Survey team

Mina 1 Mai, these days

Between the 27 February and 5 March the NNRT team visited Romania. Matt Bigwood and John Anyon, came to do the survey trip, discuss with hospital officials, taking many photos and videos...
We had a productive meeting with the head nurse. They also had the chance to meet Dr. Iordache, even just for a short time. Also met Dr. Boesan (Ropotan's daughter), and the majority of the staff.
The head nurse was thankful for all she received, as for the summer projects it was suggested to capture more springs to add them to the existing water reservoir, a new drying area for clothes with roofing on it, more roof tiles for the 2 buildings, reparations on dining room tables and perhaps a few new chairs, continuing the rewiring of the hospital, new sockets, switches and tubes, perhaps more food...

While the team was here, I met the Mormon team (LDS church) led by Mr. Val Lofgreen, who came over, did the shopping at the Metro 1 and Metro 2, bought the following things for the hospital: big industrial sewing machine, second hand sewing machine, second hand knitting machine, circular saw blades, big pots with lids, stainless steel mugs, industrial ironing machine, a household ironing machine, cloth dryers, plastic buckets...
I am happy that between the shoppings I got a new digital camera Panasonic, which I am going to use from now on. I am thankful for the Mormon team on behalf of the hospital, who came over from Bucharest just to help buying the above items to the hospital.

I had a very good week with Matt and John. The weather was good to us most of the time, except the last 2 days. I must say that I admire the dedication of Matt and John who came here for a week, do the charity work. It was quite obvious that Matt is a famous person back home, receiving many phonecalls while in Romania, even on the road back to Bucharest... I am not saying that John is not as famous, as far as I know John left his phone back home.

We have visited all the hospital, many of the wards, the new carpenter workshop, the former carpenter workshop, the new boiler house... Our old burner, fuel injector is now rubbish, including the the old boiler too. In fact just outside of the hospital is a pile of rubbish, mostly heavy iron, they need some machinery to lift that up and remove it.

It is true that the head nurse suggested that we could use some old iron for the new drying area, but I do not reccomand it really: firstly because they are old and very rusty, and secondly because the management form Brasov might just take it from there and sell it by the summer.

The hospital now wants to buy many trees to make an orchid out there.

Matt and John gave out cigarettes for patients. It is true we do not encourage anyone to smoke, quite the opposite, but it seemed these poor fellows would give anything for a cigarette.
Also on the last day we have been shopping food from Metro 1 for about 240 Pounds plus some gifts for the staff, and they were very happy.

Matt signing documents

When we left they did not knew where exaclty will install the new sewing machine. At the beginning it was said that they will install at the sewing ladies room , but there is no 380V required and they would need about 40m cable plus socket to make it. That's why they said that is possible to install it at the existing OT room, where actually it seems they do have the 380V.
That would certainly raise the question if the exisiting OT room will remain as it is now?

Also at the transport a plastic handle of the machine has broken and they would need a very strong glue to fix it.

We have been in the new dispensary, fixed the pipe under the toilet sink. With the mould there is a bigger issue, it can not be cleansed just like that.
We have been at the school and kindergarten, met Garofita there.

Within the week we only had 1 day off on Saturday 1 March, when we were in Poiana Brasov and later in Brasov and on the mount Tampa.

John's photo - our family

Matt and John also been at our place and John did many photos of our family, for what I am very thankful.

At the Sergiana

We have been at the Sergiana restaurant from the center of Brasov which did not seemed as nice as it is advertised. If you have claustrophobia you certainly must avoid it, as it's like an underground cellar. The usual Casa Tudor is a much nicer place.

The refurbished boiler room

I do not want to forget that the road now between Mina 1 Mai and Codlea is very bad. It's true last October they repaired it parts of it, but on areas where no reparations were made, are just absolutely disaster to drive. Especially in Coldea next to the paint factory's corner, and around the entrance to Mina 1 Mai. Here we had to drive VERY slowly. As local elections are due on 1 June 2008, who knows perhaps it will be repaired? If not, perhaps in 2012?