Pauline in Romania june 2001

MY NAME IS PAULINE SPARKES AND I LIVE IN BRISTOL .I HAVE SUPPORTED CONVOY AID FOR ABOUT 2 1/2 YEARS. ROD AND GABI ASKED ME NEARLY A YEAR AGO TO GO TO ROMANIA TO SEE WHAT WORK THE CHARITY DOES. I EVENTUALLY PLUCKED UP THE COURAGE AND WENT WITH ROD & GABI IN APRIL, TRAVELLING ACROSS EUROPE. VERY EVENTFUL. WE WERE FINED BY THE AUSTRIAN POLICE 77 POUNDS LESS FOR ME TO HELP THE ROMANIANS. WE ARRIVED IN BIVOLARI ON GOOD FRIDAY .THE HOUSE WE WERE STAYING AT WAS WARM AND VERY COSY. WE WERE MADE WELCOME BY GABI'S SISTER DANIELA.
I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR WHAT WAS IN STORE FOR ME OVER THE NEXT 2 WEEKS. SO MANY OF THE FAMILIES HAVEN'T ELECTRICITY OR WATER IN THEIR HOMES. THE COMMUNAL WELL CAN BE QUITE A DISTANCE AWAY. WE VISITED AN ELDERLY COUPLE WHO'S HOME IS GRADUALLY SLIDING DOWN ON A SLOPE. THIS COUPLE ARE IN THEIR 80'S. THERE IS NOWHERE ELSE FOR THEM TO GO .AND THE CONDITIONS THEY ARE LIVING IN ARE APPALLING.
MOST OF THE HOMES WE VISITED WITH PARCELS FROM GODPARENTS ARE ALONG VERY ROUGH DIRT TRACKS. A VERY BUMPY RIDE ON A HORSE AND CART.
WHILST WE WERE PARKED IN IASI ONE DAY A YOUNG BOY CAME UP TO ROD ASKING HIM FOR MONEY. THE LAD WAS LIVING WITH HIS GRANDMOTHER BECAUSE HIS MOTHER HAD LEFT AND WAS WORKING IN SPAIN. HE DIDN'T KNOW HIS FATHER. GABI FOUND OUT THAT HIS EYESIGHT WAS VERY BAD, BUT AT SCHOOL HE SAT AT THE BACK. HOW WOULD HE EVER LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE BOARD. GABI TOOK HIM TO THE OPTICIAN , HAD HIS EYES TESTED AND WE BOUGHT HIM NEW GLASSES. THE HOLE COST WAS JUST 30 POUNDS. THIS WILL BE ANOTHER FAMILY NOW ON CONVOY AID'S LIST. IF ONLY CONVOY AID HAD MORE FUNDS WE COULD ALL HELP MORE FAMILIES WITH AID. IF ANY OF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BECOME GODPARENTS PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH ROD AND GABI.
WE WERE ASKED TO HELP A VILLAGE SCHOOL REGARDING BUILDING REPAIRS. TO GET THERE WE HAD TO GO ALONG DIRT TRACKS AND ACROSS FIELDS. WE WERE MADE VERY WELCOME BY THE CHILDREN AND STAFF. GABI AND I WERE GIVEN FLOWERS. THE CLASSROOM WE LOOKED AT WAS IN AN AWFUL CONDITION. THE CEILING HAD COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED EXPOSING THE WOOD.. THE WALLS WERE IN DESPERATE NEED OF RE-PLASTERING. A MAJOR OVERHAUL. ESTIMATE COST 1000 POUNDS. THIS HAS NOW BEEN PUT ON CONVOY AID'S LIST . IF THIS SCHOOL WAS IN ENGLAND IT WOULD BE CONDEMNED. I LEFT THE SCHOOL WONDERING HOW THE TEACHERS COPE UNDER SUCH AWFUL CONDITIONS. THE SCHOOL DIDN'T HAVE WATER THERE.
THE POVERTY I SAW IN ROMANIA WILL REMAIN WITH ME FOR MANY YEARS. THE ORPHANAGES I VISITED ARE NOW MUCH BETTER. THE CHILDREN APPEAR TO BE LOOKED AFTER WELL. THEY WERE VERY HAPPY AS WE GAVE THEM BAGS OF SWEETS. FROM WHAT I SAW THE PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGES NEED MORE HELP NOW THAN THE ORPHANAGES. PLEASE HELP CONVOY AID WHENEVER POSSIBLE. THE ROMANIAN PEOPLE ARE SO VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE HELP THEY RECEIVE. I AM GLAD I WENT TO ROMANIA AS I SAW THE GOOD WORK THAT CONVOY AID IS DOING. THEY COULD DO SO MUCH MORE IF THE MONEY WAS THERE.
I HAVE SOME VERY HAPPY & SAD MEMORIES OF MY TRIP. HAPPY MEMORIES ESPECIALLY OF A YOUNG LAD I SPENT TIME WITH. HE WAS A LOVEABLE CHAP AND I WAS SAD TO LEAVE HIM. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIS CHEEKY SMILE. I AM HOPING TO RETURN ONE DAY. BUT DUE TO THE HORRENDOUS RETURN JOURNEY WE HAD ( ROD AND GABI HAVE PROBABLY WRITTEN ABOUT IT IN THEIR NEWSLETTER) I WILL FLY TO BUCHAREST NEXT TIME.
THANK YOU ROD AND GABI FOR THE EXPERIENCES . THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY.