Sun, Swim and Suc

Ah.......Summer is finally here or vacation time I should say! My good friend is here Katy (normally we get asked if we are sisters and when I tell them no but we do have the same name it often follows "Oh well you could be twins then" erm yes because obviously our mother was unable to come up with a different name so she just changed the ending of KatIE to KatY!!) She does feel like a sister though as we have known each other since we were 4 and have stayed good friends through a lot of crazy times. It is a real blessing having her here not only because she is a good friend and it's nice to see her but also because it makes me slow down and say no to work and actually spend time relaxing and having fun.

Today we went to a pool I had never known of before. In Romania normally all the pools are thermal water and so taking a dip in them in this heat is not so refreshing however this pool was cool chlorinated water between 20 and 25 degrees so we had a lot of fun jumping in and swimming in the hot hot sun. We called it our day of sun, swim and suc (juice) hence the title. It cost the equivalent of 3 pounds and we were there most of the day and there was hardly anyone there it was a total AMAZING bargain!

Yesterday we went to this big river with the other mums and their kids so 13 of us in total. It's a really nice site that obviously not so many go to as it is peaceful and not completely strewn with rubbish. A wide river that for the most part doesn't get too deep with cool rippling waters that allow you to go with your ring or lilo floating downstream. A beach of sand and rocks allows for hot dog roasting and marshmallow melting fun and the beating sun encouraged all to venture into the shallows for a cooling dip. As we came home the sky was the most delightful pink and it was the first time in a while that I have felt as if I was relaxed and without stress over the crazy summer workload that has been on us all.

So work....what has been going on with that I hear you ask well let's have a think it's been a while since I wrote about work here so forgive me if I repeat myself or miss something out (although I guess you won't know if I do). OK well I wrote about camps and after that was helping Court and Jonte with their wedding amongst other things so since then let me think.....

The sisters: So every year the families from our group homes are entitled to a month off and of course they take it all at the same time. Meaning they suddenly disappear from their "kids" lives for an entire 4 weeks. That means of course that the homes have to be staffed which is fun to be able to have some time with them but hard because of course (in the case of the sisters) you have 5 girls acting up because they miss their "parents". It's a hard line as with all kids to understand where the behaviour comes from and how much to  accept it. Amongst several disciplinary issues we did manage to have some fun including paddling pools, walks int he park and me taking them on their first trip ever to the cinema. It was expensive but absolutely worth it!!

Camp: For two of the weeks the parents were away a camp was held for the 17 kids from the transit /group homes. The first week and a half was manned by a group of Romanians (friends from a church of one of the foundations employees). However the last 5 days were not covered so of course the volunteers were called in. I was there from Saturday evening through Monday morning and from rude teenagers to pretty much all the children bickering to children with severe attachment disorder who after half a day open up to you and tell you the most awful things to a bunch of people turning up and starting singing at 10.30 at night (when the kids are calm in bed with the lights off) who refuse to leave when you ask them nicely it was a complete disaster!! Safe to say I will not agree to be there next time they ask!! Camp is a great idea don't get me wrong but taking that many children with an age range of 2 to 22 and sticking them together for 2 weeks and having only 3 staff with them in the last few days Jeez never again.

Balla Family: They are doing OK I haven't been able to visit them as much as I should with everything else but things seem as good as can be expected for them. The mum was pregnant again and was in complete disarray with it knowing that with already 6 mouths to feed and living conditions that are completely unsanitary or acceptable they couldn't possibly cope with a 7th one. However, she lost her baby and I just felt so sad for her. I have never seen a woman so relieved to have lost her unborn child and it just makes me again realise the world where I live is and can be so unfairly harsh to many of the individuals living in it.

The babies: Again seeing as it's not foundation work and I can not take Cristi with me I have not been here at all as much as I should. On Monday I took Katy there and the cleaning lady was struggling (of course) to feed the 4 little ones (who have been there 1 for 5 months since birth and 3 for the past month and a half). She was so happy to see us walk in the door as she tried to prop up their bottles against their blankets whilst the others screamed for their food. Agh I just hate that I can not be there more. It would make such a difference to their lives if I could be. I just think how different some of our kids might have been if they had had some interaction in their first few months rather than lying unstimulated untouched in hospital cribs. My heart breaks for them. It is almost too hard to write this.

Cristi: He is well. Summer has been long and full and so hard on him but these last few days have been good for him. School will start back again on Sept 12th or there about so we are trying to get the most from these last few weeks and enjoy our guests before routine once again kicks in. Our good friends just finished their adoption so of course that has opened up a whole bunch of questions about our process and what it will mean to visit Scotland - who we will meet and what we will see. However walking to work on Monday it was cold (prob around 18 degrees) and he had 2 tops and a jumper on and he looked at Katy and asked if it ever gets cold like this in Scotland and she answered well this is probably a hot day there so he stared and me and laughed mama I don't think I'm gonna like being there! We did all have a chuckle at that.

Jokes aside I do need some help I am serious when I write on the side of my blog that I need 200 more euros a month. I will not be able to proceed unless I have at least 500 euros a month, currently I have just over 300. The cherry on the top is that I now need to show that I am employed to work here. I cannot merely be a volunteer receiving support from my friends and family (even though that is what I am) So, I need a business or charity or church or something to take me under its wing. So far all my research and begging letters elsewhere have turned up zip so I am writing to you my kind blog supporters to see if any of you have tricks up your sleeves. I am hoping that maybe one of you does :) but if not don't forget you can become a kind supporter for just 10 pound a month or whatever you can afford. Feel free to donate through paypal or contact me for bank details - thanks friends xxx

P.S Sorry for the lack of photos here. My camera died so for the moment you'll have to make do with mental pictures of us.

Love to you all xx