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Working in a Romanian orphanage

Alix Young writes...

"A room full of screaming, teething and occasionally laughing two-year-olds was the last place I expected to spend my gap year. However, the memories I have of the three months I spent working in Romanian orphanages are ones that really will stay with me forever (clichéd and corny as it sounds!).

The world has known about Romania’s enormous problem with abandoned children since the fall of its communist regime in 1989 and, whilst the facilities for them have improved dramatically, there is still a long way to go and there are still a lot of children that need and deserve to have smiles on their faces.

The thirteen of us in the group lived and worked in Brasov, a small city about three hours from Bucharest (and really close to Dracula’s castle!). We spent our time in several different orphanages or ‘placement centres’ as they are called because most of the children have been abandoned rather than legitimately orphaned, as well as working in the local children’s hospital. This meant that we worked with children of every age from practically new-born right up to eighteen.

Teaching the toddlers to walk on their own, and seeing the beam of achievement on their faces, was one of the most gratifying and touching experiences of the trip. Yet often it was the little things that the kids seemed to appreciate - the hour spent bouncing an eighteen-month-old on a hip or the game of football and a chat about school with a shy fifteen-year-old.

Everyone’s hidden strengths really did come out during the placement. A couple of weeks were spent redecorating the common room of the older orphanage with an under-the-sea theme and suddenly even the worst artists amongst us found ourselves capable of drawing six-foot dolphins and 10-foot palm trees!

The time away also allowed the group, previously complete strangers, to bond as a real unit. Living in flats in the city centre meant that we became independent and got used to the trivialities of living away from home - cooking for each other, running out of loo roll and trying not to use up all the hot water - but we were also able to relax and enjoy the great and cheap nightlife of a city that is fast becoming known as the new Prague.

Romanians are some of the most hospitable and friendly people in Europe and this was obvious throughout our stay. We soon made friends with our co-workers and got to know more about the fascinating culture and ethos of a country still struggling to rebuild itself after communism and desperate to join the EU.

Whilst our trip didn’t involve incredible sights, intrepid travel and sleeping under the stars (always a bad idea in Romania’s snowy winters!) like many gappers’ adventures, it was a fantastic way to spend a gap year - doing just a little bit for someone else and seeing the smiles put back on the children’s faces."

further info

Name: Oyster Worldwide
Address: Hodore Farm, Hartfield, East Sussex, TN7 4AR
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