Julie White continues her travel in eastern Europe. Below is the latest update from her. Please keep her in prayer as she travels, studies, and ministers.August 7, 2007
Hey everyone,
Sorry for the delay in updates. Since the last update...
We finished our work with Habitat. The highest temperature recorded during our build was 50C (123 degrees Fahrenheit). The thermometer only goes up to 50 so I'm sure it was hotter than that, we just had no way of determining the exact temp. We finished our ditch and started constructing the walls of one of the houses they're building.
Before our last build day our team split into two groups and had dinner with families that are going to receive a Habitat house. I went to a "wealthier" family's house. This particular family consisted of 3 people, two parents and a 6 year old daughter. Within the past year and a half the family had moved 23 times. They originally had a house that they fixed up but then the walls collapsed so they had to move, and as they had already put a lot of money into repairing the house they could not afford to do it again. The house they're in now has 3 rooms: a tiny bathroom, a tiny kitchen and a multi-purpose room. The multi-purpose room is used as a bedroom, living room, dining room, study, storage area... and when I say it's used as a bedroom, I mean it has room for one twin bed. Most likely the daughter sleeps on the bed and the parents sleep on the floor.
Before a family receives a Habitat house they are required to do a certain number of sweat equity hours. If a family is going to receive a house, they are required to put in 1500 hours; if they are going to receive an apartment, they are required to put in 1000 hours. The next (and last) day of the build the father of the family that hosted us for dinner was at the build site working along beside us. It was really neat to be able to see the various angles of Habitat's work, from the build site to meeting a family that is in need of housing, to working with that same family on their house, and then later visiting a family who received a house last year.
After the build project was finished (for us) we stayed in Cluj for a couple days and visited NGO's. We were able to choose which ones we wanted to go to and had options ranging from HIV/AIDS awareness, to domestic violence, to human trafficking, to various schools and hospitals, to volunteer centers. The one that made the biggest impression on me was a school for at-risk youth. Children who have not been in school for at least 2 years are eligible to attend this particular school. There they are given the opportunity to finish the highest grade required (8th grade), participate in after-school activities and go on field-trips. If they finish 8th grade they are given a certificate (equivalent to our high school diploma) which is required for employment positions. If people do not have this certificate, they are only eligible for the lowest quality jobs (street cleaners, garbage pick-up, etc) and thus their risk of being trafficked increases. It was really interesting to see how this school continues to function as most, if not all, of their teacher are volunteers. And it was incredible to meet with a woman from the trafficking NGO since that is my specific interest...
As a quick side note, I was able to eat breaded brain (from a pig) during our time in the larger city. It had an interesting taste & consistency but I had trouble actually eating it because I kept thinking about what I was putting into my mouth... but I'm glad I tried it.
After leaving Cluj we went to Bistrita and we had a little time to relax. I stayed with a host family during our time there and was able to try some more traditional Romanian foods, all of which were excellent and I wouldn't mind incorporating into my normal diet if I knew how to prepare them. During this time our patience & flexibility were tested as some of us prepared a training for an NGO and immediately realized that they did not want/need to be trained in the areas where we told to prepare material.
From Bistrita we went to Sighet, a small medieval town, for some R&R. It was a neat little town but seemingly too quaint for those who enjoy touristy places. All in all, it was a nice time.
And lastly we headed to Satu Mare where our main project was to implement a needs assessment for a Roma (gypsy) community. We had 5 translators and switched off the BC students so everyone who wanted to participate had a chance to do so. I was able to interview 2 families, both of which gave a TON of information... the purpose of the needs assessment was to help Vesile (a Jesuit priest, friend, and translator) know how to best serve this community. Someone mentioned that they had people come to their community in the past and do something similar but then never acted on it, so we're hoping that ours will be useful to Vesile and are confident that he will work with them to meet their needs. This particular community does not have running water, which means they do not have a plumbing system; they use a nearby field as a public restroom. Ideally we (BC students & professor) would like to do some fundraising and help them with this problem. With a proper sewer system they will then be able to take better care of their health needs, as you can imagine what problems arise with not being able to wash your hands after you use the restroom...
I have started the last leg of my trip and will be home soon. I have learned a lot about Romania, trafficking, and myself and am now taking some time to process everything. I'm staying with some friends and am VERY glad to be in the same location for more than 2 days, as well as not have a schedule. I hope everyone has enjoyed my updates and I look forward to sharing everything in more detail when I get back..
See you soon!
Julie
