Photos - Day 38 - 20th July - Budapest (t0 come)

Day 38 - Mon July 20th - Budapest (notes to come)

Day 37 - July 19th - Chisinau to Budapest (Notes to Come)

Photos - Day 36 - July 18th - Moldova

Day 36 - July 18th - Moldova (Health Project)

Day 36 – Sat July 18^th – Moldova (Health Project)

It was a much earlier start today. The Salvation Army van was waiting faithfully for us at 7:50am out the front of our Aparthotel on the magnificent Boulevarde Grigore Vieru with young Slava at the wheel and his mother Major Elena Kotrutsa in the passenger seat, neither of whom we expected. It turned out that Slava Snr was far to unwell to come as planned – we were heading out of town some distance to the village of Clisova, perhaps some 50-60k to the north west of Chisinau to observe the work of a village Health Medical project that is sponsored by The Salvation Army. Actually, for Julie it was a day of work – she has lugged a special Digital SLR camera with her (but I’ve lugged the tripod) so she can film the project for The Salvation Army’s Missionary Appeal campaign back in Australia.

Both Elena and her husband Slava have been Salvation Army Pastors for some 15 years and are very faithful and dedicated people. It was fascinating to sit in the car and be part of the conversation, to learn more about their lives and their service and also the work of The Salvation Army in this former Soviet bloc country.

The Health Project involves seven Doctors, a Nurse and a Social Worker who devote 36 Saturdays a year to attending to the medical needs of people in 12 village communities – this means that the team visit each community three times annually to try to meet the needs of hundreds of people each time they attend. This is a costly project for which funding is sought from outside sources (and up to about a third internal funding) to ensure that people in village communities who are normally outside the reach of much needed medical care get the medical support.

After about an hour’s drive through beautiful Moldovan rural countryside, we turned off the main road and then maneuvered our way through a number of gravel roads into the tiny village of Clisova, the population of which was about 1250 people. With the assistance of the local administration, the village people had been notified and actually organized into three ‘shifts’ so as to spread the load more evenly throughout the day. Another bus had brought the participating Doctors (all of whom have practices in Chisinau but who willingly make their time available for this project for the 36 Saturdays annually.

As we turned into the dusty side lane to the run down old building used for the ‘clinic’, there was already a large crowd of mostly mothers, grandmothers and children waiting in the sun for the medical team to arrive. First patients were to be seen at 10am, and then continued all day. Amongst the doctors was a Pediatrician, and Ear/Nose/Throat Specialist, and a Cardiologist to name three.

It was actually a sad scene to stand back and to sense something of the anxiety for remote and poor village people hoping to have their ‘moment’ with the Doctor and hoping not to miss out. We take so much for granted when we live in a country like my own with a Medical Centre in virtually every suburb.

The Doctor in charge was actually a Salvationist – Dr Nikolai Caraman – and who is a priceless human being. It was easy to see that this was his love and passion, not just his profession. He gathered the crowd around him and spoke to them in Moldovan while Elena translated for me. He told the crowd about the Medical Project and The Salvation Army, but explained very nicely that this was not intended to encourage people to change their faith but in fact he said that the Project had the full support of the Orthodox Church to which most if not all of them belonged. As was the practice, he asked the Salvation Army Social Worker to offer a prayer for the people, and it was amazing how the crowd of potentially bustling and anxious people fell instantly quiet as the Social Worker prayed a lovely prayer.

Amazingly, the people were shuffled into different groups waiting to see different Doctors, and the day was underway. There were about 230 patients attended to during the day, with some 28 single mothers with young children (single can also mean with father’s absent working abroad, and often not returning). We were able to sit with Dr Caraman for a late morning tea, who explained some of the challenging medical situations they face – a number of Mums have fed their children cow’s milk when their own breast milk ran dry, causing either permanent mental disability or other complications due to the bacteria in the milk.

Many children are mal/under nourished, and many people suffer serious conditions which cannot be solved. One young woman, due to serious dental infections had caused her to be deaf in both ears. We were present to see the Doctor fit her new hearing aid and to hear her words of excitement when she could hear again.

It was very moving to stand back and to see the continual steam of people coming from all parts of the village – some very old and moving slowly, others young pushing prams, others were grandmothers bringing grandchildren – walking in the heat along the long dusty roads because they had need to see the team of Doctors from The Salvation Army. If they missed today, it could be another 4 months before they get medical care again.

Today was a very sober reminder of the critical work of the ministries of compassion and mercy that are carried out by people like Majors Elena and Slava. Without them, and the sacrifice they make, it would be a much poorer world indeed.

As we drove away on a dusty road that divided the beautiful sunflower fields from fields with sheep and cattle grazing, the medical work in the now distanced tiny village of Clisova continued throughout the rest of the day.

On our return to Chisinau, we detoured slightly to the south east of Chisinau to the border community of Vadul Lui Voda where a summer camp for school children was being conducted, and of which The Salvation Army had some 30 children participating along with team members. It was good to call in and meet some of the Salvation Army youth leaders. These camps are not dissimilar to the summer camps that are common throughout the USA during the long school Summer holidays.

