Abingdonian 2018

66 The Abingdonian Moldova Trip On 10 July, 14 Abingdon boys set off from the Coach Park to embark upon a trip the like of which none of us had experienced before. Whether we felt ready to begin this trip at 3am on a Monday morning was questionable, we were all, however, incredibly excited about what lay ahead: 10 days in one of Europe’s poorest countries, Moldova. We got on a flight to Vienna, much to William Cope’s disappointment, who seemed to have dressed for a trip to Ibiza in his salmon pink chino shorts and Hawaiian shirt. After a short stop in Vienna, we arrived at Chisinau airport, where we met the man that some in previous years had described as ‘The Man, the Myth, the Legend’. This was Nicu, usually referred to through his other title, the Director of Agape, the charity supported by Abingdon School. Very quickly we became accustomed to the fact that Moldova was going to be very different to Ol’ Blighty, through not only the consistent heat, but also the bumpy car journey to Ialoveni, our home for the next few days. The lack of development and contrast with the UK was clear not only in the roads, but also at the school where we would be spending the next five days helping children learn English, have fun in art and release lots of stored up energy in sporting activities. The school, in its buildings, resources and amenities, was incredibly different to what we are so fortunate to be treated to at Abingdon, and, I believe, this hit home hard with quite a few of the Abingdon Sixth Formers. We realised then how much we simply take for granted and how lucky we are. At the school, tired and dishevelled from our early start, and rather nervous, we were introduced to our host families, with whom we would be staying for the next few days. Before we knew it, we were on the way home with them and all feeling quite relaxed. Our families all lived in the town of Ialoveni, which is very different from Abingdon. The families grow most of their own food in their gardens, with the more affluent having space for keeping chickens or ducks. We tried foods we had never tasted before, and had a mainly vegetarian diet. The only shop we found in the town supplied less than my village store. My host family was very hospitable, but only their eldest, twelve-year-old son had any reasonable English. So my house mate - Max Hall - and I soon learnt that Google Translate and Mr Jenkin’s crib sheet of useful Moldovan phrases were going to be our trusty friends! The first morning, up bright and early, we were taken to the school to begin running the activities. Something we learnt quickly as a group was the importance of making a plan for the day; seemingly, hours of Splat and Duck Duck Goose were not quite going to satisfy the teachers and children alike…