Day 11

I woke up this morning congested and with the continued stomachache. I’m convinced that I will not be healthy at all this summer. Took the morning off, had some Sudafed, and went back to bed. Woke up feeling a little better, but still planned to wear my mask at the clinic all afternoon, just in case.

The worst part about taking this morning off? Maiastra visited the clinic with a social worker and a child protection worker. I’m told that she is doing well, friendly, and very interactive. And she can eat by herself now! I’m so sad that I missed her.

Alex had already left this morning before the team got there. She went to Iasi for tests, scans, etc. She has brittle bone disease and has a rod in her thigh/hip area that has been shifting. They might need to do surgery to replace it or something. If she has the surgery, I don’t know if she’ll be back before I leave next month. We’ll see, I guess.

As soon as it was time to leave for the afternoon clinic, the rain and thunder I’ve been anticipating for the last week started. Mihaela drove us over in two trips, and guess who we found at the clinic? Gabriella! She is back from Iasi and seems to be content. It’s amazing how much she has changed since last summer. Now she is more curious and active, though she still can’t walk. She “sees” with her mouth, so as I held her, she “kissed” my shoulder, nose, eye, and hair in order to explore me. She’s a sweetheart, and I’m excited to spend more time with her this summer.

I spent the afternoon between Raul, Gabriella, and the nonmobile room. The carpet was taken out of the mobile playroom, so we had Marius, Daniela, and Alina in the nonmobile room. Alina was fairly calm-—for her, anyway (although she did bite me). She did grab at my glasses several times. She loved it when I would flip her upside down and in somersaults; it’s so easy to do because she’s so light. Daniela was having a rough afternoon, as she kept screaming and crying. She calmed down about halfway through the shift, though.

We went to Alona for dinner tonight, and Mihaela ordered me plain grilled chicken with a side of potatoes, to see if it helps my stomach at all. She thinks I should stay away from sauces for a while. These stomachaches happen at home, too, although they’ve been quite frequent since I got here. I can’t avoid much more food because I eat little enough as it is.

Because of the congestion and such I’ve been having, I’m anticipating a possible sinus infection, and I got an antibiotic, just in case. You can get Zithromax here without a prescription, although it’s only three pills instead of the seven (or eight?) we get at home.

At my mom’s insistence, I picked up some citrus at the grocery store—but there were only a couple good-looking oranges. I also got bananas, yogurt, and a bar of Milka chocolate, which I think I will be giving up for a while (after tonight) because I did not come here with the intention of eating a lot of chocolate. Oh, and I figured out how to use the produce scale at Interex! If nobody is at the counter, you put your fruit on, press the 4-digit number code, hit enter, and you get a sticker to put on the produce bag.

Daria

Alina

Gabi & Me

Andreea & Me

Paula

Maria