them up and throw them in the air. They love it. The other babies have been so sweet too. There are still some in quarantine, and we take them out to play in the main room when the others are napping.
    Every day a lady comes in with special swaddling blankets and swaddles some of the babies. She only swaddles them from the belly button down and she has a list with the names of the babies to be swaddled. On Tuesday, I got a good look at the swaddling and noticed that the babies are swaddled in clay. It is a big square of clay that is wrapped in plastic and then a blanket. The woman puts the baby's legs (sans diaper) on the clay and then swaddles the baby tightly. I had never seen such a thing before and was very confused by it. I asked a couple of people about it, and they didn't know what it was. Then I asked one of the caregivers, in russian. She said it was Parafina. I googled it and it looks like they are using parfin wax to swaddle the babies in. Parfin wax is used for arthritus and other forms of pain, so I assume that is what they are using it for with the babies-some kind of pain relief.
      The other volunteers haven't been having as much luck with their caregivers as I have. In fact, their caregivers really would rather not have them there. One their second day, the caregivers made the volunteers take a child into another room. They didn't want to be around them. Then, after lunch, the caregivers refused to let the volunteers back into the room. Vika called  the orphanage and everything was cleared up, however, there are still a couple of caregivers who won't even look at the volunteers. It is not a nice environment to be in.
     On friday after work, Vika took us to Mall-dova, the mall here in Chisinau. (Yes, it really is called Mall-dova). We had Greek for dinner and then she took us to her fruit and chocolate place. It's a little stand that sells cups of ice cream with fruit and covered in chocolate. I got white chocolate in mine. It was delicious. We went back today for more!
    Saturday, Valeru, picked us up and took us to a couple of monasteries. One monastery, Orhei Vechi, was built into a cliff over looking a river. It was amazing. We climbed up a hill and went into a church at the very top. We walked down a darkened, stone cooridor into the chapel. Then, we opened a door that lead out onto a ledge. It was incredible. In the 13th century, monks had carved out a series of caves in the cliff to live in. The 'dormotory' where the monks lived still exists. It is a low ceilinged stone room with twelve little compartments. We had to hunch over to walk around. One monk still lives there. He speaks a little bit of English and said Hello to us as we passed him on the path. The monastery was breath taking.
    Before taking us to the monastery, Valeru took us to a traditional Moldovan house. He showed us the Casa Mare, which is the guest house. It's used by the family in the summer, but when guests come they give it up and move into another, smaller house. They keep the Casa Mare very clean, because they believe Jesus is always a guest in that house. It was a little wood cottage that was very cute. The real house was a stone house, carved into the side of the hill. It was very small, with a lofted area where the children slept. The loft was made of stone and carved out underneath so that a fire could be made inside to heat the children's bed. The mother and father had separate beds on the ground. Next to the real house was the cellar, where all the wine and food was kept. Many people in Moldova make their own wine. Valeru told us, it used to be a tradition to pick grapes on the day your child was born, put them in a barrel and bury them in the yard. Then dig the barrel up the day of that child's wedding.
      The other monastery we went to was called Curchi and it was also very beautiful. About 40 monks live there today. It's not in the side of a cliff but is a brilliant red color. A monk gave us a little bit of a tour with Valeru translating.
    After visiting the monasteries, Valeru took us to his home in a village outside of Chisinau. There we meet his wife (we'd actually met her before), his two young sons, infant daughter and mother-in-law. His wife, Victoria, is an English teacher and she took us to her school, right across the street, to meet a couple of her students. We spoke with  them in English for about an hour. They were very nice, and very excited to practice their English. I will be going back, and one of them offered to make me a Moldovan dish that I am excited to try.
    After the English lesson, we went back to Valeru's house for dinner. We had had a large lunch and we were still full but we ate what they put in front of us anyway. It was soup, noodles, and peaches. They have a large garden and do a lot of canning so we got to try a couple juices they had made. We also tried some wine Valeru had bought from a Monastery. It was very good. Sweet and very grapey. After dinner, the whole family piled into the car and dropped us off at home.
    Today is Memorial day here and on Monday no one works. However, Vika asked at the orphanage and they said that we can come in tomorrow. The other volunteers are only here for one more week and they didn't work last monday, half tuesday and half wednesday. They didn't want to miss out on anymore days.
     Today we were very busy once again. We went to the craft market early in the morning and then got on a bus to visit a very beautiful blue church I had noticed on our way to Mall-dova. Then we headed to the central market, where I bought a puke apron (an apron with sleeves to wear over my clothes at work since I have been getting spit up upon regularily). The other volunteers bought some small hay brooms to give as soveigners. After the market, we went to the grocery store and then headed home. We had some tea and then went to a restaurant for lunch. We had mushroom pancakes, corn mush (that's what it is actually called, it is like grits and served with sour cream and feta cheese) and fries. After lunch, we grabbed a bus and went to visit a cemetery.
    On Memorial day, everyone goes to the cemetery to lay flowers on the graves of their loved ones. They also bring a big meal and everyone eats over the graves. Quite a few graves actually have picnic tables overtop of them so that people can eat on the graves. The cemetery was pretty busy. A lot of the grave stones had pictures of people on them, which were interesting. The cemetery wasn't as organized as ours tend to be,. Their graves were surrounded by metal fences and set close to one another, facing different ways. We passed a huge gravestone of a husband and wife holding hands and then we realized we had seen them before. While walking past the National Palace (a music venue) we saw that there was to be a concert in memory of the famous singers Ion and Doina. This was their grave.
      After the cemetery, we took a bus back home and then took a bus to Mall-dova for some more fruit and chocolate. Buses here are 20 cents so we don't feel too guilty about taking 6 buses in one day. Now we're back home, drinking monastery wine and relaxing. Vika has gone home this weekend for the holiday, so it is just the volunteers and me. It's going to be so hard to say goodbye to them in a week.
     

Villages, Blessed Cake and Prehistoric Suitcases

     On Friday, I took a day off from the orphanage and Victoria took me to a village. We bought lots of groceries, including a special Easter cake (Easter was that Sunday for them, a week after ours). We gave a bag of groceries and a sack of potatoes to each family. I also gave them some coloring books and crayons I had brought from America. Their eyes lit up at the groceries and the kids couldn't stop grinning when they saw the coloring books.
    Most of the families met us at the city hall but we went to visit some of them in their homes. One family was a new family to Victoria, who has been feeding these families every month. She has a friend in the UK who fundraises and sends 30 euros each month. They are sponsoring 10 families. The new family was very poor. They had a pig and some potato fields. When we got there, a little girl came out to meet us. She looked to be about 8 to me, but Victoria (Vika) said she was 12. The mother also came out and she was clearly drunk. We gave them the food and Vika asked if the little girl had eaten anything today. She just looked at her mom, who said she had had some potatoes, but we didn't believe her. The mom took us inside and showed us all the water damage from rainwaters that had flooded their house. The outside of the house seemed big, but there was only one room in use inside. It was very small and everybody slept, ate, etc. there. The mom lives there with her husband, two older kids, and the little girl. They didn't have electricity or running water and the little girl ran to fill a bucket of water for washing while we were there.
   We stopped by another house and the inside was very tiny again, although the outside was beautifully ornate and freshly painted. A young boy was outside in the yard sweeping up. Inside was a grandma. While we were there, a little girl came home. She had something wrong with her feet and couldn't walk right. I gave her some stickers. It was hard to see people living in such poverty. They were so dirty and had so little room. I didn't get much of what was going on but Vika's friend Andre translated some for me.
     On Saturday, another volunteer, Helen, came. She is from the UK and we hit it off right away. Before she came on Saturday, I wandered around town. I went to the central market, which is just like Ukraine's markets. I bought some small soveigners. I also found a little craft market. I was admiring a ceramic egg that had children on it, and asked (in Russian) how much it cost. The man told me and while I was translating from Russian to English, he asked me if I spoke Spanish. I said yes, a little. We continued our conversation in Spanish. He said he was from Cuba and he was obviously very fluent in Spanish. It was interesting speaking in Spanish while in Moldova. The same thing had happened to me in Korea, I met a woman who only spoke Spanish and we conversed using that language.
    Sunday morning Helen and I woke up at 430 AM to go to church. It was Easter sunday and we went to the church right by our house to have our Easter cake blessed. We stood outside the church with a large group of people and the priest came by and sprayed our cake and us with holy water. He drenched our cake. We came back home around 530, ate some cake, and went back to bed.
   Later we woke up and walked around. The city was dead because it was a holiday. Around 4, Caroline, another volunteer, arrived.
    On Monday, we couldn't go to the orphanage because it was a holiday and for some reason we aren't allowed to be at the orphanage on weekends or holidays. We took Caroline around. Vika had gone home to spend Easter with her mom. She came back around 2 and then she took us to another orphanage. It is called Saved the Children, and she works there as the PR manager. There were about 7 boys, ranging in age from 4-10. There usually are more children, both boys and girls. This orphanage works more as a home for children while there parents get their acts together or are out making money. Most of the kids don't stay there for very long.
     The kids were very active. We threw balls and played with legos. They were very cute and gave us kisses when we left.
    Today we went to the orphanage. My door was sealed up and I had to go around and enter through the outside. Some of the babies are under quarantine. I went into the quarantined room and was immediately thrown up upon by a baby. I also was covered in snot by the time I left for lunch.
   I'm making some progress with the children. I've been taking the older ones out to walk around and they are quickly learning to walk. I get them to walk to me and then I throw them up in the air and they love it. I got another little baby to smile. She hadn't been feeling very well, and I hadn't seen her smile until today. When I got to the orphanage today, the caregivers poured me a glass of champagne and we all drank some champagne and ate chocolate before the babies woke up. Later, one of the caregivers gave me some Easter cake to eat. They are very nice.
   Helen and Caroline got to the orphanage around 1130 today because they needed to go to the doctor and get their paperwork in order. They are working with group 8, which is special needs children. They really love working with the children. Most of the children can't walk and a majority are blind. They range in age between 3 months and 5 years. They just need to be held and played with, like the babies.
   After the orphanage today, we went to the National History Museum which was very interesting. We were in the prehistoric room and was looking at a exhibit of prehistoric clothing when we noticed a suitcase sitting in the display. Prehistoric suitcase. We then noticed that the sign said, Artist and a guys name so we figured it wasn't actually authentic.
     

