Friday 31 July 1998

Beverly Mic (small) turned up late last night. She is absolutely lovely. She is small and full of life like Lisa and is from Newcastle. She has come with her Mum and Dad but was here for 7 weeks with Heather last year. I was fantastic to talk to her. She can tell me so much. She is also completely on my wave length - I think we are very similar in a lot of ways. She asked all the questions I wanted her to ask, like ‘Are you enjoying it here’? I told her that the start was awful but that it has been better since Lisa and now I am really enjoying it. She said she also hated it at the beginning and didn’t feel like she was doing anything useful but loved it as the end. She is only here for a week and has brought a huge lorry of supplies. I thought that if Beverly or Heather or Lisa were here again next year I would love to come back. So maybe I will come back. She tells me I can buy cheap cd’s, go to the cinema and have a McDonalds in Bacau!

Today is my day off so I think I will do that! So far I have been writing this journal. I unfortunately woke up at 6 am although I am shattered and so got up an and have been writing ever since. Beverly has also given me her diary from last year which I can’t wait to read.

3 pm

I have just got letters from home. Thank you Jason - see hand-delivered note. Mummy, Daddy, Sarah, Grandmother, you will never understand how much your love and support have done for me. Your letters have made me cry endless tears and laugh out loud. I want you to be able to experience this with me, but am starting to realise that this is my life and how exciting it is to experience things for myself. I hope this journal will let you in to a little bit of my world when I cannot have you in it with me. I love you so so very much.

Not a relaxing day off really. I spent most of it toing and froing from the orphanage and the Chriac’s to find Lisa. It was her day off but she had been roped in as a driver. Maybe I should drive to take the pressure off her. I eventually found her at 5 pm so all our plans to relax on our day off went out the window. When I eventually got her out of the orphanage I suggested we go to McDonalds and she could tell me all about it which is what we did. She was ill and tired and pissed off and she burst into tears with the exhaustion of it all. I gave her lots of big hugs. We had a good laugh too.

McDonalds was absolute heaven. I ate a double meal - 2 x large fries, 2 x large orange juice, 1 x fishburger - 1 x chicken burger - Chicken McNuggets have not yet arrived in backwards Romania and will be making a grand entrance next year! Lisa and I just kept using the loo - a clean, flushing loo with a sink and soap and loo roll and a clean floor and a blow drier. It was pure bliss. We used it 3 or 4 times! The place was obviously full of the rich Romanians. They all had nice clothes and wore shoes and had handbags and clean children.

One man had a mobile ‘phone. Actually mobile ‘phones are not that uncommon here. The problem with Romanians is that they have no money, but see Western Europe and don’t want to be left behind. So, their method is to spend the little money they have on fancy modern gadgets like mobile ‘phones or platform shoes while they can’t afford running water or food. It’s ridiculous. Romania is trying to jump ahead - to catch up with the rest of the world, but at the expense of what is wonderful about the country. They are losing some of their rural ways and abandoning the family which was such an integral part of Romanian life.

Lunch was uncomfortable - an all too polite meeting between Bev’s parents and Romana and Elena. I like them though. You see bev came out last year for 7 weeks with Heather. On her return people started to donate things to her for the Romanian children. This turned into a major project when her parents Russel and Eilish took over. So they are all out here for the arrival of a 45 foot truck full of supplies due this week! I can’t wait. Beverly is a wonderful geordy. Very down to earth. Her diary was very similar to mine - we have felt the same way about similar experiences.