TravelBlog » WendyAdrienneMoldova

WendyAdrienneMoldova - Wendy and Adrienne

Wendy and I have been friends and coworkers for 8 years. We started working at the same company 3 weeks apart from each other, so we became eligible to take a 2 month sabbatical at the same time. Not wanting to waste this opportunity watching game shows and soap operas for eight weeks, we decided to take off and explore the world together. Wendy is an experienced international traveler and even lived in Spain for a year. The farthest that I have been from the US is Jamaica.

Wendy leaves behind her son, Tyler, and her precious dog, Zina. I am leaving my husband, Mark, and my dog Ava.

This blog focuses on the three weeks we will spend in Chisenau, Moldova, volunteering at an orphanage.

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Joined on: November 9th 2006
Last Login: December 24th 2007

Blog Entries: 27
Photos: 14

TB Code: [blogger=26196]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by WendyAdrienneMoldova, order by Date newest first.

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
January 10th 2007

Still Some More Orphan Photos

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

Showing Photos Back to Us
The children loved it when we brought photos from home. They traded them back and forth like baseball cards, and often we had to referee when one child would get a bit greedy and take another child's ... [more]

We wanted to share some additional photos with you all. We have more than a hundred, but will limit this entry to just a few! [View Full Entry]

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
September 6th 2006

Orphan Photos

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

The Six and Seven Year Olds
Ewan, Vica, Nina, Angela, and Sasha. Vica and Angela are identical twins.

Hello, Friends and Family -- Wendy and Adrienne here. We thought we would take advantage of our last evening here in Istanbul to upload a few photos of the orphans -- despite the very slow wireless network. Hope you enjoy the pics. The only thing we miss about Moldova are these children. [View Full Entry]

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
September 2nd 2006

Life in Moldova

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

Our Apartment Bathroom
Here is where Adrienne spent an evening 'hugging' her favorite Moldovan potty.

Here are some of the photos of where we lived in Chisenau, Moldova. [View Full Entry]

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
September 1st 2006

It's That Time, Folks!

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

Hello Again, Friends and Family -- Adrienne and Wendy here. It's our last day, and time to describe all the tidbits of cultural differences we have experienced here. We hope you will be amused by them. Walking in Chisenau Sidewalks as we know them in the U.S. do not exist in Chisenau. At best they are blobs of pavement, but never are they without cracks, holes, and ever-present mud and dirt. Often there are deep holes that have no cover or warning. How people keep from falling into them is a mystery to us. And, how women can walk on them [View Full Entry]

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
August 30th 2006

Last day at orphanage

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

Hey y'all, it's an entry from both Adrienne and Wendy together! We just left the orphanage for the last time. As you can imagine, we are both very sad, but we had a wonderful sendoff. The director allowed us to visit each of the groups we worked with over the past 3 weeks. We were able to get lots of hugs and cuddles, see some silly dances, and feel like a rock star each time we entered a room. Who could ask for more? We ended the day with Group 5, the group we started with (this is the group with [View Full Entry]

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
August 29th 2006

Weird Morning at the Orphanage

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

Hello, All -- Wendy here. Today brings some rainy weather in Moldova, and the temperature has got to be in the 60's because even I feel like I need a sweater. This is a huge improvement over the extraordinarily hot weather we experienced last week. In spite of the clouds and threatening rain, our group's caretaker wanted them to go outside for a little while, and we soon saw why. About twenty volunteers descended on the group as soon as we stepped outside ... with candy, bubble blowers, balloons (which will be popped and ingested, as we have observed) and cameras. [View Full Entry]

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
August 29th 2006

Yes, it was weird

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

Hi everyone. It's Adrienne, and I just wanted to piggyback on Wendy's comments about what happened at the orphanage this morning. The morning had actually started out very good. Because of the weather we were inside, and three of the older kids were getting "new" clothes because they will be starting school next week. It was really cool to see how proud they were in these clothes, which are a bit nicer than what they usually wear on the playground. Then our "guide" Igor showed up, and we used his translation skills to get the kids to sit in a circle [View Full Entry]

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
August 28th 2006

New week, new group

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

Adrienne here. At the orphanage this morning, we checked in with the director to find out which group we would be assigned to this week. We were given Group 8, which is the group of 6 and 7 year olds that we were unofficially playing with last week, when we were assigned the 2 year olds that play next to them. So there was no need to learn new names or try to break the ice, which was nice. When we went to their classroom, we noticed that each child had a framed photo of him- or herself above the locker. [View Full Entry]

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
August 26th 2006

The Great Escape, Part 2

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

Hello readers, from Adrienne. As you know we have been working with 2 year olds for the past few days. For some reason, however, they play with the 6 and 7 year olds, which has created some difficulties because the older kids want to be picked up and held, just like we do with the little ones. Their neediness is heartbreaking--they are like 3 year olds in 6 year old bodies. For some reason, today was extra chaotic. The older kids were REALLY wanting us to hold them, and were pulling on our arms and calling to us in Romanian. By [View Full Entry]

By WendyAdrienneMoldova
August 26th 2006

The Great Escape, part 1

Europe » Moldova » Centre » Chisinau

Hello, Everyone -- Wendy here. Our day was made yesterday by an incident at the orphange that melted not just our hearts, but all of the caretakers in our vicinity ... We were doing our thing with the toddlers when suddenly around the corner popped two of our ambulatory Downs kids at high speed, running directly for us. Andre, with his huge smile and distinctive gait, led the way with Nicolietta close behind. All caretakers were in hysterics as Andre made a beeline for Adrienne, and Nicolietta positioned herself above my lap and plopped down. It took at least five minutes [View Full Entry]

TravelBlog » WendyAdrienneMoldova

WendyAdrienneMoldova | Wendy and Adrienne | Travel Blog

WendyAdrienneMoldova - Wendy and Adrienne

Blogs & Travel Journals

Still Some More Orphan Photos

Orphan Photos

Life in Moldova

It's That Time, Folks!

Last day at orphanage

Weird Morning at the Orphanage

Yes, it was weird

New week, new group

The Great Escape, Part 2

The Great Escape, part 1