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Jacquie's Diary Entry for 26th December 2006
Hi everyone,
Well its all over for another year, Christmas I mean, by the time you read this some of you will already have gone back to work. But, I must go back and tell you all about our week before Christmas.
Monday and after feeding I spent the day sorting the last of the clothes for the families.
Tuesday I met Madi this afternoon and we went to the last of the families. We stopped first at Laura's home but she and Merca were at school, with the school day being split into two it is impossible to find a time when all the children are at home, except Saturdays and Sundays. Cosmina the two month old baby is in hospital, we are told she has a problem with her heart. I get the clothes out for the others; Florin was thrilled with his jumper, Daniela liked her pink jumper and Ion put his new hat straight on his head. We have a picture of mum and the three children sitting on one of the bed-settees in their one room. We leave the clothes for Cosmina, Laura and Merca.
Our next stop is Florea and her son Dimetru, (our elderly lady and her mentally handicapped son). Florea is on her own and the house is not very warm, Dimetru is in hospital, he has pneumonia. He is hospital in Agigea, about 40 kilometres away, two buses. Madi asks if she has been to see him but she is waiting for her pension to arrive. I know that I am going to be busy all this week but Madi tells her, for me, that I will take her to the hospital next week. We give her the clothes for her and leave Dimetru's. I don't take any pictures, it just didn't seem right.
Then it was on to toddler Dimetru's house. We arrive at the one room and were surprised to see it now supported a tall pole with an aerial on the top. What is the point of having an aerial with no electric for the television? We interrupted lunch, so we didn't stay long, I just checked one jumper to make sure I had judged him right. They posed for a picture for me. The aerial, they have found from somewhere a black and white, battery television. The television itself is about twelve inches square and the screen about nine inches, the picture isn't full screen only about half, but it is something.
Then it is off to Elena's, the girls were thrilled with their clothes, but I had got the sex of the baby wrong. I thought it was a boy because the name didn't sound as though it finished with an 'a'; all Romanian girls names end with an 'a'. The baby had mostly boy type clothes, but it is clothes. Granddad was there so he was included in the picture. I was standing by the door when I took the picture, you can see the Romanian fire which stands between the two beds in the one room they are using. I realised on this visit that they also have no electricity.
Then into Mirella house which is slightly bigger than Elena's next door; Elena is Mirella's sister-in-law. We have clothes for the baby and Andrea, I took a bright red hat out of the bag and her face lit up, with each thing I pulled out of the bag for her, came a smile from her which reached from ear to ear. I keep missing Marion who is twelve and it is difficult to fit them without seeing them. We were just about to leave when he arrived home from school so I measured him. We have a picture of Mum with Viadut and Andrea, then Marion and Andrea.
Wednesday I wanted to get sorted out for Christmas so I gave Lew a shopping list and off he went to Constanta. His list was huge and included a microphone and system for playing CDs; can't have a party without music. I'm afraid I didn't do half the things I wanted to do while Lew was in town.
Thursday and having fed this evening I headed for town to try and get the things Lew couldn't find and get some we hadn't thought of.
Friday and after feeding this morning it was all go getting ready for the Christmas party this evening. With the car loaded I headed for the Community Centre just after three. The party was due to start at six, but the kids started to arrive about four-thirty. I wanted to get things set up so I sent them home again. We had games and quizzes on the tables for the first half hour, including guess the weight of the pumpkin, name the teddy and how many sweets in the jar? Followed by the usual team races. Elena, one my translators, arrived just after six to help. Then we put the tables out for juice and biscuits. Madi and the youth group arrived to sing carols and the kids joined in with the ones they knew. Then we cleared the tables and the disco began. We had about sixty kids again this evening and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Marion (the lad with the orange jacket) does like to get into the pictures. Lew spent the rest of the day printing off colouring pages I had found, so that I could make up colouring books.
Saturday as soon as we had finished feeding we loaded the car with two tables, a set of drawers and the clothes I had sorted for the two families we are working with in Constanta. I drove into town and stopped first at Lacramoira, we took the set of drawers and one of the tables off the roof rack and the clothes out of the boot. Lacramoira had been working hard on their one room and it was beginning to take shape. Remus and Florin were pleased with their trousers and jumpers. Lacramoira liked her coat and Costin liked his jumper. Then off to the train station, well the office behind it, to the family living there. They were pleased to see me, the oldest girl was pleased with her jumpers and the boys thought their gear was great. The little one liked the dress I had put in for her. Mum was pleased with all the baby clothes. I wanted three Father Christmas hats and hadn't been able to get them Thursday so I went to the other side of town to try the shops there, success, I bought two ordinary ones and one with reindeer horns. This afternoon the postman arrived with notification that the second batch of Christmas Stockings sent to me were at customs and could be picked up on the twenty-seventh. Ah ... well ... The carol singers started to arrive this evening, they sang traditional Romanian songs and typical English songs. They had their photographs taken and were paid accordingly, most were kids from club.
