The way back home

Alongside all of these exciting adventures, the reason I spent the 3 months in the summer of 2011 living and working in Moldova was to lead teams of volunteers from the UK as they used their summer holiday to renovate the house of one of the neediest families in the village. It was such a joy to see the volunteers journey through their two week experiences, learning about a new culture and throwing themselves into something really special. What a mixed bunch came along! One team was a youth group, whilst other teams were formed of retired couples who proved that at any age adventures can be had. One of the hardest things about a trip like this was adjusting to UK life upon my return and it has been a joy to re-live that summer by sharing it with all of you. Currently I am based in the Mission Direct offices, doing the behind the scenes stuff to facilitate other teams going overseas. Opportunities are available not only in Moldova but also in 11 other countries, across Africa, South America and Asia. If you would be interested in getting involved, feel free to call the office on 01582 589985. Alternatively, drop us a line on info@missiondirect.org 

Down-time in Bucharest

As we don’t fly home until the end of the week we decided to spend a couple of days in Bucharest. Although, we have been backwards and forwards from the airport with the teams all summer, we haven’t actually ever explored the city. It has worked really well as is a bit of a half-way house between life in the village and life back home in the western world. We explored the tree lined streets that have a historic Paris feel to them and are beautiful! Alongside this though is the communist influence and a darker feel as the more recent history becomes apparent. The city was bombed heavily during the war and in 1977 in earthquake destroyed many of the buildings. The Palace of Parliament which was built in the 1980s is the largest civilian building in the world and has over 1,000 rooms! We had the classic tourist tour which was an hour and a half and we didn’t even scratch the surface as we only covered 5% of it! Ceauşescu built it under his dictatorship but was shoot in 1989 before it’s completion. The best bit of the day was the restaurant this evening. Such character! All the staff we in local traditional dress and we ate downstairs in the wine-cellar with live music! It has been a real treat to have a bit of a holiday at the end of what has been a very eventful summer. 

Home Visits

With each of the teams we did some home visits to some of the most vulnerable in the village. We’d spend time chatting and praying with them as well as leaving them some gifts. One of the visits was to see two sisters. As with many Moldovans, their mother was working in Italy (as their are more employment opportunities there). The Father had been a soldier and fought in Afghanistan. Upon his return he suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder and there was very little support services available to help. Sadly, not long after the Mother left for Italy, he committed suicide. 

The girls are in their late teens and are now alone at home. It was such a difficult visit and I really wanted to spend some more time with the girls. They have a few animals as most Moldovans do, but I found out that in the time we were in the house chatting someone had stolen their prized possession, a cow. It really shuck me up to think our visit had provided the perfect distraction for someone to take it and to think that someone had been watching us. I felt so helpless leaving the girls at the end of the summer, but was able to leave most of my clothes with them, which put the most lovely smiles on their faces as they began trying them on and discussing who could have what. Such a simple thing, that will never make a terrible situation right again, but at least can bring a little bit of joy in a broken home. 

Poverty

Today, was one of the most challenging days I've spent in Moldova. We took a bus into the town and as always it was jam-packed. This usually adds to the amusement of the adventure but today I was utterly shocked. 

We stopped to take more people onto the bus (which was already full).  A mother helped her teenage daughter up the step. She was clearly very ill and in a real state. She began having a fit, losing consciousness with her eyes rolling back in her head. She kept throwing up and her hands couldn't stop twitching. It was so harrowing to see what poverty really means. If you can’t afford a healthcare you have to make the best of things. I don’t know where the mother was trying to get her to but she seemed so desperate. We were able to give her some water but, in a cramped bus you feel so helpless as to what you could do in what was clearly a very serious situation. You wondered what their story was and if she would make it to a hospital. Poverty really means a loss of dignity in appalling situations. 

Football

One of the Youth Leaders at the village church runs a football practice for the teenage lads early in the mornings when it’s still cool. It has been really special  to get involved with this and watch them practice. One image that has stuck with me has been watching them queuing at the well, taking turns to drink from the bucket after the game. A bit of a different from the Lucozade waiting on the bench for players back home. 

They have a ‘God Slot’ before practice and for many this is the only contact they will have with the Church. They then have a prayer circle which again was a striking image as they put arms round each other and form a circle in the middle of the dusty field. I felt so privileged to then be able to share my story with the boys and the only downfall of the morning was stepping on some glass on the field! 

