This blog is getting more and more difficult to write, not because I don't want to and not because I have nothing to say. I think that my issue is related to the emotional journey that I am experiencing every step of the way. It is hard, when I read back over this diary entry, as I delete and re-write, delete and re-write, to make sure that I don't sound condescending or conceited, as this was never my intention. The experience is raw and touches me deeply which makes it hard not to gush, and to speak about the NGO with genuine feeling, for both the charity, the staff, the volunteers and the patients.
I think at the moment I am feeling what every volunteer goes through, questioning themselves. Am I doing enough? Can I do more? What more can I give? As I meet the staff and listen to their stories, I realise that what I am doing, although makes a small impact, is nothing in comparison to the hurdles they undertake every day. They start early, usually leaving late - and this is not only the Medical team, but also the Fundraising team that support them. Everyone is so dedicated to looking after the patient, that they sometimes forgo their own needs. Their are so many people asking, needing Hospice care and only a limited resource to meet their requirements.
This week I spent time with some UK high school volunteers who were in Romania to the week, not only helping Hospice Casa Sperantei but also other NGOs. Every day, three groups rotated through different experiences. It was interesting to see the changes day by day.
Day One: The group were positive, energised, even raucous, as they sang on the bus on the way out to the site for the future Paediatric Hospice Centre at a farm donated by a local family. They were expectantly looking towards the week, what they would see, what they would achieve.
At the farm, we met with the farmer and one of our wonderful staff members who led us through the site, showing specific points of interest, the animals, the vegetable garden, the chapel, the old homestead (I know this is not the right word for a two storey, expansive building with sunroom, and potential for a balcony) and site for medical centre and accommodation for patients and families. The girls (including myself) were then instructed to weed the gardens, and the boys to muck out the stables. This was hard, and seemingly uninspiring work but as the morning progressed and you could see the difference between what was, and now is, the group understood what they had achieved. A fountain was found, underneath all the weed, and undergrowth, and the chapel door was now easily accessible.
In the afternoon, the students were taken to Holiday Club, an annual event hosted by the Hospice. Here they were encouraged to led afternoon sessions, which they had painstaking planned for before their arrival to the country. Watching them play with the children, and seeing how the children responded to their energy and motivation was inspiring.
Day Two: The second group were quiet in comparison to the first day, there was low conversations on the bus ride over and the difference in energy was palatable. They had visited with a family that suffered extreme poverty only the day before, and this obviously impacted their thoughts and emotions. I was asked to show the team around this day, and I was grateful for the opportunity to show them what I had learned about the farm, the buildings and its future.
We uncovered this huge block of marble on this day, it looked like it had been a part of the garden. As we dug around, we could see that it was a part of the path, and created quite an impression when it fully revealed.
Uncovering these gems gave the students a real sense of achievement, and when they met the children at the Holiday Club in the afternoon, they understood who they were working for, and to what end. Again, the children loved having the students there, commenting on their hair, their appearance, their clothes. They asked them to sign their clothes at the end of the day, and you could see that these young volunteers were flattered to have made such an impression.
Day Three: From loud, to quiet, to sleep. The final group arrived on day three and were simply exhausted by their experiences. They slept on the bus ride out to the farm but were quickly underway and working on arrival and a quick tour of the farm. Today we worked on the steps and the path. A much bigger undertaking, and as the weather had taken a warmer turn, quite hard yakka! I wish I had the forethought to take before photos as majority of the weeds were at shoulder height!!
In the afternoon, games at the Holiday Program were underway, the students now having quite the reputation as a fun team... Outdoor activities including skipping, bubble-blowing and board games.
Tomorrow I am off to Brasov, to attend the 20 year Hospice Casa Sperantei Celebrations. It will mark the end of an inspiring week.
Dani xx
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