Babies!

     I've been working at the orphanage for the past 4 days and have been loving it. All I do is hold babies! There are nurses and caregivers who take care of the babies' needs but no one to just sit and hold them. I give the babies a turn, trying to hold everyone at least once. There are about 15 babies. There are 4 children who are over 1, who can walk and move around. All of them are showing signs of attachment disorder or abuse. I watched as one little girl, Catalina (who is a bit violent) hit a little boy (Valeri) really hard and he didn't react. I've never heard him cry. The other older ones won't touch me when I hold them. Usually when you pick a baby up they put there arms around you or on you somewhere. They keep their hands away from me, as if I'm dirty. I know this is from attachment disorder. I'm trying to show them positive touch and interaction. I'm going to try to look up information on RAD to see what exercises I can do with them to help.
     The rest are babies, 9 months and younger. There is one 3 month old baby, who I sing to and cuddle. They all love being held and snuggled. They are all so happy and always smiling. There are only two who are a bit fussy and yell at me whenever I set them down. I think it's good that I will be there 5 days a week for two months. Hopefully they'll be able to bond with me and form an attachment. I know it will be hard to say goodbye but at least they will have that time with me. The orphanage is run by the government which has very little money to give (due to corruption). Some of the clothing is old and has holes in it. Each baby only gets two diapers a day and when those are used up they have to go without which means many changes of clothes. I've been buying diapers on my way to the orphanage everyday.
      Today I brought chocolate to celebrate my birthday and the caregivers and nurses were very grateful. They all wished me a happy birthday (I think) and kissed me on the cheek. It was very sweet.

I've arrived!

     I've arrived in Moldova. It was a long 18 hours and I got to Moldova extremely jet lagged. I arrived around 1 in the afternoon yesterday, after a layover in Munich, where it was snowing. The weather was beautiful in Moldova, 60 degrees. When I walked out of the airport, I looked around for the woman who was to meet me there. I looked for a sign, but not seeing any I headed to the closest money exchange and exchanged some money. The rate is about 11.5 Lei to a dollar. After getting money, I looked around some more and started heading toward the other side of a large crowd of people. I stopped for a moment to look around and was approached by a woman I had noticed before. She asked me if my name was Jacy and then introduced herself as Victoria. She said she didn't think I was the volunteer she was looking for because I had so little baggage. I had two small wheeley bags, a small backpack, and a messenger bag. The bigger of my wheeley bags was full of crayons, books and toys for the kids. I had packed two months worth of clothes in a very small bag. I like to travel lite.

      We got a taxi and headed into Chisinau (pronounced Kiss-now). The taxi dropped us off at Victoria's flat, where I would be staying. On the way to the flat I met Victoria's boyfriend Roman. Victoria is 25 years old and has a degree in Social Work. She works with the orphanage only as a volunteer. She volunteers at the orphanage through Service for Peace, a non-profit organization headquartered in America. Later, I met the man who had started the Service for Peace branch in Moldova. He, along with everyone else working for it, is a volunteer. Victoria works three other jobs along with volunteering with Service for Peace. Real Gap, the company I came here through which is in UK, helps them find volunteers and pays for accommodations, food, and a donation out of the money we pay. Everyone I spoke to was real grateful to Real Gap for helping find the volunteers the orphanage needs.

