Day 8: Wednesday, July 13

Late last night we boarded the train after a sad goodbye, and hopped off in Bucharest at 5am. Luckily though, we were able to check into our hotel early and take a nap. But our day quickly started again at 10am when we arrived at the hospital. It was the same one we had visited our first day in Romania and we were excited to see the babies again.

Much like the first day, we played with them and fed them in the colorful playroom until 12, when we headed out for lunch. The group was tired after the long night on the train and the early start, so we returned to the playroom and rested on the carpet until the babies were ready to come out again.

At 3pm the babies were brought back into the playroom. Soon after we were told that there were enough volunteers today to take kids outside. We jumped at the opportunity and each picked up a child and brought them down the stairs and out onto the playground. Although they were young and many couldn’t walk, we sat with them outside and were glad that they were able to get some fresh air.

While we were at the hospital that day, one of the little girls we had gotten to know was taken away from the rest of the kids and out of the playroom. When we asked where she was going, we were informed that the little girl had been placed in foster care and was leaving to meet with her new foster parents. Although we wished she could have stayed to play with us, we were all thrilled that she was going to be part of a family!

At 5pm the babies had to return to their cribs – the saddest part of the day. We formed a circle and sang a goodbye song before they had to go. The group was exhausted from the long, tiring day and we each collapsed on the chairs when the kids were gone. After resting for a short while, we realized that we were leaving for London tomorrow, and figured we ought to venture out for out last dinner. Hoping food would give us some more energy, we climbed into a taxi and rode to a sports bar not far from our hotel.

Over food, we talked about our experiences throughout the week, and things that had stood out to us, things that we would always remember and take away with us. Although our experiences were varied, we all agreed on one thing: tomorrow, we had to make the most of our last morning with the babies.