Health

Driving through the village we pulled over to see one of our local friends. He had been having stomach pains for a few days and our driver wanted to drop something off for him. When we asked what it was he showed us an unlabelled bottle and explained that it contained berries from the Romanian mountains that have medicinal qualities. Moldovans are so much more open to natural remedies than we are here, focusing on western medicines.

Some of the volunteers had brought glasses to give to the local people. Today we set up a table and put them all out. It was lovely to watch the elderly folk trying on the glasses to find ones that made it easier for them. They were so thrilled and the uptake was staggering. 

Unwelcome guests

One of the joys of this trip is living with a local family. We have been welcomed with open arms and a comfortable bed, but we have had the odd unexpected visitor! 

Last week I pulled my shoes out from under the bed to find a toad in one of them! Today beats that hands down though. This morning I was just heading out the door when out of the corner of my eye something moved on a sheet that was covering some bags of grain. 

After a double take and a totally girly scream, sure enough I found a grass snake in the bedroom! In the shock (on both parts) it slid behind the bookcase and we couldn't get it out. The family were out for the day and we had arranged to go to lunch with someone in the village. Reluctantly we shut all the doors and left. 

When we got back we (as casually as possible) told our host family that we had a snake in the bedroom somewhere and did they have any suggestions as to how to catch it! The room was methodically turned upside down as clothes and suitcases were searched through. Long story short, the snake came to a sad end with a shovel. Just when we thought the drama was over the 9 year old boy we are living with thought it would be a laugh to chase me down the street with the dead snake, boys will be boys! 

Fishing

Last year the village flooded very badly. The army were involved in a mass-sandbagging operation leading to the flood waters eventually receding. However, a year on and still water covers some of the farmland. Although, land has been lost, the locals make good use of this area for fishing and today for the first time we ventured down to the water’s edge. After stumbling across a beautiful tiled fountain, we watched the sunset. The fishermen were enjoying the tranquility and the locals were herding their sheep back up to the village for the night. It was such a special moment. 

The Locals

The language barrier took on a whole new meaning today as we headed to the next town to get haircuts. In a room full of Moldovans who only speak Russian, we had a fun morning trying to describe how we usually have our hair styled. We needn’t have worried though as the woman did a lovely job, and at a fraction of the cost of what you pay back home!

Although on the whole the teams have been in good health, one girl was ill on the journey to Bucharest. We pulled up at the side of the road in rural Romania. It was so touching as the family from the nearby house invited us in and helped us out. I don’t expect they have a minibus of English people on their doorstep all that often but they were the perfect hosts and incredibly generous as they gave us all drinks and ensured we were all well before wishing us on our way. 

Tourism

We are currently having a ‘down week’ in between teams so we drove to the capital city, Chisinau. A muffin and a cuppa in McDonalds felt a luxury!  The morning was spent exploring the National Art Gallery and History Museum. It was so poignant to read about World War II from a non-British perspective. Once again we were reminded of what a brutal past this country has and how it has been passed about from pillar to post for decades. You can really appreciate the Russian and Romanian influence among the people, as Moldova only became an independent country 20 years ago.

The Lonely Planet guide suggested the caves and monastery of Orheiul Vechi as a highlight of the country, so we drove to see them as they aren't too far from Chisinau. Considering it was one of the biggest tourist attractions of the country, no-one else was there! It just shows how undiscovered Moldova is as a holiday destination. The only restaurant in the area only catered for weddings so we raided their resources of crisps and biscuits as a makeshift (and highly nutritious!) lunch. We then walked up to the caves which had quite a view from the top, however the most dramatic part of the afternoon was disturbing a wasp nest, our driver came of worst, poor thing! 

Weddings

Today, we went to the wedding of one of the girls from the village. Other than driving the minibus into a well on the way, it was a quiet journey to the church! It was such a fun day and the celebrations were so natural. The local Baptists do not drink or dance so the wedding was celebrated by a massive feast with a bit of a talent show too. All the guests sang songs and played music for the bride and groom. The feast itself went on for about 4 hours and all the local ladies had helped to prepare it. Food was cooked outside the church on an open fire and it all tasted great!

