Dîn Dallas la Rampa

Astazi, Vera şi eu am mers la rampa (aka the garbage dump here in Cluj) to visit Andrea. Dallas is situated by the dump and the people in the community go there to scavenge for reusable and recyclable materials but there are a few families that actually live right on the dump. Andrea with her pregnant belly, her husband, and toddler moved to the ramp with in-laws (in a one-room/one bed shack)after they were displaced from their home in Dallas because a company purchased the parcel of land on which their house sits. She isn't very happy at the ramp and suffers from a bad tooth infection. She can't take antibiotics because she is pregnant. She and her family have little access to the mild comforts of Dallas, like the shower house (cabine de duş), toilets, or food exchange with Domnul Ion. Now they live in a swarm of mosquitoes engulfed in the mephitic stench of rotting garbage (with this lovely view to wake up to in the morning). The trade-off is that they better access to the wares of the dump. Little consolation but hopefully this is not a permanent situation (if a housing solution can be found. The shurch organization will probably build them one).
On a lighter note (barely), Vera and I took a walk around the perimeter of the dump, swatting mosquitoes from our faces and keeping alert for snakes (we picked wildflowers from the hillside too. If only the beautiful hills weren't obscured by the dump it would be so picturesque). We actually had a lovely encounter with some children, who live there. We took lots of pictures and will deliver them next week when we return. Again, I won't post them just yet. The beautiful thing about children is that they are oblivious to the misery that plagues their senior generations as long as they know no other lifestyle. These kids were playing and so full of laughter. The dump is their school and playground and it suits them just fine. They followed us around, played with the dogs, mimicked our every move, and romped through the fields with us. The one little girl doesn't have shoes and I was really worried about her running around on all the broken glass but she didn't seem to know any different. Still, we should get her some shoes before we return, to protect her little feet. All in all, the morning was actually kind of fun but at the same time I feel in my heart that there is more to do here than research... Perhaps though, a discussion for a later blog entry.
Here is sweet Vera sporting her shiny red rubber boots (mine are drab grey) that Domnul Ioan insisted we put on our feet before venturing to the ramp... a smart move. Thanks Domnul Ioan. The black, foamy run-off water meandering through the fields and snake warnings (we didn't actually encounter any) were enough to make us more than grateful. Vera is an amazing assistant and also a friend. This chick is hard core and will go the distance. She also has the biggest heart and has the love and respect of every person she knows. She is utterly devoted to the folks at Pata and surrounding communities and they to her.
Oh, and here are a couple of happy horses settling down after an exhausting morning. ahhh... finally, nap-time.