Day 4: Saturday, July 9

        Our fourth day in Romania started late. We were able to catch up on sleep and relax a little. It was nice to be able to sleep in because keeping the children entertained was exhausting as they had so much energy! The weather has been relentlessly hot and walking around the city was tiring, so the sleep was much needed.

                The afternoon before, we visited Maria* and her family in their home. Maria is a young girl who has been adopted after being in foster care and who is Wendy’s goddaughter. We arrived at their house in the mid-afternoon. We stepped into their driveway to greet the family as Maria ran straight to Wendy and embraced her with a huge grin. Shortly afterwards, Maria introduced herself to each one of us with an extended hand and a warm smile.
The whole family was very welcoming as they showed us around their yard. We were greeted by barking dogs and meowing kittens as Maria’s grandmother showed us the animals they keep. We met a white and grey spotted cat with kittens, two dogs – one of which was not happy to see us – and a multitude of rabbits. Wendy told us that they used to keep pigs, but they had been eaten a while back. Her mother and sister led us into their house and directed us to the living room. They had sweets and drinks for us, and offered them graciously. We spread out around the living room – our group and their family, joined by a friend of Wendy’s who spoke both English and Romanian and helped us communicate throughout the day.

As a small baby, Maria was living in a placement center because her mother had abandoned her at birth. Luckily, she was soon moved into foster care at 7 months old and was placed with the family she is with now. The old government in Romania gave foster parents a salary, but when Maria was 3, the law changed to state that in order to receive the stipend, the family needed at least two children in their care. Wendy had been visiting regularly (2-3 times a year) since they had met when Maria was 3 months old and was happy to see Maria thriving in a stable home. However, the family could not take in another child, meaning that they would no longer be able to take care of Maria without the monthly stipend. Wendy made an agreement with the family: she would provide financial support equivalent to the previous salary if the family formally adopted Maria.

That day we experienced something truly unique: not only were we experiencing true Romanian culture in a traditional Romanian household, but we got to meet a girl who embodies hope and the success of the placement programs. Maria is a happy, beautiful and polite girl who was a pleasure to meet. Her family – her parents, sisters, aunt, and grandmother – welcomed us into their household with kindness and made us feel comfortable and welcome in an unfamiliar setting.

Maria’s birthday is soon, so on our fourth day we went shopping for a birthday present of her choice at the ‘Winmarkt” and went out to lunch later in the afternoon.  All in all, meeting Maria and her family taught us many things. It taught us more about the hope for the children we are working with and it taught us about Romanian culture. As we left their house, the grandmother – their bunică –  gave us lots of hugs and good wishes. As we were leaving for our hotel, the chickens came out to play. 
*Name has been changed in the best interest of the child.