Sunday and it's Christmas Eve, the traditional day for Father Christmas to arrive, only in Romania he comes during the day; so we need to get ready fast. The horse and cart arrived just after ten o'clock; Lew, Gabi, Elena and Chip started the decorating of the cart. Me ... I was busy making up sixty 'stockings' (Lew had bought some Christmas bags). Everything was in boxes in a line, it was go along the line filling the bags: an orange, an apple, sweets, chocolate Father Christmas, knitted hat, colouring book and a teddy. Each bag was then labelled with the child's name and put in the family sack which contained a pack of crayons for them to share. The sacks were carried out and put into the cart. All the village families' sacks complete it was time for something warm and change before we set out. Father Christmas (Gabi) arrived with his Elf driver (Chip) and his 'speedydush' Father Christmas Helper (Elena), I was 'speedydush' photographer; poor Lew had to stay at home and look after everything. The lights were lit (with the help of the generator) and the music started (the CD system bought for the kids club, also running on the generator). Father Christmas also had a box of spare teddies which he could give out to any child on the way round the village. We started at Florea's house the only older person we were going to, she had some special chocolate biscuits, an apple, an orange, a chocolate Father Christmas and a hat. When we gave her the parcel she tried to pay us, Father Christmas declined the money and persuaded her to have her photograph taken with him. We travelled round to all the families I have been to in the past few weeks; everyone was thrilled to have Father Christmas come, apart from being given a present. The pictures tell you more then my words can, that is why there are so many this week. Some are a bit fuzzy, it was cold outside, warm inside and the camera steamed up. It was dark by the time we arrived home, poor Chip was frozen he had to stay outside when Father Christmas and we 'speedydush' went inside. Gabi and Elena enjoyed the experience. Me .. I just like the look on the children's faces. But the day wasn't finished for me. Lew had dinner ready when I arrived home, he knew it was eat then or about eleven o'clock. Anisoara said the samali and salata (traditional Romanian food at Christmas) I had asked her to make for me would be ready about seven o'clock. We needed to load up the car. Many of you will have seen the Christmas edition of 'The Good Life' where Margo sends everything back to Harrods because the Christmas tree is six inches too short, then realises she has nothing for Christmas. Barbara says Christmas doesn't come in a van and they share their homemade Christmas. Well ... Christmas was arriving in a car for our two families in Constanta. I guessed Lacramoira's money would not run to much in the way of Christmas things and I knew our new family at the office building would not have much. I can't show you a picture of them with the things because it was delivered today for use tomorrow, but everything on our table is the same as was given to them so that they could enjoy Christmas traditionally. The delivery included: Christmas tree and decorations; red candles and a holder; tablecloth and serviettes; a saucepan full of samali, salata, cookies, juice, milk, coffee; a stocking for each of them and extra toys.
Monday - Christmas Day - and having fed it was get five more 'stockings' and a jumper ready for five children nominated by the Baptist Church. Through Elena I had asked the Orthodox Priest if there were children in his church he wanted presents for but he declined my offer. The Baptist Pastor had also asked if we could do something for other members of his church, I thought a blanket was a good idea for the elderly and I had peach tea bags and a jumper for everyone. The service started at three o'clock, it was a quiet one, the youth group are away in the mountains for Christmas. Back home for Christmas dinner and a quiet evening with the snow falling gently in the background.
Tuesday - Boxing Day - It was minus eight last night the old weather has hit. After feeding it was sort the last of the 'stockings' for our family, the Rusu's, in Medgidia. It was Lew's turn to do delivery, they know us both so it doesn't matter which one of us goes. As Lew was going we decided to try our new telephone system out. If you remember I said it was like a large mobile. Well Lew took the phone and computer with him, they hooked up with Mr Webmaster, Sir, via the internet and Skype, the family sang him a Christmas Carol. Then they rang Sian and sang to her, then they rang me and sang to me. Although they have featured on the web page several times they have never seen it because, of course, they haven't a telephone or internet. So they we intrigued to see themselves featured on the web a few weeks ago. Lew showed them the web page and then some of the other photographs we have stored in the computer. It was quite a novelty for them, they have chosen some photographs that I will take to Laura at the photo shop to have hard copies made for them. Well that's it ... apart from giving Dimetru his 'stocking' when I take his Mum to see him, Father Christmas can put his suit away for another year …
Well I think that's all the news from Siminoc this week ...
So I'll say cheerio for now ...
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