    After I had settled into the flat, Victoria took me to a restaurant for lunch. There, I had Borsch, and met the founder of Service for Peace and a man who works as a translator for the company. They both spoke English and had been to Korea for conferences for Service for Peace. After lunch, we all went back to Victoria's flat, and the three of them talked business while I went to lay down. I fell asleep for 3 hours, woke up, took a shower, and went back to bed. My clock on my phone has not changed over to Moldovan time, so I set my alarm for 12:30 midnight which was 7:30 AM here. I slept very well but it was hard getting out of bed at 7:30, it being midnight to my body. I got up and got ready, ate cereal and had tea. At 9 a woman (another Victoria) came to the door and I let her in. She was taking me to the passport and medical offices to get a little blue book that the orphanage could hold onto while I was working there. She is married to the man (Valeri) who started Service for Peace in Moldova, and they have three young children. She was very nice and I asked her many questions. I found out that the main language in Moldova is Romanian, which is a mix of latin and russian. I noticed a lot of spanish sounding words, and they don't use the Cyrillic alphabet so I can read the signs. Russian is also very common here and so I've been using that to communicate.

     At the medical office, I didn't have a certificate from my doctor at home saying I was healthy. I had read that I needed to see a doctor before I went, but it said to check yes or no if I had, and didn't mention anything about a medical certificate. Victoria was afraid I'd have to get my blood drawn, get checked for TB and have a urine test which would take all day. However, a little bribe goes a long way, and the doctor stamped my blue book without even looking at me.

    After the doctor's office, we met up with Valeri and he took me to the bus stop to catch the bus to the orphanage. My flat is in the center of Chisinau, along the main street. The orphanage is about a 20 minute ride from there. At the orphanage, I met with the director and was asked my preference. I said I'd like to work with 0-3year olds. They put me with group five. A normal day will go from 9-12, lunch, then 2-4. Today we arrived at 11 and Valeri just wanted me to work until 12 so he could take me  back, he had a meeting at 2.

      In the room for group 5, there were about 15 babies, and 4-5 workers. There are also nurses who come in and out, checking on everyone, and some women who come in to take babies outside. I met everyone and had to change into slippers to keep the floor clean. There is an outer office, where a nurse sits, writing down information, then a little hallway that leads into a big room with playpens and toys. Two rooms lead off of the big room and have cribs. When I arrived, there was one baby in a stroller in the entrance room with the nurse.  Nobody spoke English so I used my little bit of Russian and gestures to communicate. One woman gestured for me to pick up a little baby and I picked her up and held her. There was another baby in a walker and the women told me that they were twins, Christie and Chrisitana. I was only there for an hour before nap time and Christie fell asleep in my arms. I held another baby for a while. He wasn't tired, very curious and he liked to smile and laugh. After an hour Valeri got me and we went back to the flat.

     I made it to a grocery store today and bought some of my favorite things from Ukraine: Blue Fruit tea, Lavash (flat bread-like tortillas), and veggies. I came home and watched tv on my phone and fell asleep briefly. Its 8:00 now and I'll be headed off to bed soon. Keep checking my blog www.jacysorphanageadventure.com for posts and pics (haven't gotten any pics yet). Hope you are all doing well. Love, Jacy

Hello all,

Due to your contributions, I will be getting on a plane in a couple of hours to fly to Moldova. It'll be about an 18 hour flight, with stopovers in Charlotte and Munich. I fly Lufthansa. I'm all packed, with an extra suitcase full of toys, books and crayons for the kids. Someone will be there to pick me up at the airport and I'll be staying at the flat of a woman who works at the Orphanage. We've corresponded via email. I've also talked with two other volunteers who will be coming later in April. I'm excited to celebrate my 30th birthday in a couple of days! Thank you all so much for your help in making this possible, I've almost reached my goal! Keep checking my blog for pics and posts from Moldova. Love, Jacy

Jacy's 30th Birthday Orphanage Adventure

      No one can deny, turning 30 is a big life event. I've decided to celebrate my 30th birthday doing things that I love, travelling and working with children. I need your help to fund my trip to volunteer at an orphanage in Moldova. Eastern Europe is notoriously known for the lack of support and care within its orphanages. Chisinau, Moldova, situated between Romania and Ukraine, has an orphanage in need of my help. I will spend two months living in Chisinau, caring for infants and toddlers. Many of these orphanages are more or less a warehouse for children, with one care-taker to every 40 children. If these children are lucky enough to get adopted, adjusting to their new lives in safe and loving homes is difficult. Many of these children haven't even received the eye contact necessary to grow into well-adjusted adults, let alone touch and comfort. The program I am going with is called Real Gap. For two months, starting April 8th, I will work in Chisinau. The program cost is $2,859, which includes: -Airport transfer -Orientation -Accomodation -2 meals a day -Emergency support -Internet access. However, this cost does not include my flight. I need your help in raising money for this trip.

 So, in lieu of gifts this year, I'm asking my friends and family to help fund my trip to Moldova. Thank you so much for your support!