Lessons from Romania

Becky Jackson, a girls gymnastics coach from Orlando, Florida, previously volunteered for organizations like Habitat for Humanity in the United States but had never volunteered internationally. Attracted to United Planet’s mission, Becky embarked on a six-week Quest to a Romanian orphanage. We caught up with her a few weeks after she returned from her trip.

Becky began her Quest hoping to gain a new perspective, to see what life was like outside of her “bubble,” and to experience another culture and learn from it. Upon her arrival in the village of Provita, she was greeted with United Planet’s in-country coordinator, Kayla. Although in a foreign country, Becky always felt safe and supported with Kayla around:

“Kayla is absolutely incredible! She was supportive of all the volunteers from the moment we arrived. She was always there for us when we needed help, especially when it came to communicating with the kids and people at Provita. She made sure there was plenty of food options for those of us with a vegetarian diet. She checked on us every chance she got to be sure we were comfortable, whether it was during an activity with the kids or helping out with a caretaker’s housework. She was on top of it all. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. She is so fun and so full of love.”

At Provita, Becky spent most of her days with the children in the village. Everyday activities included playing sports, hiking, picking fruit and berries, playing games, preparing the decorations for the re-opening of the Sala De Mesa (arts and crafts), watching movies, and walking the kids to school. In the mornings she would sometimes help her host mother with housework.

The experience wasn’t always easy, she explains. After the first “honeymoon” week, the reality of living in such unfamiliar conditions hit hard. She was having a rough time adjusting to life in Provita, but, in a single moment, one little girl changed her entire experience. Becky describes:

“There are about 300 children in the village. Kayla was a stickler about celebrating birthdays. At the end of the second week I was there, one of the girls turned 7.  So we baked her a cake and brought it over to her house. She didn’t even know it was her birthday! We came over with her cake, and she just started shaking with excitement. I’ve never seen a child be so excited and be so overjoyed for such a simple thing as a birthday.  So we all went upstairs with her cake and all the kids were seated around the table. And we shut the lights off and started singing to her. The look on her face was something I’ve never experienced. She stood up and climbed over the chairs to hug us, and she was shaking. She was just happy. It was as if she had never celebrated her birthday in her whole life. And that made everything worth it. All the hard work to get there, the tough weeks that I had, it made everything worth it. That was the turning point in my trip. It changed everything.”

Throughout the trip, Becky got to know the Romanian women in the village. She spoke about the women in Provita with deep respect. She was inspired by these courageous women, who escaped poor living situations in making their exodus to Provita. Many of them broke away from awful marriages and took their children with them to give them a better life. Becky explains, “They were eager to share their pasts and their journeys to get to Provita. They’ve been through things in their lives I could never imagine, but they ask for no such sympathy. All they wanted was for me to learn from them and apply their wisdom and knowledge to my life and future experiences.”

Becky’s trip to Romania turned out to be a truly life-changing experience. This may have been her first international volunteering trip, but it seems to be just the beginning of many more to come. Becky reflects,

“My time in Romania couldn’t have been any better. Life is simple, but so very beautiful. I felt loved by every single person at Provita. The kids had such warm hearts and open arms. They’d yell my name any time they saw me and come right up to hug me. They were always eager to spend time together. It didn’t matter what we did. I’ll never forget all the birthdays we celebrated, all the fruit we picked, all the dance parties we had on the front porch or all the times we laughed because we couldn’t understand each other. I absolutely want to go on another orphanage Quest. Whether it’s Provita or somewhere else, I can’t wait to do another trip like that. I love kids – doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing. I would in a heartbeat go back to Provita.”

Thank you, Becky, for your commitment to service and to building cross-cultural relationships,  and also for sharing your wonderful experience with us.