The other fascinating aspect about this is that it brought us to the border of Transnistria, a breakaway State located on a strip of land between the river Dniester and the Eastern Moldovan border with Ukraine. Having declared its independence in 1990, it was fascinating to see kids from the camp swimming in the river, but on the far side of the river the region being patrolled by armed border guards. Although it’s not recognized by any United Nations member State, Moldova does give it a special legal status. It’s population is mostly Russian who did not want to separate from the Soviet Union when the USSR was dissolved, which actually led to military conflict in 1992.

It is a bit of a puzzle how it continues to survive, especially as local feeling is that relations with both Russia and Ukraine have cooled somewhat. As we drove away and headed for nearby Chisinau, we passed one of the entry gates into Transnistria with a standing tank and a number of armed border guards. The nearby capital city of Moldova was as close to Transnistria as Canberra is to Queanbeyan!

Our day finished beautifully sharing a lovely dinner with Slava Snr (who was clearly not well at all) and Elena, and their son Slava Jnr. It was a very fitting way to bring our time to a close in the beautiful country of Moldova. We will long hold very fond memories of Moldova, and especially the wonderful people.

From our humble Aparthotel for the final evening in the wonderful country of Moldova, we send our love.

KRA

Photos - Day 35 - July 17th - Moldova

Day 35 - July 17th - Moldova

Day 35 – Fri July 17^th – Moldova

We had a slightly easier day planned for today, and by the way we are feeling we really need a slower day including some ‘down time’. Young Slava offered to show us some sights in the old part of the city and then leave us for some free time during the afternoon. We enjoyed our usual breakfast at the usual place and were ready by 10am for our excursion with Slava.

He took us to the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History of Moldova which is the oldest museum in Moldova having been founded in 1889 by Baron A. Stuart. The beautiful old building was built over 100 years ago, but looked like it was several centuries old. We are not normally keen museum consumers, but this one had a number of quite fascinating features.

Firstly the preserved animals and evidence of archeological findings of animals of past millennia. The very life like boar pigs were waist high with tusks that would make an elephant proud! The bears are always of interest – the one disappointing thing about our pilgrimage to Romania and Moldova was that we failed to see a bear in the wild – stuffed and life-like were the best that we could do. The most amazing though was the actual bones of dinosaurs and pre-historic creatures which obviously walked this ancient land so long ago. The near complete skeleton of something akin to a brontosaurus was found at the bottom of one of Moldova’s lakes. It was twice the size of an elephant.

Julie of course loved the history of the traditional clothing which was on display. How the women managed to make beautiful creations for both men and women stands as a tribute to their skill and their ingenuity. Some of the old looms on display were quite amazing.

We went from the Museum to the “Eternity Memorial” in the heart of Chisinau, the largest War Memorial in the city which was opened in 1975. The main monument is composed of five stylized rifles forming a 25 metre high pyramid, each one representing each year of the WW2 conflict from 1941 to 1945 when Moldovan troops fought as part of the Russian military against Nazi Germany. An eternal flame burns at the centre of the monument with an impressive honour guard of two young soldiers who stand ‘statue’ still for their shift of some 5 hours each.

Adjacent to the War memorial complex is the oldest cemetery in Chisinau, which despite the very impressive tombs and large ornate graves and headstones of marble, was surprisingly untidy with very long grass and scrub that detracted from the otherwise beautiful graves. At the centre of the cemetery was a lovely Orthodox chapel, but due to a funeral service taking place indoors we were unable to go inside.

We visited Chisinau’s answer to the London Borough Market, which was probably just as cramped with fruit, vegetables and wares of all kinds, also fish, bread, and clothing. It was nice to walk through for the experience, and to get a feel for the kind of life that people from the local rural communities live, and their need to carve out a livelihood of some kind.

We took Slava Junior to lunch at ‘La Placinta’. He is a very intelligent 20 year old and fascinating to listen to as a young person finding his way in this country as it emerges from so many years of Communist rule. He took us for a ride on the famous Chisinau Trolley Bus to the top of the main square in Chisinau, where we said our goodbyes for the day. Behind us was the beautiful House of Parliament for Moldova, and across the road at the top of Boulevarde Grigore Vieru (actually the same street as our apartment) stood the magnificent Triumphal Arch. Perhaps not quite the ‘Arc de triumph’ of Paris, but similar and to the Moldovans, just as meaningful. It was built in 1840 to commemorate the victory of the Russians over the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish war 1828-29. The huge 6400kg bell was smelted with the copper of the cannons captured from the Ottomans.

The photos will show that just behind the triumphal Arch at the top of the Boulevarde Grigore Vieru is the beautiful Nativity Cathedral (Cathedral of Christ’s Nativity’). Built in 1830, the Cathedral was bombed in WW2, with its bell tower destroyed by the local Communists in 1962. Worship was prohibited during the Soviet period following WW2 with the Cathedral being used as an exhibition centre. It was good to see it once again restored to its original purpose and being so well preserved and used once again.

The day was long and hot. We valued a few free hours to ourselves to return to our humble apartment to enjoy a late afternoon snooze while watching the finishing stages of the Tour de France.

Tomorrow is our final full day on the soil of Moldova, a country and people we have come to love and respect. We will be leaving early to again head north to a small rural village to observe first-hand The Salvation Army’s mobile medical clinic at work. From the security of our lovely apartment at the Aparthotel on Boulevarde Grigore Vieru, we send our love.

KRA