A couple on our second team drove from the UK in their campervan- what an adventure! ‘Elvis’ their Eldis motorhome made it no trouble at all and they were able to bring plenty of aid all the way from home. 

More food

Late summer means watermelons in Moldova! Huge watermelons can be bought off the back of a cart on the side of the road. Massive chunks are tucked into and there is no ladylike way of tackling it! We have taken to Watermelon eating competitions with the team, which has been hysterical. Watermelon can be eaten at any time and watermelon snack was incorporated into a wedding celebration that we attended the other day. By mid-afternoon all the guests piled out into the cool of the shade to tuck in.

The locals boil their home-grown fruits over the fire to make compote. This can then be drunk warm or left to cool. The fruit is left in and it is served with a ladle, like punch. Cherry, apple, pear, peach compotes are all popular.

Plachenta is a local dish made with puff pastry and cheese in a sort of savoury plait. As I’m not a cheese fan I can’t stand the stuff and our relationship didn’t get off to the best start as we first called it placenta!

The locals grow much of their own food, which therefore means that season’s hugely dictate their diets. As so much produce is harvested in late summer, the fruits and vegetables are bottled and pickled for the winter months when food is more scarce. The massive jars are then kept in the cellars of the houses. 

Food

Today, we shared homemade soup with one of the local couples. It’s so special to spend time getting to know them and be welcomed into their home. We were shown all their wedding photos and ate some of their home grown cucumber. Cucumbers are eaten like we would eat an apple, you just work your way through a whole one!

I love the biscuits here. They are crumbly and a bit like shortbread. You can buy them by the kilogram for a few Lei and the teams have been buying bags of them to take home to their families. One girl bought a bag full and on leaving the shop was asked by a local (in Romanian) ‘Could I have one?’ Imagine that in Tesco, sharing your McVities with the next person in the queue as you wait to be served.

There are field upon field of sunflowers in Moldova and there are stunning in mid-summer. Sunflower seeds are therefore never in short supply. They are still in their shells and there seems to be a knack to shelling them with your teeth but I still haven’t got it! 

Cultural differences

We were on the building site today and one of the locals from the church came striding up to me declaring that Emily House was dead. After a fair bit of miming and a good 5 minutes of broken English, we finally determined that he was trying to tell us that Amy Winehouse had sadly died. It's so strange to be on a dusty building site in a village in Moldova and receiving news that will be on the front pages of the newspaper back home.

We also found out that one of our drivers worked for two days in order to pay for his Bible. It is stories like that that really put things in context and make you realise how much you take for granted.

There isn’t the fear of strangers in this culture and a friend of a friend is always welcome. After dropping our second team at the airport (Bucharest) we picked up a man who needed a ride back to the village. He had been in Romania for 2 months trying to find work. After limited success he was heading back to his family. He was very musical though and sang he heart out for the full 7 hour journey!

En-route back to the village there was an overturned lorry blocking the rural road so all the traffic was diverted through a farmer’s field. Can you imagine that here, an accident on the M1 diverts traffic through the surrounding farmland. Each day has surprises and I love getting a kick out of the unexpected and bizarre things that happen every day. 

Fun and Games

It is wonderful living with our host family and the little girl is just learning to talk. After much encouragement we finally got a ‘hello’ from her today.

Everyone cycles here. Kids manage adult bikes. It’s amazing how many people can be squeezed onto one bike too. Planks of wood are attached to the back wheel as additional seats for tiny tots!

We had a BBQ with some of the older people in the village today, complete with games. Old Moldovan ladies playing Jenga is just priceless! Great to see them actually having fun. The men in the village are also taking rounders very seriously. It's wonderful to see them so animated.

Being with the kids both at the holiday clubs and round the village is a joy. When else do you have an excuse to do the ‘Birdie Song’ and have water fights! It’s all a bit surreal but certainly not 9 to 5 at the office. 

Animals

We went into Cahul today on the local bus. What an adventure to live like the locals do. It was very crowded and the girl next to me was accompanied by a box of rabbits!

