As you might have guessed, this blog will tell the stories of my time in Romania this summer. Through Global Volunteers, I will be leaving on July 24 for a three-week volunteer stint at a pediatric recovery clinic in Tutova, Romania. There are approximately 20 kids at the clinic right now, and while there are aides there who take care of the babies’ major needs, there are not enough of them to give the children the individual attention they need to thrive.

As a result, the continuous stream of volunteers throughout the year is relied upon to feed, cuddle, and play with the children so that they don’t spend their days lying in their cribs with little loving contact. Mostly infants and toddlers, the kids have various medical and developmental conditions, from Down Syndrome to Dwarfism to hydrocephaly.

I have a website at http://axm9237.weebly.com/, but due to the severe annoyance I suffered any time I tried to update the site, I got this account for my journaling purposes. There is more information about myself and my trip on that site, though, if you want to look.

I'll be posting periodically throughout the time leading up to my trip--I leave July 24th. While I'm there, I hope to be able to update every day, but I make no guarantees.

Thanks for the support you all have given me, whether monetary or emotional. This is certain to be an adventure, and I could not have done it without you. :-)