NessaMae's Guestbook

ROLDA scam
I volunteered there too - May 2011. This is NOT a charity, it's a business; the owner, Dana Costin, is sending off a few dogs for adoption to get donation money rolling in, but the vast majority die slowely with no hope of ever getting out of their prison, they suffer horribly 24/7, while Ms Costin "dissapears" large amounts of donation money. Please see this page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=562780174#!/pages/500-dogs-living-in-a-Concrete-Rolda-PrisonSmardan-Romania/136670896437568

RE: The Truth About ROLDA
Something you may all find interesting... https://www.wheredidmydonationgo.org/

I read, read, read... til my old timers ADHD kicked in!
Be proud of your momma! She finally read the blogs. I know I am terrible mom, but I much rather hear you tell me about the stuff, rather than read! Reading sucks. haha. I do need to start reading daily, they say it keeps your mind in tact. But after you READ crap all day at work and read to grandbabies, reading gets boring. I love you & I miss you. You titled your 1 blog dear mom, just to see if i read it huh? Tryin' to bust me?? When can you Skype me?

Cool BLOG
looks Great!

Longing to go back to the Balkans
Thanks for posting this, very interesting indeed. I am an American and my wife is from Macedonia so I have gone there with her the past two summers. We spent 11 weeks there in the summer of 2010. There are 3 things I would like to add to your piece. First, it is really a shame that you were not able to see Vevchani. The village is a model of what could be. The difference between Stuga and Vevchani is astronomical. If every Macedonian village looked like Vevchani, then the country would be paradise. The people are proud of their town and they take excellent care to preserve the traditional homes as well as to keep the village clean and litter free. As you know, Macedonia, like much of the Balkans, has a serious litter problem. Not so in Vevchani. The springs there are beautiful. Following the advice of my guidebook, I took a drink from the Vevchani springs in one of the many spots where the water comes out of the ground. The water was pristine so I filled up several water bottles. As nobody has written a blog on Vevchani (or for that matter, anywhere in Macedonia besides Ohrid and Skope) maybe I will post something here soon. Secondly (except for the capital of Podgorica), Montenegro is actually a bargain. My wife and I got a room in Budva, the country's tourist Mecca, for about $15...and that was at the beginning of the high season of summer. Compared to anywhere in Western Europe, Montenegro is a budget travelers dream. Also the beaches, dramatic canyons and wild Mountains of Montengro are some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. My advice for anyone in the region is to go see Montenegro before it gets too developed. And last, you said that Serbia/Kosovo are anti-American/Western. While that might be true in Serbia, it couldn't be further from the truth in Kosovo. I have never seen more American flags proudly flying anywhere in my life like in Kosovo. Kosovars love America so much that they even have a four story billboard in Pristina of Bill Clinton, as well as a Clinton Statue and a major Boulevard named after him. The brief time that I was in Kosovo I felt very safe to be an American. Its the only place I have ever been to where America flags outnumber the flag of the native country. Thanks for posting this blog, it really brings back alot of memories. Great pictures too!

Thank You!
I am planning a trip to Eastern Europe in early 2012, and came across your blog in a Google search. Thank you for sharing your experiences, especially in Romania, which is where I am most interested in going, and thank you so much for blogging about ROLDA. I don't know that I would have found it otherwise, and I have already contacted them for more information. :)

when i was in el salvador
your story was soo good it made me remember when i was in el salvador san miguel.

The so called farm and Fefeleaga
I had fun reading your post :) On one hand I'm sorry you ended up working on Vetalau's "farm" (there are other much nicer real farms, with better conditions), but on the other hand it seems like you managed to have some fun, and I hope Vetalau also learned something from the experience (though I doubt he will manage to transform his bar into a profitable tourist business). I was amused reading how the policemen from Bucium-Campani thought it was funny that you went to volunteer on the farm - the concept of volunteer work is very new to Romanians :) (BTW, I hope that you have to submit a report of your experience to WWOO and that based on it Vetalau will not be on their list anymore. Other - real and serious - farmers could benefit a lot more from the volunteer work. As for the blisters - you should have said no!!!) "Fefeleaga" is a novel that Romanian kids have to study in school (all I remember is that it was sad and boring). You made me curious, so I Googled it: I found out that the heroine has a memorial house in Alba-Iulia and that the wife of Bucium's mayor counts herself as one of her great-grandchildren :) Other aspects rang unfortunately true: villagers drinking in the morning (yes, in some villages people lost their work ethic) or not treating animals very well (however, other people see things differently - as you discovered yourself in the ROLDA experience). I hope your next experience in Romania will be better (you should try one day rural tourism - at proper hosts :) - in Maramures and Bucovina, the most beautiful places of the country), and I hope Romanians will learn by example from the good work done by foreign volunteers in Romania :)

Vanessa, what were the names of the two dog shelters in Galati and how did you get to volunteer for the first one? Your post was very interesting. The stray dogs (and cats) problem is an old and bitter one in Romania. I have the utmost respect for people who try to help these (well, any) animals - unfortunately it is not easy in Romania.

btw
BTW, all Romanians say "Why would you go there??!" to any place you mention. Even Romania itself.

I've Fallen In Love
A bunch of us headed for El Rosario at the invitation of Fernando Rivera, the owner of a new resort there, Hotel California. Along on the same flight, the number and types of volunteers heading for Guatemala made my heart sing. Thank God for these good people. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of Antigua and Lake Atitlan and the pureness of the people we met. I got my cell phone stolen, but, oddly, I didn't care. At our final destination, El Rosario, I spent the most amazing week baking in the 100F plus heat on the black lava sands of El Rosario, hosted by the kindest people I've ever met, eating the most amazing meals of grilled freshly caught fish, boating on the river, and consorting with all sorts of animals of the resort and the surrounding villages. And the bonus: No mosquitoes nor tourists in El Rosario! Although the turtle season was long over, we saw the hatcheries and everyone had stories to tell. The education I got was priceless.

el salvador
is a amazing place to visit ! the people over there is very nice