I love the spontaneity of life here. At 9.30 this evening we were invited to attend a birthday party. So we dropped everything, got in the car with the family we live with and set off into the night. What an evening of wonderful, genuine Moldovan hospitality as were welcomed into another home. The pet guinea pigs belonging to the two girls were the first pets I’ve come across in Moldova. Most of the household have dogs but they are strictly kept outside, chained in kennels and are guard dogs rather than available for cuddles!

Music

Music is a very important part of the Moldovan culture. Accordions are played by buskers in the nearby town of Cahul. The traditional bands also have violins, trumpets and clarinets. Typically very quick tempo and all sounds the same to me! They also have a national dance where they hold hands in a really big circle and do steps in sequence, getting faster and faster.

We are becoming fully acquainted with Bucharest Ikea as they offer a bit of comfort after the airport runs to pick up the volunteers. It always makes me smile as we drive to the airport under the highways of the city as there are always gig adverts. It’s surprising what makes it over to Romania. So far there have been adverts for Bon Jovi, The Deftones, Pendulum and Mika. Small world indeed! 

The village

The people you meet on the street in the village are so friendly. They always greet and embrace us. Many of the old ladies seem to live in slippers, the old-fashioned velvet ones. Some of the old people also have a mouth full of gold teeth. The men love their meat but it’s very expensive for them here. Our driver says he’s not full if he has a meal with no meat! It’s definitely man’s country here.

We arranged for the team to have a ride on the back of a local horse and cart. In broken English we managed to explain to the driver to take them to the end of the road and back. However, something got lost in translation and before we knew it they were merrily heading out of the village with no way of being understood. In a desperate moment our trusty driver jumped on his motorbike and heading in search of them, bringing them home in one piece and finding the whole thing a hilarious adventure!

I love the rustic feel to the local houses in the village. Today we had our meals with our translator and her family. It was such a privilege to see everyday life unfolding and her mother pickling the cucumbers for the winter months. Much of the summer produce is bottled as a pickle for the winter months where it can reach -20°C.

Alcoholism is such a problem here and the corner shops double up as bars as bottles of homebrew is poured out under the counter. The men then sit outside before staggering home through the village. As there is no street lights it can be a bit hairy driving down the main street when they’re wandering. 

Daily life

The teams fly to Bucharest (Romania) which means a day’s drive to the village of Gotesti, where we are working in Moldova. There is such diversity between the cities and the countryside. Bucharest does have a western feel to it. But as you leave the city, the road gradually deteriorates. However, the roads are surrounded by beautiful rural farmland.

There are many stray dogs, especially at petrol stations, but they don’t seem to bother us. The rural villages are so rustic. People travel by horse and cart however there is still the odd flash Mercedes which seems very incongruous to the backdrop. I suppose it highlights what country of inequality Moldova is.

There are plenty of smallholdings and geese, ducks, chickens and turkeys freely wander the streets. It's hard to tell whose is whose but it doesn’t seem to be an issue.

They seem to grow a lot of dill here. The smell often wafts through the air and it is in all our meals. Having never liked it I have quickly had to get used to it!

Thursday seems to be rubbish burning day in the village. There is no rubbish collection so people burn little bonfires in the street.  There is one main tarmac road that runs the length of the village but all the other roads are dirt tracks. They go from dry and dusty to mud-bath when it rains. I have even had to invest in wellies from the market! 

On the road again

The travel bug bit when I went to Zambia. I had been so impressed with the unique opportunity that Mission Direct offered. 2 weeks really does give you a taster of overseas mission work, without having to give up the day job! When the opportunity arose in the summer of 2011 to run a series of teams I didn't hesitate and immediately signed up. For ten weeks I immersed myself into daily life, living with the locals in a rural village in Moldova. ‘Where?’ I hear you muse.

Moldova is Europe’s poorest country and is sandwiched between Romanian and Ukraine in Eastern Europe. It is a country that has been described as Africa in Europe. The capital city of Chisinau may on the surface have similarities to a western city. But as you drive into the countryside the road deteriorate to dirt tracks and you are transported back in time to an era when people got water from the well, had horses and carts and grew much of their own food. This was my home from June-August 2011 as we hosted three teams from the UK. As with any Mission Direct trip, our focus was a building project, in this case refurbishing a lady’s house. Each team stayed for two weeks and I and my colleague had a down week in between each team in order to prepare for the next. That was the rhythm of the summer and these were my experiences….